tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post8167579436157985835..comments2023-12-21T03:31:54.013-07:00Comments on Alternate Reality: Senator Mitch McConnell, Friend of Democratscapthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-61570888112829519702007-01-14T12:42:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:42:00.000-07:00Friends of terrorism
Bush's decision to bring back...<a href="http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/FoT.html">Friends of terrorism<br />Bush's decision to bring back Otto Reich<br />exposes the hypocrisy of the war against terror<br />by Duncan Campbell<br />8 February 2002<br />The Guardian </a><br /><br />His name may sound like that of a character from a Mel Brooks musical but Otto Reich is real enough. He has just been appointed by President Bush as assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs -- and both the manner of his appointment and the role he will now play have profound implications for a part of the world often disregarded since September 11.<br /><br />Over the last year President Bush has attempted to bring back into office people who were discredited during the US interventions in Central America in the 1980s and 1990s. One such appointment was that of Elliott Abrams, who had two convictions in 1991 for misleading Congress about the so-called Iran-contra affair. He was pardoned by President Bush's father in 1992 and now enjoys the title of head of the "office of democracy and human rights". Another was John Negroponte, the former US ambassador to Honduras, who was accused by his predecessor of turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed there against leftists because it was felt necessary to remain on good terms with the Honduran government. Negroponte was quietly confirmed as US ambassador to the UN shortly after September 11. But the third appointment is by far the most controversial and potentially divisive.<br /><br />Otto Reich is a rightwing Cuban American whose key policy objective is the overthrow of Fidel Castro's regime and whose support base is the Cuban-American community in Florida. President Bush's brother, Jeb, is depending on this community's votes and backing as he runs for re-election as governor of the state later this year.<br /><br />Otto Reich came to prominence during the Reagan administration when he was appointed head of the office of public diplomacy within the state department. According to the national security archives, Reich used this role to pursue his own agenda to such an extent that in 1987 the Comptroller-General of the US, a Republican appointee, found that some of the efforts of his office were "prohibited, covert propaganda activities ... beyond the range of acceptable agency public information activities". A letter of September 30 1987 concluded that Reich's office had violated "a restriction on the state department's annual appropriations prohibiting the use of federal funds for publicity or propaganda purposes not authorised by Congress".<br /><br />He staffed his unit with CIA and Pentagon "psychological warfare" specialists and discredited journalists whose work the Reagan administration did not like. His office wrote bogus editorial pieces under the names of Nicaraguan contras and got them published in the mainstream media. He reported directly to Oliver North.<br /><br />Reich also served as US ambassador to Venezuela...<a href="http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/FoT.html">More.</a>Robert Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01770441579698726632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-48531872890415842012007-01-14T12:40:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:40:00.000-07:00New thread!New thread!capthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-44587367432370280482007-01-14T12:36:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:36:00.000-07:00Isabel Perón arrested over accusations of human ri...<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,1989531,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12">Isabel Perón arrested over accusations of human rights abuses<br />Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent<br />Saturday January 13, 2007<br />The Guardian </a><br /><br /><i>Isabel Perón, the former Argentinian president and widow of the caudillo Juan Perón, was arrested at her home in Madrid last night after a judge in her home country launched an investigation into alleged human rights abuses during her tumultuous rule in the 1970s. </i><br /><br /><i>Police acted on an international arrest warrant issued by the judge, Raul Acosta. Ms Perón was driven to court last night and bailed pending an extradition request expected to follow by the end of February. Judge Acosta wants her extradited to Argentina to face questions about dissident killings during her 20-month rule. </i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,1989531,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12">More</a><br /><br />********************************<br /><br />Today's Washingtoon Journal included a segment with Otto Reich, who denied any U.S. involvement in the Venezuelan Coup, despite the U.S.'s jumping on the recognition bandwagon only to have egg on its face as Chavez regained control. He also pooh-poohed the idea that John Negroponte had any connection to death squads...Robert Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01770441579698726632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-37381020764635743372007-01-14T12:27:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:27:00.000-07:00This obituary is true in some sense, false in some...This obituary is true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense. <br /><br />Rest in Peace - Robert Anton WilsonRobert Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01770441579698726632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-62358933214885848532007-01-14T12:26:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:26:00.000-07:00This is a US torture camp
It would be the ideal...<a HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1988677,00.html"><B>This is a US torture camp</b></a><br /><br /><br /><br />It would be the ideal spot for a beachside birthday party. Surrounded by a turquoise sea, palm trees and white sand, the US detention camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba was five years old yesterday. Tony Blair calls it an "anomaly", but the evidence is overwhelming. Camp Delta, which still houses 470 men never convicted of any crime, is a torture camp. That should be the starting point of any debate about what is acceptable in the west's fight with Islamist extremists. More than 750 men have passed through the camp, with nearly half being released. Many prisoners, past and present, have given consistent and repeated testimony of serious abuses and ill treatment. There is also significant evidence from US officials and government documents of widespread abuse at the camp.<br /><br />The British detainees known as the Tipton Three allege they were repeatedly beaten, shackled in painful positions for long periods and subjected to sleep deprivation. They were also subjected to strobe lighting, loud music and extremes of hot and cold - all meant to break them psychologically. Other detainees have suffered beatings, sexual assaults and death threats. At least one man has been "water boarded" - tied to a board and placed under water so that he had the sensation of drowning.<br /><br />According to the Red Cross, the regime at Guantánamo causes psychological suffering that has driven inmates mad, with scores of suicide attempts and three inmates killing themselves last year.<br /><br />Even US officials are shocked. Last week FBI documents revealed that an inmate's head had been wrapped in tape for quoting from the Qur'an. Another was humiliated for his religious beliefs and "baptised" by a soldier posing as a Catholic priest. The documents show FBI agents saw 26 instances of abuse in their time at Guantánamo. The FBI is highly sceptical about alleged confessions gained by its military colleagues. A May 2004 FBI memo branded intelligence gained from "special techniques" as "suspect at best". Indeed, one of the Tipton Three confessed to being in a video shot at an Afghan terror camp alongside Osama bin Laden - in fact, at the time he was working in an electronics store in the Midlands.<br /><br />But the US should not shoulder all the blame. Some of the material from Guantánamo has been used by Britain's counter-terrorism agencies. In June 2003 Tony Blair told the Commons: "Information is still coming from people detained there ... That information is important." George Bush, his aides and the US military define what they have been doing as a special programme using special measures: their position appears to be that as long as blood is not drawn, it is not torture.<br /><br />One official investigation found an inmate had been sexually humiliated and forced to perform dog tricks on a leash. It said the conduct was "abusive and degrading" but not torture. In a UK court hearing over Guantánamo, a senior British judge, Mr Justice Collins, declared: "America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours." A UN report has confirmed evidence of torture, and Amnesty International has declared Guantánamo "the gulag of our time". Guantánamo is not the only US torture camp. Bagram in Afghanistan has been dogged by stories of abuse, and there are secret US prisons around the world where it is widely feared new horrors are occuring.<br /><br />Human rights have been traded away in Guantánamo in the hope of gaining security, and it has not worked. One of the US's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, stated: "He who trades liberty for security deserves neither and will lose both." Adorned on the walls of the Guantánamo camp is its mission statement: "Honour-bound to defend freedom". After five years of Guantánamo, do you feel any safer?<br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1988677,00.html">More HERE</a>capthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-43577734953286418152007-01-14T12:19:00.000-07:002007-01-14T12:19:00.000-07:00Better armor lacking for new troops in Iraq
The...<a HREF="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.armor10jan10,0,2049191.story?coll=bal-iraq-headlines"><B>Better armor lacking for new troops in Iraq</b></a><br /><br /><br /><br />The thousands of troops that President Bush is expected to order to Iraq will join the fight largely without the protection of the latest armored vehicles that withstand bomb blasts far better than the Humvees in wide use, military officers said.<br /><br />Vehicles such as the Cougar and the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle have proven ability to save lives, but production started late and relatively small numbers are in use in Iraq, mostly because of money shortages, industry officials said.<br /><br />More than 1,000 American troops have been killed by roadside bombs since the war began in March 2003. At present there are fewer than 1,000 of the new armored trucks in Iraq. At $500,000 to $700,000 each, they cost more than twice as much as a standard Humvee, but already they are proving their worth.<br /><br />"They are expensive, but they are going to save lives," said Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, during a recent trip to Iraq, where he reviewed the service's effort to get more of the vehicles.<br /><br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.armor10jan10,0,2049191.story?coll=bal-iraq-headlines">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />A trillion dollar military and we are still sending our brave and best into harms way on the cheap? <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-18888120100300389692007-01-14T11:50:00.000-07:002007-01-14T11:50:00.000-07:00Opposition to plan surprises Bush team
But the...<a HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/01/14/MNG1TNIE221.DTL&type=politics"><B>Opposition to plan surprises Bush team </b></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>But they believe Congress won't have time to stop them</b><br /><br /><br />The bipartisan opposition to President Bush's troop-increase plan has proved more intense than his advisers had expected and has left them scrambling to find support, but the White House is banking on the assumption that it can execute its "new way forward" in Iraq before Congress can derail it. <br /><br />The plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq was virtually guaranteed to provoke a furor in Washington, Bush advisers said, but the storm was exacerbated by the slow, leaky way that the White House reached its decision. Aides now harbor no hope of winning over Democrats. Instead, they aim mainly to keep Republicans from abandoning him further. <br /><br />Bush invited GOP leaders to Camp David this weekend and will argue his case tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes." Vice President Dick Cheney and national security adviser Stephen Hadley will also hit the airwaves today. <br /><br />"We recognize that many members of Congress are skeptical," Bush said in his radio address Saturday, adding, "Members of Congress have a right to express their views, and express them forcefully. But those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success. To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible." <br /><br />Many Democrats, in fact, have proposed alternatives centered around pulling out troops, an idea Bush flatly rejects. <br /><br />Hopes for a bipartisan consensus after Democrats captured Congress in the November midterm elections have evaporated, and Bush appears more isolated than ever. <br /><br />"We are headed towards quite a donnybrook in Congress," said former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., co-chairman of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, whose plan for withdrawing combat forces by early 2008 was never fully embraced by Bush or Democrats. "We had hoped that there would be more progress towards a more bipartisan approach." <br /><br />The White House has downscaled its goals and is playing for time. Advisers resign themselves to a nonbinding congressional resolution condemning the troop increase, but want to avoid many Republicans voting for it. <br /><br />The more serious threat to the White House would be a Democratic attempt to restrict funds for more troops. Bush aides said that current funds are enough to get started, and they are counting on the notion that it will take two months until the supplemental appropriation bill providing more war funds comes to a vote. By then, they said, extra troops will be on the ground and it will be too late for Congress to stop them. And they hope for signs of progress that would let them argue that the plan is working. <br /><br />A political strategist who advises the White House said, "The public responds to progress and to events. Every time they can see real progress -- an election, catching Saddam (Hussein), whatever it is -- they like it." <br /><br />If that happens, the White House hopes the troop buildup then will succeed in bringing enough stability to Baghdad by August that U.S. forces can withdraw to the city outskirts. "By the end of the year, Baghdad's got to look significantly different," said a National Security Council official not authorized to speak on the record. <br /><br />Democrats believe that Bush made a fundamental mistake. Had he embraced the Iraq Study Group, or even made a show of embracing some of its elements, he could have called the Democrats' bluff about wanting to work together, party strategists said. "That would have really jammed us," said a top congressional Democratic aide. <br /><br />Philip Zelikow, who as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's counselor was intimately involved in Iraq policymaking before stepping down recently, said great thought was given to how to satisfy at least some Democrats. "If you were in our shoes, what is the approach that would satisfy the Democrats?" he asked. <br /><br />"That's not an easy question to answer," given the diversity of views within the party, he said. <br /><br />Some allies said the administration was doomed to bipartisan criticism regardless of how it handled the review. "You've got a Democratic Party that doesn't believe in Bush, doesn't believe in the war," said William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard. "You've got a Republican Party that thinks Bush cost them the election. They could have done it better, but I'm not sure it would've made much difference." <br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/01/14/MNG1TNIE221.DTL&type=politics">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />No, nothing short of impeachment and removal from office will slow this MALadministration one bit. <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-29721287999900169612007-01-14T09:32:00.000-07:002007-01-14T09:32:00.000-07:00A Hot Idea For Insulating Tiny Batteries
Engine...<a HREF="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070111184410.htm"><B>A Hot Idea For Insulating Tiny Batteries</b></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Engineering physics researchers are devising a unique "blanket" that will enable them to squeeze as much electricity as possible from nuclear-powered batteries the size of a grain of coarse salt.<br /><br />Such batteries, which exploit the natural decay of radioisotopes to generate electricity, could provide virtually indefinite power for micro-technologies like fly-sized robots for military applications or sensors that monitor a building's health.<br /><br />Other technologies such as fuel cells, chemical batteries or turbine generators also might work in micro-scale applications, says Professor James Blanchard. "But all of them are short-lived," he says. "They either need to be recharged or refueled. Our niche is things that need to be placed and ignored, and just keep running for years."<br /><br />Nuclear microbatteries convert heat or energy to electricity more efficiently when they are hot, so it makes sense to insulate them, says Blanchard. "The better the insulation, the hotter the source gets, so the more efficient the battery can be," he says.<br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070111184410.htm">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />If I posted this before - please forgive me - it speaks to so many possibilities. <br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-65396466569201025322007-01-14T09:25:00.000-07:002007-01-14T09:25:00.000-07:00Hands-On With The World's Tiniest Robot
Right, ...<a HREF="http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?title=hands_on_with_the_world_s_tiniest_robot&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1"><B>Hands-On With The World's Tiniest Robot</b></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Right, fine, so there are <a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00013D85-BCDC-1C5A-B882809EC588ED9F">tinier</a> <a href="http://www.cnn.com/TECH/ptech/9907/13/japan.microrobot/">robots</a> than the Eco-Be, but they were all flashes in the pan and haven't been heard from since the turn of the millennium. This here's the real deal--on day two of the Consumer Electronics Show I held it in my own clammy hands and felt the magic of its 4th-generation mass-producability (they've been working on it since 1995).<br /><br />It was 2.5 cm x 1.8 cm and it felt deliciously solid--like the tiny chunk of precision-machined metal that it is.<br /><br /><br /><a HREF="http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?title=hands_on_with_the_world_s_tiniest_robot&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />Pretty cool stuff. <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-16407098914618591892007-01-14T09:20:00.000-07:002007-01-14T09:20:00.000-07:00Spy case puts Vice-President in the stand
A POLI...<a HREF="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21058139-2703,00.html"><B>Spy case puts Vice-President in the stand</b></a><br /><br /><br /><b>A POLITICALLY charged courtroom drama centred on the Iraq war, a blonde-bombshell spy and a vice-president in the witness box will be on show this week when Dick Cheney's former chief of staff goes on trial for his alleged role in the CIA leak scandal.</b><br /><br />The roots of the scandal that led to Lewis "Scooter" Libby being charged with perjury lie in how the Bush White House justified the invasion, and the spin operation that it mounted after the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. <br /><br />In one key respect, the six- week trial, which begins tomorrow, is unprecedented: the secretive Mr Cheney will enter the witness box as part of Mr Libby's defence. It makes him the first sitting vice-president to testify in a criminal prosecution. <br /><br />He is expected to be cross-examined on his efforts to rebut critics of the war aggressively as it began to turn sour in 2003. <br /><br />Mr Libby denies lying to the FBI and a grand jury about who gave the press the name of Valerie Plame, a one-time covert CIA agent with stunning good looks. No Bush administration official, including Mr Libby, was charged with leaking Ms Plame's identity. It became clear last year that the accusation that triggered the special prosecutor's investigation -- that the White House knew Ms Plame was an undercover operative and leaked her identity to discredit her husband, a war critic -- was unfounded. <br /><br />Mr Libby is now accused of covering up a non-existent crime that did not need to be hidden. <br /><br />The genesis of the Plame scandal lies in a CIA-sponsored trip Joseph Wilson, Ms Plame's husband and a former ambassador, made to Niger in West Africa in 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq had tried to buy uranium there. <br /><br />In July 2003, he accused the Bush administration of ignoring his report that there was no Iraq-Niger link, and of twisting pre-war intelligence. <br /><br />A week later, Robert Novak, a conservative columnist, wrote that Mr Wilson had been sent to Niger by Ms Plame. <br /><br />The report caused a political storm after Mr Wilson claimed that his wife was a covert agent and that her name had been leaked as retribution for his criticism of the war. It is a crime to knowingly reveal the identity of a covert official. <br /><br />Other journalists who wrote about Ms Plame told Patrick Fitzgerald, the investigating prosecutor, they had learned about her from Mr Libby and Karl Rove, Mr Bush's chief adviser. <br /><br />Mr Libby is charged with lying to investigators because he claimed that he first learned about Ms Plame from reporters. Journalist Judith Miller was jailed for 85 days after refusing to reveal that her source was Mr Libby. <br /><br /><I>The Times</I><br /><br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21058139-2703,00.html">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />Interesting take from down-under. <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-41689387351965686822007-01-14T09:18:00.000-07:002007-01-14T09:18:00.000-07:00THANK YOU DEN!! Apparently we both got our economi...THANK YOU DEN!! Apparently we both got our economic PhD's out of a cracker jack box! But I'M the one flinging insults? By MY logic no one should ever get a raise? This from someone who doesn't understand why prices keep going up but assumes it's because SOMEONE is getting a raise? She also seems to think minimum wage workers buy brand name products and whole grain bread!<br />micki believes that a service economy is good enough because the living wage jobs get sent overseas. I say there are solutions, but do these stereo attackers ask about what I might think these solutions are? NO, they say I want to keep the people in their place, while having absolutely NO idea what I do for a living. I will not debate anyone who relies on ridiculous assumptions and insults, there is no point. Anyone who wants to talk about long term help for the people I am happy to participate.<br />Gerald, I completely agree with your statement, the divide between the rich and poor will continue to grow until the politicians do what they are there to do, represent the good of the people and not the benefit of the money and power brokers. Until that day an extra 8-10 dollars a day will not stop the slide, especially when roughly half of the raise is swallowed up by some kind of tax and the voracious inflation monster that kills the money! Thank you Cracker Jack.Saladinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11756928226921879640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-86463432989962926072007-01-14T09:11:00.000-07:002007-01-14T09:11:00.000-07:00Musician In The Mirror: New Study Shows Brain Rapi...<a HREF="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070112155201.htm"><B>Musician In The Mirror: New Study Shows Brain Rapidly Forms Link Between Sounds And Actions That Produce Them</b></a><br /><br /><br />A new imaging study shows that when we learn a new action with associated sounds, the brain quickly makes links between regions responsible for performing the action and those associated with the sound.<br /><br />The findings may contribute to understanding how we acquire language and how we think of actions if we only hear their sounds, say authors Amir Lahav, ScD, and Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, of the neurology department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Their work is described in the January 10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.<br /><br />"The findings have implications for understanding many complex processes, such as speech and music performance," says Robert Zatorre, PhD, "and they could encourage research into rehabilitative strategies using sound-movement tasks." Zatorre heads the auditory cognitive neuroscience laboratory at McGill University.<br /><br />The authors also suggest that their findings provide evidence for the existence of a mirror neuron system in humans. Mirror neurons, first described in monkeys, are active not only when the monkey performs an action, but also when it sees the action performed by others or only hears the sound associated with the action. Some scientists debate their existence and function in humans.<br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070112155201.htm">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />Interesting stuff but have they missed the most basic uses of songs? Nursery rhymes and the "alphabet song" have always been teaching tools. Add to that the fact that everybody that can hum or whistle is a <I>musician</I> of sorts.<br /><br />The implications of <i>mirror neurons</i> are very telling. It would explain many odd yet compelling behaviors like yawning making others yawn, all of the "monkey see-monkey do" stuff. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-86091508959190052552007-01-14T08:10:00.000-07:002007-01-14T08:10:00.000-07:00The collapse of the Bush presidency poses risks
...<a HREF="http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2007/01/collapse-of-bush-presidency-poses.html"><B>The collapse of the Bush presidency poses risks</b></a><br /><br /><br />[…]<br /><br />In a characteristically perceptive <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/12/AR2007011201952.htm">Op-Ed</a> in this morning's Washington Post, Dahlia Lithwick makes the point that Bush's extremist actions -- such as Jose Padilla's detention, the Guantanamo abuses, and omnipotence-declaring signing statements -- have no real objective except one: "The object is a larger one: expanding executive power, for its own sake."<br /><br />When I began writing about the Bush administration's violations of FISA, what confounded me at first was the sheer pointlessness of the lawbreaking. It was not merely that the FISA court has always allowed the President -- all presidents -- to do whatever eavesdropping they wanted, and that bypassing it was therefore unnecessary.<br /><br />That is true. But more significantly, if the President wanted FISA changed, even radically, to vest him with still greater powers, the unprecedentedly compliant post-9/11 Congress was as eager as could be to grant all of his wishes and to give him whatever new powers he wanted. It did so repeatedly, at exactly the time (October, 2001) when he ordered eavesdropping in violation of the law.<br /><br /><a HREF="http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2007/01/collapse-of-bush-presidency-poses.html">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />We must impeach these dictatorial bastards. <br /><br />GG always a good read! <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-31076380594340676702007-01-14T07:38:00.000-07:002007-01-14T07:38:00.000-07:00Attempts at Marginalizing Carter Intensify
Fourt...<a HREF="http://www.juancole.com/2007/01/attempts-at-marginalizing-carter.html"><B>Attempts at Marginalizing Carter Intensify</b></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/politics/main2356915.shtml">Fourteen members of the Carter Center</a> have resigned in protest over former president Jimmy Carter's book,"Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." AP hints that they were mostly themselves Jewish Americans.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html">lobby is drawing wagons</a> around this one, even though Carter's book is actually very biased toward Israel and makes historical errors in Israel's favor. AP reports:<br /><br /><I>' "You have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side," the departing members of the center's Board of Councilors told Carter in their letter of resignation. '</I> <br /><br />What is really being demanded by the Zionist expansionists is that Carter ignore the creeping Israeli colonization of the Palestinian West Bank, ignore the way in which Israel makes Palestinians' lives miserable, ignore the datum that under Israeli occupation 15 percent of Palestinian children are malnourished. If he ignored all that, then he'd be being even-handed. <br /><br />The invocation of even-handedness is ironic. We all know what happened <a href="http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/09/23/dean_israel/index.html?pn=1">to Howard Dean when he even so much as suggested</a> that the US play the role of honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. <br /><br />The conditions under which Palestinians beyond the green line under Israeli occupation live are actually much worse than what most black South Africans suffered under Apartheid. Within Israel proper, Arabs with Israeli citizenship suffer discrimination. <a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article484122.ece">A frankly racist law</a> prevents family unification for Israeli Arabs married to Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, singling them out on racial grounds for discriminatory treatment not visited on Jewish Israelis.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/Amazon07/petition.html">Amazon.com isn't being fair to Carter's book</a>, either.<br /><br /><br /><a HREF="http://www.juancole.com/2007/01/attempts-at-marginalizing-carter.html">More HERE</a><br /><br />*****end of clip*****<br /><br />Juan Cole always has some well <I>Informed Comment</I>. <br /><br /><br /><br />captcapthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-57703877303505994842007-01-14T07:28:00.000-07:002007-01-14T07:28:00.000-07:00Little less personal sniping would be appreciated,...Little less personal sniping would be appreciated, eh Capt?<br /><br />United we stand, divided we fall.DENhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11166173544964984785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-7782151109603208602007-01-14T06:50:00.000-07:002007-01-14T06:50:00.000-07:00Minimum wages are just that, minimum.
Wages go up...Minimum wages are just that, minimum.<br /><br />Wages go up, prices go up, wages go up, prices go up.<br /><br />One only look to the unions to see how you can price yourself out of existence in several years.<br /><br />Until we dispose of the Federal Reserve system and return to the gold standard, everything will continue to escalate as it has been doing.<br /><br />Remember when a nice car cost $4000 or less, brand new?DENhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11166173544964984785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-34820254518277047012007-01-13T23:21:00.000-07:002007-01-13T23:21:00.000-07:00Maureen Dowd who is one of my foxes is right. Nazi...Maureen Dowd who is one of my foxes is right. Nazi America, Israel's lapdog, will drop nuclear bombs and missiles upon Iran.<br /><br />ARE THOSE NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON JESUS' AGENDA OR ARE THEY ON BUSH'S AGENDA???Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394481186826177509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-10312622443443685052007-01-13T23:15:00.000-07:002007-01-13T23:15:00.000-07:00We only have to look at the tax structure for the ...We only have to look at the tax structure for the poor and the middle class to know and understand how the Nazis keep the poor and the middle class in their places and they will never leave their places. Please keep a close eye on the shrinking middle class.<br /><br />I predict that there will be more and more converts to Islam and these converts will not take up arms against their Muslim brethren!!!!!<br /><br />Nazi America is not just sliding into the abyss of hell; she is on the path toward destruction and damnation.Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394481186826177509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-11776524692758899022007-01-13T23:06:00.000-07:002007-01-13T23:06:00.000-07:00Agenda
Dear Posters:
I wish to share with a part...Agenda<br /><br />Dear Posters:<br /><br />I wish to share with a part of a homily at the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The priest gave a sermon and he talked about the people who were called by Jesus. Many people who were called were sinners. Here are some names, like David, Moses, Paul, and Augustine. There have been many saints who have called and they were sinners.<br /><br />But, what is important, we must remember that these sinners who later became saints were following Jesus’ agenda. They did not have an agenda. They were working for Jesus.<br /><br />What upsets me is that I hear Bush is a religious person. I have heard these words so often that they make me nauseous. As I reflected on the homily, I have concluded that Bush is not a religious person. HE IS NOT FOLLOWING JESUS’ AGENDA. Bush is following the agenda of the Nazi Republicans, the PNAC, the evangelicals, the fundamentalists, corporate America, and Israel. Bush is a false prophet.<br /><br />We must follow Jesus’ agenda of love, mercy, justice, and peace.<br /><br />Please give some thought whenever Bush speaks to the agenda that Bush is following and to the agenda that he wants us to follow. Personally, Bush’s agenda is following the dictates of those special interest groups who will lead us to endless wars, murders, war crimes, torture, and damnation.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Gerald<br /><br /><br />A comment for Saladin!<br /><br />Saladin, the economic gap between the rich and the poor and the middle class must not continue to expand. If the Nazis want the poor and the middle class to fight their wars in order to protect their wide bottoms, it is important that the poor and the middle class have a feeling of hope and not hopelessness.Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394481186826177509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-75936143692935048392007-01-13T22:55:00.000-07:002007-01-13T22:55:00.000-07:00Sounds to me like it's YOU who wants to keep the p...Sounds to me like it's YOU who wants to keep the people in their place. $7.15 an hour? Go for it. Artichoke hearts, almonds and cheese are excellent sources of nutrition and a great bargain in bulk. You try living on less than $400 a week. Buy a house, pay the car insurance and payment, save for your children's college, but then maybe the bare necessities are the best a burger flipper should hope for? Who's here seeking attention anyway? You are just repeating the same, tired, failed policies of those traitorous dems, I want to see REAL progress, not just the kind that makes YOU feel better. $25.00 an hour is real, but it will not last, that is how a fiat economy works, and it always fails, always has, always will. The best fix will not be approached, because the poor have to accept whatever they will hand out, and it's pathetic. The people can do better than that. But not when this is the best that is offered. Laundry detergent? Who can afford to wash clothes at $7.15 an hour, who can afford clothes for that matter? Your insult is beneath even you micki. You should stick with the happy people at DEN'S, where all is right now that Ms. pelosi is in charge. All except for the people of American Samoa, they'll just have to live with $3.25 an hour. Fuck college.Saladinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11756928226921879640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-52719833050768609292007-01-13T22:36:00.000-07:002007-01-13T22:36:00.000-07:00I'd like someone to explain to me why everything I...I'd like <I>someone</I> to explain to me why everything I buy every week keeps going up in price since the minimum wage hasn't moved. Maybe it's the raises everyone else in better jobs keep getting? I suppose that's a given so the minimum wage workers have to stay put to try to curb inflation. They can be the keel to the boat.º¿carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05716671882540496332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-70485161999577232002007-01-13T21:16:00.000-07:002007-01-13T21:16:00.000-07:00Better still...let's raise the minimum wage to $25...Better still...let's raise the minimum wage to $25 per hour.<br /><br />Then everyone can go to Costco and buy their essentials -- artichoke hearts, smoked almonds and cheese.<br /><br />Yessiree, those three items that Saladin buys (she said so right here...or on Corn's blog) are at the top of every family's grocery lists.<br /><br />Fuck the toilet paper, the laundy detergent, the affordable meats and vegetables...stock up on artichoke hearts, smoked almonds and cheese!!!<br /><br />Happy now, Saladin? You've gotten the attention you crave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-40984945533379826862007-01-13T21:06:00.000-07:002007-01-13T21:06:00.000-07:00Good for you, Carol.Good for you, Carol.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-83612971953494533582007-01-13T21:05:00.000-07:002007-01-13T21:05:00.000-07:00Sounds like someone is in favor of keeping people ...Sounds like someone is in favor of keeping people "in their place."<br /><br />Let's look at the facts -- In the November 2006 election, voters spelled out their priorities to Congress and the WH. They want to see progressive policy changes, including a long-overdue increase in the minimum wage. Contrary to the opinion of some, these people are NOT IGNORANT OF THE FACTS.<br /><br />Raising the minimum wage provides increased income to workers earning the lowest legal income and helps them to sustain the basic necessities of life.<br /><br />Raising the federal minimum wage is the right thing to do economically, as well as morally.<br /><br /><B>Minimum wage jobs are local jobs. They do not migrate to other regions as do those that compete in national and international markets. Furthermore, minimum wage workers will use any increase in earnings for purchases in the local economy.</B><br /><br />Twenty-two states now have minimum wage rates higher than the federal level, and there have been none of the adverse effects that critics have predicted. Are these states laws made by ignorant morons? I don't think so!<br /><br />The current federal minimum wage has not been raised by Congress since September 1997. This means that inflation has further eroded the wages of low-income workers. <br /><br />Today, the federal minimum wage of $5.15 is at its lowest inflation-adjusted value in over 50 years. A full time minimum wage worker (40 hours a week) earns only $10,712 a year.<br /><br />So, in the meantime, we're supposed to just let these working people "bleed to death" -- is that it?<br /><br />And, frankly, now that I'm posting here...I can't believe that the rest of you take her insults, telling us we're ignorant about the reality of the situation.<br /><br />Saladin, just where did you get your PhD in economics -- out of a Cracker Jack's box?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529911467686742944.post-79069033499294267012007-01-13T20:14:00.000-07:002007-01-13T20:14:00.000-07:00"I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have bee..."I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal. Fortunately, we were on the winning side." US General Curtis LeMay, commander of the 1945 Tokyo fire bombing operation.<br /><br />=<br />We Americans have no commission from God to police the world: Benjamin Harrison, address to Congress, 1888<br /><br />=<br />"It's not a matter of what is true that counts but a matter of what is perceived to be true." --Henry Kissinger <br /><br />===<br /><br />Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy<br /><br />Thanks ICH Newsletter!capthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04541180524537586259noreply@blogger.com