Remember the WTC 9/11/01
Hall Of Shame
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Remember the WTC 9/11/01
Hall Of Shame
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Here are the "Artists United to win Without war Associates" This List comes from their website! Boycott their work.
Rene Auberjonois Suzanne Cryer Eerie Silence in Hollywood as Anti-War Stars Vanish Sun Apr 27,10:07 AM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Where has the Hollywood anti-war lobby gone? In the weeks leading up to war in Iraq (news - web sites) actors Martin Sheen (news), Mike Farrell (news), Sean Penn (news)
and Janeane Garofalo (news) joined a cast of thousands in a fierce Hollywood resistance played out in protest marches and
from the sofas of television talk shows. But with the war in its waning hours, all is quiet on the western coast -- leading conservatives to suggest that Garofalo
and her fellow travelers are in full retreat from a public backlash and feeling chastened by a swift American victory. Liberals fear Hollywood's left-wing stars are being muzzled and their careers placed in jeopardy from what actor Tim Robbins
(news), called in a recent speech a "climate of fear." But Mike Farrell, star of television's "MASH" and organizer of "Artists United to Win Without War," told Reuters that those
who joined the loyal opposition in Hollywood had not been silenced and certainly were not backing down. Instead, he said, the "huge coalition" of those opposed to the war were gathering strength and preparing to fight another
day -- over post-war Iraq, domestic issues and future "preemptive strikes" by the Bush administration. "What's the point of me saying anything right now, while they're in the end zone doing the dance and spiking the football?"
Farrell said. "They are going to do the thing they are going to do, but we'll be heard from when it's appropriate and in the
manner that is appropriate." GAROFALO SOLDIERS Garofalo, working hard on her upcoming ABC sitcom, did not respond to interview requests for this story. But she told the
Washington Post last week that her anti-war stance had been a "positive" experience that had helped her career. "Before this I was a moderately well-known character actress," she told the paper. "Now, I'm almost famous." A spokeswoman for Penn, who infuriated many Americans by visiting Iraq in December on his own fact-finding mission, said
the actor was not granting interviews. Sheen's publicist said the man who plays president on "The West Wing (news - web sites)"
was "not talking to anybody right now." Farrell lamented the backlash to celebrities who spoke out -- notably in the case of the Dixie Chicks (news - web sites),
who saw radio stations yank their music off the air and fans smash their CDs after Texas-born lead singer Natalie Maines (news)
told a London audience she was "ashamed" that Bush hailed from her state. Maines has since apologized and the band said during a tearful ABC-TV interview that they feared for their lives after
getting death threats. But Farrell said the backlash came from a small number of Americans galvanized by the Bush administration
and conservative radio talk show hosts. "There was a well-orchestrated campaign to do that through hate radio and Web sites and voices that sprang from the (Bush)
administration and said 'take your choice, you're with us or with the terrorists,"' he said. "But the Dixie Chicks are back on the air and their record is number one again," he said. "Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon
(news) are not going to stop making movies for a long time. Janeane Garofalo has a (TV) pilot going forward. These ugly-mouthed
people like to think they are more powerful than they are." STILL OPPOSED Farrell said that the ability of U.S. troops to topple Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime in relatively short order
has not softened his opposition to the war. "An illegal war is an illegal war no matter what the result. We'll never know now what could have been achieved through
peaceful means." Prof. Howard Suber, founding director of UCLA's film and television producer's program, said the eerie silence from Hollywood
was to be expected once American troops were on the ground in Iraq. "It's one thing to oppose the war and it's another thing entirely to appear that you are supporting the enemy," Suber said.
"That's the trap Jane Fonda (news) fell into when she went to North Vietnam (during the Vietnam War) and was a labeled traitor.
I know of no public figure who supported Saddam, so once the troops are in the field you've got to shut up." But, he added: "To suggest they've been muzzled I think is bull. They've just got nothing to say. Once the deed is done
there's nothing to say until the next time." Allan Mayer, a top Hollywood crisis public relations manager, said a few performers not used to dabbling in politics had
been given a wake-up call by the blistering public response to their remarks. "Clearly Natalie Maines didn't have an inkling of the kind of reaction she was going to provoke," Mayer said, adding, "There's
a level of vitriol in the air that I haven't seen since the Vietnam War." Vermont Gov. Dean proves he is Clueless! Dean said, "Not really. I don't think anybody could reasonably
suspect we weren't going to win. The problem now is how to govern, and that's where the real rubber is underneath the road.
Gingrich Blasts State Department WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich criticized the State Department
on Tuesday for its apparent diplomatic failure leading up to the war in Iraq. Gingrich made his comments to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. He asserted that the
State Department failed to put enough pressure on Iraq to disarm and comply with U.N. sanctions. "The last seven months have included six months of diplomatic failure and one month of military success,"
Gingrich said. According to Gingrich, it's necessary that the State Department implement "bold and dramatic" changes,
similar to those seen at the Pentagon, in order to prevent another diplomatic disaster. Gingrich also blasted the State Department
for considering sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to Syria, calling such possibilities "ludicrous." The White House was quick to defend Powell, saying that he had done an "excellent job" representing
the Administration and its policies. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer applauded Powell's "superb efforts" and indicated
that Powell's actions were a direct reflection of the President's views. An official from the State Department echoed the same sentiment, stating, "If [Gingrich] has a problem
with Powell, he has a problem with George Bush." State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also defended his embattled institution, saying, "The State
Department is here to carry out the President's policy. In every one of these instances being cited, we are doing that effectively.
We are doing that loyally, we are doing that diligently, and we're doing that with a fair amount of creativity and accomplishment." Gingrich's statements have suggested a serious and growing rift, perhaps even rivalry, between the
Defense and State Departments. However, relations between the heads of both are said to be civil. Officials said that the two departments have differed on which department should represent the United
States in talks with North Korea, and also on the role of Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi. Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved. KERRY MISSES MASS. SOLDIER'S FUNERAL FOR FUNDRAISERS Robbins Says First Amendment Suffering The Associated Press Wednesday, April 16, 2003; 6:52 AM WASHINGTON - One casualty of the war with Iraq is the First Amendment right to oppose it, actor Tim Robbins says. Robbins and longtime companion actress Susan Sarandon are war opponents whose scheduled appearance at baseball's Hall of
Fame was canceled last week by former Reagan administration aide Dale Petroskey, now the hall's president. "A chill wind is blowing in this nation," Robbins told a National Press Club luncheon Tuesday. "Every day the airwaves
are filled with warnings, veiled and unveiled threats, spewed invective and hatred directed at any voice of dissent." Robbins, 44, said he didn't regret supporting the 2000 presidential campaign of consumer activist Ralph Nader, who has
been blamed for taking enough votes away from Al Gore to enable George W. Bush to win the White House. He said he hadn't decided
whom to support in 2004. Petroskey sent a letter to Robbins and Sarandon, telling them the 15th-anniversary celebration of "Bull Durham" set for
April 26-27 at Cooperstown, N.Y., had been called off. Robbins and Sarandon co-starred in the 1988 baseball film. © 2003 The Associated Press Filmmaker Moore Criticizes Bush Again
AUSTIN, Texas - Filmmaker Michael Moore, who slammed President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq during his
Oscar acceptance speech, continued his criticism before a university crowd in Bush's home state. The documentary maker said Monday night that the president's approval ratings are high because the American
people rally around their leader after a tragedy, and Bush "is the one occupying the federal land at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." But Moore said the United States is at war with Iraq because of the former Texas governor's need to keep the
public's eye off his domestic failures as president. "It's not about the weapons of mass destruction; it's about the weapons of mass distraction," he told 4,400
students and guests at the University of Texas. Pulling his Oscar from a bag, Moore passed the gold statue around the audience, joking, "What are the chances
I'm going to get that thing back?" Moore won his first Oscar last month for "Bowling for Columbine," an examination of gun violence in America.
He received a standing ovation when he won and a mixture of cheers and boos with his fiery criticism of President Bush - a
speech he said he hadn't prepared. Moore told the Austin American-Statesman before his lecture that 90 percent of the response he's gotten has
been positive and that, despite having investigated the roots of violence in his most recent documentary, he hasn't received
any threats. "Should I be getting death threats?" he said, jokingly. "It is pretty risky of me to be coming to Texas, don't
you think?" Pelosi stands by vote against Iraq war Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are rallying around military successes in Iraq and supporting the troops, but
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it was still right to oppose granting the president the authority to use force to
disarm Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
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Democrats Hold Anti-War Rally in Moscow (GOPA News) -- The Moscow Times on Monday featured an article about an anti-war
rally in the Russian capital. The Saturday afternoon demonstration by 6,000 people, mostly Communists, included a handful
of Americans. The newspaper reported that a group called Democrats Abroad organized the event. On its website, Democrats Abroad (www.democratsabroad.org) calls itself "The official Democratic
Party organization for some six million American citizens who live outside the United States." Their stated mission is: "We
work to support the aims and principles of the Democratic Party. We are recognized as a "state" committee by the Democratic
National Committee and are represented on the DNC by eight members." The Moscow Times described the demonstration as "a mass of red flags and 'Yankee Go Home' badge-wearing
demonstrators." Included in that "mass" was a small group of Americans who also oppose their government's war in Iraq. The newspaper quotes Mark Sleboda, 28, a student at the Moscow State Institute of International
Relations, or MGIMO, and a former N.C.O. officer in the U.S. Navy. "What we are doing is unlawful. We support our troops,
but the only way to support them is to bring them home alive," Sleboda said. The Times quotes Tanya Abrams, an international relations student on a U.S. government fellowship
to MGIMO, as saying of U.S. President George W. Bush, "He's ignoring the will of the people. He can't convince anyone in the
world except for Britain. I'm embarrassed to be an American."
Charlie Rangel (D-NY)
Remarks by Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) against our servicemen and women in Iraq. Why are this idiots sedicious comments
being ignored!
Rangel said "I just don't believe that you bomb women and children in order to enforce [the U.N. resolution on Iraq],"
the Harlem leftist said on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" Thursday night.
When challenged on his claim that U.S. forces were killing Iraqi children, Rangel said sarcastically: "You're right. They're
shooting themselves. They just don't know they're being liberated."
This guy should join be sensured, playing politics when our guys are in harms way is just wrong. Democrat Calls for End to War in
Speech
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich took his anti-war campaign to the House floor Tuesday, calling for an
end to the fighting in Iraq to allow weapons inspectors to return. Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio, repeated the phrase, "Stop this war now," 10 times in his brief speech. He said the
U.S.-led military campaign was built on "falsehood." "This war has been advanced on lie upon lie," he said. "Iraq was not responsible for 9/11. Iraq was not responsible for
any role al-Qaida may have had in 9/11. Iraq was not responsible for the anthrax attacks on this country." "Rescue this nation from a war that is wrong, that is unjust, that is immoral," Kucinich said. According to the Tennessean, Gore used recent attacks on the Dixie Chicks that followed anti-war comments by Natalie
Maines as an example. Gore told the audience, "They were made to feel un-American and risked economic retaliation because
of what was said. Our democracy has taken a hit," Gore said. "Our best protection is free and open debate." Record sales have fallen for the Chicks and radio stations across the country banned the trio's music after Maines told
a London concert crowd that she was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Maines later released an apology. -- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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Hurah for The United Way!
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Actress Susan Sarandon said she was disturbed by a charity's decision to
cancel her appearance at a fund-raising event because of complaints about her anti-war views.
But organizers this week scrapped the $75-a-plate event after the charity got three dozen complaints about Sarandon's selection.
Robin Carson, chairwoman of the board of directors, said the event had the potential to become "divisive."
"The focus of our whole meeting had shifted to whether or not we were creating a political platform for Susan Sarandon,"
Carson said.
In a statement Friday, Sarandon said that "considering the depletion of federal funds for community programs and the faltering
economy, it is disturbing to me that the United Way is letting partisanship determine its support base.
"Once again, the shortsightedness of the powerful will end up hurting those in need."
Others disagreed with the decision, too.
Marty Petty, executive vice president of Times Publishing Co., which publishes the St. Petersburg Times, resigned as a
member of the United Way board of directors and chair of the 2003 campaign.
"This decision is grounded in my lifelong personal and professional belief that our civic life is made stronger by the
expression of all views, including ones that are controversial," Petty wrote in a letter to Carson.
Sarandon's brother, Terry Tomalin, outdoors writer at the St. Petersburg Times, had asked Sarandon to participate six months
ago.
Sarandon, who introduced the obituary segment of Sunday's Academy Awards show, flashed a peace symbol with her fingers
while walking on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. Funnyman Robin Williams has launched a scathing attack on President George W. Bush and his decision to go ahead with war
on Iraq. The "One Hour Photo" actor also criticizes what he sees as his country's mixed messages when it comes to national security.
He says, "America is broke, basically, but Bush wants to wage a war that costs pretty much a billion dollars a month.
"We have a president for whom English is a second language. He's like 'We have to get rid of dictators,' but he's pretty
much one himself.
"In America, we have orange alert, but what the hell does that mean? We're supposed to be afraid of Krishna? Of orange
sorbet? Then it's like, 'You can't go out and shop, it's too dangerous out there,' but if that happens then the economy falls.
"The message is so mixed: 'Be afraid, but not too afraid.'" XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI MARCH 28, 2003 20:52:37 ET XXXXX
Sheen Leads Anti-War Prayer Vigil in
L.A.
Martin Sheen covered his mouth with a piece of duct tape that said "peace," then led about 60 protesters in a prayer vigil. The star of the NBC series "The West Wing" carried a huge painted cross during Wednesday's protest. He didn't speak, but
the Rev. Michael Kennedy of Delores Mission Catholic Church in East Los Angeles read a statement from him. "Nationalism and militarism have become the gods of our idolatry at the expense of our humanity," Sheen wrote. "By some
demented form of logic the men, women and children of Iraq are relegated to 'collateral damage' as the dogs of war slouch
toward Baghdad." The vigil was held to pray for the safe return of U.S. soldiers and to express solidarity with two Catholic priests and
one peace activist who have been fasting on a liquid diet since March 5, organizers said. |
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Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), who leads opposition
to the War in Iraq within the House, issued the following statement on the House floor: "Stop the war now. As Baghdad will be encircled, this
is the time to get the UN back in to inspect Baghdad and the rest of Iraq for biological and chemical weapons. Our troops
should not have to be the ones who will find out, in combat, whether Iraq has such weapons. Why put our troops at greater
risk? We could get the United Nations inspectors back in. "Stop the war now. Before we send our troops into
house-to-house combat in Baghdad, a city of five million people. Before we ask our troops to take up the burden of shooting
innocent civilians in the fog of war. "Stop the war now. This war has been advanced on lie
upon lie. Iraq was not responsible for 9/11. Iraq was not responsible for any role al-Qaeda may have had in 9/11. Iraq was
not responsible for the anthrax attacks on this country. Iraq did not tried to acquire nuclear weapons technology from Niger.
This war is built on falsehood. "Stop the war now. We are not defending America in
Iraq. Iraq did not attack this nation. Iraq has no ability to attack this nation. Each innocent civilian casualty represents
a threat to America for years to come and will end up making our nation less safe. The seventy-five billion dollar supplemental
needs to be challenged because each dime we spend on this war makes America less safe. Only international cooperation will
help us meet the challenge of terrorism. After 9/11 all Americans remember we had the support and the sympathy of the world.
Every nation was ready to be of assistance to the United States in meeting the challenge of terrorism. And yet, with this
war, we have squandered the sympathy of the world. We have brought upon this nation the anger of the world. We need the cooperation
of the world, to find the terrorists before they come to our shores. "Stop this war now. Seventy-five billion dollars more
for war. Three-quarters of a trillion dollars for tax cuts, but no money for veterans ' benefits. Money for war. No money
for health care in America, but money for war. No money for social security, but money for war. We have money to blow up bridges
over the Tigris and the Euphrates, but no money to build bridges in our own cities. We have money to ruin the health of the
Iraqi children, but no money to repair the health of our own children and our educational programs. "Stop this war now. It is wrong. It is illegal. It
is unjust and it will come to no good for this country. "Stop this war now. Show our wisdom and our humanity,
to be able to stop it, to bring back the United Nations into the process. Rescue this moment. Rescue this nation from a war
that is wrong, that is unjust, that is immoral. By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News Incensed fans walked out of Pearl Jam's concert Tuesday after
lead singer Eddie Vedder impaled a mask of President Bush on a microphone stand, then slammed it to the stage.
Most of Vedder's antiwar remarks earlier in the Pepsi Center show were greeted
with mixed cheers and scattered boos. But dozens of angry fans walked out during the encore because of the macabre display
with the Bush mask, which he wore for the song Bushleaguer, a Bush- taunting song from the band's latest album, Riot Act.
"When he was sharing his political views in a fairly benign manner - supporting
our troops, opposing policy - that's OK," said Keith Zimmerman, of Denver.
"When he takes what looks like the head of George Bush on a stick, then throws
it to the stage and stomps on it, that's just unacceptable. I love Pearl Jam, but that was just way over the edge. We literally
got up and left."
Others joined Zimmerman, some complaining about the lyrics of Bushleaguer, which
in part call Bush "a confidence man" and say, "He's not a leader / he's a Texas leaguer."
"I wasn't sure if it was really happening," said Kim Mueller. "We looked at each
other and realized he really did have George Bush's head on a stick and was waving it in the air, then slam-med it to the
ground and step-ped on it."
"It was like he decapitated someone in a primal ritual and stuck their head on
a stick," Zimmerman said. "It kinda blows away the Dixie Chicks."
The Dixie Chicks were the target of boycotts and bannings after making an anti-Bush
statement on a London stage in March. (On Wednesday, the Marshall Tucker Band announced it would play a May 1 concert in Spartanburg,
S.C., as an alternative to the U.S. tour-opening show in nearby Greenville by the Dixie Chicks that same day.)
Vedder has used the Bush mask in previous shows in Australia and Japan, but Denver's
U.S. tour opener was the first show since war broke out in Iraq.
Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis couldn't be reached for comment. The Seattle band
plays Oklahoma City tonight.
Before Do the Evolution, Vedder told the crowd the tale of a Vietnam vet who expressed
severe reservations about war in Iraq to Vedder. The singer was incensed when someone in the crowd yelled, "Shut up!"
"Did someone just say, 'Shut up'? I don't know if you heard about this thing called
freedom of speech, man. It's worth thinking about it, because it's going away," Vedder said. "In the last year of being able
to use it, we're sure as (expletive) going to use it and I'm not gonna apologize."
Later in the show, he added to that.
"Just to clarify . . . we support the troops," Vedder said to cheers. "Our problem
is certainly not with anybody over there doing something that not too many of us would do right now, not for these reasons.
"So to the families and those people who know those folks and are related to those
folks and are married to those folks, we send our support. We're just confused on how wanting to bring them back safely all
of a sudden becomes nonsupport. We love them, we support them. They're not the ones who make the foreign policy. . . . Let's
hope for the best and speak our opinions."
It was after that when Vedder put on the Bush mask and a sparkling silver jacket.
He took off the mask, mounted it on the mike stand, then slammed it to the floor. Kerry still playing Politics with the War 4/2/03 Detic presidential hopeful John Kerry said Wednesday that President Bush
so alienated allies prior to the U.S.-led war against Iraq that only a new president can rebuild damaged U.S.-international
relationships. "Because of the depth of this breach, because of the anger that exists with
many countries and their leaders ... I don't think they're going to trust this president no matter what," the Massachusetts
senator told a Peterborough, New Hampshire audience. Kerry backed a congressional resolution last fall giving Bush the authority
to use force to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but the lawmaker repeatedly has criticized the president for failing
to give diplomacy more time. If elected president, Kerry said he would heal relations with other countries
by approaching the United Nations with a plan to make the United States a leader on international, environmental and health
care issues without ceding its right to defend itself. "I believe we can have a golden age of American diplomacy," he said. Kerry spoke briefly and answered questions from New Hampshire voters who
packed the basement of the town library to hear his views on education, the economy and other issues. Many of the questions
focused on the war.
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HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Famed US documentary maker Michael Moore used his win of an Oscar
to launch a violent attack on US President George W. Bush and war in Iraq amid loud boos from the audience. "We live in fictitious times," he said when picking up the award for best documentary for his anti-gun film "Bowling for
Columbine."
"We live in a time with fictitious election results that elect fictitious presidents. We live in a time when we have a
man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.
"We are against this war Mr Bush. Shame on you. Shame on you!," he said to loud boos from an audience of 3,500 including
most of Hollywood's top stars.
When he went backstage at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre to face reporters, Moore was unapologetic for his outburst.
"I'm an American, and you don't leave your citizenship when you enter the doors of the Kodak Theater. What's great about
this country is that you can speak your mind," he said.
He said that, far from being appalled, many people in the audience stood up to applaud him.
"I say tonight I put America in a good light," he said praising the decision to push ahead with the Oscars despite the
war raging in the Middle East.
"I showed how vital it is to have free speech in our country and all Americans have the right to stand up for what they
believe in," he said. MONTPELIER, Vt. A group of Vermont teen-agers threw rocks at a uniformed female Vermont National
Guard sergeant last week, in the latest example of a service member facing hostility in the United States. National Guard spokesman Capt. Jeff Roosevelt said the woman was not injured in Friday's incident, which took place in
Plainfield, but said the woman had decided she would no longer wear her uniform outside of work. "We are a very tolerant state and people in the military also expect to be treated with the same courtesy
and respect that we show to others," Lt. Col. Scott Stirewalt, director of security at the Vermont National Guard, told WCAX
news. The teens blocked the sergeant as she went into a store and again on the way out, yelling obscenities
at her along the way, Roosevelt said. The group also threw small stones at her car as she drove away, he added. The sergeant said she believed the protesters had taken part in an anti-war demonstration in Montpelier
that day. National Guard troops are often deployed to such events to help keep the peace. "There were various profanities directed in her direction, along the line of '[expletive] murderer, [expletive]
baby killer,'" Stirewalt said. "It culminated with some of the individuals throwing rocks at her, and as testament to her
disciplined professionalism, she got in her car and left the area." Roosevelt called it an "isolated incident." "For every one that takes place there are hundreds of good deeds being done for Guard members," he said. Roosevelt said other guard members were told in an e-mail to be careful in public. "It was kind of a heads-up
to stay alert. We send warnings like that out all the time." U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chastised the stone throwers, calling the incident "disturbing." "The process leading to the war in Iraq has generated strong feelings across the nation," said Leahy, co-chairman
of the Senate National Guard Caucus. "I know that the great majority of Vermonters would never participate in this type of
disrespectful behavior because it is not the Vermont way. "It is important, especially now, for Vermonters of good will on both sides to show that the Vermont way
is to respect one another, regardless of our views about the war." Leahy noted that the state's National Guard helped thousands of residents there during a huge ice storm
in 1998 and in the period following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They also played key roles in both World Wars, the Korean
War and Operation Desert Storm. After news of the Sept. 11 attacks, Vermont's 158th Fighter Wing of the Guard scrambled many of their
F-16 fighter jets. Over the next 122 days, at least two of the units patrolled the skies over Washington, D.C. and New York
City. But Friday's incident isn't the only case of a Guard facing harassment in the Green Mountain State. "A car drove up alongside and honked his horn and stuck his hand out the window and gave us the old proverbial,
'hey, you're No. 1 finger,'" Guardsman Brian Tomblee told WCAX news, referring to an obscene gesture. "I just waved back and
said, 'Hey thanks for the support,' and drove on." Protesters at Friday's anti-war demonstration converged at the statehouse in Montpelier to lobby the governor
and the legislature. Just as the anti-war rally started, they were met with more than 30 Republican lawmakers lined up on
the upper statehouse steps to sing "God Bless America." Former Gov. Howard Dean -- who left his post to make a run for the Democratic ticket for president in 2004,
regularly and loudly criticizes the Bush administration war effort. He has also criticized fellow Democratic candidates for
backing the war. Under Vermont law, assaulting or abusing a soldier because of membership in the military is a hate crime.
Conviction could bring up to five years in prison. About 15 Vermont Air National Guard security personnel will soon be sent overseas to help fight the
war on terror, officials said, and could be deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The deployment will bring the number of Vermonters
currently deployed to about 200. The state's volunteer Guard now has about 4,000 members between the Army and Air National Guard. With a
population of just 600,000, that figure represents one of the highest Guard per capita participation rates in the country.
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