November 22,2006

THE THINKING SPOT

Lost in the Desert - We can't win and we can't leave." It's hard to remember when America has been so stuck. by Maureen Dowd
http://tinyurl.com/y5ogec

WAR

The news not in the news: Baghdad is surrounded... "Baghdad is under siege. Sunni insurgents have cut the roads linking the city to the rest of Iraq. The country is being partitioned as militiamen fight bloody battles for control of towns and villages north and south of the capital."
http://tinyurl.com/vb4ag

US Could Bomb Iran Nuclear Sites in 2007 - Political analysts in Washington agree that President George W. Bush could choose military action over diplomacy and bomb Iran's nuclear facilities next year.
http://tinyurl.com/y4om6f

THE WHITE HOUSE

Previous to this administration, this country's name had been to large part synonymous with human dignity and the rule of law, but not any more.
http://tinyurl.com/y2ypdu

"Bush's political fortunes have changed for the worst, but he himself is announcing that he hasn't changed a bit." You can't keep a man of mediocrity from wallowing in his failure.
(Times Daily.com)

Cheney to meet with Saudi king ahead of Iraq summit
http://tinyurl.com/ycmy6u

Bush's Only Real Victory - George Orwell warned us, but what American would have expected that in the opening years of the 21st century the United States would become a country in which lies and deception by the president and vice president were the basis for a foreign policy of war and aggression, and in which indefinite detention without charges, torture, and spying on citizens without warrants have displaced the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution? If anyone had predicted that the election of George W. Bush to the presidency would result in an American police state and illegal wars of aggression, he would have been dismissed as a lunatic.
http://tinyurl.com/uktxp

CABINETS, COMMISSIONS, etc

Homeland Security docs are missing
http://tinyurl.com/vtr5c

Report Finds DHS Lax on Contracting Procedures - Private consultants hired by the Department of Homeland Security have found widespread problems with its contracting operation, including nearly three dozen contract files that could not be located. http://tinyurl.com/y59tws

Chertoff's "Chilling Vision" - "Over time, Chertoff said, an aggressive assault against the arguments seeking to apply international law to the United States could turn the tide in Europe and elsewhere, much as the Federalist Society succeeded in creating a backlash to the Warren Court," writes Nat Parry. "But Chertoff may have overestimated the intellectual firepower of the Federalists or undervalued the growing worldwide commitment to the universal application of international law."
http://tinyurl.com/y8dy2f

REVISITING JOHN KENNEDY

Bush Link to Kennedy Assassination
http://tinyurl.com/yxs3go

The Death Of John Kennedy: The Media helped sell the lie of the lone assasin.
http://tinyurl.com/5nwad

The Death Of John Kennedy: LETTER FROM A WARREN COMMISSION MEMBER WHO DID NOT BELIEVE THE "MAGIC BULLET" THEORY
http://tinyurl.com/w2oom

The Death Of John Kennedy: Why Nixon resigned instead of facing impeachment.
http://tinyurl.com/d5mm7

The Death Of John Kennedy: Gerald Ford forced to admit the Warren Report fictionalized
http://tinyurl.com/y78lcn

The Death Of John Kennedy: Study confirms HSCA conclusion of more than three gunshots and shot from Grassy Knoll.
http://tinyurl.com/uthsw

SCANDAL

Whistleblower: 'Diebold can't be trusted to run elections'
http://tinyurl.com/y4gxb8

Diebold insider made similar allegations to Raw
http://tinyurl.com/9cv3u

Investigation of 'Fraudulent Activity' at Siemens Widens
http://tinyurl.com/uskqx

Nager Looked to Abramoff for Judgeship - Openly campaigning for a judicial nomination is seen as unseemly. But behind the scenes, competition is intense. Potential nominees have been known to send 4"-thick binders of information about themselves; and at least one applicant in recent years has sent the Justice Department a videotape. To increase his chances, in early 2001, Nager turned to Abramoff, then a lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig, for help with an enterprise Nager referred to as "The Project."
http://tinyurl.com/txhpy

LEGAL ITEMS

Police agree to protester reforms D.C. police take steps to protect protesters; fallout from Bush inaug. fiasco.
http://tinyurl.com/yyct8l

ELECTION ITEMS

The 'Real' McCain - Feingold is the only Democrat of any national stature calling for the U.S. to get out of Iraq. McCain, on the other hand, is – and always has been – one of the biggest warmongers in the U.S. Senate, and no more fervent supporter of the war exists outside the offices of the Weekly Standard. Why do you think Bill Kristol, the little Lenin of the neocons, supported his candidacy during the 2000 GOP primary?
http://tinyurl.com/y4el6q

Missing Votes in FL-13 Favored Dems - The group of nearly 18,000 voters, that registered *no choice* in Sarasota's disputed congressional election, solidly backed Democratic candidates in all five of Florida's statewide races, an Orlando Sentinel analysis of ballot data shows.
http://tinyurl.com/y7gs6e

GOP's Jean Schmidt Declared Winner In Contested Ohio Race...
Check Yahoo News

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility:: EPA is Hastily Disposing of It's Library Collections
http://tinyurl.com/y5h6nk

ECONOMY

Dollar falls on selling by Japanese exporters. The dollar fell in thin trading on Wednesday in the absence of key economic data and ahead of holidays the next day in both Japan and the United States.
http://tinyurl.com/vhytq

White House warns of slowdown
Try Yahoo Google News

Alcoa to cut 6,700 jobs worldwide
http://tinyurl.com/y7ojvm

CONGRESS

Pelosi schedules forum on Iraq war
http://tinyurl.com/yfkwem

Hype rising as Pelosi, Harman square off in 'bitter battle'
http://tinyurl.com/ylzb7e

Democrats Unlikely to Block Gates Nomination for Pentagon
http://tinyurl.com/yxapqa

All the Way on Lobbying Reform - "The ugly truth behind the criminal enterprise organized by Abramoff in the House of Representatives inspired the Democrats, in the run-up to the midterms, to call loudly and long for reforms to the lobbying processes within Congress."
http://tinyurl.com/weju9

Rangel and Jefferson Agree on a National Service Program
http://tinyurl.com/wt6bq

Labor Challenges "Rubinomics" as US Democrats Recapture Power - labor and Wall Street, are colliding over economic issues - The dispute over trade and budget policies prompted a high-level private meeting earlier this month between AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and former treasury secretary Robert Rubin, who is now chairman of the executive committee at New York-based Citigroup Inc. AFL-CIO leaders, contending Democrats won the midterm elections because of voter concern about job security and stagnant wages, say it's time to set aside the free trade policies touted by Rubin.
http://tinyurl.com/y2hnwt

McCain: Can't Ask Troops to Sacrifice Their Lives in Iraq - "If the country does not have the will to do what it takes to win in Iraq - send in more forces - then US troops should not be made to serve more tours of duty."
http://tinyurl.com/y3w4ma

DOMESTIC

Chemical plant blows up near Boston
http://tinyurl.com/yxgnck

RELIGIOUS ITEMS

Vatican may allow use of condoms
http://tinyurl.com/y2ua4p

Did Jesus Die on the Cross? A Research Documentary on Jesus Surviving crucifixion and migrating to Kashmir with sub-titles in Urdu. Crucifixion takes a week to kill a healthy man, unless the legs are broken (which was not the case with Jesus according to the Bible). Yet the Bible says Jesus was only on the cross for a few hours before being declared dead. As reported in the Bible, Pontius Pilate (who we can assume knew a great deal about crucifixion) expressed great surprise that Jesus expired so quickly, but was restrained from further investigation by his wife. Numerous ancient sources repeat the story of Jesus and his followers faking his quick death to get him off the cross while still alive. Even the new testament contains the recipe for "Wounds of Christ Ointment" (Aloe and Myrrh) suggesting that the post-crucifixing Jesus was not an ascended spirit, but a badly wounded man trying to get the heck out of Dodge.
http://tinyurl.com/y83x2q

MILITARY

Military recruiters 'ignoring' gay rule. U.S. Army found recruiters telling potential soldiers 'not a problem' if they're gay.
http://tinyurl.com/y5h3ex

Oregon, your check is not in the mail - The federal government has stuck the state with the tab for sending our National Guard to the Gulf Coast.
http://tinyurl.com/y95zjk

MEDIA AND JOURNALISM

The Power of Israel in the United States - Petras explains the root of the Lobby's power lies in the high proportion of Jewish families who are among the wealthiest and most influential ones in the country. He cites Forbes magazine that reported 25 - 30% of the wealthiest families here are Jewish despite the small percentage of Jews in the population overall. book By James Petras
http://tinyurl.com/wkkq6

HEALTH

Herniated Disk Surgery, Worth the Risk? - A herniated disk can be one of the most excruciating causes of pack pain. Some say it's as bad as childbirth. How to treat this condition, whether it's with surgery or just time, is under debate.
(link unavailable)

Silicone Back on the Market -- But Safety Still Questioned -- The FDA has given the green light for silicone breast implants to be sold again -- 14 years after the agency banned them. But many doctors still question the safety of silicone, citing concerns that led to the ban in the first place.
(Link unavailable)

HUMAN RIGHTS

Women's World Is Far From Equal - Nordic Europe is the guiding light for gender equality in the world, topping a global list of 115 countries and laying claim to the world's best maternity leave, the best political participation rates and an education system in which women now outnumber men.
http://tinyurl.com/yxpc7r

"Boston University's Republican students group has started a scholarship for white students, to spark debate about race-based programs." Of Course, Republican College Students Would Never Do Anything Serious to Back Up Their "Convictions," Like go Fight in Iraq.
(Link unavailable)

SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

Woman, 92, dies in shootout with police. Police insisted the officers did everything right before entering the home Tuesday evening, despite suggestions from the woman's neighbors and relatives that it was a case of mistaken identity.
http://tinyurl.com/t7x4x