Guest guest Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Sun, 30 Apr 2006 02:12:12 -0400 (EDT) OpEdNews 4/30/06 rob click to go to this web page with links to read articles http://www.opednews.com/flyer/news_20060430_1.html By Muhammad Khurshid " Register For Jihad Or Die " Taliban Terrorists Controlling Pakistani Tribal Areas Tell Locals The Taliban movement has spilled over to Pakistan. This has also been accepted by Pakistan's President General Musharraf. By David Swanson Calif Dem Party Platform: Immediate Withdrawal The platform committee has passed and is recommending to the full party on Sunday inclusion in the platform of a call to end the occupation of Iraq and immediately bring the troops home. By Betty Clermont Insurance Commissioner Accused Of Cab Scam Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine is being accused of taking improper actions which benefitted his cab industry campaign contributors, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. By Matthew Cardinale Nickled And Dimed Play Debuts In Atlanta Dozens of Atlanta's leftists gathered for a preview of the stage version of Barbara Ehrenreich's book, " Nickled and Dimed, " this evening, which was preceded by a panel discussion at The Five Spot on the living wage crisis. By Stephen Lendman COMMENTS ON NOAM CHOMSKY'S NEW BOOK - FAILED STATES A review of Noam Chomsky's new book explaining that the US has the characteristics of a " failed state " By Mike Whitney Going To War With The Morons You Have The problem with Rumsfeld runs deeper than his failure to stabilize Iraq. His " Strangelovian " ideas of military transformation have no place in a democracy. His efforts to convert the military into a martial-force for private industry have eroded America's moral standing in the world and put allies and enemies on alert. By JGideon 'Daily Voting News' For April 29, 2006 a run-down of the days elections/voting news from across the country and overseas. By Roy Murtishaw Medicalizing " Disease " For Fun And Profit Psychiatry Critique By World Can't Wait Steering Committee Open Letter To The Anti-War Movement World Can't Wait addresses the need to confront the full scope of the Bush regime's fascist remaking of society and unending war on the world without tailoring our opposition to what's deemed " electable " by the Democratic Party leadership. By Mark S. Tucker Weekly Music Reviews II: April 24 - 30 Haven't heard of Mike Keneally? Well, Fripp, Satriani, Tull, XTC, the late Zappa, and God only knows how many other top dawgz consider him one of the best axe-slingers around. His new live CD shows why. By Ron Fullwood The US Doesn't Give A Damn About A UN Resolution The Bush regime ignored the UN in their rush to invade and occupy Iraq. This same Bush regime now wants the UN's blessing on their new imperialism toward Iran. By Gene C. Gerard The Decider Nominates Chief Polluter For The EPA President Bush has nominated William Wehrum to serve as Assistant Administrator for the office of air quality at the EPA. Mr. Wehrum has consistently worked to weaken the nation's air pollution laws and regulations. And his actions have resulted in a revolt within the EPA and serious criticism by the federal courts. By Steven Leser Bush Impeachment First Follow Up - People Go Rushing For A Copy Of Jefferson's Manual This action by the Illinois legislature and now that of California and Vermont caught a lot of people off guard. How can a state legislature do this? It seems so out of line to most people. But to Thomas Jefferson and the framers, it was right in line with their way of thinking about the power of a state legislature. By Ryan Rockefeller Pop-Culture Has Killed Love trials and tribulations of on-line match finding By Jane Stillwater Home Invasion: Why Haven't Cops Taken The White House Back Yet? There used to be a punk in our neighborhood who made his living doing " home invasions " -- but the cops soon put a stop to that. Our White House has been illegally invaded. There is a " home invasion " now going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Why aren't the cops doing something about that too? Where are the bullhorns and SWAT teams when we really need them? I want to know. By Allen L Roland BUSH / ' BORN ON THIRD AND THINKS HE HIT A TRIPLE ' To fully understand George W Bush ~ you must listen to fellow Texan and columnist Molly Ivins who interprets why George Bush " is genuinely disconnected from the impact of his decisions on people . " By JERRY TENUTO SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! SHAKE YER WEST WING! Herr Karl Rove has been the man behind the curtain in the merry old land where George W. Bush's brain has been in storage for the past 30 years. The deception of a well-publicized West Wing game of musical offices can't alter the fact that " Turd Blossom " is still pushing the buttons, only now from a supersecret location. By Ron Cebik Defining Incompetence What if the assumptions being made about the goals of the Iraq war are erroneous? By Kim Gandy, N.O.W. President Marching For Peace, Working For Peace Around the world, women are the peacemakers in every culture, perhaps because we are thinking about the future of our children -- and the future of other women's children. We're not the ones who solve our disputes, be they small or large, with fists and guns. By Missy Comley Beattie Vote Against War, Vote Against Lies By True Majority Listen To Neil Young's " Living With War " While you're listening, get behind a new Senate amendment to get our troops out of Iraq by New Year's Day. Sen. Feingold's amendment says that Congress will only hand over the latest $68 billion that President Bush wants for the Iraq War if his administration gets the troops out by Dec. 31st, 2006. It would support the troops, but not the unending war. (Music + Protest: a winning combo from the past.) By David Swanson Mission Accomplished, May 1, Three Years On May 1 marks three years since George W. Bush staged his " Mission Accomplished " aircraft landing in San Diego Harbor and " delivered good news to the men and women who fought in the cause of freedom: their mission is complete and major combat operations in Iraq have ended. " By True Majority 10 Principles TrueMajority was founded by Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerry's. It is a grassroots education and advocacy project of Priorities, Inc. The central objective is to increase America's investment in programs that benefit our children by cutting Cold War weapons systems and shifting the savings. That's just 15% of the Pentagon budget but would make $60 billion available every year to meet children's basic needs. By Bob Burnett George Bush And The Cat In The Hat By Cory Richardson, Action Hero Network Looking Toward The Future - Remembering History Today, a rag-tag band toil(s) day after day without pay, risking their lives waging war against invisible invaders such as toxic pollutants and mold. We continue because each time we sit down to share a meal with a resident, they never fail to say " thank you. " It feels great, like we are really doing something...There we are really in the action. By The WE Project Action Alert: Save The Largest Community Garden In The US! The 14-acre South Central Farm, located at 41st and Alameda Streets in South Los Angeles, is thought to be the largest community garden in the United States. After a contentious three-year land-use battle that made news around the world, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) has secured an opportunity to save the Farm. By Mark Lloyd John McCain And Ms. Whiplash - Together At Last? By Mark S. Tucker American Rhetoric 101A - Part 15: Rhetoric On A Local Level Don Knabe is a good...public?...servant. At the very least, he affords a chance to review an example of demagogic Los Angeles rhetoric. However, what his newsletter, dissected here, actually most suggests is that he needs to hire new flak artists. By Mick Youther The Next Unnecessary War The question is not whether we should attack Iran or not. The question is how can we stop the Bush Administration before it starts its third war in 4 years. It will not be easy. George W. Bush has made it clear that he considers himself to be above the law and answerable to no one. Tell Congress to let Mr. Bush know that his war-starting days are over. By Jane Stillwater American Inventor: I've Invented Yet Another Way To Save Americans From GWB With the Federal Reserve churning out dollars like they were Kleenex and GWB stealing dollars from us like he was Al Capone, its time for Americans to protect THEMSELVES any way they can from coming economic disasters. I suggest that we start buying euros. And we should also pick up Canadian dollars while we're up in Canada buying our prescription drugs! By Stephen Dinan The Next Blueprint We're nearing the time when a new blueprint for America is required. By JGideon 'Daily Voting News' For April 28, 2006 a run-down of the days elections/voting news from across the country and overseas. By Mike Whitney Slaughterhouse Who's behind the violence in Iraq? Is it sectarian warfare as we've been told or is Washington conducting a massive " dirty war " like earlier counterinsurgency campaigns in El Salvador and Nicaragua? The media calls it civil war, but can we believe them? By Robert Jensen Why Leftists Mistrust Liberals It's time to highlight distinctions between liberals and leftists. By John McDonald Bush Republicans Covered In Oil Republican majority and the Bush energy plan are bought and paid for by the Oil and Gas industry. By SDrobny Drobnys Nova M Radio Starts Broadcasting Air America In Little Rock By Allen L Roland IT'S SPRING / IMPEACHMENT IS IN THE AIR Impeachment resolutions are spreading across the nation, state by state ~ and gathering momentum. Bush, like all despots, will eventually realize that the people, not himself, are the ultimate deciders By FreePress.org The Fight For Internet Freedom Has Begun We have ignited a prairie fire of protest. In less than one week, our SavetheInternet.com Coalition has lit up the phones in Congress. We've rallied more than 600 blogs to write about this issue. We've formed a diverse, bipartisan coalition of more than 75 organizations banding together to fight for a free and open Internet. Congress needs to hear from us right away. Please sign our letter to Congress. By Simon Wiesenthal Center On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Bar Iran's President From Attending World Cup In Germany By JGideon 'Daily Voting News' For April 27, 2006 a run-down of the days elections/voting news from across the country and overseas. By Ilene Proctor Election Protection Advocates Plan Mock Arrest Of CA Secretary Of State, Bruce McPherson, Friday April 28th, Sacramento McPherson's critics will protest his decision to re-certify provable hackable Diebold touch screen machines and certify ES & S Inkavote Enhancement for sale in LA County despite incomplete HAVA disability access and ES & S high failure rate with security and service in other states. By Melinda Pillsbury-Foster John Fund Vs The Truth: How Liberty Lost Sometimes the secrets that make things fall into place come from people who do not realise just how much they are revealing. This is one of those times. By Richard Mathis How Come They Don't Fight Holy Wars With Prayers? Zealots believe that they need to go ahead and do what God would do if only God knew the facts as the fanatics did and God had as much time on his hands as they do. Best News Links from the Web Fitzgerald To Seek Indictment Of Rove Despite vehement denials by his attorney, who said this week that Karl Rove is neither a " target " nor in danger of being indicted in the CIA leak case, the special counsel leading the investigation has already written up charges against Rove, and a grand jury is expected to vote on whether to indict the Deputy White House Chief of Staff sometime next week, sources knowledgeable about the probe said Friday afternoon. CBS2Chicago: Cook County Board Wants Election Problems Fixed On the voting problems in Cook County's March primaries. They concentrate on human error, but at least the subject is getting some coverage. The Other Duke Sex Scandal My intuition tells me that the majority of those netted in this investigation will be the `holier-than-thou' types who rail the loudest against so-called morally incredulous democrats. History contains a long list of religious elitists who castigate and judge others for their immorality. During the 1980's, Attorney General and Christian Edwin Meese and S & L mogul and strict Catholic Charlie Keating sat on the President's Commission on Pornography, issuing reports on the horrible effects the art has on young people. At the same time, Meese was helping President Ronald Reagan with the Iran Contra arms for hostages deal, and Keating was cheating little old ladies out of their savings by selling worthless shares of stock in his Continental Corporation. Conservative, religious Republicans love to sit in judgment and call other people's actions immoral while they conveniently sidestep their own. The FBI investigations into this scandal will be a few of the final nails in t! he coffin of the conservative revolution. Even their most ardent believers will catch on that the high falutin' moral rhetoric was as empty as the calories in a can of Lite Beer, and ultimately about as satisfying. W: Foreign Policy From God, Energy Policy From Big Oil It's not a coincidence that the oil and gas industries donated over $25 million to Congressional campaigns in 2004 (with 80% of that money going into Republican coffers), and another $7.2 million so far in the 2006 cycle (with 84% going to the GOP). They also doled out over $4.5 million to Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential runs. And what did they get for their largess? According to Public Citizen, the top five oil companies have pocketed over a quarter of trillion (that's with a " T " ) in profits since Bush took office. Talk about a return on investment. That's a gusher! " Boycott Da Vinci Code Film " : Top Vatican Official - The Vatican stepped up its offensive against " The Da Vinci Code " on Friday when a top official close to Pope Benedict blasted the book as full of anti-Christian lies and urged Catholics to boycott the film. The Man Who Plans To Turn The World Green – With Tea Look at Coke & Pepsi, Japan's After Your Market with Bottled Green Tea BREAST CANCER: Herceptin Awaits Licence In EU HERCEPTIN, the breast cancer drug that has triggered a series of rows over health rationing in the NHS, has been cleared for use by the European drug licensing body. After a review of the trial evidence — that took only ten weeks — a European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) committee has approved the drug for early-stage breast cancer. It was already licensed for patients at a later stage of the disease, when the cancer has spread. New Bolivian Prez: Catholic Church Key To Transform Nation Bolivia's first indigenous president said the church plays a critical role in supporting the revolutionary changes he seeks for South America's poorest country. No Way To Treat The Dead Or The Living - Mike Carlton The Aussie sounds off about the loss of Pvt. Kovco by American contractor in Death Services, SCI. One of GW Bush's first, big scandal in 1999 in the run-up to his theft of the 2000 election. The guy who fixed it... " Harry Whittington, the Texas lawyer shot by Deadeye Dick Cheney on that famous hunting trip in February. " [This story is a must read for those who have forgotten just how long we've been living the stench of GW's scandals...and these are only the ones we know about! Senate Hearings On Bush, Now - Carl Bernstein " We have never had a presidency in which the single unifying thread that flows through its major decision-making was incompetence stitched together with hubris and mendacity on a Nixonian scale. " " Tide Turns On Dubya's Wreck " -- This Aussie Gets It Right SYDNEY, NSW, is a long way from Washington DC but, even at this distance, it is clear that the Bush Administration is falling to pieces. In recent weeks, scanning the political coverage in the mainstream US media and sampling the blogs has been to watch a flood tide ebbing to reveal a rotting, skeletal hulk. It is the George W. Bush ship of fools, stuck in the mud for the world to see in all its mendacity, its incompetence, its faith-based stupidity. US War Costs 'could Hit $811bn' According to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service, the combined costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan this year will hit $117.9 billion - about $9.8 billion a month - $2.45 billion per week. The American consumer is swimming in debt. The cost of war combined with record trade deficits of $800 billion have created a US Federal Debt of approximately $9 trillion. Adding consumer debt, the total debt in the United States has now grown to $46 trillion. [How long are China and Japan going to float our spending spree? The party is over...] Congress May Consider Mandatory ISP Snooping It didn't take long for the idea of forcing Internet providers to retain records of their users' activities to gain traction in the U.S. Congress. [From a DEMOCRATIC Congresswoman no less!!] Thousands In NYC March Against Iraq War - April Deadly Month For Troops A day after the military announced that April was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq this year, thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched Saturday through lower Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of troops. Attorney General Gonzales Defends Iraq War To 6th Graders Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced some tough questions from a couple of 12-year-olds the other day during a sixth grade class tour of the FBI command center, according to an article in Saturday's Washington Post. [Then the AG CHICKENHAWK! had reporters removed so chat with kids privately Security Council Poised For Iran Replay The U.N. Security Council headed for a replay of its divisive debate over Iran's nuclear ambitions, with the United States, Britain and France at odds again with China and Russia. But this time the stakes are higher. CIVIL WAR IRAQ: Violence Displaces Thousands In Iraq Sectarian violence has forced about 100,000 families across Iraq to flee their homes, a top Iraqi official said, and 16 Iraqis were killed Saturday, six of them tortured in captivity. Ferment Over 'The Israel Lobby' Philip Weiss ventures into the firestorm around John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's controversial paper, and the authors respond to their critics. Help Wanted: GOP Managers It appears that the Republicans when in power have no good managers. In an economy of superstars who make millions, the GOP can't afford to hire them, especially the ones who are indifferent to public service and gravitate to the Republicans in the first place--or to no party at all. Should Security Firms Be Allowed Into Darfur To Redeem Their Bad Reputations From Iraq? Khartoum gives the UN the cold shoulder, NATO wants no part of Darfur, and African Union troops are stretched thin. Meanwhile, the head of Blackwater says, in effect, " Let us at the Janjaweed. " Judge Defends Decision To Jail Miller Miller wasn't an innocent bystander, Judge Hogan, a Reagan appointee said. " She was an actor in the commission of a crime, " he said. US Wants UN Action On Iran Western powers want to introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution next week that would demand Tehran curb its nuclear ambitions, despite China's objections, U.S. and British diplomats said on Friday. US Drivers Fume As Gasoline Soars, Pumps Run Short American motorists are feeling the pinch from skyrocketing pump prices, with some turning to buses and bicycles to avoid sticker shock and scattered shortages on the East Coast and in Texas. The cost of a gallon of gasoline has jumped about 16 percent in a month to $2.93 on average, and has blown past $3 a gallon in many major cities, according to AAA's daily survey of more than 85,000 stations. Mexico Proposes Decriminalizing Pot And Cocaine Owning marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if the drugs are carried in small amounts for personal use, under legislation passed by the Congress. Police will not penalize people for possessing up to 5 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin or 500 milligrams of cocaine, under a bill passed by senators late on Thursday and earlier approved by the lower house. People caught with larger quantities of drugs will be treated as narcotics dealers and face increased jail terms under the plan. 10 States Suing EPA Over Greenhouse Gases California and nine other states sued the Bush administration Thursday to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, which they said could dramatically reduce global warming. Specter Threatens To Cut Off Bush Wiretap Funds In a warning to the White House, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he planned to introduce legislation that would cut off funds for the surveillance program, which he described as a threat to civil liberties and a violation of domestic espionage laws. Danish Reporters Charged For Iraq Reports In February and March 2004, Bjerre and Larsen wrote a series of articles based on leaked reports from the Danish Defense Intelligence Service. The reports said there was no evidence Iraq had weapons of mass destruction during Saddam Hussein's rule _ one of the main reasons given by the Bush administration for the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. [Truth-telling punished everywhere with BushCo. at the helm. Democracy 2.0 As of this morning , more than 1,500 blogs have taken up a new cause, posting links toSavetheInternet.com and urging their readers to call on members of Congress to stand firm in defense of Internet freedom. And, for the first time in blogger history, the Hill is hearing it. The cyberstorm is over " Net Neutrality, " the principle that prevents large telephone and cable companies from controlling what we do, where we go and what we watch online. Raid Rumors Spark Fear Among Immigrants Rumors of immigration roundups have prompted thousands of illegal immigrants to stay home this week and are making some afraid to participate in a national immigration protest planned for Monday. DNC: Cincinnati Gets Snow In April As Ohio Gives Bush Cold Shoulder On the heels of a Cleveland Plain Dealer poll showing that President Bush's approval rating in Ohio has dipped to new lows, the Bush Administration sent Treasury Secretary John Snow to Cincinnati for a photo-op aimed at touting the President's failed economic agenda. Sadly, the rosy picture Snow painted stands in stark contrast to the economic realities confronting working families in the Buckeye State and across America. Ohio voters know that Bush and Bush Republicans in Congress have failed to provide middle class tax relief, failed to reduce the cost of health care, and failed to help working families address skyrocketing energy costs. This explains why the President's approval rating has plummeted to a paltry 33 percent in Ohio. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/28/06) April Deadliest This Year For GIs In Iraq The latest American death, which occurred Thursday evening, brought the number of U.S. troops who have died this month in Iraq to at least 69. Dana Priest Responds To Criticism Of Secret Prisons Story Ever since she earned a widely-expected Pulitzer Prize earlier this month for her Washington Post exclusive on CIA " secret prisons " in Europe, Dana Priest has been attacked by conservative commentators for supposedly turning classified information into a vehicle for undermining the war on terror. Jim Lobe: After Abu Ghraib, Impunity A new report, " By the Numbers: Findings of the Detainee Abuse and Accountability Project " details the widespread nature of detainee abuse and the severely limited response. Big-mouth Bush Told Clinton How To Handle OPEC In a feeble attempt to appease the public this week, Bush said he will temporarily divert oil used to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the market to drive prices down. Apparently acknowledging the act as a do-nothing remedy, Bush made the comment, " Every little bit counts. " I doubt that many people appreciated a snide remark like this coming from a guy who has never had to balance a checkbook, never had to worry about paying a heating bill or filling up the gas tank, but who now, through some perverse twist of fate, maintains a stranglehold on the nation's purse strings. Debt Is Cheating Our Children's Future The more we spend on entitlements and debt service, the less there is to spend on investments in the future. When people talk of cutting nondefense " discretionary spending " — i.e., everything that government does other than support the big entitlement programs and defense — they're talking about less than one-fifth of the federal budget. Yet, it is these investments — not just in scientific research, transportation and other infrastructure or environmental protection, but also in children themselves — that are increasingly shortchanged. The 77 million 0-to-18-year-old Americans are our future. If we don't invest in their education, health and general well-being, we might as well say that we don't care about their future or the future of the United States. Without the best education, health and other opportunities — which our society is more than wealthy enough to provide — America may well fall behind in global competitiveness. Greed Thrives In Our Health Care System The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page story last week with the headline that said it all: " As Patients, Doctors Feel Pinch, Insurer's CEO Makes a Billion. " The story, datelined Minnetonka, Minn., was about William McGuire, a doctor who stopped practicing in 1986 to take a management job with UnitedHealth Group Inc., one of the largest HMOs in the country. He's now the chief executive officer of the corporation, makes $8 million a year in salary plus bonus, has personal use of the company's private jet and has amassed what the Journal describes as " one of the largest stock options fortunes of all time. " According to the newspaper, those options total $1.6 billion. U.S.: FBI Sought Info Without Court OK The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday. It was the first time the Bush administration has publicly disclosed how often it uses the administrative subpoena known as a national security letter, which allows the executive branch of government to obtain records about people in terrorism and espionage investigations without court approval. Five Killed In Mine Blasts As Sri Lanka Edges Closer To War · Diplomats warn country near point of no return · Attacks are 'attempted genocide,' say Tamils Hijacking The Internet: How Big Cable And Phone Companies' Plans For Broadband Threaten Democracy The nation's largest telephone and cable companies have a vision for the Internet's future. Verizon, AT & T (formerly SBC), Comcast, and Bell South want to create a privately run and branded " pay-as-you-go " Internet, making everything we do online a " billable, " revenue-generating service. Our every cyberspace move will be tracked and stored so we can be better marketed to (a data collection system that might even rival the NSA's!). Those with the deepest pockets--think corporate special interest groups and major advertisers--will get preferred treatment. Their content will show up (and be processed) the fastest on our computer and television screens. Content seen as undesirable, such as peer-to-peer communications, may be relegated to a slow lane or simply shut out, say " white papers " and other documents given to the cable and phone industry. Public Pressure Mounts On U.S. To Act On Darfur Public pressure is growing on the Bush administration to work harder to stop atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region, even as options narrow over how to tackle what the United States labels genocide. Action Alert: Fight For Your Internet * Free Press just opened up the new site for this fight. Go to www.savetheinternet.com and send a message through their website. * Go to www.commoncause.org and send a message through their website. * Go to the Center for Digital Democracy, which has collected a bunch more sites and action items. Here's the list of members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. If any of them represent you, contact them directly. And contact your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor the Wyden bill. Don't wait until the last minute. By the time the bill comes up for an official vote, the enemies of participatory democracy will have been twisting arms for months, and the real crown jewel of 21st century politics will have been long since auctioned off. If we lose this fight, or we may be reduced to typewriters and mimeo machines for the next one. U.S. Army Colonel Charged In Abu Ghraib Scandal The U.S. Army on Friday charged Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, who headed the interrogation center at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail, with maltreatment of detainees, interfering with investigators and other counts, making him the highest-ranking person charged in the scandal. New Tape: Al Qaeda's Zawahri Says U.S. Hit Hard In Iraq Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri said Iraqi insurgents had " broken America's back " in three years of war in Iraq, according to a video posted on the Internet early on Saturday. " America, Britain and their allies have achieved nothing but losses, disasters and misfortunes " Insurgent Attacks In Iraq's Baquba Kill 30 Thirty people were killed, including seven Iraqi soldiers, when more than 100 rebels attacked Iraqi police and army posts in Baquba on Thursday Israel Raises Profile In Iran Fray Israeli satellite will monitor Iran's nuclear program, which faces a UN deadline Friday. Cramdown, Stripdown, Lockdown Democracy In The USA What is this secrecy in vote counting, really? To have the votes counted in secret by your political enemy is the picture of tyranny. To have the votes counted in secret by your political friend is the picture of corruption. To even desire such an unaccountable power is itself corrupt. So how is HAVA cramming this down the throat of American democracy? CA Democrat Rep. Harman Faces Progressive Challenger In Primary Powerful California Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA-36th) is facing a rare and surprisingly successful primary challenge. The Democratic powerhouse, California Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA-36th), is set to face off this term with Marcy Winograd, a teacher, newscaster, peace activist and outspoken advocate for election reform. No Decision On Rove For At Least A Week; 'Did Rove Coordinate Testimony With Libby?' Rove's lawyers have been told no decision will be made for at least another week on whether Rove will face indictment over potential perjury. Political Cartoonists Look At Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary Stolen Body Parts Linked To Patients' Illnesses Lawsuits claim tissue transplants were infected with viruses, other germs -- At least a dozen people who had routine operations claim they caught deadly viruses and other germs from body parts stolen from corpses in a ghoulish scandal that has sent hundreds of people for tests. The patients tested positive for germs that cause AIDS, hepatitis or syphilis after receiving tissue transplants, according to their lawyers and court records. Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Prescription Drug Charges - Out On Bail Black said his client and authorities reached a settlement on a single count charge of doctor shopping filed Friday by the State Attorney will be dismissed in 18 months. [big mouth creep gets off - if he were a black man, he'd be locked up!] Action Alert: Join Virtual March To End Genocide In Darfur The ongoing genocide in Darfur has already claimed over 400,000 lives. On Sunday, tens of thousands of concerned Americans will gather at the Save Darfur rally in Washington DC to demand that Congress and President Bush call for a real United Nations peacekeeping force to protect civilians and stop the genocide -- now. Congress Members Arrested At Darfur Protest Five Congress members were willingly arrested and led away from the Sudanese Embassy in plastic handcuffs Friday in protest of the Sudanese government's role in atrocities in the Darfur region Bush Rejects Tax On Oil Companies' Profits Washington - President Bush on Friday rejected calls by some lawmakers for a tax on oil company windfall profits, saying the industry should reinvest its recent gains into finding and producing more energy. " The temptation in Washington is to tax everything, " Bush said in an exchange with reporters in the White House Rose Garden. " The answer is for there to be strong reinvestment to make this country more secure from an energy perspective. " BREAKING: Radio Host Rush Limbaugh Arrested On Prescription Fraud Charges Details to follow... The Ugly Truth: Shortchanging The Wounded In World War II, 12 million Americans fought on behalf of a nation of 130 million. Twenty-five percent of American men served in that war. They came back heroes to a country more than willing to give them the latest medical care, compensate them for their wounds, send them to college, and help them buy homes. Fifty years later in Iraq - an unpopular war - only 1.3 million are fighting for a nation of 300 million. " Never have so few sacrificed so much for so many, " one Desert Storm veteran said recently. Iraq may be the wrong cause for sacrifice. But Vietnam veterans taught us that once war starts we must be willing to take care of everyone who gets hurt in it. Katrina Report Rips The White House Anew The bipartisan investigation into one of the worst natural disasters in the nation's history singled out President Bush and the White House as appearing indifferent to the devastation until two days after the storm hit. It said the Homeland Security Department either misunderstood federal disaster plans or refused to follow them. And it said New Orleans for years had neglected to prepare for large-scale emergencies. " The suffering that continued in the days and weeks after the storm passed did not happen in a vacuum; instead, it continued longer that it should have because of - and was in some cases exacerbated by - the failure of government at all levels to plan, prepare for and respond aggressively to the storm, " concluded the report. It was titled " Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared, " sober words for the future. RePUBlicans' Idea Of Fairness: $34 Billion For Exxon Mobil, $100 For Us With gas prices barreling their way past $3.00 per gallon in many parts of the country, Republicans seeking re-election this year are starting to see the handwriting on the wall, and are making desperate attempts to connect with voters on this issue. But as usual, they're offering nothing more than mere window dressing and lip service. Proposals were unveiled this week that would give all taxpayers a $100 rebate to compensate them for skyrocketing fuel costs. This was announced on the same day as Exxon Mobil's $8-billion quarterly profit news. I guess that's the GOP's idea of parity. Inflation Control And The US Federal Reserve With the United States heavily in debt and facing record-high deficits, the global economy has severe imbalances. The total debt in the United States has now grown to $46 trillion. The trade deficit now exceeds $800 billion, and the American consumer is swimming in debt. Similar imbalances can be seen throughout the 'developed' economies of the West. Therefore, bankers and governments who want to stay in power at all costs have decided to resort to accelerating the rate of monetary inflation. 'But why would they do that?' you may wonder. The answer can be summed up in the following words: Inflation makes debt less formidable and easier to handle. Your Internet: Where Does Your Elected Official Stand? Politicians get scared when they realize the public is paying attention. As the blogosphere catches fire, momentum is shifting in Washington. Whereas before the big telephone companies and their coin-operated lobbyists were confident that Congress would simply roll over and do their bidding, today no member of Congress can vote with the telecom cartel without expecting repercussions. The public is now watching and, with increasing frequency and volume, the message is getting through to Congress: we will not stand for any law that threatens Internet freedom. Unforeseen Spending On Materiel Pumps Up Iraq War Bill With the expected passage this spring of the largest emergency spending bill in history, annual war expenditures in Iraq will have nearly doubled since the U.S. invasion, as the military confronts the rapidly escalating cost of repairing, rebuilding and replacing equipment chewed up by three years of combat. Pentagon Bills Injured Soldiers $1.2 Million After suffering paralysis, brain damage, lost limbs and other wounds in war, nearly 900 soldiers have been saddled with $1.2 million in government debt because of the military's " complex, cumbersome " pay system, congressional investigators said Thursday. The report from the Government Accountability Office said another 400 who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had $300,000 in debt but that the Defense Department did not pursue reimbursement from the estates of those who were killed in combat. ES & S Meltdown Continues: Legal Actions Filed In IN & WVA The ES & S Meltdown around the country which The BRAD BLOG exclusively covered yesterday, as the Texas Sec. of State's office informed Election Officials to " create emergency paper ballots " , now continues to widen to other states around the country. It appears that a lot of the money that ES & S is raking in will be paid back out to attorneys who will have to go to court to try to defend the poor work of the company that counts (or is supposed to) more American votes than any other. US Imperialism Brings World To The Brink At the same time as the US attempts to limit global action to prevent harm to the environment and to cut international commitment to the reduction of poverty, the US Ambassador to the UN has objected to language which urges nations to observe a moratorium on nuclear testing and to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. While choking developing countries with economic pressure the US is simultaneously and aggressively building up its military forces and presence throughout the world. U.S. Prepares To Face U.N. On Torture As Amnesty Report Blasts 'war Crimes' The Amnesty report reviews several cases where U.S. detainees held in Afghanistan and Iraq have died as a result of torture. The group also lambasts U.S. use of electro-shock weapons, inhuman and degrading conditions of isolation in " super-max " security prisons and abuses against women in the prison system -- including sexual abuse by male guards, shackling while pregnant and even in labor. This is NOT the American way! Bush Wants The Oil Companies To Continue To Rip You Off Bush on Friday rejected calls by some lawmakers for a tax on oil company windfall profits, saying the industry should reinvest its recent gains into finding and producing more energy. Bush Approves Takeover Of Military Plants By Dubai President Bush on Friday approved a deal for a Dubai-owned company to take control of some U.S. plants that manufacture parts for American military contractors. Initial reactions from Congress indicated that there would not be the opposition to the deal that prevented another Dubai-based company from taking over operations of several U.S. ports. Alec Baldwin: Everything We Stand For Is Under Assault In This Country... ....and not from some outside force. Our rights, liberties and economic security are threatened by the Republican party as it operates today. I used to believe that McCain had some hope. No more. He has signed on for the full GOP program. Distort. Cover up. Make excuses. No plan for change. No hope for an end to the disarray, futility and loss of lives, both American and Iraqi, under current US foreign policy. G.O.P. Senators Hurry To Quell Furor Over Gas - Talk Of Opening Arctic National Wildlife Refuge To Oil Drilling Senate Republicans tried on Thursday to get the upper hand in the escalating political battle over high gasoline prices by proposing a $100 rebate for taxpayers and by suggesting that they might increase taxes on oil-industry profits. Nuclear Agency Says Iran Defying U.N. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday that Iran has defied a U.N. Security Council call for a freeze on enriching uranium and its lack of cooperation with nuclear inspectors was a " matter of concern. " U.N. Cuts Sudan Food Aid Due To Lack Of Funds The United Nations said on Friday it would cut food rations for more than 6 million people in Sudan, half of them in Darfur, due to a severe lack of funds. Wild Cards Should worse come to worse, the shots will be called, not by experienced strategists, but by Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld " loyalists, " specialists in ignoring reality – the same breed of ideological fanatics who've blundered into the tragic quagmire that is today's Iraq. Of course, the authority to give orders does not translate into power unless those orders are obeyed. In a doomsday situation, pragmatic officers might refuse crazy orders. This is perhaps the reason that the Air Force – the armed service that can do the most damage with the fewest personnel – is being systematically staffed with evangelical Christians. Let's Get It Right In November Enjoy this faux photo of " King " George and read the next article, " Impeaching Bush, State by State. " A twofer (two for the price of one) for your reading pleasure. Redefining The Environmental Debate By Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In a true free-market economy you can't make yourself rich without enriching your neighbors and your community. A true free-market properly values natural resources and promotes efficiency and the elimination of waste. Waste is pollution. So the free market eliminates pollution. But polluters subvert the discipline of the free market. Corporations are externalizing machines - ever seeking ways of foisting their costs on the public, and pollution is perhaps the most common method for loading production costs onto the rest of us. You show me a polluter, I'll show you a subsidy-a fat cat using political clout to escape the discipline of the free market. All our federal environmental laws were intended to promote free market capitalism by forcing actors in the marketplace to pay the true costs of bringing their products to market. The Waterkeepers enforce these laws. We go into the marketplace, and catch cheaters. " We are going to force you, " we tell them, " to interna! lize your costs the same way you are internalizing your profit. " I don't even consider myself an environmentalist anymore. I'm a free-marketeer. So long as the polluters are cheating, none of us will get the benefits of the efficiency, prosperity and democracy that the free market promises America. Taking The President To Court By Congressman John Conyers I am going to court. With many of my Democratic Colleagues (list appended at the bottom of this diary), I plan to file suit tomorrow in federal district court in Detroit against the President, members of the Cabinet and other federal officers seeking to have a simple truth confirmed: a bill not passed by the House and Senate is not a law, even if the President signs it. As such, the Budget bill cannot be treated as the law of the land. As many of you know, I have become increasingly alarmed at the erosion of our constitutional form of government. Whether through the Patriot Act, the President's Secret Domestic Spying program, or election irregularities and disenfranchisement, our fundamental freedoms are being taken away. Nothing to me is more stark than this, however. If a President does not need one House of Congress to pass a law, what's next? A Grassroots " Velvet Revolution " Underway In America An insurrection against the Bush regime is underway right now in America. It may turn out to be nothing less than a " velvet revolution " that brings down Bush's lawless regime. The best part is that it's entirely non-violent and legal; there is absolutely nothing George W. Bush can do about it —except throw one of his well-known temper tantrums. It's an impeachment juggernaut that will peak as Bush's support continues to wither away. Polls Low, Bush Makes Himself Over As The Next John Kennedy George Bush thought the Iraq War was his ticket to immortality. While vision was just a " thing " to his father, to him it's a quest. But, also the practical businessman, he knows he took a bath on Iraq. Always alert to a new opportunity, he and his administration have found yet another product to foist off on us. In other words, Bush hopes Iran will be his administration's gusher. Dear John (Kerry): We Won't Take You Back By Ellen Goodman John Kerry is a good, honorable, thoughtful man. And a lousy presidential candidate. He couldn't do " ideas " the first time. He wouldn't do them the second time. It's just not in him. Watching his warm-up, I'm reminded of a parking place in my neighborhood. It looks open and tempting. But over it is a sign that warns: Don't Park Here. Don't Even Think About It. John, please. Don't even think about it. Rove's Status As " official A " Spells Indictment It's beginning to look a lot like Fitzmas, as they say in Democratic circles. It's likely the former top policy advisor for President Bush will soon come under federal indictment for his role in the CIA leak case. In the Fall '05 indictment of VP Dick Cheney's former chief I. Lewis " Scooter " Libby, Rove is repeatedly referred to as " Official A. " According to legal experts, individuals given that status typically get indicted. More significant, of all the cases prosecuted by independent counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who's leading the investigation, every single " Official A " was indicted. Not a good sign for Turd Blossom. Pizzo's Simple Solutions To Complicated Problems: Campaign Finance Reform Made Easy Maybe you forgot about campaign finance and lobbying reform. The folks on The Hill certainly hope you have. Listening to the occasional talk out Congress about how they are going to finally reform how they finance their campaigns reminds me of a bunch of inebriated bar-flies pledging to kick the juice – someday. Not today, because well... you know. But someday. Forget about it. It's never going to happen. So I have a solution. Politicians should be treated like NASCSAR drivers. I call my idea the NASCONG reform. It's simple, cheap as hell and could be implemented today. Irish Times: Renewed Pressure To Abandon Electronic Voting Many TDs believe that the 7,000 voting machines which are in storage around the country at an annual cost of €700,000 will never be used. They believe the machines will be out of date in terms of design and technology before any opportunity arises to use them. Vote Of Confidence? Firm Has Low Profile Behind closed doors, company officials are battling to keep their suddenly sullied reputation from destroying consumer confidence in the voting machines they've sold for more than 20 years. The issue involves officials' failure to secure state certification for software – installed in MicroVote Infinity machines sold in 47 Indiana counties – comfortably before Tuesday's primary election. TX County May Have To Use Hand Counted Paper Ballots Bexar County's electronic voting machines — for which it paid $8 million — will be unplugged when early voting starts Monday in local elections because the equipment supplier failed to deliver the necessary software, according to county officials. The county Elections Department instead will use emergency paper ballots and may have to do so again on election day, May 13. EXCLUSIVE - ES & S MELTDOWN: Texas SoS Office Advises Election Officials To Create 'Emergency Paper Ballots' For Upcoming Our breaking report this morning documents similar meltdowns and failures in Ohio, Indiana, West Virgina, California and more as ES & S failure to meet contractual obligations has left voters in the dark, and Election Officials scrambling for back up solutions. And that's just the jurisdictions dealing with ES & S as the other vendors are all have similar problems to disastrous effect... BREAKING: HOUSE REPS SUE BUSH FOR SIGNING LAW THAT NEVER PASSED HOUSE! " Once again the Administration is playing fast and loose with the Constitution, " Conyers says in a Press Release (posted in full at the end of this article). " Anyone who has passed the sixth grade knows that before a bill can become a law, both Houses of Congress must approve it. That the Bush Administration is now saying otherwise underscores the Constitutional crisis we are facing in this country. " GOP Gets Its Way On Net Neutrality House Commerce Committee Republicans defeated an effort by Democrats today to strengthen network neutrality provisions in the panel's telecom reform bill. With four Democrats breaking ranks and joining the Republicans, the panel voted 34-22 to turn back an amendment by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) that would prohibit broadband providers from charging content and service providers different rates based on bandwidth consumption. [Dems...their backbone ain't got no bone.] Mine Survivor Says Air Packs Didn't Work Trapped deep below ground by poisonous gases, the Sago miners realized at least four of their air packs did not work, and they were forced to share the devices as they desperately pounded away with a sledgehammer in hopes of getting rescuers' attention, the sole survivor says. 10 States Sue EPA Over Global Warming New York, California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The states, led by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, want the government to require tighter pollution controls on the newest generation of power plants. Congressmen Sue To Block Implementation Of Law That Didn't Pass House In February, the President signed a version of the " Deficit Reduction Act " that never passed the House. The draft signed by Bush omitted provisions from the version that passed the House that required the government pay for 36 months of durable medical equipment rentals for those who qualified. The version Bush signed allows just 13 months--a difference of 23 months rental and $2 billion in spending. According to the Constitution of the United States, the same version of a bill must pass both houses of Congress before it can be signed by the President to become law. [but we now know Bush has stated that the Constitution is just a " goddamned piece of paper " ...] Senator Bolts From Chamber After Shouting, 'I Just Violated The Rules' Domenici had interrupted Wyden's introduction of an amendment under the pretense that he was attempting to ask a question. Rather, he blasted the Senator's plan, after doing so announcing, " I just violated the rules! I didn't ask a question, I gave a speech. I hope you listened. " Wyden had been on the Senate floor for nearly five hours. Under Senate rules, a lawmaker can push a vote on his or her amendment so long as they can stand on the floor. [The rattlesnakes are starting to commit suicide...] Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Rebuffs Attempts To Interview Rice, Tenet, Powell Aides, Etc. In Pre-war Iraq Pr Rockefeller expressed his desire to interview roughly twenty Administration officials in a private letter to Sen. Roberts in January, though the names of the officials cited in the letter were not made public until today. In addition to Rice and Tenet, Rockefeller sought access to Lawrence Wilkerson, formerly Powell's chief of staff, and Richard Armitage, formerly Deputy Secretary of State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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