December 9, 2006

THE THINKING SPOT

Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity.

Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship.: Erich Fromm (1900-1980), U.S. psychologist.

ALERT

Report: 83 percent of grocery store chicken meat found infected with bacteria:
http://tinyurl.com/ykzvzw

WAR

The Nation Bids Donald Rumsfeld Adieu. Instead of a Retirement Party, Put Him on Trial for War Crimes.

Saddam's nephew escapes from Iraqi prison
http://tinyurl.com/ymfdod

It's Still About Oil in Iraq
http://tinyurl.com/y28lea

A Turning Point for a Panel: 4 Harrowing Days in Iraq: For some members of the Iraq Study Group, the turning point came during four days in Baghdad in September. They found the trip so harrowing, they said, that they wondered if they could afford to wait to speak out about the disaster in Iraq.
http://tinyurl.com/y6v3d2

Generals say plans won't work in field: Pentagon generals believe that the Iraq Study Group's military recommendations are unrealistic.
http://tinyurl.com/yc8kvg

Kurds reject Iraq report: The Iraq Study Group's report on the situation in Iraq has received a strong rebuke from the leader of the northern Kurdish region of the country.
http://tinyurl.com/y6k5ae

Afghanistan War Nears "Tipping Point" - the next three to six months could prove crucial
http://tinyurl.com/y6y4ln

Top Democrat: Halliburton Violated Multibillion Dollar Iraq - Halliburton Corp., the oil field services company once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, breached the terms of its multibillion dollar contract to provide US soldiers logistical support in Iraq when one of its subcontractors outsourced security work to Blackwater USA, according to new documents released Friday by Congressman Henry Waxman.
http://tinyurl.com/yxn2ff

THE WHITE HOUSE

The national job approval rating of Bush has plummeted to 30%, an all-time low, sinking below the 31% approval rating he dropped to in early June.
http://tinyurl.com/y4dt72

Somebody, Please! Take the Grenades out of Bushe's Hand! - no oversight, no accountability and no questions asked. “Toss away,” was the message on the Iraq War Resolution gift card, “and we’ll pick up the tab.”
http://tinyurl.com/yzup68

Time for Bush to Go! It's now obvious that there can be no exit from Iraq - graceful or otherwise - as long as Bush remains president."
http://tinyurl.com/yll2ya

How Bush ruined the family franchise
http://tinyurl.com/y5vtf7

POLITICS

Deep Fissures In GOP - ((It is just wonderful to see this arrogant, haughty bunch in such disarray!))
http://tinyurl.com/y25ok4

Americans Believe U.S. International Strategy Has Backfired, Undermining U.S. Security WorldPublicOpinion.org:
http://tinyurl.com/vhz9d

LEGAL ITEMS

Judge Reluctant to Dismiss Torture Suit Against Rumsfeld - A federal judge on Friday appeared reluctant to give Donald H. Rumsfeld immunity from torture allegations, yet said it would be unprecedented to let the departing defense secretary face a civil trial. "What you're asking for has never been done before," US District Judge Thomas F. Hogan told lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union.
http://tinyurl.com/vr2bh

ELECTION ITEMS

Question - My husband asked "What is going on with all the New Yorkers being put up by the media as the big guys to beat in 2008? What better way to keep the lid on all the unanswered question regarding 911!" He may be on to something folks.

ECONOMY

A Weaker Dollar and a Receding US Influence Central banks worldwide began discarding the dollar in favor of the euro in an attempt to minimize their losses following the decline in the value of the US currency. A Weaker Dollar and a Receding US Influence Central banks worldwide began discarding the dollar in favor of the euro in an attempt to minimize their losses following the decline in the value of the US currency.
http://tinyurl.com/ybee6a

911

German Intelligence Says US Knew in Advance About 9/11
http://tinyurl.com/y3yfem

CONGRESS

GOP Budget Chair Blasts Leadership: Calls Tax Bill “Largest Budget-Buster Ever Brought Forward By The Republican Congress”...
http://tinyurl.com/y4k52o

McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush ((You go girl!)) [My spouse noted that they have been after this gal quite a while. Her refusal to back down on any and all may very well be why.]
http://tinyurl.com/yjq29v

House, Senate Push Through Massive Tax Cut, Energy Bills - early today sent to President Bush energy, tax and trade legislation - lawmakers approved $38 billion in tax breaks and a Vietnam trade measure and voted to open a large section of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling.
http://tinyurl.com/ygkvso

Constitution Takes New Hit from Senators at Gates Hearing (By Ray McGovern) Tuesday’s charade at the Senate Armed Forces Committee included repeated allusion to the biblical injunction to “speak truth to power.” This has never been Robert Gates’ forte. Rather, his modus operandi has always been to ingratiate himself with the one with the power, and then recite—or write memos setting forth—what he believes that person would like to hear.
http://tinyurl.com/y3whpa

Camera cell phones are allowing citizens to monitor, record behavior of law enforcement personnel:
http://tinyurl.com/yn7g72

INTERNATIONAL

China says panda no longer endangered
http://tinyurl.com/wrffv

World Bank Losing War on Poverty
http://tinyurl.com/uwagx

Kremlin control of natural gas routes to Europe stokes Western unease....The main issue is natural gas. Russia is an oil giant, second only to the Saudis in exports, and Europe depends on it for much of its crude...the most efficient way of distributing gas is through pipelines
http://tinyurl.com/ycfd4b

MILITARY

Active-Duty Military Personnel Will Protest War in Iraq on Wednesday Active

YUK!!!$8bn spent a month leaves no money to clean toilets: During a recent visit to a military family centre at Fort Hood in Texas, Joyce Raezer was dismayed to find a sign in a stall in the ladies' room. It asked women to clean up because janitorial service had been cut back.
http://tinyurl.com/yhdos5

HEALTH

Eating slowly proven to reduce caloric intake by 70 percent in recent study:
http://tinyurl.com/yjojst

Exercise boosts health of obese women even without dieting:
http://tinyurl.com/ym5rq7

Eating spinach slashes skin cancer recurrence risk by 55 percent:
http://tinyurl.com/yb43qb

SPECIAL INTEREST ITEMS

Facts About Death You May Not Want to Know:
1...After being decapitated, the average person remains conscious for another15 to 20 seconds. 2...It takes 2.5 minutes to fall from the top of Mt. Everest to the bottom. ..
3...Nearly 2,500 left-handed people die each year as a result of using products meant for right-handed people. 4...100 people each year choke to death on ballpoint pens.
5...A cockroach can survive for nine days without a head, before finally dying of starvation. (((((((LifeInsure.com))))))))