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Todd E. Dennis's Page
Profile Information
- Hometown:
- Madison, WI
- Type of Sevice
- Navy
- About Me:
- Todd E. Dennis
Branch of service: United States Navy (USN)
Unit: USS Santa Fe (SSN-763)
Rank: MMN2(SS)
Home: Mondovi, Wisconsin
Served in: Great Lakes, IL (Bootcamp, July 1997-Oct 1997) Orlando, FL (Nuclear Power "A" School for Machinist's Mates and Nuclear Power School, Oct 1997-Oct 1998) Ballston Spa, NY (Nuclear Power Training Unit, Oct 1998-May 1999) New London, CT (Nuclear Power Training Unit Emergency Welder School, May 1999-July 1999) Pearl Harbor, HI (USS Santa Fe (SSN-763), Aug 1999-June 2003)
I was born in Eau Claire, WI in 1979. I joined the Navy via the delayed entry program while a senior in high school, getting permission from my parents as I was only 17. I went to boot camp at the end of July 1997.
Following boot camp, I went through the Nuclear Power schools pipeline. While there I had to wait for a month and a half between A and Nuclear Power school as my security paperwork to get Secret clearance was lost somewhere and had to be filled out again. This included calls to Senators and my Representative about waiting until I was supposed to start the school until telling me I had to redo the paperwork. Surprisingly the matter was resolved quickly.
After schooling I was then attached to USS Santa Fe (SSN-763) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii late in 1999. Upon arriving in Hawaii, the boat was in the middle of a Western Pacific Deployment(West-Pac) so I got to wait again. During this deployment the boat was rushed to the Gulf region and was within minutes of launching Tomahawks into Afghanistan on an Al-Qaeda camp, I was told after meeting the boat. It took a little over a month before I finally got to fly to Bahrain to meet the boat and I got a free passport out of the deal, so I got to enjoy the wonderful Hawaii weather during that time.
While aboard her, I went to Bahrain; Singapore; Okinawa, Japan; Guam; Subic Bay, Philippines; Sasebo, Japan; Yokuska, Japan; Chinhae, South Korea; Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories; San Diego, California; Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. I also attended HPAC, gage calibration, firefighting, and leadership school for PO2's during the summer of 2001. The leadership school being interrupted by 9-11-2001. The boat had just gotten back from West-Pac and we almost went back to the Gulf but of course Bush took over a month before attacking a Afghanistan.
The main things I saw that shaped my current beliefs was the disparity of quality of life between the U.S. and other countries (discussed some in my interview below, mainly what I saw in the Philippines). I was also definitely shaped by the belligerently racist views of my shipmates on and after September 11. In addition to what I saw, I started to read a lot of nonfiction during the West-Pac of 2001 and continued to read a lot while underway later on. While I can write what my beliefs are, they are constantly evolving based on my experiences so a snapshot of a certain point in my life would be better. To learn more about some of my beliefs listen to a radio interview I did on
Northern Spirit Radio in the middle of May 2006. In the course of my reading I learned that the bus we took from the base in Singapore to the Yishun MRT station was surveiled by Al Qaeda and there were plans to attack around the time I was there. This is in Inside Al Qaeda.
Upon leaving the Navy I went to school at UW-Eau Claire for Physics as part of their Dual-Degree Program. While there I helped to form a Veterans for Peace group which is in the process of becoming an official chapter. I am currently 28 and going to UW-Madison for the Mechanical Engineering B.S. I am active in the Veterans for Peace group here as a board member and helped form an IVAW chapter here in Madison and serve as the Secretary. I am also in the Campus Antiwar Network of UW-Madison.
- Your Personal Website:
- http://ted.gnn.tv
- Your Peace Organization
- http://www.ivaw.org/chapter/madison
About
Links
Antiwar Radio
John Brown: A Terrorist who Deserved Hanging
This is the 150th anniversary of the hanging of John Brown. When he attacked Harper’s Ferry with a handful of followers, the butcher of Kansas helped sow the seeds of the Civil War. Few things would have made Brown happier than the thought of hundreds of thousands of people dying for [...]What a Difference a Week Makes for Bill Kristol
One day out from Obama’s long-awaited announcement on troop deployments to Afghanistan the White House is getting plenty of criticism from both sides of the aisle. Democrats, including Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the influential chair of the House Appropriations Committee, have expressed concerns about both the cost of the war and the difficulty of achieving victory [...]Ron Paul on Afghanistan and Perpetual War
Ron Paul cuts through the bull:How Many Needles Can Obama Thread?
To answer Jim Bovard’s earlier question — will President Obama “out-BS” Bush? — I think no, after watching Obama tonight, it seems that Bush set a perverse standard that even an over-achiever like Obama can’t exceed. But that didn’t seem to be Obama’s goal tonight. He was all about threading the needle, rather than pouring rhetorical [...]All You Can Cheat
From Big O’s speech: [W]e have made progress on some important objectives. … In Afghanistan, we and our allies prevented the Taliban from stopping a presidential election and — although it was marred by fraud — that election produced a government that is consistent with Afghanistan’s laws and constitution. Hurrah! Stolen elections for everyone! Try and stop [...]TRUTHOUT NEWS FEED
Andy Worthington | Four Men Leave Guantanamo; Two Face Ill-Defined Trials In Italy
On Monday, the Obama administration announced that it had transferred four prisoners from Guantanamo: Sabir Lahmar, an Algerian, was transferred to France; an unidentified Palestinian was transferred to Hungary; two Tunisians, Adel Ben Mabrouk bin Hamida Boughanmi and Mohammed Tahir Riyadh Nasseri, were transferred to the custody of the Italian government.
At Least 30 Dead in Attack on Pakistani Mosque
Rawalpindi, Pakistan - At least 30 people were killed and scores wounded Friday in an attack on a mosque in a military area in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Initial reports said that explosions and gunfire were used in the assault, which took place during Friday prayers at around 1:15 p.m. local time. Suicide bombers also may have been part of the attack. Authorities feared that several gunmen remained on the loose, and may have taken hostages.
VIDEO: Climate Scams Won’t Save the Planet
Whether you listen to NPR or Rush Limbaugh, you’ve probably heard about climate change. And if you’ve heard about climate change, chances are you’ve also heard about “cap and trade.” It’s a scheme that tries to sell business-as-usual as a solution to global warming.
Non-Profit Group Helps Strained Homeowners
Nonprofit's program to extract better terms from lenders draws thousands from near and far.
A Trigger We Can Believe In
Olympia Snowe wants a trigger. It sounds like the blue dogs want a trigger. Let's give them a trigger we can all believe in.
How about if the insurance companies cannot cover everyone by a date certain, we blow up the whole health care reform process and make everyone eligible for Medicare? We won't have to argue over opt-ins or opt-outs. We won't have to argue over who's eligible for a public option. Let's let everyone in.
It won't take very long, nobody will need to enroll; just take your Social Security card to the Doctor and the bill will be paid.
DEMOCRACY NOW NEWS FEED
Democracy Now! 2009-12-04 Friday
Headlines for December 04, 2009; Eliot Spitzer: Geithner, Bernanke "Complicit" in Financial Crisis and Should Go; "The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther"Democracy Now! 2009-12-03 Thursday
Headlines for December 03, 2009; NY State Senate Defeats Bill to Legalize Gay Marriage; “One Voice for Choice" - FireDogLake Founder Launches Campaign to Target Dems Supporting Stupak Amendment; 25 Years After Bhopal Disaster, Survivors Still Seeking Justice; As Troop Escalation Begins, Relief Groups Decry Militarization of US Aid to AfghanistanDemocracy Now! 2009-12-02 Wednesday
Headlines for December 02, 2009; More War: Obama Unveils Plan to Send 30,000 More Troops to Afghanistan; Rep. Kucinich on Afghanistan War: "We're Acting Like a Latter Day Version of the Roman Empire"; Vietnam Vet, Scholar Andrew Bacevich on Obama War Plan: "The President Has Drawn the Wrong Lessons From His Understanding of the History of War"; Nir Rosen: "We Managed to Make the Taliban Look Good"Democracy Now! 2009-12-01 Tuesday
Headlines for December 01, 2009; Hondurans Divided After Coup Backer Wins Presidential Election Boycotted by Zelaya Supporters; In Third Week of Hunger Strike, Ailing Western Saharan Human Rights Activist Aminatou Haidar Demands Moroccan Authorities Allow Her Return to Occupied Homeland; Study: In Afghan Debate, Few Antiwar Op-Eds in Nation's Two Leading Newspapers© 2009 Created by Gordon Soderberg on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
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The survey by the American Research Group found that 45 percent support the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposed, and a 54-40 split in favor when it comes to Cheney.
The study by the private New Hampshire-based ARG canvassed 1,100 Americans by telephone July 3-5 and had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. The findings are available on ARG's Internet site.
The White House declined to comment on the poll, the latest bad news for a president who has seen his public opinion standings dragged to record lows by the unpopular war in Iraq.
The US Constitution says presidents and vice presidents can be impeached -- that is, formally charged by the House -- for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" by a simple majority vote.
Conviction by the Senate, which requires a two-thirds majority, means removal from office.
Just two US presidents have been impeached: Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 and acquitted in 1999; Andrew Johnson was impeached and acquitted in 1868. Disgraced president Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 when a House impeachment vote appeared likely.
In late April, left-wing Representative Dennis Kucinich, a long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful, introduced a resolution calling for Cheney's impeachment. To date, the measure has nine listed co-sponsors and a 10th set to sign on when the House returns to work next week.
But Democratic leaders appear unlikely to pursue such a course.