Completeness

"Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for."
--David Starr Jordan

Poisoning The Masses--Not Just China

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting livestock and fish/shrimp feed manufacturers about a voluntary recall of products used in feed production because several have been found to contain melamine and related compounds.

The feed ingredients were made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio and Uniscope, Inc. of Johnstown, Colo.

Full FDA Press Release, May 30, 2007

___________________________________

You remember melamine, don't you? That toxic chemical that the Godless Chinese were adding to what was to become pet and human food? The stuff that got into the US food supply while Hopeless Insecurity was, once again, completely asleep at the wheel because, hey, protecting the American people is too damned expensive--after all, we have Halliburton profits to protect, and we can always import more cheap labor.

TLC

Timing

In the book [“No Retreat, No Surrender”], [former U.S. House Of Representatives Majority Leader Tom] DeLay criticizes [Newt] Gingrich for, among other things, conducting an affair with a Capitol Hill employee during the 1998 impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. (The woman later became Gingrich’s third wife.) “Yes, I don’t think that Newt could set a high moral standard, a high moral tone, during that moment,” DeLay said. “You can’t do that if you’re keeping secrets about your own adulterous affairs.” He added that the impeachment trial was another of his “proudest moments.” The difference between his own adultery and Gingrich’s, he said, “is that I was no longer committing adultery by that time, the impeachment trial. There’s a big difference.” He added, “Also, I had returned to Christ and repented my sins by that time.”

Source: New Yorker, June 4, 2007

Where In The World Is The Eureka CA Downtown Post Office

Our local phone book only gives toll-free numbers to useless automated systems for those seeking to reach a humanoid at the U.S. Postal Service.

Googling via a variety of search terms turned up nothing for the Post Office in downtown Eureka California. Ditto internet phone directories.

But now...drumroll please...the secret number: (707) 442-1828.

I'd be curious if this revelation saves anyone minutes or hours of wasted time...

TLC

Will Bush walk away in 2009?

Many of us have had a difficult time picturing how it's going to go in January of 2009. It's hard to imagine Bush and Cheney just walking away from their unpopular but apparently supernaturally powerful positions as the leaders of the Only Superpower On Earth.

Well on May 9, Bush quietly signed a directive that may ensure that he and Tricky Dick II don't have to hand over the reigns.

It's called the National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive and provides Bush with everything he needs to provide "continuance" of, well, whatever he wants to "continue".
Full article, by theyreal, Daily Kos, May 29, 2007

Persist

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased."
--Emerson

Dreams

"We've got to have a dream if we are going to make a dream come true."
--Denis Waitley
(1933-, American author, speaker, trainer, peak performance expert)

Sometimes China Gets It Right

China's top drug regulator sentenced to death

BEIJING - China's top drug regulator was sentenced to death on charges of corruption and negligence, state media said Tuesday, the latest development stemming from growing alarm over the country's poor food-safety record.

Zheng was fired in 2005 on charges he took up to US $780,000 in bribes to approve medicine that had not been tested to ensure its safety.

State media have reported that drugs improperly approved by Zheng's agency included an antibiotic that killed at least 10 patients last year before it was taken off the market.

Source: MSNBC, May 28, 2007

___________________________

In the US, he'd quietly leave the FDA for a cushy job with one of the pharmaceutical companies.

TLC

Civilization

"I think it would be an excellent idea."
-- Mahatma Mohandas K. Gandhi
(1869-1948)
Source: When asked what he thought of Western civilization.

"Bad China"

I take some of the China stories, about all the horrible additives that come with their products, with a grain of organic salt. The military-industrial complex is looking for a new villian, what better one is there than China to spur a new multi-trillion dollar arms race?

Where are the stories about how US companies are poisoning US citizens with chemical additives, pollution, GMOs, foods high in sugar, sodium, and artificial sweeteners, etc.etc.? Even if one were to believe all of the "bad China" stories, the harm pales in comparison to that of US companies...

TLC

Detatch

"Learn to detach...Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent... But detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate fully. That's how you are able to leave it... Take any emotion--love for a woman, or grief for a loved one, or what I'm going through, fear and pain from a deadly illness. If you hold back on the emotions--if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them--you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that love entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then can you say, 'All right. I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment.'"

--Mitch Albomfrom Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

Continued War Funding: How They Voted

US House

US Senate

The Ron Paul phenomenon

Ron Paul sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the candidates because he’s a real conservative and not a boot-licking, pro-torture, war-mongering, free-speech-hating neoconservative.

When Ron Paul suggested that international terrorism and 9/11 are a result of blowback from our 50 years of foreign intervention in the Middle East, Rudy Giuliani jumped at the opportunity to wrap himself in the “9/11 Hero” cloak. Giuliani claimed he had never heard that before, and it was absurd to say that terrorism and 9/11 are a result of our foreign policy. The crowd went wild.

Whoa! Does he honestly believe what he said? For a group of people who use the 9/11 Commission as the ultimate authority on what happened on 9/11, they should know that the conclusion of the commission was that it was blowback from our Middle East foreign policy. Well, never mind that. Who cares about the facts? This is Fox News and the Republican party we’re talking about. Directly following the debate was an immediate smear job and attack on Ron Paul for suggesting what a majority of Americans already know. Somehow, Ron Paul’s words soon became “America deserved it,” in the eyes of Fox News pundits, viewers and the Republican Party. So much for “We Report, You Decide.”

It gets even better. There is now a movement within the Republican Party to ban Ron Paul from Republican debates in the future. Wow! If this isn’t a clear picture of how the party and the media choose our candidates for us, then I don’t know what is.

Full article, by Jake Gaeta, published in the Eureka Reporter, May 22, 2007

Responsibility

"Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors"
--Jonas Salk (1914-1995)
US physician and microbiologist

When Democrats collapse

After Jimmy Carter caved to the Republican noise machine and took back his blast at President Bush, it's no surprise the party wimped out on the war.
Full article, by Bill Maher, May 25, 2007

Memo To Warmonger Fräulein Feinstein

Fräulein Dianne Feinstein voted to fund the war for oil, stating, May 25, 2007:

Washington, DC – The Senate today approved a new version of the FY’07 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill.

“I am deeply disappointed that this bill fails to hold the President accountable for his Administration’s flawed Iraq War policy. The American people have made their voices clear that there must be an exit strategy for Iraq. Yet this President continues to stubbornly adhere to more of the same,” Senator Feinstein said.

This bill does include benchmarks for the Iraqi Government – such as enacting an oil revenue sharing law, reforming the de-Baathification system, and holding provincial elections – but it lacks real consequences if the Iraqis fail to live up to these commitments.

The bottom line is this: I voted for the bill because it provides funding for our troops and for critical domestic emergency spending. But I will continue to push for a change in our nation’s policy in Iraq at every opportunity in the weeks ahead.”

The bill includes $99.5 billion for the Defense Department, primarily for continued military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

___________________________________

My email to Feinstein, infamous Fifth Columnist:

Since you have voted and committed to slaughter more Iraqis, more Americans, both physically and mentally, and their families, are you committed to attend all of the funerals you have helped cause, committed to help personally rebuild all of the lives you have, by your vote, shattered?

TLC

Possibilities II

"I like thinking of possibilities. At any time, an entirely new possibility is liable to come along and spin you off in an entirely new direction. The trick, I've learned, is to be awake to the moment." 

-Doug Hall

Pope Refuses to Apologize for Saying Conquerors “Purified” Americas

Pope Benedict XVI is refusing to apologize after claiming the Catholic Church purified indigenous peoples during the colonization of the Americas. On Wednesday, the Pope said he would only acknowledge that injustices were committed.

Pope Benedict XVI: "The memories of a glorious past cannot ignore the shadows that accompanied the process of evangelisation of the Latin American continent. It is not possible, in fact, to forget the suffering and injustices that were inflicted on the indigenous peoples, when often their fundamental human rights were trampled upon."

Pope Benedict has come under intense criticism from Latin American leaders, including Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who accused him of ignoring a holocaust.

Source: Democracy Now, May 24, 2007

_______________________________

See also my earlier Post, They Were Asking For It

TLC

Fueling The Animal Holocaust

Turkey Waste Will Power Electric Plant

The gray, sandy mix of turkey droppings and other bits and pieces flowing through Greg Langmo's fingers back onto the floor of his barn isn't just funky dirt, it's fuel.

With 16,000 hens gobbling around him, Langmo is standing on a 15-inch layer of turkey litter — some 750 tons of the stuff — that represents a new source of energy.

It will help fuel a $200 million power plant due to begin full-scale production next month. The 55-megawatt Fibrominn LLC plant will be the first poultry litter-fired power plant in the United States, tapping a novel source of renewable energy to produce enough power for 50,000 homes. Its developers are planning similar plants in other major poultry states.


One longtime critic of the poultry litter plants has been David Morris, executive director of the Center for Local Self-Reliance, a Minneapolis-based think tank that focuses on helping communities get the most from their resource bases.

Morris said burning turkey litter squanders a resource that's more valuable as a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer than as kilowatts. And he said Xcel Energy's customers will pay higher rates because the electricity from Fibrominn will cost more than wind power or conventionally produced power.

"From a public policy perspective, this stinks," he said.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 23, 2007

_____________________________

Of course there is solar, which doesn't involve murder of humans (Iraq) OR animals. "Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death"

TLC

Measurements

"The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them."
--George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Playwright

Cheney & Hookergate

Do you know why we’re underwhelmed by this rumor? Because even if it’s a fact, which it probably is, there’s no way it would have any impact on Cheney’s “career.” This is a draft-dodging half-human war criminal with a pregnant lesbian daughter who tells senators to fuck themselves and shoots his own friends in the face. Ordering an outcall hooker is positively innocent compared to the well-known things Cheney does every day.

Source: Wonkette, May 9, 2007


Additional coverage: Investigative Reporter Wayne Madsen

The US Military--Making The US Safe For...What???

There are so many canned letters to the editor, bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc., saying that we should thank US military veterans for the freedoms we enjoy.

Setting aside the question of whether North Korea was going to attack the US in the 1950's, whether North Vietnam posed a threat in the 60's, Saddam in the early 90's or 2003...etc etc...below is a news item that shouts loud-and-clear what the upper echelons of the US military think of freedom today.

TLC
________________________________

Marine Transfered After Criticizing Military Ban on Openly-Gay, Lesbians

And finally in military news, a Marine officer says he’s being punished for publishing an editorial supporting the right of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Captain Josh Gibbs published the article in the Marine Corps Times last month. Just one week later, Gibbs was told he was being relieved of duty due to a loss of confidence from his commanding officers. Gibbs will be reassigned to a U.S. base in Japan, after which he plans to end his service. He said: “I’m standing up for what I think is right… If I want to make a change, I need to be someplace else.”

Source: Democracy Now, May 23, 2007

"Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America"

One core similarity is almost always overlooked—it has to do with "privatization," which sometimes means "corruption," though it's actually a far broader phenomenon. Rome had trouble maintaining a distinction between public and private responsibilities—and between public and private resources. The line between these is never fixed, anywhere. But when it becomes too hazy, or fades altogether, central government becomes impossible to steer. It took a long time to happen, but the fraying connection between imperial will and concrete action is a big part of What Went Wrong in ancient Rome. America has in recent years embarked on a privatization binge like no other in its history, putting into private hands all manner of activities that once were thought to be public tasks—overseeing the nation's highways, patrolling its neighborhoods, inspecting its food, protecting its borders. This may make sense in the short term—and sometimes, like Rome, we may have no choice in the matter. But how will the consequences play out over decades, or centuries? In all likelihood, very badly.


Excerpted from Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America, by Cullen Murphy, to be published this month by Houghton Mifflin.

Full excerpt: Vanity Fair, June, 2007

It All Depends On Your Definition Of "Terrorist"

UPDATE: BREAKING! Jihadist on the loose with bombs in the U.S.!

Even in death, the Rev. Jerry Falwell rouses the most volatile of emotions.

A small group of protesters gathered near the funeral services to criticize the man who mobilized Christian evangelicals and made them a major force in American politics -- often by playing on social prejudices.

And Campbell County authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car.

The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service. The devices were made of a combination of gasoline and detergent, a law enforcement official told ABC News' Pierre Thomas.

"There were indications that there were others involved in the manufacturing of these devices /and we are still investigating these individuals with the assistance of ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms], Virginia State Police and FBI. . . .

Three other suspects are being sought, one of whom is a soldier from Fort Benning, Ga., and another is a high school student. No information was available on the third suspect.

Authorities were alerted to the potential bomb plot after relative of Uhl called to say that he had homemade bombs in his possession. Officials searched Uhl's car where they found five incendiary devices in the trunk.

________________

With just a slight modification (if only the bomb plotters were Muslim rather than almost certainly Christian), this story would generate days and days of rabid coverage on Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and among the right-wing warrior-bloggers, as well as at least one major address from Dick Cheney about how this shows how much we need to keep people in Guantanamo and torture them. But without the modification, no meaning will be inferred and there will be virtual silence in those corners.

________________

UPDATE II: This is the MySpace page for the alleged Liberty University bomber, Mark David Uhl. He lists his religion as "Christian," claims to be Caucasian and straight, says that among the types of music he enjoys is "worship" music, and vows that he "will join the ARMY as an officer after college" (emphasis in original). He also indicates that he is now in the Army ROTC, and advises that his name, "Mark," means "Mighty Warrior."

His favorite book is the Bible. He claims to be a "Solider of Christ." The first MySpace friend he lists is "Jesus". Under "ten movies which define who I am," he listed as number 8: Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ (number 9 is Beauty & the Beast and number 10 is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; The Lion King (number 5) and Alice in Wonderland (number 6) also define him).

It is difficult to imagine the endless uproar to which we would be subjected if, instead, his favorite book were the Koran, he identified as Muslim, listed Mohammed as his Best MySpace friend, and belonged to the "Jihadist" MySpace group rather than "Soldier of Christ." That -- rather than trying to infer anything from his Christianity -- is the point here.

--Glenn Greenwald

Source--and full article: Salon, May 22, 2007

Madness

"Marijuana never kicks down your door in the middle of the night.
Marijuana never locks up sick and dying people,
does not suppress medical research,
does not peek in bedroom windows.
Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation
of the prohibitionists at face value,
marijuana prohibition has done far more harm
to far more people than marijuana ever could."
-- William F. Buckley, Jr.
(1925- ) American author and journalist, founded 'National Review'

Chronicle’s Demise is Self-Inflicted

If you missed the news that the San Francisco Chronicle is cutting 25% of its news staff, it was “reported” in a tiny corner of the paper’s Saturday, May 19 Business section. While many blame the Chronicle’s drastic circulation decline in recent years on the Internet, this ignores the paper’s failure to address readers’ interests. The paper has no political columnist that regularly analyzes issues facing local politicians, nobody of stature covering national politics, extraordinarily weak cultural and arts coverage, and few columnists that anyone cares about reading. By targeting upscale readers over age fifty and ignoring the needs of those most likely to resort to the Internet, the Chronicle’s collapse is no surprise.
Full Article, Beyond Chron, May 22, 2007

________________________________

My email to Beyond Chron, with the subject "Two Remaining Pulses At The Chronicle"


Now hold on, Randy,

Mark Morford is one of the best columnists around anywhere. With the passing of Hunter S. Thompson, perhaps the best period. Besides insight and style Mark has guts, an increasingly rare quality in print.

High praise should also go to Tim Goodman for his coverage of the mind numbing soothing blue orb of mind control. How he can watch so much television and be able to formulate multiple-syllable words, let alone cut through all the P.R. garbage of the television industry with such style and insight, is amazing.

Aside from the shining stars of Morford and Goodman, however, your article on the ailing SF Chronicle is, alas, quite correct.

Terry L. Clark

A Subversion of American Democracy: White House & Democratic Leadership Agree on Secret Trade Deal

Rick MacArthur, publisher of Harper's Magazine, and author of the book "The Selling of “Free Trade: NAFTA, Washington, and the Subversion of American Democracy," discusses what's been happening behind closed doors on Capitol Hill and why many environmentalists, AIDS activists, American labor unions, and social movements in Latin America oppose the deal.
Full interview/story, Democracy Now, May 22, 2007

___________________________________

The article/interview drags on, but is worth taking the time to read. It illustrates how both political parties in the US are screwing the working class royally, information you're not going to get from the corporate media.

TLC

Packaged

"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic."
--Dresden James

Headlines vs. Reality

Lebanese Army Pounds Palestinian Camp
Lebanese troops blasted a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery and tank fire again Monday, seeking to destroy a militant group with al-Qaida ties. The barrage smashed buildings and sent plumes of black smoke towering over the crowded camp on the Mediterranean.

The fierce, two-day battle has killed nearly 50 combatants and an unknown number of civilians, raising fears that Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war could spread in a country with an uneasy balancing act among various sects and factions.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 21, 2007

________________________________

"Pounds" a "camp". Gee, that doesn't sound so bad. Some people got roughed up a little.

But an accurate headline would read, "Lebanese army indiscriminately slaughters civilian refugees".

And we all know that many, even most people, get their "news" from reading headlines.

"Pounds" or "Indiscriminately Slaughters". What a difference words make in what message is received.

TLC

Red Cross: U.S. Bombing Leaves 2,000 Homeless in AfghanistanIn

In Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross is estimating 2,000 people were left homeless last month after U.S. bombings in western Afghanistan. The Red Cross said the bombing raids destroyed 173 houses and killed at least 50 civilians.

Source: Democracy Now, May 21, 2007

_____________________________________

Ah, the battle for hearts and minds...make that the battle for wallets and campaign contributions...of the international munitions industry and the international oil cartel, as Afghanistan is blasted away so the multinationals can profit from the killing, from the creation of a nation of really pissed off people who will serve as a source of rage that needs to be slaughtered in the future, and a country that an ongoing occupation force will be needed in so that oil pipelines and US military bases can be maintained.

TLC

Newspapers

"It is a newspaper's duty to print the news and raise hell."
--Wilbur Storey, Statement of the aims of the Chicago Times, 1861.

Wi-Fi risks in schools 'must be reviewed'

The head of Britain's leading health watchdog today urgently calls for a review of potential health risks linked to wireless internet networks in schools.

Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), spoke after emissions at a school were found to be three times those from a mobile phone mast.

Speaking about his review of the evidence for health risks linked to mobile phones and masts published in the year 2000, Sir William said: "There may be changes, for example in cognitive function... there were some indications that there may be cancer inductions... there were some molecular biology changes within the cell and these were issues that we had to bear in mind."

Full Story, Telegraph UK, May 21, 2007

Coming soon: the shopping channel run by drug firms

Four of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are proposing to launch a television station to tell the public about their drugs, amid strenuous lobbying across Europe by the industry for an end to restrictions aimed at protecting patients. Pharma TV would be a dedicated interactive digital channel funded by the industry with health news and features but, at its heart, would be detailed information from drug companies about their medicines.

Full Story, Guardian UK, May 21, 2007

Bush presidency worst in history, says Carter

Former US president Jimmy Carter unleashed a torrent of criticism against George Bush and Tony Blair over the weekend, in which he accused the Bush presidency of being the "worst in history" and said Mr Blair's support had been abominable and subservient.
Full story, Guadian UK, May 21, 2007

Made

"Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten.
And seeing them... he cried, ‘Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?’...
God said, ‘I did do something. I made you.’"
--Sufi Teaching

Jobs

"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I just beat people up."
--Muhammad Ali (1942~) [Cassius Clay] American Prizefighter

Radio North Korea vs. Radio USA

Salon has an interesting piece on censorship in North Korea, and how radio there is used as a propaganda instrument. A short interesting read.

Which misses important points.

Which I raised in my Posting:


But what if one compares North Korea with the US mass market radio, the Clear Channel pablum, the lack of significant airplay for protest songs? When's the last time you heard Neil Young's "Let's Impeach The President" on a mainstream corporate US radio station? We live in a culture where "talent" consists of "American Idol" in which none of the performers seems capable of playing a musical instrumen, or writing a song (either words OR lyrics), singing Faux-Approved lyrical mediocrity.

TLC

One Word

"The simple step of a courageous individual
is not to take part in the lie.
One word of truth outweighs the world."
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918- ) Russian writer, Soviet dissident,
imprisoned for 8 years for critizing Stalin in a personal letter, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1970

Entitled

"Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege."
--Unknown

Prosecutors Environmental Activists to Be Sentenced as Terrorists

Prosecutors Environmental Activists to Be Sentenced as Terrorists

Federal prosecutors in Oregon said yesterday that a group of 10 environmental and animal rights activists should be considered terrorists for their involvement in a series of politically-motivated arsons. One attorney for the Bush administration likened the activists to the Ku Klux Klan. Attorneys for the activists condemned the government's move.

Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center: "The government in this case is seeking to apply the terrorist enhancement to individuals who are accused of environmentally motivated property crimes alone. This is the first time in the history of our country that the government is seeking this enhancement for crimes did not involve the murder or the attempted murder of humans. The reason is obviously political."

Sentencing for the activists is scheduled to begin next week. If the judge determines the activists to be terrorists it could add 20 years to their prison sentences.

Source: Democracy Now, May 16, 2007

____________________________________

Those who protect the environment and the masses are "terrorists".

Those who destroy the environment and terrorize the masses are "respectable businessmen".

Up is down.

War is peace.


TLC

Bringing "Freedom" To Iraq

Iraq Police Enforces Ban on Reporting at Bomb Scenes

In news from Iraq, Iraqi police are now enforcing a ban on photographers and tv camera operators from filming the aftermath of deadly bombings. On Tuesday, police fired warning shots in the air after journalists attempted to report on a bombing in Baghdad that killed seven people and wounded 17. Reporters Without Borders said the growing restrictions on the media could end in a total news blackout on what's happening in Iraq.

Source: Democracy Now, May 16, 2007

_________________________________

Or was the promise to bring a Stalinistic dictatorship to Iraq?

TLC

An Hour (Almost) With Studs Terkel

Credit where credit's due: Democracy Now, May 16, 2007, after the headlines, spent the rest of the hour with Studs Terkel. Watch/listen/read:

Studs Terkel At 95: "Ordinary People Are Capable of Doing Extraordinary Things, and That's What It's All About. They Must Count!"

Correct

"It is dangerous to be right in matters
on which the established authorities are wrong."
--Voltaire[François Marie Arouet] (1694-1778)

Gagging The Privacy Board

Privacy Oversight Member Resigns Following Admin Censorship

And finally, a member of the civilian panel created to oversee government protection of personal privacy has resigned in protest of White House censorship of the board’s first report. The Congressionally-mandated Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board had unanimously voted to send the report to lawmakers. But the Bush administration made more than two hundred revisions -- including the deletion of a passage on anti-terrorism programs that intelligence officials had cited as a potential intrusion on civil liberties.

Source: Democracy Now, May 15, 2007

Padilla Show Trial

Padilla Trial Begins in Miami

Five years after his high-profile arrest, Jose Padilla appeared in court Monday for the start of his criminal trial. Padilla was initially accused of plotting a dirty bomb attack and labeled an enemy combatant. He was later indicted on lesser offenses and now stands accused of aiding al-Qaeda. The presiding judge has called the case “light on facts.” Padilla was held in extreme isolation without almost any human contact for thirteen-hundred days and denied an attorney for nearly two years. His attorneys say he was tortured to the point where is now incapable of assisting in his own defense.

Source: Democracy Now, May 15, 2007

__________________________________

My email to Democracy Now:

This is as much a "Trial" as the "Show Trials" in Stalinist USSR or Mao's China.

When you use the language of the oppressors, you become one with the oppressors.

Time to change the name of the show to, "Fourth Reich Now"?

TLC

Bye Bye Jerry--Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Good Bye...

ABC News wrote:
Date: Tue, 15 May 2007 10:40:55 -0700
Subject: Breaking News Tue., May 15, 2007

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:
THE REV. JERRY FALWELL HAS DIED, THE AP REPORTS
http://abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396

____________________________________
More proof that only the good tend to die young...the mean bastards live on and on...finally one of them has left the building.

TLC

Petition: 16 Votes To Stop The War

Sign Here

The Iraq war should never have been started, and it's long past time to end it.
We were one signature away from ending this war, but President Bush defied the majority of Americans and vetoed the legislation. He has shown, again and again, since the invasion began, that he will not listen.

But the will of the American people must be followed.
If President Bush won't end the war, it's up to Congress -- the representatives of the people -- to end it instead. We need 16 Republican Senators to override a veto -- any 16 of the 49 Republicans can choose the people over their party and decide to end this war.

There are 20 incumbent Republican Senators facing re-election battles in 2008.
They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to defy the will of the American people.

Now is the time to hold them accountable for their choices on the war. Their constituents are making their voice heard, but they need to hear from all of us. Send your message to these 20 Senators now:

Sign Here

__________________________

My comments added to the Petition:

This war for oil and empire based on lies must stop. It was wrong from the beginning, and whether the US is "winning" or "losing" has nothing to do with its complete immorality.

TLC

Seeds

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant."
-- Robert Louis Stevenson, Author

Abortion, Israeli Style

Palestinian Woman Loses Unborn Baby in Israeli Shooting

Meanwhile, a pregnant Palestinian woman lost her unborn baby Thursday after coming under fire from Israeli troops in Nablus. Israel says it was responding to shooting from Palestinian militants. Maham Katoumi was in her eighth month of pregnancy. This is her husband, Jihad.

Jihad Katoumi: "When the shooting started, my wife went to bring the children from the other room. As she stood up, the bullets entered her body, she was thrown from the bed to the bathroom. This is what happened."

Source: Democracy Now, May 14, 2007

____________________________

Every sperm is sacred...except when it's going to be born with brown skin...

TLC

Iraq: Close Your Eyes And It Doesn't Exist

Iraq Bans News Cameras from Bombing Sites

As the violence escalates, Iraq’s interior ministry has announced a ban on news photographers and camera crews from the scene of bombing attacks. Iraqi officials say the measure is meant to protect evidence, hide victims and deny attackers information they achieved their goals. The Iraqi government has already come under wide criticism for a series of limits on news coverage inside Iraq.

Source: Democracy Now, May 14, 2007

"Legal" Fireworks

The worth of a ban

Although Saline County law enforcement may well have more important things to do than enforce a fireworks ban, such a ban still serves useful purposes.

When groups solicit funds for Salina’s delightful annual Fourth Of July display, people will not legitimately be able to claim that they wasted their money on a private, trivial, pale imitation.

When homes and other buildings are burned down, it makes much simpler the legal liability issues — i.e. had the law been followed, the property would still be standing.

When fingers are blown off, eyes blasted to oblivion and lives are otherwise irreparably altered, the blessings of government, of society, will not have preceded the tragedy.

TERRY L. CLARK


Letter to the editor of The Salina [Kansas] Journal, published May 14, 2007

Action

"This is a world of action, and not for moping and droning in."
--Charles Dickens

They Were Asking For It

Pope Benedict's surreal proclamations keep on coming:


Touching on a sensitive historical episode, Benedict said Latin American Indians had been "silently longing" to become Christians when Spanish and Portuguese conquerors took over their native lands centuries ago.

"In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture," he said.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 13, 2007

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I wonder what the Pope's position is when women are violated...were they likewise "silently longing" to be raped?

TLC

Laugh

“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Bark and you have no earthy idea how humans will respond.”
--Conversations with Dog

LA Law: The Fix Is Always In (Mel Gibson)

Calif. Judge Hails Mel Gibson's Progress

A judge praised Mel Gibson on Friday for maintaining his court-ordered treatment for alcoholism following his drunken-driving arrest last July.

The 51-year-old actor-director didn't attend the progress report hearing, but Gibson's attorney, Blair Berk, told the judge she filed a report with the court saying Gibson was complying with all the terms and conditions of his rehabilitation program.

"He's doing very well. He's working hard," Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, told The Associated Press on Friday. "This is just an ongoing process that he's committed to."

Gibson pleaded no contest to charges of drunken driving Aug. 17 under a deal that included serving three years' probation, a fine and alcohol-rehabilitation classes.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 11, 2007

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Yes, it's not just the cops that give the stars a pass when it comes to responsibility.

Without tracking down the various articles (those interested can do a Google search), suffice it to say that Gibson's public utterances (and private utterances made public) since his arrest make rather clear that, even if Gibson has not been caught drinking, he shows all the mannerisms of a dry drunk.

However, it would be fair to say that Gibson's gentle treatment is typical of the US judicial system, in which DUIs are nothing more than a cash cow for the government. Jump through the hoops, go down a checklist, don't look behind the curtain, and most important of all, pay your fines and fees. Pay no attention to the continuing carnage on the highways.

TLC

Pope Benedict To The Faithful: Hit The Road Jack

Supporters of abortion have no future in Church, Pope tells faithful

A combative Pope Benedict XVI opened his trip to Brazil yesterday in no-holds-barred mood, vowing to stem the defections of Roman Catholics to evangelical Protestantism and giving a warning that the penalty for supporting abortion was excommunication.

Full story, London Times, May 10, 2007

Another Black Eye For Champions of Bu$h Sadism (CBS)

CBS Fires Iraq General for Anti-War Ad

In media news, CBS has dismissed an Iraq war veteran over his involvement in an ad campaign criticizing the war. General John Batiste appears in an ad from the group VoteVets dot org. Batiste has been working as a CBS News consultant.

Source: Democracy Now, May 11, 2007

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Freedom of speech, sayeth CBS...as long as it's only corporate media conglomerates that are speaking.

TLC

"Women And Children First"

Toll in U.S. Bombing of Afghan Village Could Reach 80

The civilian death toll from the U.S. bombing of a village in Afghanistan this week could be nearly four times the official figure of twenty-one. The New York Times reports residents of the Sarwan Qala village are claiming as many as eighty civilians were killed in the attack. At least three houses were destroyed. Most victims identified so far are women and children.

Source: Democracy Now, May 11, 2007

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Well, darn, that's another $160,000 (80 dead at $2,000 a pop).

Or is there a discount for multiple members of the same family? $2K for the first kill, $1K for the second, $500 for the third, and so on?

Oh for the good old days of the Afghani Taliban, who weren't nearly so violent as the American Taliban...

TLC

Greensburg's Bu$h Invasion

"This is great. George Bush coming to Greensburg. You got a disaster visiting another disaster."

--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published May 11, 2007

Meaning

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
--Nelson Henderson

Part 2: Truth Tellers: Criminals; War Criminal: No Prosecution

See my earlier Post on how exposing war criminals can land one in jail in Britain. The Guardian UK has several articles on the convictions, e.g. "Gagging order as two are jailed for leaking Blair-Bush memo".

I expanded upon that earlier Post, and turned it into a letter to the editor of the Guardian UK, the Independent, the London Times, and the Telegraph UK, with the Subject "Truth=Jail, War Crimes=Nothing":


Dear Editor:

David Keogh and Leo O’Connor, who exposed the conspiracy of Bu$h and his lapdog Blair to violate the Geneva Accords by bombing Al Jazerra, have been sentenced to jail, while war criminals Bu$h and Blair have yet to be Charged with even one of the many violations of international law they have committed.

Apparently, "I was just following orders" is now the rule of law in Britain, and British citizens have a duty to ensure, through their silence, that the decisions of the Fourth Reich are not exposed or challenged.

Terry L. Clark

Truth Tellers: Criminals; War Criminal: No Prosecution

Pair Found Guilty of Leaking Al Jazeera Bombing Memo

In Britain, two men have been found guilty for leaking a memo detailing a conversation in which President Bush reportedly tells British Prime Minister Tony Blair he wants to bomb the Doha headquarters of the Arabic television network Al Jazeera. David Keogh, a former civil servant, and Leo O’Connor, a former parliamentary researcher, were charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. Most of the trial was held in secret with reporters barred from the proceedings. Bush and Blair’s meeting was recorded by Blair’s adviser on foreign affairs. The memo came with a note reading “This must not be copied further and must only be seen by those with real need to know.”

Source: Democracy Now, May 10, 2007

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Of course, there haven't even been any Charges brought against Bu$h and Blair, who conspired to violate the Geneva Accords by bombing Al Jazeera...

TLC

The Banana Republic Of Los Angeles

Pattern and practice

Re "LAPD takes a beating" (May 3):

When will the people of Los Angeles take their city back? Beatings by the Los Angeles Police Department over the decades, particularly of minorities and of poor people, are legendary, while Hollywood celebrities continue to get the red-carpet treatment. The Los Angeles Animal Services Department slaughters a horrific number of innocents every year, refusing to work with rescue groups beyond giving lip service.

The recent attack on the participants, journalists and spectators of the immigrants-rights march is but the latest in an ongoing pattern and practice of a concerted policy of governmental violence.

- Terry L. Clark
Arcata

Published: LA Daily News, May 8, 2007

___________________________________________________________

Original version, which I think better shows the long historical pattern of violence, below.

The important thing is that the diluted/printed version connects the violence at the LA death camps ("Shelters" my a**) and the violence in the streets.

I gave the LA Times the first shot at the letter, emailing it to them on May 3rd, but I haven't heard from them or seen it published there.


Dear Editor:

When will the people of Los Angeles take their city back?

The LAPD actively helped cover up the murder of Senator Robert Kennedy. Their beatings over the decades, particularly of minorities and of poor people, are legendary, while Hollywood celebrities continue to get the red carpet treatment. The Los Angeles "Animal Services" department slaughters a horrific number of innocents every year, refusing to work with rescue groups beyond lip service. The recent attack on the participants, journalists, and spectators of the immigrants rights march is but the latest in an ongoing pattern and practice of a concerted policy of governmental violence.

Terry L. Clark

Ineffectual

"If you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, it is certain that you will create a despotic government to be your master. The wise despot, therefore, maintains among his subjects a popular sense that they are helpless and ineffectual."
--Frank Herbert (1920-1986) US writer

Jeb Bu$h's Florida

Florida Indicts 8 Prison Guards on Abuse Charges

In Florida, eight former prison guards have been indicted on charges of abusing prisoners at the Hendry Correctional Institution in the Everglades. Prison officials say the guards beat prisoners and forced them into dehumanizing behavior -- including cleaning toilets with their tongues.

Source: Democracy Now, May 9, 2007

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Yes, Jeb may be out of office, but his legacy lives on.

TLC

7 Iraqi Children Killed in U.S. Attack

Meanwhile in Iraq, another U.S. airstrike has claimed the lives of seven children. A U.S. helicopter opened fire on a primary school in a village close to the Iranian border. At least three other students were injured with heavy damage to the school building. The U.S. military says it fired after coming under attack from the school grounds.

Source: Democracy Now, May 9, 2007

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That's another $14K and another apology. Bury the dead, end of story.

TLC

How To Buy Your Way Out Of A Murder Rap

U.S. Pays, Apologizes to Kin of Afghan Victims Killed in Mass Shooting

The attack comes one day after the U.S. military paid compensation and apologized to the families of nineteen people killed and dozens wounded by U.S. Marines in March. The Marines fired indiscriminately on a crowd of civilians after a suicide car bomber and gunmen ambushed a US convoy. On Tuesday, U.S. army brigade commander Colonel John Nicholson told victims’ families he is “deeply, deeply ashamed.” Colonel Nicholson says he delivered payments of around two thousand dollars to the families of the dead. Meanwhile Afghan lawmakers have passed a bill calling for a halt to all foreign military operations unless they’re coordinated with the local government.

Source: Democracy Now, May 9, 2007

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"I'm sorry, here's two thousand bucks". Saves on the cost of incarcerating, housing, and feeding the murders, too.

TLC

Bu$hworld: White Lives Worth More Than Brown Lives

At Least 21 Afghan Civilians Killed in U.S. Airstrike

At least twenty-one civilians have been killed in a U.S. airstrike on a village in Afghanistan earlier today. The Pentagon says U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Helmand province. Local residents reported a higher toll of thirty-eight deaths and twenty wounded.

Source: Democracy Now, May 9, 2007

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Bush Tours Town Wiped Away by Tornado

President Bush sought to lift spirits Wednesday in the wake of a killer tornado, dishing out hugs while stepping through the rubble of what had been a close-knit town of 1,400.

The president said he came to Kansas to tour the wreckage in the hopes that he could "touch somebody's soul by representing our country."

The twister killed at least 11 people. It was the most punishing tornado to hit the United States in years.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 9, 2007

The Importance Of Language

I received a heartbreaking email today from a rescue group about an 8-year-old chowgirl named Chi Chi that stated:


PLEASE CAN SOMEONE FOSTER OR ADOPT THIS SENIOR SWEETHEART AND SAVE IT"S LIFE-WE ARE FULL-PLEASE HELP!!!

__________________________

My reply:

It is EXTREMELY important that we ALWAYS refer to these precious souls as him, her, he, she, or better yet by name--NOT "It". My car is an "it". My ballpoint pen is an "it".

Chi Chi, in stark contrast, is a very sweet girl, who has a mind, a soul, a heart that beats just as yours or mine does, lungs that breathe the same air as you and I.

But then, we live in a disposable society, where 650,000 plus Iraqis can be slaughtered, 3000 plus Americans dead plus tens of thousands physically and mentally scarred for life, so that multinational oil companies can continue to make incredible profits. Increasingly, life is becoming just another "it".

In the final analysis, changing the world, saving the millions of innocents cats and dogs that are murdered in this country every year because they are inconvenient, starts with changing hearts and minds, and one way of doing that is to always remember the importance of language.

Because if we use the language of the oppressors, then we become one with the oppressors.

TLC

Attitude

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
--Herm Albright

Visiting The Scene Of Disaster

President Bush will visit tornado-devasted Greensburg on Wednesday to tour the area.

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts says Bush wants to meet with people who survived the tragedy.

Bush also will get a chance to see how local, state and federal efforts to clean up the area are working and determine any additional role the federal government can play in rebuilding efforts.
The president has already declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up federal money to aid in recovery.

Source: KSAL Radio, Salina, Kansas, May 8, 2007

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Or Bu$h could take a three hour tour of Iraq, a nation he has significantly destroyed.

But that would make for a bad photo-op.

Never mind.

TLC

The United States Of Fratricide

One In Eight Iraqi Children Die Before the Age of Five

Iraq's infant mortality rate has soared by 150 percent since 1990 according to a new report by the charity Save the Children. One in eight Iraqi children now die of disease or violence before the age of five. In 2005 alone, 122,000 Iraqi children died before reaching their fifth birthday. Save the Children said Iraq's child-survival ranking is now the lowest in the world.

Source: Democracy Now, May 8, 2007

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Ensuring that there will be a happy future for Halliburton, Blackwater, and the rest of the new SS, as millions of enemies, rather than millions of friends, are created.

TLC

Senate Blocks Bid to Allow Drug Imports

In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices.

On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet.

"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.

Overseas, drugs can cost two-thirds less than they do in the United States, where prices for brand-name drugs are among the highest in the world. In many industrialized countries, prices are lower because they are either controlled or partially controlled by government regulation.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 7, 2007

Sagacity

“The dog has seldom been successful in pulling man up to its level of sagacity, but man has frequently dragged a dog down to his.”
--James Thurber

Apathetic

"If we were as apathetic as many humans,
then someone would probably suggest putting us to sleep."
--Conversations With Dog

But What Gets Headlines In The US Media? A Dozen Or So Tornado Victims

In Colombia, 105 Bodies Found in Mass Graves

In Colombia, the remains of 105 bodies have been discovered buried in mass graves. The bodies are believed to be victims of right-wing paramilitary death squads. This marks the biggest such discovery in Colombia in over 40 years. The news was announced on Saturday – one day after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe concluded a three-day trip to Washington where his administration was repeatedly criticized for having ties to right-wing paramilitaries. Uribe is trying to win support for a new trade agreement and continued Congressional backing of Plan Colombia.

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

Merck: More Should Die Less We Make Less Profit

Merck Criticizes Brazil's Decision to Make Generic AIDS Drugs

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is squaring off with international pharmaceutical companies over the price of AIDS drugs. On Friday Lula signed a decree authorizing the Brazilian government to begin manufacturing or importing generic versions of the drug Efavirenz made by Merck. Lula said it is unethical to charge high prices for drugs of such importance.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: "We want prices that are fair not only for us, but for all infected human beings on earth. We have to make this decision. After all, between our trade and our health, we'll take care of our health."

Merck criticized Brazil's move saying it was an expropriation of intellectual property. Thailand recently issued a similar decree over a drug made by the U.S. company Abbott Laboratories. Abbott responded by refusing to sell seven new drugs in the Thai market – a move that was condemned by AIDS activists and within the medical community.

Too bad note isn't made of Merck's annual profits...

TLC

Warren Buffet: Supporter Of Genocide

Warren Buffet's Fund Rejects Sudan Divestment Proposal

Shareholders of the investment fund Berkshire Hathaway led by Warren Buffet have rejected a proposal to divest from companies profiting in Sudan. Berkshire is the largest independent shareholder in PetroChina, whose parent company, China National Petroleum drills and exports much of Sudan's oil, providing funds for the Sudanese government and its military. Activist shareholders urged Berkshire to divest because of the Sudanese government's role in the genocide in Darfur where hundreds of thousands of people have died. Meanwhile Darfur activists are criticizing the Bush administration for describing the Sudanese government as a "strong partner in the War in Terror." The description appears in the State Department's 2006 terrorism report.

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

Gun Control & Civil Rights: DN Stumbles All Over Themselves

NRA Backs Gun Rights for Terrorism Suspects

The National Rifle Association is publicly backing the rights of suspects on terrorism watch lists to be able to buy firearms. The NRA has asked the Bush administration to withdraw its support from a bill that would prohibit arm sales to suspected terrorists. NRA Director Chris Cox criticized the bill saying it "would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere "suspicions" of a terrorist threat."

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

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Perhaps there's no easy answer, but this indicates one of the many contradictions of the war OF terror, and the ineffectiveness of the pseudo-liberals.

The "watch lists" have been repeatedly shown to be sloppily compiled, ensnaring many people who have done nothing wrong than shared a name--or just a name similar to--someone who possibly should be on the lists. And many end up on such lists for no discernable reason whatsoever. It requires major bucks to hire an attorney to fight the watch lists, which of course few can afford to do.

It would seem to make sense that, if the watch lists are to be contested, those of us who support the US Constitution and the Bill Of Rights should join with the NRA so that only the genuinely dangerous are placed on such lists.

Instead, the pseudo-liberal mentality seems to be that liberals are opposed to watch lists--unless the watch lists happen to skewer a group the pseudo-liberals don't like. And then throwing the Constitution out with the proverbial bathwater is perfectly acceptable.

TLC

No Inspection Of US Concentration Camps

U.S. Blocks UN Visit to Texas Immigration Prison

The U.S. government has blocked a United Nations expert from visiting a jail in Texas where the U.S. is holding up to 400 immigrants including children and asylum seekers. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Jorge Bustamante, is in the middle of a three-week fact-finding mission to examine how immigrants are being treated in the United States. Bustamante had planned on visiting the Hutto immigration facility in Taylor Texas today but his visit has been blocked by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 12 children detained at the Hutto facility, charging that the children are subject to inhumane treatment.

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

Rallying The Bu$h Forces

Al Qaeda's al-Zawahiri Urges U.S. To Stay in Iraq

Al Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued a new videotape criticizing Democratic efforts in Washington to withdraw troops from Iraq because he said it would prevent al Qaeda from being able to kill more Americans.

Ayman al-Zawahiri: "This bill reflects American failure and frustration. However, this bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap. We ask Allah that they only get out if it after losing two hundred to three hundred thousand killed, in order that we give the spillers of blood in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson which will motivate them to review their entire doctrinal and moral system which produced their historic criminal crusader/Zionist entity."

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

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Amazing how even the supposedly "alternative" news media swallows whole and without question utterances which are, in most cases, "translated" by the US government, and which, "coincidentally", just happen to support what the US government wants to do.

And these "coincidences" continue to happen whenever DerBu$hler needs a boost in the polls.

Yup, Karl Rove couldn't have worded the latest videotape any better...

TLC

What We Stand For: Torture

Survey: More than 1/3 of U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Approve of Torture

A new Army survey has found that more than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq said they believe torture should be allowed in some cases. In addition, about two-thirds of Marines and half the Army troops surveyed said they would not report a team member for mistreating a civilian or for destroying civilian property unnecessarily. The Army survey found that less than half of the soldiers polled believed that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect. And 10 percent of the troops said they had personally mistreated civilians in Iraq. Nearly 1800 troops took part in the survey. Acting Army Surgeon Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock characterized the report as positive news. He told reporters: “What it speaks to is the leadership that the military is providing, because they're not acting on those thoughts. They're not torturing the people.”

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

Skewing The French (S)election "News"

Pro-American Nicholas Sarkozy Wins French Election

In France, voters have elected the right-wing, pro-American Nicolas Sarkozy to be the country's new president. By a 53 to 47 percent margin Sarkozy beat the socialist candidate Segolene Royale. In his victory speech Sarkozy assured Americans of France's "friendship." Within hours of the election results being announced, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest. In central Paris police fired tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators. Over 100 cars were set on fire in the suburbs of Paris. Protests were also held in Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Toulouse and Lyon.

Source: Democracy Now, May 7, 2007

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My email to Democracy Now:

By what stretch of the rational imagination is Sarkozy "Pro-American"?

He is certainly Pro Corporate America.

He is certainly Pro Multinational Oil Cartel.

He is certainly Pro Unites States Government--As distinguished from being in favor of the best interests of the American People.

Are you smoking some of Humboldt County California's # 1 cash crop? Or working for the Bu$h Regime?

TLC

Troubles

"You can end half your troubles immediately by no longer permitting people to tell you what you want."
--Vernon Howard
1918-1992, Author and Speaker

Cured

"Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician."
--Matthew Prior "The Remedy Worse than the Disease" 1727

U.S. Military Handbook Labels Media "A Threat"

It looks like it's official: the United States Army thinks that American reporters are a threat to national security. Thanks to some great sleuthing by Wired's "Danger Room" blogger Noah Shachtman, the Army's new operational security guidelines (OPSEC) hit the Web in a big way yesterday, and the implications they have for reporters -- who are grouped in with drug cartels and Al Qaeda as security threats to be beaten back -- are staggering.

Shachtman reproduces a slide from the new "OPSEC in the Blogosphere," document, which lists and ranks "Categories of Threat." Under "traditional domestic threats" we find hackers and militia groups, while "non-traditional" threats include drug cartels, and -- yes -- the media. Just to put that into some perspective, the foreign "non-traditional threats" are listed as warlords, and Al Qaeda. In other words, the Army has figuratively and literally put the media in the same box as Al Qaeda, warlords, and drug cartels.

Under the new rules, all Army personnel and DoD contractors are told to keep an eye on reporters and anyone seen speaking to the press, and that they should "consider handling attempts by unauthorized personnel to solicit critical information or sensitive information as a Subversion and Espionage Directed Against the U.S. Army (SAEDA) incident."

As a creepy little addendum to this whole sorry affair, we'll quote what Major Ray Ceralde, the author of the new rules, told Shachtman in an interview yesterday: "A person doesn't have to be in the military or government to support OPSEC...As a Nation, we are in this fight together, and all Americans are encouraged to practice OPSEC."

Full story, Columbia Journalism Review, May 3, 2007

Punishment

"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty.
It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and
to misapply even the best of laws.
He that would make his own liberty secure
must guard even his enemy from oppression;
for if he violates his duty
he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
-- Thomas Paine
(1737-1809)
Source: Dissertation on First Principles of Government, 7 July 1795

The Brits Homosexual Snit

The British have ousted Lord Browne for, more than anything, his homosexuality. You can read about it in the Guardian UK, and elsewhere.

My letter to the Guardian UK, the Independent, the London Times, and the Telegraph UK of this date:


Dear Editor:

Perhaps someone can explain the relationship between the physical location of one's penis, and one's fitness for public office.

If avowed heterosexual and war criminal Tony Blair is any example, then perhaps
homosexuality should be a prerequisite for public service.

Terry L. Clark

After Iraq Veto, Democrats Back Down on Demands

The Washington Post is reporting the Democratic leadership is now backing down and has dropped their demand for including a timeline to bring troops home from Iraq.


Rep. Jerry Lewis: "I say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle- you have made your point. You've had your dog and pony show. You posed for political holy pictures on TV. Now, what is your plan to support the troops? It is time to put the posturing and political stunts aside and do what is in the best interest of our troops."

Source: Democracy Now, May 3, 2007

_______________________________

Uh, the plan is to put even more troops in harm's way in order to protect the profits of the multinational oil cartel? Destroy the village in order to save it, kill the troops in order to protect them. Same psychotic mindset.

TLC

Obama Gets Secret Service Detail

The Secret Service said Thursday that Democratic Sen. Barack Obama was being placed under its protection, the earliest ever for a presidential candidate.
Full wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 3, 2007

______________________

Obama damn well better have someone watch his back, or the SS will do to him what they did to President Kennedy.

TLC

Towers

"This country’s next set of 9/11 Twin Towers has already been bushwhacked and is ready to collapse. These towers are our Constitution and our debt-ridden economy."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published May 3, 2007

Reciprocity

"There is no reciprocity. Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters."
--Alice Thomas Ellis

Hunting Down Those Who Would NOT Be War Criminals

American soldiers are fleeing the Iraq war for Canada -- and U.S. officials may be on their trail. North of the border is no longer the safe haven it was during the Vietnam era.

Full story, Salon, May 2, 2007

Bu$h Never Giveth, So Bu$h Not Really Taking Away

Bush Administration Claims It Has Right to Conduct Warrantless Surveillance

Meanwhile the New York Times reports senior Bush administration officials told Congress on Tuesday that they could not pledge that the administration would continue to seek warrants from a secret court for a domestic wiretapping program, as it agreed to do in January. Senior officials - including the new director of national intelligence Michael McConnell - said they believed that the president still had the authority to once again order the N.S.A. to conduct surveillance inside the country without warrants.

Source: Democracy Now, May 2, 2007

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I wonder if Congress asked what had changed since Bu$h told his January 2007 lie, er, made his January 2007 "promise".

TLC

FISA Court Approved Record Number Of Secret Searches in 2006

FISA Court Approved Record Number Of Secret Searches in 2006

Newly released data from the Justice Department shows the government conducted a record number of secret searches last year. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued two thousand one hundred and seventy six secret warrants in 2006 targeting people inside the United States. The FISA court approved all but one search warrant requested by the Bush administration. The Justice Department however did not reveal how many times the FBI secretly sought telephone, Internet and banking records about U.S. citizens and residents without court approval.

Source: Democracy Now, May 2, 2007

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Credit where credit's due: Kudos to DN for adding the context I so often complain is lacking.

TLC

Alabama Militia Accused of Plotting to Attack Mexican Immigrants

Alabama Militia Accused of Plotting to Attack Mexican Immigrants

In Alabama, federal authorities have revealed they have broken up a militia plot to attack a group of Mexicans living in a small town north of Birmingham. Last week six members of the Alabama Free Militia were arrested in a series of raids. The Birmingham News reported police uncovered truckloads of explosives and weapons, including 130 grenades, an improvised rocket launcher and 2,500 rounds of ammunition. The six men appeared in court on Tuesday. Despite the violent plot, police did not accuse the men of terrorism. Instead police charged them with conspiracy to make a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Anti-Defamation League said the weapons seizure was the largest in the South in years.

Source: Democracy Now, May 2, 2007

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Where was THIS in the corporate media?

TLC

Is Your Pet's Food Safe Yet? Why pet owners are worried, and why that's not likely to change soon

A good recap of the pet food nightmare, gently touching on the duplicity and complete incompetence of the FDA--the same agency that wants to decide what supplements you can take and who will die in order to protect BigPharma profits. Full article, SF Chronicle, May 1, 2007.

TLC

Posterity

"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."
--John Quincy Adams, 6th U. S. president

DN: The Pretense Of "Reporting"

Sen. Durbin: I Knew the Public Was Being Mislead into the Iraq War

In Washington, the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, Majority whip Richard Durbin of Illinois, has admitted that he knew in 2003 that the American public was being misled into the Iraq war but remained silent. Durbin said last week "I was angry about it. [But] frankly, I couldn't do much about it because, in the intelligence committee, we are sworn to secrecy." Durbin went on to say "We can't walk outside the door and say the statement made yesterday by the White House is in direct contradiction to classified information that is being given to this Congress."

Source: Democracy Now, May 1, 2007

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My email to Democracy Now:

Hey Amy, guess what--Treason is covered in the US Constitution. It makes no exceptions for political ambition, and one's duty to prevent a war for oil and empire, a war that has killed over 3000 Americans, over 650,000 Iraqis with millions more to die thanks to the widespread US chemical warfare via depleted uranium.

What will it take to get a little moral and historical perspective into your newscasts?

TLC

RFK & JFK: "Brothers"

The exclusive story of Robert F. Kennedy's secret search for the truth about John F. Kennedy's assassination. From the new book by Salon's founder and former editor in chief, David Talbot.

Full article, Salon, May 1, 2007

See also Talbot's Blog on the book.


Talbot's book will be released May 8th.--TLC

Two America$

"Sen. Edwards said there are two Americas. Well, I agree. And on the one side, there are people that have 20,000 square-feet-houses on 500 acres and get $400 haircuts."
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published May 1, 2007

Show Us Your Identity Papers

Sheriff’s office to set up DUI checklane

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office will operate a DUI checklane from 11:30 p.m. Saturdaythrough 2 a.m. Sunday near the Crawford Street and Fairchilds Road intersection, just west of the 1-135 Interstate Highway-Crawford intersection.

Source: The Salina [Kansas] Journal, May 1, 2007

Military Recruiter Joke

"Are recruiters in military required to serve in combat so they will know what the real picture is?"
--The Salina [Kansas] Journal's anonymous Extension 333 call-in line, published May 1, 2007

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Even if they were--which they aren't--they'd lie about it anyhow.

TLC

Importing Sand

An interesting item in today's Salina [Kansas] Journal:


Once Saline County runs out of sand, importing from Alsop plants in Abilene or Concordia become the next most viable options, Barclay said. Doing that would cost Saline County taxpayers $1.5 million a year if the sand comes from Abilene and $3.5 million if it comes from Concordia, he said.
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Why not import it from the Middle East? Heck, we're surrendering out country, our future, to the multinational oil cartel, why not add sand to the list too?

TLC

Petition: Stop The FDA From Taking Over Supplements

CONgress has pending before it this week a bill to allow the FDA ("Federal Drug Advocates) to regulate supplements in such a way as to emaciate our ability to obtain nutritional supplements.
LEF describes the whole convoluted scheme in detail.

Life Extensions Foundation (LEF) has a form in which you can send their pre-fab letter or customize your own.

I used their form, plus emailed my CONgresspeople at their official websites

My email to both Senators Feinstein & Boxer (and, for good measure, Rep. Mike Thompson too:


The Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act of 2007 sympolizes the attempted complete takeover of the national government by corporations.

Rather than being allowed to choose whether we live or die, the pharmaceutical drug cartel now wants to have that decision, too. And to have the power to jack up the price of supplements, just like they have in Europe.

This is not just a domestic issue, it is a worldwide threat.

It is long-past time that Congress stood up to BigPharma. Human beings, Americans, are more than profit centers for BigPharma.

TLC