Today great progress was made to lessen the suffering of millions of farmed animals in Ohio - progress that is a direct result of the tireless effort of our volunteers and supporters.

For months, Mercy For Animals has been on the ground, in the streets, and behind-the-scenes working diligently to mobilize support and gather signatures as part of the Ohioans for Humane Farm's campaign to place an initiative on the November ballot that would phase out cruel factory farming practices in the state.

Just recently, once it became known that animal advocates had gathered enough signatures to put the initiative on the ballot, animal agriculture finally agreed to discuss meaningful reforms.!

And today, just hours before over 500,000 signatures were slated to be filed, a major animal protection agreement was reached - preventing costly and contentious campaigning.

Mere hours ago, a landmark settlement was reached between animal protection advocates, Gov. Ted Strickland, and the Ohio agribusiness lobby.

Leon Panetta is resorting to lies to justify war against Iran. This statement in particular is misleading on several levels:

"Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta told ABC's 'This Week' television program that the agency thinks Iran has enough low-enriched uranium now for two weapons, but that Tehran would have to further enrich the material first."

Notice, folks, I am NOT a magician, have nothing up my sleeves, have no espionage credentials, nothing except Wikipedia.

But I know this: that without highly-enriched uranium (i.e., 85% or greater U-235 content), it is not possible to have a nuclear weapon capable of missile delivery.

Remember "Fat Man" and "Little Boy," the Nagasaki and Hiroshima nuclear bombs? Fat Man weighed 10,200 lbs. - over 5 tons - and was so large that modifications had to be made to the largest bomber of the day in order to deliver it.

The same was true of Little Boy - which weighed 8,800 lbs. (4.4 tons).

Has it occurred to President Barack Obama that Gen. Stanley McChrystal might actually have wanted to be fired -- and thus rescued from the current March of Folly in Afghanistan, a mess much of his own making?

McChrystal leaves behind a long trail of broken promises and unfulfilled expectations. For example, there is no real security, at least during the night, in the area of Marja, which McChrystal devoted enormous resources to pacify this spring. Remember his boast that he would then bring to Marja a "government-in-a-box" and thereby offer an object lesson regarding what was in store for those pesky Taliban in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city?

It is now clear that there will be no offensive against Kandahar anytime soon. For the 500,000 people in Kandahar, this is surely a good thing, but it is a huge embarrassment for McChrystal and his former boss, now his successor, the never nonplussed Gen. David Petraeus.

When McChrystal and his undisciplined senior aides let aRolling Stonereporter know what they really thought of the "intimidated" Obama and most of his national security team, Obama and his advisers took the bait.

When the wheels are coming off, it doesn’t do much good to change the driver.
Whatever the name of the commanding general in Afghanistan, the U.S. war effort will continue its carnage and futility.

Between the lines, some news accounts are implying as much. Hours before Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s meeting with President Obama on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that “the firestorm was fueled by increasing doubts -- even in the military -- that Afghanistan can be won and by crumbling public support for the nine-year war as American casualties rise.”

It now does McChrystal little good that news media have trumpeted everything from his Spartan personal habits (scarcely eats or sleeps) to his physical stamina (runs a lot) to his steel-trap alloy of military smarts and scholarship (reads history). Any individual is expendable.

"If Americans pulled back and started paying attention to this war, it would become even less popular," a senior adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal says in a recent Rolling Stone magazine article called “The Runaway General.”

The article quotes Gen. McChrystal and his staff criticizing President Obama and disparaging civilian leadership, revealing deep divides within the National Security Council. It has resulted in the general’s removal as Commander for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. But dismissing Gen. McChrystal addresses the symptom, not the disease. A change in command won’t end the war only a change in strategy will, and that starts with the President.

Take action now.

Call your Representative and tell them that you support an exit strategy for Afghanistan. Ask them to co-sponsor the McGovern exit strategy bill, H.R. 5015, and to urge other Representatives to co-sponsor the bill.

Wage peace!

Call Patrick 'Pat' J. Tiberi (202) 225-5355 now. Tell them you want an exit strategy for Afghanistan.