September 17, 2006

I have to remind folks, in the UK they are profoundly ashamed of their liberal Labour party, we find ourselves feeling the same for the US Republican Party. The debacle can happen at either end of the political pole.
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"Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of 'emergency'. It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep over a dozen minor countries of Europe, it was the cry of men striving to get on horseback. And 'emergency' became the justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains." Herbert Hoover - (1874-1964), 31st US President
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Nobel Peace Prize Winners Take Aim at U.S.
Ten Nobel Peace Prize laureates called for world peace and took aim at U.S. policy makers, asking an enthusiastic crowd of 7,000 youth to demand that the United States pull back its military, spread its wealth and offer aid to developing countries.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/nobel-peace-prize-winners-take-aim-at/20060917080309990001

The Longer the War, the Larger the Lies
Rarely has a television network presented a more perfectly matched double feature. President Bush's 9/11 address on Monday night interrupted ABC's "Path to 9/11" so seamlessly that a single network disclaimer served them both: "For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091706Y.shtml

Tourism slump worries US
Tough security measures are only part of the problem, however. Surveys show that America is becoming unpopular with the rest of the world, partly because of the Bush administration’s foreign policy…."The American tourist industry is painfully aware that many travellers are put off by the tough visa requirements and the hostile reception that can greet them at the country’s airports."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2360948,00.html

Ethics Scandals Come Back to Bite GOP
Republicans decided long ago their party won't pay a significant price at the polls for the scandal spawned by lobbyist Jack Abramoff. It's a proposition likely to be tested anew in the aftermath of Rep. Bob Ney's agreement to plead guilty to corruption charges.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091606A.shtml

A Republican position that
"….that countenances torture, prisoner abuse and repudiation of the Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Geneva Conventions ……………………………………… could provide an important issue for Democratic Congressional candidates………….. But Democratic House candidates can't criticize Republicans if they are supporting Bush's legislation themselves - as a majority of Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee have done." Brecher and Smith: The Content of our Character
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091606B.shtml

Stampeding Congress
The New York Times: "We'll find out in November how well the White House's be-very-afraid campaign has been working with voters. We already know how it's working in Congress. Stampeded by the fear of looking weak on terrorism, lawmakers are rushing to pass a bill demanded by the president that would have minimal impact on antiterrorist operations but could cause profound damage to justice and the American way."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091606C.shtml

The Insecurity of Immorality
"The betrayal of our troops by the Bush administration is immoral. The betrayal of each of us by a president who talks tough on issues of security but who has done little more than nothing to enforce protection and, instead, invaded a country with no WMD and no ties to al-Qaeda is immoral. Bush's colossal lie and mantra that "Iraq is the central front in the war on terra" is immoral," writes Missy Comley Beattie.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091506D.shtml

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"What experience and history teach is this -- that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it." .......Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel - (1770-1831) German philosopher
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Ah, the cesspool.
That would, of course, be Congress.
Millionaire media mogul Robert Allbritton and journalist Martin Tolchin have teamed up to launch something they will call The Capitol Leader…..The Capitol Leader will begin publishing on November 21 and will join an already crowded field consisting of Roll Call, The Hill, the National Journal and Congressional Quarterly
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0914-27.htm

Attorneys Argue Military Commissions Bills Would Allow for Lifelong Detention Without Trial, Torture Without Accountability
Under two military commission bills currently being considered in the Senate, all of these men would no longer be able to contest their detentions in U.S. court….. "These bills would be a gross miscarriage of justice not only for these men but for the laws and values American is based upon. How can the President accuse one man of being a terrorist 'mastermind' and give him a trial while simultaneously authorizing the United States to lock up a Sudanese relief worker or a foreigner swept up in the fog of war for the rest of his life without any trial is incomprehensible.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0914-02.htm

Murray contradicts Gulf War Syndrome report
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is contradicting a report by the Institute of Medicine (IoM) showing little evidence for a Gulf War Syndrome, worried it could lead to reduced public support and funding for veterans’ mental healthcare….Murray disagreed with findings of the report, which examined data on veterans returning from the Persian Gulf. While the Gulf War veterans showed significantly more symptoms of mental illness than their non-deployed counterparts, the report concluded there is “no cluster of symptoms that constitute a syndrome unique to Gulf War veterans.” The Hill

The Modern Successor to the Slave Trade By Desmond Tutu
No longer should the peace business be undermined by the arms business.....Five rich countries manufacture the vast majority of the world's weapons. In 2005, Russia, the United States, France, Germany and the UK accounted for an estimated 82 per cent of the global arms market. And it's big business: the amount rich countries spend on fighting HIV/Aids every year represents just 18 days' global spending on arms.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14978.htm

Terrorist Network Disconnect By Gareth Porter
George Bush’s new argument that Iran and Hezbollah are part of the same terrorist network as al-Qaida turns the recent history of international politics on its head to cover up a truth that makes the Bush administration extremely uncomfortable.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14967.htm

Rigging the Market; the secret maneuverings of the Plunge Protection Team
The country now faces the growing probability of an economic tsunami triggered by the rickety hedge funds, the falling dollar, and the rapidly deflating real estate bubble. The solid foundation of government oversight and regulation has been eroded by the persistent attacks of the corporatists and banking giants. The entire system is now on shaky ground. When the scaffolding starts to fall, the futile maneuverings of the Plunge Protection Team won’t make a bit of difference.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14979.htm

Most Americans Dispute Iraq War Benefits:
Many adults in the United States believe their federal government made a mistake in launching the coalition effort, according to a poll by TNS released by ABC News. 56 per cent of respondents think, considering the costs versus the benefits, the war with Iraq was not worth fighting.
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13134

The Trials of Henry Kissinger: The Making Of A War Criminal:
"A fascinating, bombshell documentary that should shame Americans, regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with Kissinger. Should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike." Video
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6623.htm

What is the U.S. Military Doing in Paraguay?:
The U.S. military is conducting secretive operations in Paraguay and reportedly building a new base there. Human rights groups and military analysts in the region believe trouble is brewing. However, the U.S. embassy in Paraguay denies the base exists and describes the military activity as routine
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2006/09/14/p10792

Immigration raid cripples Ga. town
The sweep has had the unintended effect of underscoring just how vital the illegal immigrants were to the local economy.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8K5ESQ83.htm

9th Circuit: Laptops May Be Subject to Customs Inspections After Overseas Trips In U.S. v. Romm, No. 04-10648, the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit ruled that customs officials can seize and search the contents of anyone’s laptop computer, even in the absence of a search warrant or probable cause.
http://www.abanet.org/journal/ereport/s15border.html

New concerns raised about security of voting computers
A lawyer for those trying to block the use of the machines says an expert would need only two minutes to reprogram and distort votes on one brand of the computers.
http://tinyurl.com/k39ep

Just Try Voting Here: 11 of America's worst places to cast a ballot (or try)
Machines that count backward, slice-and-dice districts, felon baiting, phone jamming, and plenty of dirty tricks like poll taxes
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/09/just_try_voting_here.html

Major Problems At Polls Feared
The debacle surrounding the Republican victory in 2000 demonstrated to the world that America's electoral process is wide open to abuse. But the system has actually worsened since then…..An overhaul in how states and localities record votes and administer elections since the Florida recount battle six years ago has created conditions that could trigger a repeat -- this time on a national scale -- of last week's Election Day debacle in the Maryland suburbs, election experts said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600885.html

Bush 'prepares emissions U-turn'
Over the past few days rumours swept the capital that the "Toxic Texan" would announce his conversion this week, in an attempt to reduce the impact of a major speech tomorrow by Al Gore on solutions to climate change.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1604092.ece

Texas alone pollutes more than Canada
Already No. 1 among all U.S. states in greenhouse gas emissions and seventh worldwide - emitting more than Canada or the United Kingdom - Texas could be about to sanction enormous increases in the carbon dioxide it sends into the atmosphere. The approval of 16 new power plants that burn coal, by far the most carbon-intensive fuel for making electricity, would add an estimated 117 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, more than the individual emissions from 33 other states and 177 countries.
http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/428/story/3442.html

U.S. Has Been Stockpiling Banned Pesticide
The United States has stockpiled millions of pounds of methyl bromide, a pesticide that depletes the ozone layer, according to newly public documents — information that could create a stir during international negotiations next month, when the Bush administration seeks permission to produce more.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ozone15sep15,0,5761786.story

Analysts: Bush's cowboy image waning; world still wary
The United States is relying more readily on international institutions and alliances for help in Iran, Lebanon, North Korea, Sudan and elsewhere. Yet, according to analysts, the Bush administration has less room to maneuver.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/16/bush.un.expectations.ap/index.html

GM: The cover-up
Revealed: Government food watchdog gave green light to supermarkets to sell 'illegal' genetically modified rice
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1604094.ece

Inner Circle Taking More of C.D.C. Bonuses
Top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received premium bonuses in recent years at the expense of scientists and others who perform much of the agency's scientific work, agency records show.
http://tinyurl.com/hzs7y

Call It What It Is - Bush Wants to Torture People
The worst case scenario is that the media continues to obscure the issue, they continue to allow the administration to trot out their talking points, never challenge them on what they are saying -- and the American people are misled into supporting something they would actually find abhorrent.
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m26716&hd=0&size=1&l=t

Kansas Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in Kansas
Is there a correlation between gas prices and the swing states, i.e. are gas prices being driven down in the states Bush most needs to vote GOP this November?
http://www.kansasgasprices.com/

Next Year in Jerusalem A Visit with Mordechai Vanunu
In l986, Mordechai Vanunu, acting out of conscience, revealed to the world that Israel had a nuclear weapons program. Sentenced to 18 years in prison, the first 12 years in solitary confinement in a tiny cell, and eventually was released in April 2004, having completed the entire 18 years. Upon his release, the Israeli Government imposed draconian restrictions on his freedom. He is forbidden to speak to foreigners or foreign press or to leave Israel. Each year for the past two years, on the 2lst of April, these restrictions have been renewed and Vanunu remains a virtual prisoner, living within a couple of square miles of East Jerusalem and under constant security surveillance everywhere he goes….Mordechai Vanunu is a virtual prisoner, whose life is constantly in danger, being re-punished again and again (itself an action forbidden by law). How long is it going to be before it is finally long enough?
http://www.uruknet.org.uk/?p=m26728&hd=0&size=1&l=e

Called From Diplomatic Reserve
Is Jim Baker bailing out the Bushes once again?
The former secretary of state, James A. Baker III, a confidant of President George H.W. Bush, visited Baghdad two weeks ago ….."The difficulty of winning the peace was severely underestimated," Baker wrote in a recent memoir, citing "costly mistakes" by the Pentagon. These included, he wrote, disbanding the Iraqi army, not securing weapons depots and "perhaps never having committed enough troops to successfully pacify the country."…..( Baker appears to have a magnificent grasp of the obvious…..And the reason the committee is waiting until after the election to deliver their findings as that they are probably going to be a devastating blow to this administration).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600636_pf.html

Remember to watch those medical death traps:
Illinois Woman's ER Wait Death Ruled Homicide
In July, forty-nine-year old Beatrice Vance arrived in the Vista Medical Center Emergency Room in Lake County, Ill., complaining of nausea, shortness of breath and chest pains…..A nurse saw her briefly and told her to wait. But two hours later, when her name was finally called, the staff found Vance slumped in a chair, already dead.
http://tinyurl.com/nn3tp

EPA plans to close labs, drop scientists and reduce oversightM. Granger Morgan, the head of the Engineering and Policy Department at Carnegie Mellon University and the chairman of the EPA Science Advisory Board, told Congress in March, "The agency is in danger of losing core scientific expertise in both conventional and emerging environmental issues."...."The decisions we make will be critical, difficult and will have long-term consequences," EPA Chief Financial Officer Lyons Gray wrote. Morgan testified that research and development spending at the agency had fallen more than 16 percent since 2004. http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/15529682.htm?source=rss&channel=krwashington_nation

Bill Moyers Returns to Investigative Reporting With Moyers on America Airing in October on PBS
In Moyers on America, airing Wednesdays, October 4, 11, and 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), Moyers and his team travel the nation to report on political corruption, Christians and the environment, and democratic access to the Internet.
http://tinyurl.com/l78ob