December 2, 2006

THE THINKING SPOT

The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." James Madison. Federalist 47.

When even one American-who has done nothing wrong-is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth-then all Americans are in peril: Harry S. Truman

ALERT

ALERT #1
RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) seeks to shut down entire internet by criminalizing all file sharing, according to attorney:
http://tinyurl.com/yffx9g

ALERT#2
Pfizer seeks FDA approval to prescribe Celebrex to toddlers as young as 2:
http://tinyurl.com/yhxwdp

WAR
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The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." James Madison. Federalist 47.
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Powell says U.S. should talk to Iran, not attack
http://tinyurl.com/ylhk2r

US pressured Blair into arms bribery inquiry - A bribery investigation threatening the future of 50,000 British jobs followed heavy pressure on Tony Blair from George Bush's administration, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
http://tinyurl.com/vo6m5

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It is foolish in the extreme not only to resort to force before necessity compels, but especially to madly create the conditions that will lead to this necessity." : Benjamin Tucker, Liberty, ----May 22, 1886
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Halt inquiry or we cancel Eurofighters - Saudi Arabia has given Britain 10 days to halt a fraud investigation into the country's arms trade - or lose a £10 billion Eurofighter contract.
http://tinyurl.com/yb7ryp

Rumsfeld proposed Iraq shift before resigning -NYT Rumsfeld outlined several options for policy changes, including reductions in U.S. forces and bases in Iraq as well as a "minimalist" recasting of the U.S. mission and goals in Iraq, but he made no recommendations, the Times said.
http://tinyurl.com/yayw75

Rumsfeld's Enforcer," to Resign - Stephen Cambone, the US Defense Department's top intelligence official and a person known as the "henchman" to outgoing defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, will resign on December 31, the Pentagon said on Friday. Cambone is widely regarded as one of the architects of post-war Iraq planning, which has proved to be disastrous.
http://tinyurl.com/yerva5

Rumsfeld's Final Memo: The Strategy Is Not Working...
http://tinyurl.com/y9vas9

THE WHITE HOUSE

US furious at official's shame over Bush and Blair - The US government furiously rejected comments by a senior State Department analyst that he was "ashamed" of how President George W. Bush treated British Prime Minister Tony Blair....The official, Kendall Myers, set off a diplomatic embarrassment by also reportedly saying US-British relations were "totally one-sided" and London's political bridge between Europe and the United States was falling down.
http://tinyurl.com/ya5kjy

He's The Worst Ever - it is impossible to say with certainty how Bush will be ranked in, say, 2050. But somehow, in his first six years in office he has managed to combine the lapses of leadership, misguided policies and abuse of power of his failed predecessors. I think there is no alternative but to rank him as the worst president in U.S. history.
http://tinyurl.com/ye5ndx

The Move To Label All Civil Disobedience "Terrorism" - An endemic crackdown on peaceful protest and dissent has continued with President Bush signing the 'Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act,'. Under the guise of protecting researchers, scientists and their staff who conduct experiments and tests on animals, the latest terror bill seeks to class as TERRORISTS those who seek to protest against such activities.
http://tinyurl.com/y3o54j

"Bush talks nonsense about situation in Iraq" and "Through arrogance, willful ignorance and stubborness, Bush has created in Iraq a real dog's breakfast -- a mess."
http://tinyurl.com/wnxyw

CABINETS, COMMISSIONS, etc

Rice: I Won't Discuss Iraq Mistakes Until Bush Leaves Office...
http://tinyurl.com/yargoa

NEW CONTEST! Analyze Rumsfeld's Handwriting!
http://tinyurl.com/ybnmkb

Officials Expect No Big Changes, No Matter What Panel Advises - With the Iraq Study Group report due on Wednesday, the Bush administration has notified allies that it will not budge on certain aspects of Iraq policy, whatever recommendations are put forth by the independent panel of 10 prominent Republicans and Democrats.
http://tinyurl.com/yexjk2

Gov't Oversight Chief Wants to Limit Internal Fraud Probes - The new chief of the US General Services Administration is trying to limit the ability of the agency's inspector general to audit contracts for fraud or waste and has said oversight efforts are intimidating the workforce, according to government documents and interviews.
http://tinyurl.com/uepzy

SCANDAL

US Gov’t Terror Ratings Draw Outrage..… US, Foreign Governments Can See Profile But Not You…Profiles Include Billing Information, Travel Agent, Email Address….. Phoenix Airport Also Testing X-Ray Screening…..
http://tinyurl.com/y6lh92

Whistleblowers: Fired, Silenced . . . and Killed
http://tinyurl.com/yz6ym8

Boeing: Accused of Running Torture Travel Agency
http://tinyurl.com/ylw6hb

LEGAL ITEMS

High Court Divided on Warming
http://tinyurl.com/yfa7ad

GOP Will Pay $135K To Settle Phone-Jamming Suit...
http://tinyurl.com/ycjsgc

ELECTION ITEMS

Think Globally, Protect the Vote Locally - "Just as local cities have adopted environmental and wage laws that exceed federal standards, maybe it's time for local initiatives protecting the sanctity of the vote. We've been seeing electoral abuses and manipulations since the Bush administration took power. So we need to ensure the Democrats make national electoral protection a priority. But we can also act on a local level."
http://tinyurl.com/ymdpvs

ECONOMY

Durable orders fall 8.3%, most in six years - Core capital equipment orders fall 5.1%, first decline in six months
http://tinyurl.com/y3m3wb

The $2 question: Weak dollar is good for visitors to US, but outlook for world economy is bleak - Experts have been warning that the US and the dollar have been living on borrowed time. (a tumbling dollar could start an economic whirlwind)
http://tinyurl.com/y9l4un

Dollar falls further on fears of downturn in America - The dollar succumbed to another sharp sell-off yesterday after figures showing that US industry shrank last month fuelled market fears over a severe downturn in America’s economy.
http://tinyurl.com/ybyqf2

Widespread Corruption in Iraq Costs Taxpayers $4 Billion a year ((Hey guys, that's my money your throwing down a rat hole!))
http://tinyurl.com/yaeyux

CONGRESS

Reyes Nomination Sends Strong New Signal” “That Pelosi-Led Congress Will Confront Bush On Iraq...
http://tinyurl.com/yhsfj8

Congress Urged to Support Campaign against Gender Violence
http://tinyurl.com/ydhszb

Outgoing chair Specter will 'hold gavel tightly' until bitter end
http://tinyurl.com/y2pp4v

Terror Screening Oversight a Must - The incoming Senate Judiciary chairman pledged greater scrutiny Friday of computerized government anti-terrorism screening after learning that millions of Americans who travel internationally have been assigned risk assessments over the last four years without their knowledge.
http://tinyurl.com/ynyhgu

Huge war spending bill to test Democrats ............((Will this be the grand betrayal?))
http://tinyurl.com/yfu99o

Democratic House Leaders Use New Powers to Fight Bush's EPA Research Library Closings
http://tinyurl.com/ybwqhy

DOMESTIC

"Never before in American history has our government gotten into the business of creating mass `risk assessment' ratings of its own citizens,"
http://tinyurl.com/ymqz7e

Police admit planting evidence - A Huntington Beach police officer's exoneration for planting a loaded gun in a suspect's car has led to the revelation that police routinely plant evidence in unsuspecting civilians' vehicles for training exercises.
http://tinyurl.com/yzfgcq

Birth control credited with drop in teen pregnancy - The dramatic declines in teenage pregnancy rates noted in the United States between 1995 and 2002 were largely due to improved contraceptive use, not to abstinence, a new study shows.
http://tinyurl.com/yayll2

RELIGIOUS ITEMS

Fmr. Bush Faith Office Staffer David Kuo's Open Letter To Chuck Colson And James Dobson…“You Both Seem Either Incapable Or Unwilling To Examine Matters Of Faith Because Of How They Might Harm Your Political Positions”
http://tinyurl.com/yy8239

U.S. diocese favors break with Episcopal Church - A California diocese of the Episcopal Church on Saturday took a major step toward breaking with the U.S. church because of its position on issues including homosexuality, a move unseen since the U.S. Civil War.
http://tinyurl.com/ykeryp

Faith groups urge cuts to AIDS fund - Some leading Christian conservatives, angry over the Global Fund to Fight AIDS's promotion of condoms and its perceived lack of support for faith-based programs, are pushing Congress to cut US support for the AIDS initiative, which was initiated by President Bush in a Rose Garden ceremony five years ago with a $200 million commitment.
http://tinyurl.com/yku63s

This is a sure fire reason to take God back from the Evangelicals. Listen and crack up, then sigh heavily!
http://tinyurl.com/ygdmu6

Is the Colorado Peace Wreath a Victory Sign?
http://tinyurl.com/yatau8

ENVIRONMENT

U.S. voters mandate shift towards renewable energy:
http://tinyurl.com/yezrdf

U.S. government may be getting ready to regulate carbon dioxide emissions as pollutants, experts say: ((Watch thoughs Demos go!))
http://tinyurl.com/yf8kln

Bush May Lift Alaska Oil Drilling Ban…”An Early Christmas Present To The Big Oil Companies”
http://tinyurl.com/y9oy4h

President Bush Poised to Open Nation's 'Fish Basket' to Oil Drilling
http://tinyurl.com/yjugbb

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Nine out of ten emails now spam due to activity of criminal gangs:
http://tinyurl.com/yjstml

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool mobile providers can "remotely install a piece of software on to any handset, without the owner's knowledge, which will activate the microphone even when its owner is not making a call."
http://tinyurl.com/ygj4wg

Tech gifts for the holidays By Jay Dougherty
http://tinyurl.com/yzf5zv

Nike+ IPod = Surveillance *** A report from four University of Washington researchers to be released Thursday reveals that security flaws in the new RFID-powered device from Nike and Apple make it easy for tech-savvy stalkers, thieves and corporations to track your movements. With just a few hundred dollars and a little know-how, someone could even plot your running routes on a Google map without your knowledge.
http://tinyurl.com/ye4uhm

Reset your Windows Firewall
http://tinyurl.com/yd539p

Graphics cards can help supply computing power
http://tinyurl.com/ybcohn

MEDIA AND JOURNALISM

Keith Olbermann responds to Newt Gingrich’s comments about free speech
http://tinyurl.com/y3eh2j

Journalism School Probes Possible Cheating on Ethics Exam - Ironic? Yes. Unfortunate? Certainly. But what made the incident particularly notable was where and when it took place: at Columbia University, one of the premier journalism schools in the country, at a time when media ethics are much in question.
http://tinyurl.com/ylz9lz

Now Even Mona Charon Hates America
http://tinyurl.com/ycswd2

HEALTH

Negative results of drug trials routinely suppressed:
http://tinyurl.com/y9vzch

Widespread vitamin D deficiency may be cause of post-Winter flu outbreaks, scientists suggest:
http://tinyurl.com/yj7ukb

Taking a common antidepressant during pregnancy causes heart defects in fetuses, warn obstetricians:
http://tinyurl.com/ylx9cd

Asthma Medicine; Irony or Conspiracy? - The mineral magnesium, which has been covered in a previous medical update, is possibly the single most important nutrient for managing asthma because of its multiple effects on the asthmatic condition. - Ironically, studies have shown that asthma bronchodilator medications, such as theophylline and albuterol can cause magnesium wasting, thereby contributing to the worsening asthmatic condition. Some research suggests that African-Americans with worsening asthma who use salmeterol — one of two drugs in the Advair inhaler — may be at increased risk of severe asthma attacks and even death.
http://tinyurl.com/ynaldk

HEMP SEED: THE MOST NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE FOOD SOURCE IN THE WORLD - Seeds of the plant cannabis sativa, hemp seed, contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. No other single plant source has the essential amino acids in such an easily digestible form, nor has the essential fatty acids in as perfect a ratio to meet human nutritional needs.
http://tinyurl.com/yjputg

CSPI petitions FDA to create healthy food labeling system to better inform grocery shoppers:
http://tinyurl.com/yzak43

HUMAN RIGHTS

Disemboweled, then torn apart: The price of daring to teach girls - But, as in the rest of Afghanistan, it is the civilians who are bearing the brunt of this conflict. ((--This is the Afghanistan that America created!--))
http://tinyurl.com/ye4l6q

SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

Malaysian medic slices off boy's penis during botched circumcision ((Don't we wish the female clitoris received such recognition?!))
http://tinyurl.com/yl3n7y

Maine Trying To Ban Santa Beer Label...
http://tinyurl.com/yj9wah