Money quote: "They hate us for our freedoms still, I see."

Nearly five years after putting up a controversial billboard that keeps a running tally of U.S. soldier deaths in Iraq, the owner says it's staying up despite vandalism and threats.

Thousands of cars pass by with some drivers waving and honking in support. But Queisser says others have thrown rocks at his home and vandals have torn the sign apart multiple times. There have also been letters calling Queisser a terrorist, and even one that threatened him with beheading.

I bet more than 28% of Bellingham, Washington residents know exactly how many soldiers have died in McBush's war.

Oh, 3992, by the way.

(h/t Kathy)

Download | play Download | play (h/t Orangutan)

Tibetans and those who support their independence protested in several cities Saturday in India, Nepal and the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, where death tolls ranging from 10 to 100 were reported in the past 24 hours.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday urged the Chinese government to exercise restraint in dealing with the demonstrations and told both sides to avoid violence.

Tibetan exiles in India cited unconfirmed reports that at least 100 people were killed and many more injured in violence that started when Chinese police blocked a march by monks in Lhasa on Friday. China's state-run Xinhua news agency, citing the Tibetan government, said 10 were killed.

"The victims are all innocent civilians, and they have been burnt to death," an official with the regional government told Xinhua.

Because of the extreme difficulties in getting news reports from Tibet, it was impossible to independently verify the death toll or the number of those injured.

Tibetan protesters have been clashing with police in several areas since March 10, the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.

Democracy Now, via Street Prophets, h/t Rain:

...the peace sign turns fifty years old today. Over the past five decades the peace sign has become one of the world’s enduring icons. The original peace sign was developed in 1958 by a British textile designer and conscientious objector named Gerald Holtom. He created the symbol by combining the semaphore letters N and D, for nuclear disarmament. On Feb. 21, 1958 the symbol was accepted by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War. The symbol soon began to be used in anti-nuclear protests across Britain and then spread across the globe.

A couple of days ago, I linked to this Burnt Orange post about the Prairie View A&M students walking 7 miles from campus to the one voting location alloted for their district. Well, we now have video of the march:

and this update:

The day closed yesterday with:

Rep: 82 voters
Dem: 472 voters

In a county that votes for Republicans in large numbers, this number is HUGE!!!!

Also, I can report that in Austin County, the race was almost equal yesterday. That is HUGE information because Republicans normally out vote Democrats (at least in primaries) at the rate of 10-to-1.

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I was watching MSNBC this morning and during a segment on the Black Friday shopping frenzy and the throngs of people waiting in line to get into a New Jersey mall, when something caught my eye. I rewound the video and sure enough, the first two people through the door were wearing protest shirts -- "Impeach Bush" and "Out Of Iraq".

I don't know who these brave souls are, but I thought I'd thank them for waiting in line to get the chance to make their statement and give them props for getting the holidays off to a great start and trying to spread some good will. We can only hope security didn't tackle, tase or beat them...

*Update: They made it on CNN later in the morning!

Via United Hollywood:

Here's what's being done by fans for the WGA strike: "Now is the time to save ALL our shows. MAIL PENCILS pencils to the AMPTP and to any studios whose shows you enjoy... Maybe we can help the studios see just how much support the WGA has. And maybe, just maybe, we can give them a graceful way out (not because they're buckling under the writers' demands, but because they care so much about their audience. Us. And isn't that supposed to be their job?"

h/t and more from Christy at Firedoglake:

Now this is a great idea — Pencils to Moguls — talk about getting your point across!

The above YouTube is a take off on an idea that started with some fans of Joss Whedon and took on a life of its own. And I think it is a brilliant way to get the point across that fans of various shows not only appreciate what the writers do and value it for what it brings to their lives — but that the studios ought to value quality work as well. Or those fans are likely to stop paying money for all those products the studios want them to buy. Read on...

There oughta be a law.... Act Against Eviction:

Eleven residents of Victoria House in Port Townsend, Washington State, (some in their 90s) are being evicted from the assisted living facility with 90 days notice. Why? Because the Victoria House management company, has decided to stop accepting Medicaid, and there is no law in Washington that makes them have to stick with their agreements with tenants.

Yup. They can just kick 'em out.

The same company kicked out all the Medicaid patients from their Oregon facilities last year. Community action got together, and now Oregon has a law, like the one in Illinois, that prohibits such practices.

The company has the Orwellian name of "Assisted Living Concepts" and their motto is "Life Just Got Easier". No, really. And this is a deliberate business decision on the part of a company that says they are committed to eldercare. Elder Law Answers says, "Over the next five years, company officials say they plan on having their 1,800 remaining Medicaid recipients move out, either voluntarily as they choose to move into other assisted living facilities or nursing homes, or involuntarily through evictions."

Assisted Living Concepts' chief executive officer Laurie Bebo said the company filed for bankruptcy twice in the 1990s and is now moving toward serving only private-pay residents in part because it does not want to undergo a third bankruptcy....Even with Medicaid residents in its facilities, Assisted Living Concepts made about 24 percent more in fourth-quarter earnings in 2007 than it did in 2006.

(Photograph by Charles Dharapak of Associated Press.)

Code Pink protestor Desiree Farooz confronts Condoleeza Rice with "blood-stained" hands, calling the Secretary of State a "war criminal" who should be tried at the Hague.

Download | play Download | play

USA Today:

Rice was preparing to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee when she encountered Farooz inside the hearing room. Farooz had painted her hands red, apparently to symbolize her group's claim that members of President Bush's cabinet have blood on their hands because of the way they've waged war in Iraq.

Via Brave New Films:

Brave New Foundation is pleased to release this video promoting a historical and momentous event that is about to occur. Watch it and see how you can participate in a gathering that can help change the world.

On Saturday, October 27th there will be 11 massive demonstrations for peace throughout the United States. In Boston, Chicago, Jonesborough, Tennessee, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle, people from all walks of life will join together to express their anti-war sentiments and to call for an immediate end to the conflict in Iraq. Read more...

Visit Oct27.org for more information.

Related post at I'm Ezy: Tylertown, Mississippi welcomes Jena 6 supporters back to 1957.

The ACLU of Louisiana has the most complete background piece on Jena 6 here.