Act

"Act as if it were impossible to fail." --Dorothea Brande

Torture: It's What's For America

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla is competent to stand trial on terrorism support charges, rejecting arguments that he was severely damaged by 3 1/2 years of interrogation and isolation in a military brig.
Source: Wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 28, 2007

_____________________________

Come the War Crime trials, it would be ironic if judges like that were to be sent away for oh, say, three and a half years in Club Torture awaiting their own trial.

Fortunately for them, and other lackeys of the Fourth Reich, when a democratic republic is restored in America, they will not personally encounter the evil they have done so much to further.

TLC

Telegraph UK OpEd: We must not let Bush wage war against Iran

No, no, let's be fair. Let's show the iron logic for which this column is famed. It is time to set on one side the catastrophic record of Bush, Cheney and the neocons, and look dispassionately at what they are now proposing. In considering the case for an attack on Iran, let us try to ignore the results of the demented adventure in Iraq.

It is not easy. The Iraq war has led to the deaths of more than 3,000 US service personnel, about 133 British troops, and anything between 50,000 and 655,000 Iraqis, most of them innocent civilians. There are about 100 Iraqis dying every day, or being hideously maimed, in the course of suicide-bomb attacks. It is undeniable - or at least it is undeniable by anyone except Tony Blair - that the war in Iraq has greatly increased the threat of terrorist attacks in this country and across the world.

Full article, Telegraph UK, March 1, 2007

Gates Downsized War-Crimes Trials Locale

Defense Secretary Robert Gates downsized a planned compound for war-crimes trials, telling Congress he thought the initial Pentagon plan for a $100 million facility was "ridiculous.''

Full Article, Guardian UK, February 28, 2007

______________________________

Hey, for once Robert Gates and I agree on something. It shouldn't take a $100 million facility to convict Bu$h, Cheney, Bum$feld, Rice, Gates, and all the rest, of War Crimes. We have plenty of Courthouses in the U.S. to accomplish that, and no shortage of rope when the verdicts come in.

TLC

Guardian UK: White House Press Organ?

US commanders admit: we face a Vietnam-style collapse
An elite team of officers advising the US commander, General David Petraeus, in Baghdad has concluded that they have six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat.

"The scene is very tense," the former official said. "They are working round the clock. Endless cups of tea with the Iraqis. But they're still trying to figure out what's the plan. The president is expecting progress. But they're thinking, what does he mean? The plan is changing every minute, as all plans do."

Full article, Guardian UK, March 1, 2007

____________________________________

The article gives no basis for the US turning things around in 6 months or, for that matter, 6 years. No strategy, no plan, ideas changing day-to-day as the supposed people who know what they're doing huddle in the "Green Zone" having minimal (at best) contact with the citizenry.

Most if not all Iraqis have lost one or more friends or family members, seen many more in their communities maimed for life, as the killing machine roars on in the relentless pursuit of control of Iraqi oil.

So, can we term it a genuine news article? Or just a P.R. piece from Tony Snowjob and company?

TLC

Army To Troops: Shut Up & Suffer In Silence

Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet
By Kelly Kennedy - Army Times Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Feb 28, 2007 13:37:17 EST

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.

“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.

Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.

They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.

The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.

The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.

Source: Army Times, February 28, 2007

U.S. to Refuse Extradition of CIA Agents

This is news??? Likewise shocking: The sun rose in the east this morning.

TLC

Olbermann Takes On Rice's Latest Lies

In tonight's Special Comment, Keith took Condi to task for making the following ridiculous and historically inaccurate analogy on FOX News Sunday yesterday:

"…It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."

___________________

Yeah you could just read the transcript, below, but really, download and watch the video if at all possible.

TLC

Inattention

"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger".
--Daniel Webster

A Shot Across The Bow For Peace

When you get past all the smoke of the corporate media and look behind the curtain, today's stock market events are due to China sending a message to the Bu$h Regime that it will not be bankrolling, through the purchase of Treasury Bills, the pending war on Iran.

There IS hope.

TLC

American Juri$prudence

"Courtrooms Are Located On The Second Floor"
--Sign in the Humboldt County California Courthouse, "I" Street Entrance, February 26, 2007

___________________________________

But where can you find justice at the Humboldt County Courthouse? You can't...just Courtrooms...

TLC

More Bu$h Regime Domestic Terrorism

FDA Inspections Down Amid Food Recalls

The federal agency that's been front and center in warning the public about tainted spinach and contaminated peanut butter is conducting just half the food safety inspections it did three years ago.

That's not all that's dropping at the FDA in terms of food safety. The analysis also shows:
_There are 12 percent fewer FDA employees in field offices who concentrate on food issues.
_Safety tests for U.S.-produced food have dropped nearly 75 percent, from 9,748 in 2003 to 2,455 last year, according to the agency's own statistics.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FDA, at the urging of Congress, increased the number of food inspectors and inspections amid fears that the nation's food system was vulnerable to terrorists. Inspectors and inspections spiked in 2003, but now both have fallen enough to erase the gains.

Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 27, 2007

Advances

"Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority."
--Thomas H. Huxley

Seymour M. Hersh: Is the Administration’s new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism?

Great must-read article by investigative reporter Sy Hersh in the New Yorker about how the U.S. is funding the people we are creating a police state to defend against.

Tim Dickinson over at Rolling Stone boiled it down to one concise sentence: "The criminal stupidity of treating the enemy of our enemy as our friend, when the enemy of our enemy is the enemy that attacked us on 9/11, is nearly impossible to overstate."


My posting, in the Comments section:

Let us not forget that the U.S., in order to oust the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, bankrolled and armed OBL in the late 70's and 80's, then lost interest and let things grow from there.

TLC

Operation Falcon and the Looming Police State

The Bush administration has carried out three massive sweeps in the last two years, rolling up more than 30,000 minor crooks and criminals, without as much as a whimper of protest from the public.

Operation Falcon is the clearest indication yet that the Bush administration is fine-tuning its shock-troops so it can roll up tens of thousands of people at a moment’s notice and toss them into the newly-built Halliburton detention centers. This should be a red flag for anyone who cares at all about human rights, civil liberties, or simply saving his own skin.

Full, detailed article, by Mike Whitney



See also the related article:
"Continuity of Government" - A Threat to the Constitutionby U.S. Rep. Ron Paul

Reason

"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave."
--Sir William Drummond

A Parable For The Fourth Reich

Police and zoo officials were investigating what led a 140-pound jaguar to maul a zookeeper to death in the doorway of its exhibit.

The cat was fatally shot when it approached emergency workers trying to save the woman, zoo officials said.

Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 25, 2007

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Slaves eventually rise against their oppressors.

TLC

The Family Dog

The family's dog was bought for a guard.
Chained to a post in a chilly backyard.
Housed in a shed that was airless and dark.
And every few weeks had a run in the park.

When boredom set in with no fun and no work.
One day it broke loose and went quietly berserk.
Pa couldn't fathom just why it went wild.
As it flattened his wife and then bit his child.

The police were called in to sort out the mess.
And the whole sorry tale was revealed by the press,
The Rescue Society was really annoyed,
So, the dog was re-homed--and the owners destroyed.


--Author unknown

Knob

"Don't you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work."
--Gallagher

Impeachment: Breaking the Dam in Olympia, Washington

The crowd at the arts center had come to attend an event organized by the Citizens Movement to Impeach Bush/Cheney, a local ad hoc citizens’ organization in this little burg that had convinced the local city council to make the 1000-seat auditorium available for a hearing on impeachment. When I and my two co-speakers, CIA veteran Ray McGovern and former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega, came out on the stage, we all felt not like political speakers or authors, but like rock stars. The applause was deafening, not just at the start of the program, but after each speaker’s points were made.

Full Article, Dave Lindorff, February 23, 2007

_____________________________

Dave's article is important in showing that, if the Fourth Reich is to be ousted, it will be because the American people rise up and defend what Benjamin Franklin termed, "A republic, if you can keep it".

Meanwhile, in supposedly liberal Humboldt County USA, the pretend "Representative" to the State Legislature, Patty Berg, has no interest in impeachment of the Fourth Reich, but instead has focused her attention on killing off people who are sick, who are a drain on the state budget, who no longer serve the interests of the pharmaceutical drug cartel, and/or who no longer contribute to the industrial machine that chews up cheap labor and spits out the lifeless remains.

TLC

The United States Of The Insane

The Telegraph UK has an article, "Israel seeks all clear for Iran air strike", along with several related articles.

My letter to the Telegraph UK:


Dear Editor:

Your article on the upcoming war on Iran is inconsistent.

Since any attack on Iran by Israel will require planning and coordination with the U.S., there is nothing "unilateral" at all about the war.

Nuremberg left no doubt that an unprovoked or aggressive war is a War Crime, a Crime Against Humanity, as is Genocide.

How ironic that the U.S., which established the Nuremberg Tribunal and standards of international law, is entering into a moral and criminal conspiracy with Israel, to launch an aggressive genocidal war against Iran.

Likewise ironic is that Israel is entering into this agreement with religious fanatics who believe that the destruction of Israel is necessary in order to usher in the Second Coming.

The inmates are, indeed, running Asylum Earth.

Terry L. Clark

Blackwater USA Opens Intelligence Firm

Blackwater USA Opens Intelligence Firm

The private military company Blackwater USA has announced a new venture. Total Intelligence Solutions has been founded to provide clients with CIA-like intelligence services. The company roster includes several former intelligence officials, at least two with strong Blackwater ties. The company advertises a “24/7 intelligence fusion and warning center” that will help companies respond to threats and decide where to operate. The company also promises to “monitor civil unrest, terrorism, economic stability, environmental and health concerns, and information technology security around the world.”

Source: Democracy Now, February 23, 2007

_____________________________

"Freedom Of Speech". Coast-to-coast and around the world! An eavesdropping device up every rectum.

TLC

Just Make Sure You Spell The Name Right

Egyptian Blogger Sentenced to 4 Year Prison Term

In other news from Egypt, an Egyptian blogger has been sentenced to four years in prison. Abdel Kareem Soliman is the first blogger to stand trial in Egypt. He was brought to trial on charges of insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak, whom he called a dictator. Amnesty International called the ruling “yet another slap in the face of freedom for expression in Egypt.”

Source: Democracy Now, February 23, 2007

________________________________

Bu$h's religion is Fascism, and years ago assumed dictatorial powers.

T-E-R-R-Y L. C-L-A-R-K

Just like it sounds.


TLC

Sentencing The Perp$

US Soldier Sentenced to 100 Year Term in Iraq Rape, Murder

In other Iraq news, a US soldier has been sentenced to one hundred years in prison for his role in the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and the killing of her family last year. Sgt. Paul Cortez pleaded guilty earlier this week. He’s the second soldier to be sentenced in the rape and murder of fourteen-year old Abeer Kassem Hamza al-Janabi and the killing of her two parents and five-year old sister. Cortez could be paroled in ten years.

Source: Democracy Now, February 23, 2007

___________________________

Let's start with the extremely conservative number of 650,000 deaths, which is only the estimate as of some time back, and not count the future deaths even if the US were to depart tomorrow.

650,000 innocent Iraqis raped and killed by Bu$h/Cheney times 100 years each = 65 million years. May the sentences run Consecutive.

TLC

Sorry 'bout A Minute Fraction Of All That

U.S. troops detained the son of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politician Friday as he returned to the country from Iran, keeping him in custody for nearly 12 hours before releasing him, Shiite officials said. The U.S. ambassador apologized for the arrest.

Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 23, 2007

______________________________

"We're NOT sorry that we invaded your country to steal your oil for the benefit of the multinational oil cartel, and we're NOT sorry that we murdered over 600,000 of your fellow Iraqis that were either innocent civilians or people working to get the US out of Iraq. But hey, sorry we dusted-up the kid of one of the politicos we'd like to have as a US puppet".

Sincerely,

The Corporate States Of America

Benefit

"When those who benefit most from living in a country contribute the least to its defense, and those who benefit least are asked to pay the ultimate price, something happens to the soul of that country."
--Kathryn Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How it Hurts Our Country,

"Honor"

"I want you to know that the American people will not support a policy of retreat. We want to complete the mission, we want to get it done right, and we want to return with honor."
--Vice Dickless Cheney

___________________________________

How many more will we have to kill before achieving "Honor"? 650,000 obviously isn't enough. A million, two million, more? Include all the deaths due to depleted uranim, lack of medical treatment, destruction of farmland, lack of jobs, lack of food, and on and on...

TLC

Experience II

“The lack of political experience didn’t help George W. In fact, nothing helped at all.”
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous "Extension 333" call-in line, published February 22, 2007

Water Wars Come To Kansas

Quite a bit of claptrap spewing from the mouths of the Salina Kansas City Commission candidates on Salina's water problems--not enough water, and highly toxic chemicals getting into (if not already there) the groundwater, as laid out in the Salina Journal, February 22, 2007.

Their positions come down to:
"Yup, it's a bigggggggg problem"
"Let's hope some other governmental agency does something"
"Encourage conservation"
"I'll sit around with my thumb up my a** until someone tells me what to do".

Now one would think that what may become a literal life-and-death issue would generate more research from those running. And we are not far off from major wars being fought over water.
Oil Empire has a good roundup of articles, the CIA 's Global Trends 2015 Report, particularly the map they provide, is enlightening.

Where is the insight that would come from talking with people who have studied the issues and have a clue?

What of contingency plans? There's no guarantee that the Feds will clean up their mess, particularly if history is any guide. How much money to build a plant to clean the contaminated water, including waste disposal? What costs to bring in water from outside the area? To what extent are others willing to sell water? How are the costs to be distributed, people on limited budgets? What of serious actions as to lawn watering and swimming pools--the stuff that pisses voters off?

These are big issues, requiring something far greater than the small minds running for office.

TLC

The ScabStandard

Creamery seeks replacement workers

It appears that Humboldt Creamery management is preparing for the worst-case scenario, placing a help wanted ad looking for “permanent replacement workers” in the event a strike occurs.

A help-wanted ad in the Eureka Reporter Wednesday offered full-time positions in fluid milk processing, ice cream manufacturing, milk manufacturing and other plant support staff. At the end of the ad, it states, “A labor strike might take place and strike conditions could prevail.”


Full Article--Before it hits the pay-per-view archives--Eureka Times-Standard, February 15, 2007

____________________________________

Oh what a delightful rhymes-with-"bit" of so-called reporting this one is.

Rather than refer to the new hires by their proper name, scabs, they are given the gentle euphamism "replacement workers", no discouraging words to question the propriety of what the creamery is threatening.

Then a slap is taken at the decidedly pro-business Eureka Reporter (ER). While one could speculate on the editorial position of the ER when it comes to unions, I do not recall their actually taking one. Meanwhile, the Times-Standard gives the scab hiring effort far more favorable publicity than a "help wanted" ad in the much-lower-circulation ER ever would.

The Times-Standard is owned by media mongrel, er, mogul, Dean Singleton, whose company is called MediaNews Group. Lets take a little trip into the mind of Singleton:
____________________________________

Meanwhile, Singleton's California empire continues to expand. In January MediaNews purchased one of the last independent papers in the northern part of the state, the Paradise Post in Butte County. On January 20, I sat in on MediaNews's weekly publishers' meeting, where the Paradise Post deal was under discussion. "Is there a union there?" inquired one of Singleton's lieutenants. "No," replied another. "Why do you think they call it Paradise?"

Source: Columbia Journalism Review, March/April, 2003


TLC

Fork

"Alice came to a fork in the road. 'Which road do I take?' she asked.
'Where do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire cat.
'I don't know,' Alice answered.
Then,' said the cat, 'it doesn't matter.'"
--Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Another Nail In The Habeas Coffin

Judges bar habeas corpus for detainees
Appellate ruling says captives can't use U.S. courts, gives White House a victory

In a 2-1 decision, the judges said the Constitution does not extend the right of habeas corpus to noncitizens who are held outside the sovereign territory of this country. "Cuba -- not the United States -- has sovereignty over Guantanamo Bay," wrote Judge Raymond Randolph.

Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 21, 2007

________________________

What a doozie.

Uh, if Cuba has "sovereignty" over Guantanamo Bay...then why hasn't Fidel freed the prisoners?

In another sign of the effect of the cramming of the Federal Courts with rightwing puppets, this decision came from the District Of Columbia Circuit, which, for many years leading up to Reagan, was highly respected. No more.

Not answered in the article: Does the Court still have the power/ability/jurisdiction to determine whether the incarcerated is indeed a foreigner?

The wire services should hire me to think--a fading art--about things like that.

Another unresolved issue is whether DerBu$hler, by declaring someone to be an enemy combatant, can thereby cut off their access to the US Courts.

And does it matter whether they're in Harpers Ferry (insurrection) or Kabul? Is Afghanistan US Territory any less than Guantanamo Bay?

TLC

What Is News

Pat Oliphant had one of his usual excellent cartoons commenting on what is pawned off as "news" by the mainstreem media, which I sent off to a friend of mine.

The friend's response to the Oliphant cartoon, followed by my reply to the friend:


>>I am amazed at all the news of Anna Nicole.

It distracts the masses from things that are important.


>>I think someone first manipulated her son's death, then hers.

Maybe. One of my health newsletters, sent within hours of when Anna Nicole's death was announced, said that her son, and perhaps Anna as well, died from a not-uncommon combination of antidepressants and a common cold remedy. Betcha don't remember that from the mass-media's coverage of her son's passing...


>>An attorney wouldn't do this.........would he?

What's the difference between an attorney and a prostitute?
A prostitute stops when you're dead.

Oh yeah. The # 1 reason attorneys get disbarred? Money, usually swiping that of their clients, oftentimes to support their chemical habits (drugs and/or alcohol).


>>I've been reading too many mystery novels.

Nope. But study up on the pharmaceutical drug cartel, brainwashing of the masses, medication of the masses. Much more interesting real-life mysteries, and ones that, once you understand them, can help others to improve their world.


>>It is amazing what our newscasters focus on and what Americans in general are
>>interested in. Doesn't say much for most of us.

But what if the corporate media focused on important stuff? For example, Robert Krulwich of NPR makes economics and science interesting. Oprah has quite a following. Bill Moyers is great at "Big Picture" stuff. Bill Buckley's "Firing Line", when he was in his prime, was extremely mentally stimulating even when one disagreed with him.

Perhaps it's a chicken-and-egg situation, or perhaps we live in a nation of sheep. Or both.

Many decades ago, the public airwaves were considered to belong to the people, to be used for the public good. Beginning with Reagan, and accellerating with Clinton, that operating principle got quietly tossed out the window. Besides the corporate media, major problems have been created--deliberately--by the move to standardized tests. The elites decided that a nation of people that were capable of thinking for themselves could be rather dangerous. So starting in the mid-60's came the onslaught of standardized tests, accellerated recently by No Standardized Test Left Behind, and now FauxNews is attacking schoolteachers as being more dangerous than the O-Man (Did I send you that item?). This evening at Costco there was a new book out by some nutjob I haven't heard of before [Somebody's Gotta Say It by Neal Boortz] that made the same point, that schoolteachers are the biggest threat to our young people. VERY dangerous trend.

TLC

In Alabama: Sell Guns, Not Dildoes!

Here’s one for the “stranger than fiction” department: Stand on any street corner in Alabama selling guns and dildoes, and guess which one can land you in jail for a year? You got it: Those deadly dildoes!

In a unanimous decision, the three judges of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on February 16th upheld a 1998 Alabama statute that outlaws the sale of devices used to stimulate human genitals. Instruments to blow out someone’s brains are perfectly fine. Sounds about right for a state with a rich history of slavery, lynchings and beatings of civil rights activists.

Here’s the clincher. According to the court and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, it’s all about morality. Wrote the judges: “States have traditionally had the authority to regulate commercial activity they deem harmful to the public.” How is selling dildoes to adults “harmful to the public?”


Source, and full article: Beyond Chron, February 21, 2007

_____________________

Yes, we're talking about a Court that is only one notch below the United States Supreme Court! Yes, the 11th Circuit FEDERAL Court Of Appeals. You know, one of the many FEDERAL Courts stuffed with Reagan/Bu$h I/Bu$h II appointees. Still think the Federal Courts are going to bail your chestnuts out of the fascist fire?

You can read the whole sorry decision HERE.

TLC

Distance

"The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that costs."
--Madame Marie Anne du Deffand (1697 - 1780)

HerrGoobernator: Like Father, Like Son

Judge rules California inmate transfers illegal
A state superior court judge ruled today that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's move to ship thousands of California inmates to out-of-state prisons is illegal, thwarting the governor's only short-term plan to solve the prison overcrowding crisis.

Schwarzenegger called the legal decision a "threat to public safety'' in a statement and said he would appeal.

Judge Gail Ohanesian ruled that Schwarzenegger inappropriately declared a state of emergency in the prison system last fall when he began preparations to send as many as 5,000 inmates to private prisons in states including Oklahoma and Arizona. The judge sided with two unions, including the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which sued to prevent the transfers.

Full Article, SF Chronicle, February 20, 2007

__________________

Uh, and HerrGoobernator assuming dictatorial powers is *conducive* to public safety?:

And what of the health of the inmates that would have been shipped to substandard prisons? Did they give up their right to health upon conviction in $chwarzenneger's Police State Of Kalifornia?

TLC

High Court Tosses Philip Morris Verdict

The Supreme Court threw out a $79.5 million award that a jury had ordered a cigarette maker to pay to a smoker's widow, a ruling that could bode well for other businesses seeking stricter limits on big-dollar verdicts.
Full Wire Service Article, SF Chronicle, February 20, 2007

__________________


And why not? The relationship between the US Government and the cigarette manufacturers is like that of two organized crime families.

Whadya expect?

TLC

FauxNews: Teachers Unions Are ‘Much More Dangerous’ Than Al Qaeda

Last night on Fox News’s Hannity and Colmes, right-wing radio host Neal Boortz claimed that teachers unions are “destroying a generation” and are “much more dangerous than al Qaeda.” He stated, “Look, Al Qaeda, they could bring in a nuke into this country and kill 100,000 people with a well-placed nuke somewhere. Ok. We would recover from that. It would be a terrible tragedy, but the teachers unions in this country can destroy a generation.” Sean Hannity agreed, noting, “They are ruining our school system.”
Transcript, Video, courtesy of Think Progress, February 20, 2007

And We Know How DerBu$hler Is Going To Celebrate THIS Anniversary...

65th Anniversary of Japanese Internment Camps Marked

And Monday marked the 65th anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066. The order forced 120,000 Japanese American citizens and legal residents into internment camps during World War II solely because they were of Japanese descent.

Source: Democracy Now, February 20, 2007

The Next Music Monster Monopoly

Music Companies EMI & Warner Face Possible Merger

Two of the world's largest record companies could also soon merge. The U.S.-based Warner Music has approached the British company EMI over a possible deal.

Source: Democracy Now, February 20, 2007

____________________

Another reminder that the Current Occupant belongs to the same political party as Theodore Roosevelt in name only.

TLC

Another Jackboot Step Toward Martial Law

Bush Given Power to Deploy US Troops Domestically & Declare Martial Law

In news from Capitol Hill, Congress is coming under criticism for approving a little noticed provision last year that makes it easier for President Bush to declare martial law and to send US troops into American cities. At the administration's request, Congress approved the changes to a law known as the Insurrection Act without ever holding a public hearing. Under the new law, the president now has the authority to use both active-duty armed forces and the National Guard on American soil -- not just during a rebellion -- but also a natural disaster, terrorist attack, pandemic or other chaotic situation. All 50 of the nation's governors have opposed the rule changes. Earlier this month Senators Patrick Leahy, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Republican Christopher Bond introduced legislation to repeal the changes Congress approved last year.

Source: Democracy Now, February 20, 2007

_______________________

"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."
--Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.


So nice to see that the Fourth Reich, too, is going through the formalities.

TLC

Iraq: Learning From The US

Sunni Woman Says She Was Raped by Shiite-Led Police Force

In Baghdad, two members of the Shiite-led police force have been accused of raping a Sunni woman during the massive security crackdown in the capital. The woman appeared on Al Jazeera on Monday and said she was raped after being detained over the weekend. Soon after the report aired, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki promised a full investigation. But four hours later he dismissed the rape allegations and commended the police officers. He accused the woman of spreading propaganda to undermine the security forces. Sunni leaders accused the Shiite-led government of covering up the rape. One Sunni group said "This is evidence of the failure of the security plan which was supposed to secure our women before our men."

Source: Democracy Now, February 20, 2007

_________________________


And this comes as a surprise because...? Look at what the US is doing to Iraq and has been for over a decade...

TLC

"Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post-9/11 World"

Great interview/summary on Democracy Now, February 20, 2007, on the effort of Big Brother around the world to obtain information on virtually every aspect of your life. You can't say Orwell didn't warn us over 50 years ago...

TLC

Stay True

"No one can tell you what is right for you except yourself. So start telling yourself what to do. If you blunder for ten years while thinking for yourself, that is rich treasure when compared with living these ten years under the mental domination of another." --Vernon Howard, from The Power of Your Supermind

All Anna Nicole Smith, All The Time

And in media news, a new study has shown that cable and radio talk shows spent far more time discussing Anna Nicole Smith than the Iraq war in the two days following her death. According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, cable and radio talk shows dedicated 37 percent of their programming to her death. 14 percent of the programming focused on the debate over Iraq and less than 10 percent focused on the race for the White House.

Source: Democracy Now, February 19, 2007

CEN

Last week, CNN's Larry King Live was filled with Anna Nicole.

This week?

CNN Tonight: James Brown Still Not Buried!
James Brown’s body has still not been buried!Now the woman claiming to be James Brown’s widow speaks out for the first time since she was allowed back inside the home she says that she and the 'Godfather of Soul' shared.
Tammi Rae Brown answers your calls and emails.
Tonight only on Larry King Live!

Source: Larry King Live's daily newsletter, February 18, 2007

______________________

CNN? Nah, CEN--Cable Entertainment Network.

Coming next on Larry King Live: James Brown: Is he still dead? Or having sex with Anna Nicole?

TLC

That About Covers All Of 'Em

"I’d like say anybody who’s for this war in Iraq is either an idiot or a liar, and that goes for Bush, his old lady and his dog, too."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published February 18, 2007

2007

"Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. War is peace."
--George Orwell (1903-1950) [Eric Arthur Blair] English Novelist

It CAN Happen Here

In an excerpt from his new book, Salon's columnist explains why, for the first time since the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, Americans have reason to doubt the future of their democracy.
Full Excerpt, Salon, February 19, 2007

Mercy

"Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?"
--Pierre Troubetzkoy

Four More Years for Keith Olbermann

It's official! Great news for those whose IQ exceeds their age.

Too bad the San Francisco Chronicle doesn't get it: Look at the Link to the article on their website, it's to the "entertainment" section, not the news section:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/15/entertainment/e075825S59.DTL


TLC

Cluster Killing Of Civilians

A strange AP article, February 14, 2007--Happy Valentines Day?--about "limits" on the use of cluster bombs:

Democratic senators introduced legislation that would bar US use of cluster bombs in or near civilian areas or that have a "dud rate" of one percent or greater.

Dropped from aircraft or fired by artillery, cluster munitions open above ground and disperse dozens to hundreds of tiny bomblets over a wide area.

The bill would restrict funding for the use, sale or transfer of cluster munitions unless their submunitions have a failure rate of less than one percent, or unless the president grants a waiver on national security grounds.

___________________________________

So let's see, each one spews hundreds of bombs throughout the land. Farming, leaving town, going on a nature walk, become activities punishable by death. Ongoing terrorism for many decades to come. While land mines are labor intensive, cluster munitions can be inflicted from afar.

The result is that the world has one terrorist that inflicts modest harm from a cave, while a far more dangerous and psychotic terrorist causes far more suffering from the White House Situation Room.

And did you catch the silence about the Israeli terrorism of Lebanon through the use of US cluster munitions? I guess as long as one has never worn a turban, the Geneva Conventions don't count.

TLC

CIS

"A squat grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, Community, Identity, Stability."
--Opening line from 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley

Sacramento Enquirer

The Sacramento Bee sent out the following "Breaking News Alert":

From: The Sacramento Bee
Subject: Breaking News Alert: Sibling runs over, kills 3-year-old sister
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:50:46 -0800

The Sacramento Bee

Sibling runs over, kills 3-year-old sister
A 10-year-old Elverta boy struck and killed his 3-year-old sister Thursday morning while he was warming up his mother's car, which he does routinely, officials said.
Read more at sacbee.com

______________________

The coverage continued...


My email to the Sacramento Bee:

Dear Editor,

What next, front-to-back coverage of Anna Nicole?

Your "Breaking News Alert" email on the tragic death of a three-year-old child due to the operation of a car by her ten-year-old brother, followed by prominent exposure in your paper, is appalling.

What happened is a private family matter that has no business being given hysterical coverage in any reputable newspaper. But distracting the public from things that have broader implications, such as the pending death of the American Experiment in representative democracy, has become the business of the corporate media as once-great newspapers become scandal rags believing the power of the press is to essentially print money, minimizing resources for legitimate news and refusing to print truths that might offend major advertisers.

Terry L. Clark

Logic

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
--Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, Physicist

The President Needs a Straight-Jacket and a Padded Cell

It’s time to simply admit the obvious: The president of the United States is crazy as a loon, and the Congress and the media are functioning as co-dependents as he runs the country off a cliff.

Bush says in his latest press conference that he is “certain” that Iran is providing “technically sophisticated” roadside bomb weapons to Iraqi insurgent forces to help them to kill Americans.

He probably is “certain.” But nobody else of consequence in the government is, and the evidence to support his claim is simply not there.

Shaped charges are not sophisticated. They can be made in a garage. The technology was invented in 1888 by a Navy engineer.


Full, excellent article by Dave Lindorff, February 14, 2007

The Continuing Edwards Bloggers Fiasco

UPDATE: A better article over at Salon's War Room, and more of a discussion from those commenting. But still, with one commendable exception, they missed the point, so I slightly modified my Post, below, and Posted it at Salon.


See my previous Posts on the Edwards Blogger fiasco: Profiles In Gutlessness, and John Edwards: Big Brother.


Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone has a strange column blasting the bloggers who were hired by John Edwards' presidential campaign, then fired for opinions they expressed before being hired.
Along the way, it questions why Edwards waited so long to fire the bloggers, and takes a shot at the rightwing nutjobs that did, oh, say, a couple minutes of research on the bloggers' prior utterances.

My post at Rolling Stone:

Tim, it's like Phil Angelides' campaign in California against HerrGoobernator: If he can't run a political campaign properly, what business does he have holding high office? Yes, Edwards over Jeb Bu$h in a heartbeat, but the Democrats have far more options than John Edwards.

The opinions were expressed BEFORE joining Edwards' campaign. Where were the Edwards people that should have been reviewing the bloggers' prior writings?

Now the message is clear: Join Edwards' campaign, check your brain at the door. And if you happened to be capable of independent thought in the past, get outta here. Hummmm, sounds very much like the Current Occupant.

TLC

"Restoring A Constitutional Right"

Senate Bill Would Restore Habeus Corpus to Detainees

Back on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats have introduced a measure that would restore habeus corpus to all prisoners in US custody. Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other US facilities lost their right to challenge their detentions under the Military Commissions Act passed last year. The new Democratic measure is called the “Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007.” The bill would also limit the definition of an ‘enemy combatant’ to mean only those participating in direct hostilities against the US in a combat zone or who took part in the 9/11 attacks.


Source: Democracy Now, February 14, 2007

______________________________________

The whole problem with this approach is that, if a Constitutional Right is dependent on Congress *restoring* it, then Congress can at any time *repeal* it, and thus it's not a Constitutional Right but rather a mere privilege, a mere favor or trifle, granted by the legislative branch of government.

Instead, Congress should enact legislation making clear that Habeas was never taken away in the first place, leaving the US government wide open to a multitude of lawsuits. And, to the extent we still have a system of justice left in this country, the US should be sued--repeatedly until everyone's rights that have been violated have been vindicated, and their injuries properly compensated for.

TLC

Causes

"When a cause comes along and you know in your bones that it is just, yet refuse to defend it--at that moment you begin to die. And I have never seen so many corpses walking around talking about justice."
--Mumia Abu-Jamal

Obama's Education: "Facts Are Stupid Things"

Media Matters, February 12, 2007, has a solid article on how the political lynching of Senator Barack Obama is already underway by the AP wire service and FauxNews (twin sons of different mothers?).

TLC

Long-Term VA Costs: Tip Of The Iceberg

None of the articles on long-term VA "costs" address so many additional costs.

See, for example, the superficial treatment from Democracy Now, February 6, 2007.

For example, "mental health" consists largely of drugs. More mind control. More masking symptoms without dealing with the underlying actual trauma. There is no plan or policy to provide the comprehensive one-on-one counseling that is needed. Side effects of all those drugs. Lost wages, lost productivity, lost quality of life, broken families. Megabucks for BigPharma. DNA damage that isn't going to stop with the returning Vets, but which will be passed on to their offspring.

And the physical injuries? The initial surgery may go ok--but I have received plenty of calls from people wanting to sue the VA for that too. And once the surgery is over, more drugs, more liver damage, more early death, more DNA damage to future generations.

$660 billion? Not even close. The REAL question is, who will pay the price?

TLC

"Support The Troops" My A**

The Bush administration's budget assumes cuts to funding for veterans' health care two years from now — even as badly wounded troops returning from Iraq could overwhelm the system.
The proposed cuts are unrealistic in light of recent VA budget trends — its medical care budget has risen every year for two decades and 83 percent in the six years since Bush took office — sowing suspicion that the White House is simply making them up to make its long-term deficit figures look better.

"Either the administration is willingly proposing massive cuts in VA health care," said Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas, chairman of the panel overseeing the VA's budget. "Or its promise of a balanced budget by 2012 is based on completely unrealistic assumptions."


Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, February 12, 2007


Take your pick: Is DerBu$hler lying about his commitment to the troops, or about the VA budget? Either way, he's lying. Again.

TLC

Torture For The Fun Of It

Attorneys Question Competency of Jose Padilla

Attorneys for Jose Padilla have asked a federal judge to put off a hearing set for Friday to determine whether their client is competent to stand trial. Padilla's lawyers say he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, complicated by the neuropsychiatric effects of prolonged isolation. The Bush administration jailed him without charge after initially accusing him of plotting a dirty bomb attack. The Bush administration held Padilla in extreme isolation without almost any human contact for about 1300 days in a Navy brig in South Carolina. He was denied seeing an attorney for 21 months. His lawyers say interrogators used hooding, stress positions, assaults, threats of imminent execution and the administration of "truth serums." When Padilla left his cell, guards covered his ears with sound-canceling headphones. His eyes were covered blacked-out goggles. One staff member at the brig told attorneys that Padilla's temperament became so docile and inactive that his behavior was like that of "a piece of furniture." The U.S. Bureau of Prisons ruled last week that Padilla is fit to stand trial.

Source: Democracy Now, February 13, 2007


What is completely missing from this story is that, at some point, it became patently obvious that the torture of Padilla was not to obtain information, not for any plausible pretext whatsoever, but solely for the purpose of sadistic pleasure.

When Nazi Germany tortured people, it was considered a crime against humanity; when the U.S. does the same thing, it's...business as usual.

TLC

CNN: One Of The Most Worthless Names In News

The daily email for Larry King Live pronounces, as it does every day:

CNN -- The most trusted name in news


And what is it that CNN is going to do tonight to earn our trust, as the US Government steadily moves toward plunging this planet into war without end?

CNN Tonight: What’s in Anna Nicole Smith’s Will?
What does Anna Nicole Smith's partner Howard K. Stern say is in her will?
Did she really attempt suicide last fall after her son's death?
An exclusive with the last man to interview Anna Nicole – who just back from interviewing Howard K. Stern!
Then, Judge Judy on the Anna Nicole Smith paternity tug of war!
What does she make of all the paternity claims for her million-dollar baby?
Plus, TV’s most popular and outspoken judge on the bizarre NASA love triangle.
The one and only Judge Judy answering your calls and e-mails.

___________________

Once upon a time in America, the public airwaves were mandated, by law, to be used for the public good...(Sigh) those days are long over...

TLC

Where Iraqi Freedom Fighters Get Their Weapons

Eight British soldiers killed during ambushes in Iraq were the victims of a highly sophisticated bomb first used by the IRA, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.

The soldiers, who were targeted by insurgents as they travelled through the country, died after being attacked with bombs triggered by infra-red beams. The bombs were developed by the IRA using technology passed on by the security services in a botched "sting" operation more than a decade ago.

This contradicts the British government's claims that Iran's Revolutionary Guard is helping Shia insurgents to make the devices.

Full Story, Independent UK, October 16, 2005


Hummm, perhaps we should invade Britain?

TLC

Difficulty

"Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts."
--Edward R. Murrow
1908-1965, Journalist and Broadcaster

Memories

"Dogs won't know what you said, and may forget what you did, but will never forget how you made them feel."
--Unknown

The Co-Conspiring Corporate Press

Tonight's "Breaking News" emails give yet another example of what's wrong with the corporate news media:

6:13 pm, PST: CNN on a Philadelphia murder/suicide
6:16 pm, PST: MSNBC on a Philadelphia murder/suicide
6:27 pm, PST: CNN on a Philadelphia murder/suicide
7:30 pm, PST: MSNBC on a Salt Lake City Utah mall shooting
7:47 pm, PST: ABC News on a Salt Lake City Utah mall shooting

Over at Larry King, we have the full hour, yes the full hour, investigating...Anna Nicole Smith's mysterious demise. Let's see, long-term drug user, mix-and-match...doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the cause, the only question--which, I think, America can wait a few weeks to find out---is whether she was pushed into an overdose a little faster than her own bad habits would have inevitably taken her anyhow.

Meanwhile, DerBu$hler is moving diligently toward murdering over a million Iranians, between the initial attack and the radiation that will kill for many decades to come, not just those currently living but their descendants...where are the resources of the mass media, those brave souls who put it all on the line so that we can learn the truth?

Like George Dubya Bu$h during his National Guard term...AWOL! And the silence makes the corporate media accessories and co-comspirators to impending mass murder.

TLC

Katrina Housing Priorities

Thousands of living survivors: Nada
Dead Man's House: Lotsa

TLC
_______________________

FEMA Gives $3 Million to Restore Jefferson Davis' Home

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to pay about three million dollars to help repair the former home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Davis led the Confederacy in the South during the Civil War. Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the 150-year-old home in Biloxi Mississippi.


Source: Democracy Now, February 12, 2007

Boldness

"Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days...What you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Courage II

"Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ambiguity

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.."
--Gilda Radner

Robert Gates: Iraq Deja Vu

Gates: U.S. Can Prove Iran's Iraq Role.

Here we go again, beating the drums for nuking Iran.

But what about the arms race between the US and USSR that led to everyone having weapons?

The US arming of Iraq under Saddam leading to Iran needing weapons?

The US is how many thousand miles away...Iran is right next door. Who's interfering where they don't belong?

Another day, another war, more of the corporate press going along for the ride in the handbasket to Hell.

TLC

Sides

"I will always be on the side of those who have nothing
and are not even allowed to enjoy the nothing they have in peace."
--Frederico Garcia Lorca

WILL Get Screwed Again

The SF Chronicle reports that Mayor Newsom's prospects for re-erection, er, re-election, look good. My letter to the editor:


Dear Editor:

Of course "Mayor Newsom's re-election prospects look good". After all, anyone that would screw his best friend's wife for fun would have no moral qualms about screwing the rest of San Francisco in exchange for "campaign contributions" that will allow him to have even more pleasure!

Terry L. Clark

John Edwards: Big Brother

John Edwards has decided to keep the people he hired who, prior to being hired, expressed opinions that Mr. Edwards does not share.

Today, Edwards announced: "I talked personally to the two women who were involved. They gave me their word they, under no circumstances, intended to denigrate any church or anybody's religion and offered their apologies for anything that indicated otherwise. I took them at their word".

So now it's perfectly: Join Edwards' campaign, and surrender the right to think for yourself!

Does Edwards have 666 stamped somewhere on his body, or is it a birthmark from the beginning?

Drink the purple Kool-Aid and everything will be just right, sayeth Dear Leader Edwards. Surrender your brain at the door.

TLC

Scary

"Homeless persons are our people, not the mission’s. What should scare you is the fact that so many Americans need our help."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, printed February 8, 2007

Be. Do.

"Be all you can be and live a good life -- have fun with it."
--Tina Yothers

"Normal"

The corporate media is having a field day distracting the masses from pressing issues of our times, such as whether the human race will survive much longer, with an irrelevant story about an alleged serial killer pig farmer.

You guessed it: My letter to the editor of various publications, making it relevant:


Dear Editor:

A British Columbia "pig farmer" gets worldwide headlines for allegedly engaging in serial killing of humans, yet his undisputed murder of numerous highly intelligent pigs for money, homicides committed because the victims "taste good", is considered "normal".

Terry L. Clark

ABC Nightline Gets It Wrong...As Usual

When I read the first two sentences, I thought they were going to do an analysis of George W. Bu$h. (Sigh) twas not to be...

TLC
______________________________________

What is it that causes some people to start behaving in irrational and unusual ways? Is it stress in the present or something that triggers an event from the past? In tonight's program, we examine the psychological drama that may underpin astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak's recent behavior.

Source: ABC Nightline Newsletter, February 7, 2007

Oops, I Lost My Wallet

Ex-Iraq Occupation Head Questioned on Missing Billions

Here in the United States, hearings began Tuesday in what Democrats say will be a lengthy probe into corruption and mismanagement by the US occupation authority in Iraq. Former occupation head Paul Bremer was questioned on nearly nine billion dollars in missing Iraqi oil revenue. The funds were handed to Iraqis and US contractors in cash -- often in packages of one hundred dollar bills. House Oversight and Government Reform chair Henry Waxman says the Bush administration has blocked the appearance of the new reconstruction coordinator in Iraq -- retired ambassador Timothy Carney.

Source: Democracy Now, February 7, 2007

Human Rights: The Axis Powers Reunite With New Friends

US Rejects Secret Detention Ban In France, nearly sixty countries signed a treaty Tuesday banning secret detention. The United States was not one of them. State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack refused to comment on whether US rejection was linked to its program of sending prisoners to secret jails overseas. Other governments to reject the treaty include Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy.

Source: Democracy Now, February 7, 2007

Profiles In Gutlessness

Interesting item over at Salon's War Room on John Edwards ridding his campaign of some recently-hired bloggers due to their pre-campaign comments on their blogs concerning religion.

God Forbid that Edwards subject himself to a diversity of opinion. Perhaps he will enjoy hiding under the bed with the ACLU when it comes to the First Amendment.

TLC

Scariest

"You don’t have to be homeless to scare people. The scariest person I know is the president of the United States."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published February 7, 2007

Journey

"It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters, in the end." --Ursula Le Guin

Mayor Newsom's Latest Hallucination

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, having repeated carnal knowledge of the wife of his now-former close friend and campaign manager, has gone the Hollywood route. My letter to the SF Chronicle:


Dear Editor:

Since when does betraying one of the best friends you ever had amount to "personal mistakes" or "personal lapses in judgment"?

As Gavin Newsom shuffles off to the Mel Gibson School Of Redemption And Bullmanure, one would have to be highly inebriated indeed to believe that he should hold any governmental office whatsoever in the future.

Terry L. Clark

Education

When I was ten, my father said, "Well, Ralph, what did you learn in school today? Did you learn how to believe or did you learn how to think?"
--Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader Documentary: "An Unreasonable Man"

Looks great! Time to lobby your local movie theater to bring it to town. Trailer, and more at the movie website.

TLC

Half Empty or Half Full

Pentagon Undercounts Number of Troops Injured

Meanwhile the Pentagon is being accused of undercounting the number of troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you looked at the Pentagon's website last month, it would have appeared that about 47,000 soldiers had been injured in the two wars. But now the figure on the website has dropped to less than 32,000. The Pentagon is no longer including troops who suffered what it considers minor injuries or mental illness.

Democracy Now, February 5, 2007

__________________________

Since successfully serving in the Fourth Reich requires a great degree of mental illness, those troops get bonus points added onto their test scores, ergo full-time employment and thus not disabled. It's a promotion, not an injury!

TLC

Wondering

"A dislexic agnostic insomniac lies awake at night wondering if there's a dog."
--Anon

Temples

"Hi, this is God. What I meant was for you to feed the hungry and house the homeless before you build the big churches. Then you can have all the abundance you want. Bye."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 Line, published February 4, 2007

Different

"When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free."
--Charles Evans Hughes
(1862-1948, American jurist, politician)

Doctors And Lawyers

"Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too."
--Anton Chekhov (1860 - 1904)

Australian Sheep Cruelty: Truth As A Revolutionary Act

Australia's " prestigious " newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, seems to be supportive of sheep torture, as demonstrated by their failure to allow my letter to grace its blog.

That didn't go over so good with Moi, so I fired off the following letter to the editor:


Dear Editor:

It is interesting that you call yourselves, "Australia's most prestigious daily newspaper", claim ,"We welcome your comments.", then fail to publish comments that disagree with the false reality you wish to portray.

Case in point: Your article, "Rhetoric: Little Bo Peep", at http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2007/02/rhetoric_little_bo_peep.html. I have submitted the same comment twice, yet have not even received the courtesy of a response, nor has it been Posted.

Since it has apparently been deleted from your system, an Orwellian action to be sure, let me remind you of what you have conveniently removed from your memory:

Perhaps some unnecessary "medical procedures" on certain Australian sickos who have no hesitancy in inflicting extreme pain to save a little money would put an end to the barbarism euphemistically called "mulesing".


Were my Post in poor taste, or had it contained obscenity, this would be a different situation. Had it been submitted to your print version, then you could have claimed there was not enough space. What is your excuse for your online version, that your publication has run out of electrons or server space?

Freedom of the press goes far beyond using newspapers as printing presses for currency. It carries with it solemn duties, otherwise it becomes but just another corporate or governmental arm.

Sincerely,

Terry L. Clark

A Taste Of His Own Starvation

My letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, and a copy to San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris, Esq.. You can read the article concerned, and more of the details, HERE:

Dear Editor:

Tony Cheng allegedly allowed six Pekingese dogs to starve to death. His attorney's response: "There are a lot of personal issues that he needs to address. I will tell you he is not well."

Charles Manson had many "personal issues" too, and if Tony Cheng is determined by a Judge or Jury to be Guilty, then may he become Mr. Manson's bunkmate.

If convicted, and the guards then happen to forget to feed Tony Cheng: "Oops".

Terry L. Clark

Petition: Send Lucy & Samantha to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Sign Here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/916904106

Send Lucy and Samantha to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Lucy was born in Sri Lanka, and found as an orphan. Her exact year of birth is unknown, but is guessed as being 1975.

Samantha came to the Valley Zoo from an elephant orphanage in Zimbabwe. She was adopted by the zoo in 1987 when she was about a year old, as a companion for Lucy. These beautiful animals have spent years as slaves to humans, working in ways elephants shouldn't. Their enclosure is shoddy, small and not fit for any creature of their size! Although both we're orphans, it doesn't excuse the fact they are living under such stressful conditions. Over the years, I have witnessed this pattern. Pacing, swinging their heavy bodies back and forth, languishing. These two truly splendid elephants don't deserve to suffer any longer. It's time they we're taken to a place to live out the rest of their years with other companion females. While the zoo claims to have $125,000 set aside for a new enclosure, its not enough. Its been years and they still haven't done what they said they would do. Samantha and Lucy are slowly running out of time, there might not be a tomorrow.


Sign Here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/916904106

Worth

"Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives."
--Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian Theologian, Musician, and Medical Missionary

Might

"As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour toward creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right."
--Isaac Bashevis Singer

Caught With His Lies Down

San Francisco Mayor Newsom admitted today to having an affair with his now-former campaign manager's wife. You can catch some of the details in the SF Chronicle, including C.W. Nevius' perhaps-accurate but still sad article stating "Most Seem Willing To Forgive Newsom"; and the SF Bay Guardian.


My letter to the SF Chronicle and the SF Bay Guardian:

Dear Editor,

The Mayor Newsom reelection motto: "Lie, cheat, and steal, it's not just for Republicans anymore".

I am confused over the "apology" in this sort of situation. What exactly is Newsom "sorry" for? That he got caught with his, uh, hand in the candy jar? Perhaps I missed the part about the gun being placed to his head and Newsom being forced to commit numerous acts over an extended period of time completely against his will.

Terry L. Clark

Protest Australian Cruelty To Sheep

The Sydney Morning Herald has a story about the Australian practice of sheering sheep in such a manner that substantial amounts of flesh is cut away--no anesthesia, no done in a clinic or under a veterinarian's care. A video is available that graphically shows some of the things done.


My Post at the Herald:

Perhaps some unnecessary "medical procedures" on certain Australian sickos who have no hesitancy in inflicting extreme pain to save a little money would put an end to the barbarism euphemistically called "mulesing".

TLC