like a bubble we burst

one reason for the slow and deadly response to katrina was that much of the national guard was in iraq. many are still there. as chuck nagel (republican senator from nebraska; member of senate foreign relations committee) notes today in an AP article, "We've got National Guard members on their second, third and fourth tours in Iraq. We have stretched our military as thin as we have ever seen it in modern times." now, bush wants to put them (who? which members are available?) on the border between the us and mexico. how far can we stretch before - pop! - like a bubble we burst?

on the other side, it's interesting to watch the We Are America Alliance come into being. the We Are America Alliance is a newly-forming (early may, 2006, i believe) nationwide alliance of immigrant, grassroots, labor, local, statewide, and national organizations. their goals include:

1. Produce a million new voters and citizens between now and Election Day 2006
   
2. Press our lawmakers to stop the punitive and harsh HR 4437
   
3. Enact real and comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for America's undocumented immigrants, reunites families, respects civil rights, and protects all workers.

they have a six-month calendar of events. and, according to a front page story in tomorrow's washington post, they have grown to over 40 collaborators. [press release]