September 16, 2006

KEEP IN MIND FOLKS – THIS IS NOT A WAR WE ARE IN , IT IS AN OCCUPATION!
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"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)
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Bush Fires Back at Republican Rebels
After four GOP senators oppose his detainee proposal, he warns that the debate's outcome will define whether 'we can protect ourselves.'
Bush impatient with Republican critics: "What does that mean, 'outrages upon human dignity'? That's a statement that is wide open to interpretation." Especially when you're a human who lacks any.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bush16sep16,1,3660016.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true

Torture complicates Padilla case :
Evidence against the American terror suspect was obtained through torture, his lawyers say.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14981.htm

Judge orders prosecutors to turn over Padilla's medical records: -
A federal judge in Miami ordered prosecutors Thursday to turn over medical records for accused al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla, a move that could reveal details of his treatment during 3 1/2 years in military custody.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/15521274.htm

Judge refuses to reinstate key Padilla terrorism charge:
The dismissed charge is important because it is the only one in the indictment that carries a potential life sentence.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14986.htm

PRISONERS
New Yorker on Bush's torture talk: "Everything about the speech that sparkled with tactical cleverness in terms of domestic politics contributed to an ongoing strategic disaster around the world." 9/17
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060918ta_talk_packer

Senate Dems Call for Probe of White HouseCoercion
Kennedy and Durbin call for an investigation into the White House pressuring top military lawyers to weaken their opposition to the administration's torture policy. 9/16
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001538.php

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"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."
- Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963)
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Bush is Blackmailing the National Security of Every American
The President of the United States is holding the security of every American as a hostage in a game of chicken…..For more years than we can remember, the Geneva Convention has guided the conduct of civilized nations in matters of war. America has abided by the treaty without dissent or difficulty. In fact, we prided ourselves on implementing the standards spelled out by the Geneva Convention for the treatment of prisoners of war
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorials/095

Tortured logic:
The administration, apparently untroubled by this disagreement, is now asking Congress to declare that detainees who claim violations of the Geneva Convention may not have their day in court.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14985.htm

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
-Susan B Anthony, reformer and suffragist (1820-1906)
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In Replay of Iraq, Battle Brews Over Intelligence on Iran
In an echo of the intelligence wars that preceded the US invasion of Iraq, a struggle is brewing over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program and involvement in terrorism. US intelligence and counterterrorism officials say Bush administration hardliners have manipulated information to portray Iran's nuclear program as more advanced than it is and to exaggerate Tehran's role in Hezbollah's attack on Israel in mid-July.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/0091606Y.shtml

Colorado Lawsuit Seeks to Ban Computer Voting
Voting on computer screens is so vulnerable to massive fraud that Colorado's November election is "headed for a train wreck," says an attorney who is seeking to have the equipment barred at trial next week. An expert would need just two minutes to reprogram and distort votes on a Diebold, one of four brands of computerized voting systems attacked in the suit, says attorney Paul Hultin.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/0091606X.shtml

Who's the Next Target in the Abramoff Probe?
Former Ohio Congressman Bob Ney has admitted his role in Washington's influence-peddling scandal, but prosecutors still have other politicians in their sights
Time Magazine speculates that Montana Senator Conrad Burns may be the next to go in the Abramoff probe
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1535551,00.html

EU urges U.S. to follow law on detainees
The EU appeal for Washington not to ignore international treaties on prisoners of war came as Bush is pushing Congress to back new rules for interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects.
Get that, Mr. Bush, "Follow the LAW"!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_re_eu/eu_cia_secret_prisons

Why did the Republicans want to sell our ports to slaveholders? Dubai sheiks sued for trafficking ……. Dubai’s ruling family has been served with a class-action lawsuit in the United States accusing them of masterminding an international child slave trade to provide jockeys and attendants for the popular desert sport of camel-racing……So when Bush tried to sell the ports to these guys, He had to have known about this? http://tinyurl.com/kezjx

Prosecutors want former Ill. GOP Governor Jack Ryan in jail for corruption, regardless of his old age
Ryan, 72, and Warner, 67, were convicted April 17 of racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud and other offenses involving corruption when Ryan was secretary of state in the 1990s and later governor. Ryan was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060916/ap_on_re_us/governor_s_trial

Dems 'confused,' Obama writes in latest book
Lynn Sweet: In his new book, dedicated to his mother and maternal grandmother -- the women "who raised me" -- Sen. Barack Obama accuses fellow Democrats of being "confused" as the Democratic Party "has become the party of reaction." He also relates how during a meeting with President Bush he found the president seemingly transformed in one sitting as Bush's "easy affability" over a breakfast "was replaced by an almost messianic certainty" as the encounter progressed.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-sweet15.html

Thom Hartmann: Nobles Need Not Pay Taxes
A cornerstone of the cons' movement to consolidate power in the hands of a wealthy corporate elite is the campaign to end corporate income taxes altogether-- and leave the rest of us to pick up the entire tab for corporate use of our institutions and corporation despoliation of our commons.
http://tinyurl.com/oyeze

"War on Terror" Numbers To Silence Republican Candidates Bob Geiger
According to the 9/11 Commission Report, "U.S. intelligence estimates put the total number of fighters who underwent instruction at bin Laden-supported camps in Afghanistan from 1996 through 9/11 at 10,000 to 20,000."…. number of Al-Qaeda has jumped from the 20,000 reported by the 9/11 Commission a few years ago to 50,000 today…. This is an astonishing and disturbing number given that these are the people our own government said attacked us on September 11 -- and there's a hell of a lot more of them now.
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2006/09/war-on-terror-numbers-to-silence.html

Best-Connected Were Sent to Rebuild Iraq
Did you vote for George W. Bush in 2000? Do you support the way the president is fighting the war on terror? Two people who sought jobs with the U.S. occupation authority said they were even asked their views on Roe v. Wade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600193.html

NOTE:
Conservatives Revolting Against the Republican Controlled Congress
Joe Scarborough has an article in the new edition of Washington Monthly entitled "And we thought Clinton had no self-control". In the article he argues why the Democrats need to win control of the House this year. He also appeared on MSNBC to give his views…. Scarborough is one of the many conservatives out there who are fed up with this Republican controlled government and fully realize a need for checks and balances within our government.

Bush Presser and Gregory BUSH'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
Bush refused to accept Gregory’s question which is very relevant to the discussion about Article III. It was never vague before….. This is by far the pissiest press conference Bush has given. He’s furious. I assume his feet are manacled behind the microphone. Otherwise, he’d be stalking across the stage, tearing apart the podium, and occasionally leaping into the crowd to rip out David Gregory’s heart…
http://www.prospect.org/weblog/2006/09/post_1416.html#007242

Tony Snow says Colin Powell is confused: So was every other reporter
Olbermann had a good round up on Countdown last night. Tony Snow seems to think that Colin Powell is just a little bit confused over Article 3. He might have been used in the run up to the war, but I think he understands this issue quite well. The rest of the gaggle was just as perplexed. Olbermann also talks about Bush’s new approach to Osama–Just "fuggetabouthim" and threw in a little IAEA to boot. Michael Stickings writes about the IAEA: Yes, it looks "like prewar Iraq all over again," in the words of one former nuclear inspector.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/15/tony-snow-says-colin-powell-is-confused-so-was-every-other-reporter/

The Most 'Do-Nothing' Congress since 1948
The current Congress -- the 109th -- is set to spend the least amount of time in Washington of any Congress since 1948.
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/daysinsession

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And if we do not kick the bastards out, I have to go with Plato:
"The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves." Plato - philosopher (427-347 BCE)
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29 Retired Admirals and Generals, Military Leaders and Former DOD Officials Urge Congress to Preserve the Geneva Conventions
The letter signed by 29 former military leaders also urged Congress to make the safety and protection of U.S. troops, should they become prisoners, the highest priority.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=72524

The Israeli Factor: Ranking the US Presidential Candidates
Ranking the presidential candidates" is a new project on Rosner's Domain that rates potential presidential contenders in the 2008 race for the White House based on their attitudes toward Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerPage.jhtml

De-recruiter wins Long Haul Prize
When military recruiters set up a table at a high school in Sonoma County, chances are Elizabeth Stinson is taking a seat right next to them, to try to urge youngsters not to enlist.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/16/BAG4CL6OFN1.DTL

Ties Between Elites and Child Sex Rings "Beyond Imagination"
The complicity in Mexico between child sex rings and the political and business elites "goes beyond what we can even imagine," says activist Lydia Cacho, who faces death threats and was even thrown briefly into prison for revealing those ties in a book…. The number of Mexican politicians and businessmen involved in child pornography and sex rings "would shock us if we knew the real extent of the phenomenon," said Cacho…….(Why would we think this is not unlike these United States. My hubby and I have had several very interesting stories to share with you on this predator topic.)
http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=34710

Why Mommy Is A Democrat (book is $8.00)
A different kind of children's book. ……"This is a sweet children's tale that reminds us why we are all Democrats"….."You'll want to share this book with your children for the same reason you're a Democrat – because you care."
http://littledemocrats.net/

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"The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within."
Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
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Orange Juice Best at Stopping Kidney Stones
It outperformed lemonade and other citrus juices, study found
(HealthDay News) -- An independent study finds that orange juice beats lemonade and other citrus fruit juices in helping to keep kidney stones at bay.
Experts have long known that potassium citrate -- found in citrus juice -- can slow stone formation in people with a history of the condition.
(See short article at end of news pieces – article #1.)


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Article full

Orange Juice Best at Stopping Kidney Stones
It outperformed lemonade and other citrus juices, study found

(HealthDay News) -- An independent study finds that orange juice beats lemonade and other citrus fruit juices in helping to keep kidney stones at bay.

Experts have long known that potassium citrate -- found in citrus juice -- can slow stone formation in people with a history of the condition.

But this study, by a team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, found that other components can affect a juice's ability to prevent stones.

Thirteen volunteers (some with a history of kidney stones and some without) took part in the multi-phase trial, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. For one week, participants drank distilled water, for another week orange juice, and then lemonade for another week. There was a three-week interval between each of these weeks.

During each phase, the participants drank 13 ounces of orange juice, lemonade or distilled water three times a day with meals. They were also put on a low-calcium, low-oxalate diet, which also helps cut stone formation.

The study found that orange juice increased levels of citrate in the urine and reduced the crystallization of uric acid and calcium oxalate, the most common components of kidney stones. Lemonade did not increase citrate levels.

"One reason might be the different constituents of various beverages," study lead author Dr. Clarita Odvina, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, said in a prepared statement.

Odvina noted that the citrate in orange and grapefruit is accompanied by a potassium ion while the citrate in lemonade and cranberry juice is accompanied by a hydrogen ion. While hydrogen ions counteract the beneficial effects of high citrate content, potassium ions do not.

The study is available online and was expected to be published in the Oct. 26 print issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.