Iraq Timeline
Cagle Cartoons, 2006
Mike Keefe, The Denver Post
Source: Iraq Timeline
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
The Thirteenth Tipping Point
IN 2004, JOHN SCHELLNHUBER, distinguished science adviser at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the United Kingdom, identified 12 global-warming tipping points, any one of which, if triggered, will likely initiate sudden, catastrophic changes across the planet. Odds are you've never heard of most of these tipping points, even though your entire genetic legacy—your children, your grandchildren, and beyond—may survive or not depending on their status.
Why is this? Is it likely that 12 asteroids on known collision courses with earth would garner such meager attention? Remarkably, we appear to be doing what even the simplest of corals does not: haphazardly tossing our metaphorical spawn into a ruthless current and hoping for a fertile future. We do this when we refuse to address global environmental issues with urgency; when we resist partnering for solutions; and when we continue with accelerating momentum, and with what amounts to malice aforethought, to behave in ways that threaten our future.
A 2005 study by Anthony Leiserowitz, published in Risk Analysis, found that while most Americans are moderately concerned about global warming, the majority—68 percent—believe the greatest threats are to people far away or to nonhuman nature. Only 13 percent perceive any real risk to themselves, their families, or their communities. As Leiserowitz points out, this perception is critical, since Americans constitute only 5 percent of the global population yet produce nearly 25 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions. As long as this dangerous and delusional misconception prevails, the chances of preventing Schellnhuber's 12 points from tipping are virtually nil.
So what will it take to trigger what we might call the 13th tipping point: the shift in human perception from personal denial to personal responsibility? Without a 13th tipping point, we can't hope to avoid global mayhem. With it, we can attempt to put into action what we profess: that we actually care about our children's and grandchildren's futures.
Science shows that we are born with powerful tools for overcoming our perilous complacency. We have the genetic smarts and the cultural smarts. We have the technological know-how. We even have the inclination. The truth is we can change with breathtaking speed, sculpting even "immutable" human nature. Forty years ago many people believed human nature required blacks and whites to live in segregation; 30 years ago human nature divided men and women into separate economies; 20 years ago human nature prevented us from defusing a global nuclear standoff. Nowadays we blame human nature for the insolvable hazards of global warming.
The 18th-century taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus named us Homo sapiens, from the Latin sapiens, meaning "prudent, wise." History shows we are not born with wisdom. We evolve into it.
Source: The Thirteenth Tipping Point
Deval Patrick & Tim Murray Coming to Pittsfield MA on November 1! Please come one come all!
The Together We Can Tour with Deval Patrick and Tim Murray is coming to Pittsfield, Massachusetts! Deval Patrick will be in our area on Wednesday, November 1. This is a great opportunity to hear him speak, ask him questions, and introduce him to your friends, family and neighbors.
Pittsfield Regional Community Meeting with Deval Patrick
Wednesday, November 1st, 12:00 - 1:00 PM (Doors Open at 11:30 AM)
Pittsfield High School , 300 Broad Street , Pittsfield
Also,
Don't Forget to Vote
November 9, 2006!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Lie By Lie
How the War Was Lost in 100 Days
Lie by Lie: The Mother Jones Iraq War Timeline (8/1/90 - 6/21/03)
In this timeline, we've assembled the history of the Iraq War to create a resource we hope will help resolve open questions of the Bush era. What did our leaders know and when did they know it? And, perhaps just as important, what red flags did we miss, and how could we have missed them? This is the second installment of the timeline, with a focus on how the war was lost in the first 100 days.
Source: Lie By Lie
Quiz: What do Rolling Stone and Zbigniew Brzezinski have in common?
Answer: Their praise for Mother Jones’ Iraq War Timeline, “Lie by Lie” – the print and online tool that helps readers and journalists track the White House deceptions, falsehoods and blunders that led the United States into war in Iraq. I'm writing today to let you know that Mother Jones has just published the second installment of the Timeline -- “How to Lose a War in 100 Days." Check it out!
The first installment of the Timeline, was met with near-universal praise.
Rolling Stone says, “Mother Jones magazine has assembled a complete timeline of deceptions told by the White House and other neocons- download the interactive “Lie by Lie” guide!”
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor, wrote us to say thanks for “the very historically significant timeline regarding the Iraqi war.”
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. told us, "You have done a national service here."
The Huffington Post called it “an incredible resource.”
“How to Lose a War . . .” chronicles the chaos and incompetence that characterized the first weeks of the occupation, further jeopardizing chances for peace and stability in Iraq. It is a terrific sequel, foreshadowing so much of what we’re seeing play out in the news today.
No one else in the media has attempted this.
We need to raise a total of $55,000 to make the Timeline current, and we’ve received about a third of what we need.
That's why I’m asking you and other friends in our network to make a special gift to the Mother Jones Investigative Fund in support of this important project. Click here.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Candidates, parties target Web audience
OCT. 29 12:33 P.M. ET The number of people who go online for political news is rising, with more than one-third saying they check the Internet for such information.
This group is more likely to be younger, better educated and male than the population in general, an Associated Press-AOL News poll found.
While 35 percent say they check the Internet for political updates about campaigns and candidates, that number grows to 43 percent of likely voters -- and they tend to be more liberal than conservative.
Source: Candidates, parties target Web audience
Army monitors soldiers' blogs, Web sites
Big Brother strikes again...
OCT. 29 12:29 P.M. ET From the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan to here at home, soldiers blogging about military life are under the watchful eye of some of their own.
A Virginia-based operation, the Army Web Risk Assessment Cell, monitors official and unofficial blogs and other Web sites for anything that may compromise security. The team scans for official documents, personal contact information and pictures of weapons or entrances to camps.
In some cases, that information can be detrimental, said Lt. Col. Stephen Warnock, team leader and battalion commander of a Manassas-based Virginia National Guard unit working on the operation
Source: Army monitors soldiers' blogs, Web sites
5 Tips to Increase Your Likeability
1. Be positive.
"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."-John Keats
read more digg story
"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid."-John Keats
read more digg story
Saturday, October 28, 2006
David Letterman vs. Bill O'Reilly, Round Two
David Letterman didn't try to hide the fact last night that he just plain doesn't like Bill O'Reilly. When O'Reilly tried to suggest that Dave believes "Bush is an evil liar" and that "America is a bad country" Letterman came back with the line of the month "You're trying to put words in my mouth just the way you put artificial facts in your head."
read more digg story
Ummmm...everyone hates Bill O'Reilly...I thought Dave did a create job standing up to this conservative (traditionalist?) monster...
Test screens at Newark Airport fail to find 'bombs and guns'
Screeners at Newark International Airport failed 20 of 22 security tests conducted by undercover U.S. agents last week, missing an array of concealed bombs and guns at checkpoints throughout the hub's three terminals. The tests, conducted Oct. 19 by TSA "Red Team" agents, also revealed significicant failures by screeners to follow procedues.
read more digg story
hmmmm...screeners missing bombs and not following procedure...another story that doesn't shock me...
read more digg story
hmmmm...screeners missing bombs and not following procedure...another story that doesn't shock me...
American Nuke Secrets Traded for Drugs
Justin Stone, who was arrested at the trailer after police executed a search warrant for suspected drug paraphernalia, told the Los Alamos Monitor he gave methamphetamine to a man in exchange for one of the flash drives. He would not disclose the man's name
read more digg story
This story doesn't surprise me at all. I wonder how many other stories like this we'll be hearing about in the near future...
read more digg story
This story doesn't surprise me at all. I wonder how many other stories like this we'll be hearing about in the near future...
When It Comes to Press Freedom, We're Number 53!
When It Comes to Press Freedom, We're Number 53!
Reporters Sans Frontières recently released its annual ranking of press freedom around the world, and it's not good news for the United States. Our ranking's been steadily dropping since the survey started in 2002, when we were in the index's top 20. Now we're at a dismal 53rd place, down from an undistinguished 44th last year. That puts us in the same league as tiny democracies like Botswana, Croatia, and Tonga. To be sure, we're a long way from the atrocious rankings of Iran, China, Burma, Cuba, and North Korea. But it's nothing to write home about.
Friday, October 27, 2006
US Death Toll in Iraq Worst in a Year
US Death Toll in Iraq Worst in a Year
By Qassim Abdul-Zahra
The Associated PressThrusday 26 October 2006
Baghdad, Iraq - The number of American troops killed in Iraq in October reached the highest monthly total in a year Thursday after four Marines and a sailor died of wounds suffered while fighting in the same Sunni insurgent stronghold.
The U.S. military said 96 U.S. troops have died so far in October, the most in one month since October 2005, when the same number was killed. The highest monthly death toll prior to that came in January 2005, when 107 U.S. troops were killed.
The spike in deaths has been a major factor behind rising anti-war sentiment in the United States, fueling calls for President Bush to change tactics.
Polls show a majority of Americans are opposed to Bush's handling of Iraq, and at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, Bush indicated he shared the public's frustration even as he pushed back against calls for troop withdrawals.
"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," Bush said. "I'm not satisfied either."
Sign Petition Opposing Attack on Iran | AfterDowningStreet.org
Sign Petition Opposing Attack on Iran
Submitted by mayfirst on Thu, 2006-04-20 14:53.
Join Cindy Sheehan in delivering this petition, with all signatures and comments, to the White House at 10 a.m. on November 9th, 2006
Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney,
We write to you from all over the United States and all over the world to urge you to obey both international and U.S. law, which forbid aggressive attacks on other nations. We oppose your proposal to attack Iran. Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, just as Iraq did not possess nuclear weapons. If Iran had such weapons, that would not justify the use of force, any more than any other nation would be justified in launching a war against the world's greatest possessor of nuclear arms, the United States. The most effective way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would be to closely monitor its nuclear energy program, and to improve diplomatic relations -- two tasks made much more difficult by threatening to bomb Iranian territory. We urge you to lead the way to peace, not war, and to begin by making clear that you will not commit the highest international crime by aggressively attacking Iran.
Source: Sign Petition Opposing Attack on Iran AfterDowningStreet.org
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Uncomfortably Numb Blog
Uncomfortably Numb Blog
A documentary about seeing the world through pill-bottle brown
www.uncomfortablynumb.com
A documentary about seeing the world through pill-bottle brown
www.uncomfortablynumb.com
Blue Revolution | Democrats.com
Submitted by Bob Fertik on October 25, 2006 - 10:37pm.Blue Revolution
Should we start a Blue Revolution across the USA on Election Night?
This Congressional election has witnessed vastly more local polling than ever before, and every poll points to the same result: Democrats will win more than the 15 seats we need to win the House of Representatives, and we are ahead or tied in the 6 seats we need to win the Senate.
These polls are not isolated local phenomena, but are part of a national tidal wave visible in every national poll.
* Voters prefer "generic" Democrats over Republicans by nearly 20%, which is the largest gap in the history of polling. When Newt Gingrich's Republican Revolutionaries seized 54 seats in 1994, they had a "generic" gap of only 7 points.
* George Bush's approval rating is below 40% in every poll, well below Bill Clinton's mid-40's approval rating in 1994.
* The approval rating for the Republican-run Congress is down to 16%, the lowest in history. Voters - including many Republicans - say they want Democrats to run Congress.
* Every poll shows the dominant issue in this election is the disastrous war in Iraq. Voters blame George Bush and the Republican Party for this disaster and they want to change the course, not stay the course. Bush's claim that he never said "stay the course" is destroying his last shred of credibility.
Yet despite this overwhelming polling evidence, George Bush - along with Dick Cheney and Karl Rove - adamantly insist that Republicans are going to win on November 7.
What do they know that we don't know?
As time runs out for an October Surprise, there's only one possibility: that they have rigged the election process to guarantee Republicans win.
Source: Blue Revolution Democrats.com
Just Try Voting Here: 11 of America's Worst Places to Cast a Ballot (or Try)
News: Machines that count backward, slice-and-dice districts, felon baiting, phone jamming, and plenty of dirty tricks
By Sasha Abramsky
Source: Just Try Voting Here: 11 of America's Worst Places to Cast a Ballot (or Try)
Love & Marriage Are Legal in NJ
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey's Supreme Court opened the door to gay marriage Wednesday, ruling that homosexuals are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but leaving it to lawmakers to legalize same-sex unions.
The high court gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include same-sex couples or create a new system of civil unions for them.
The ruling is similar to the 1999 decision in Vermont that led to civil unions there, which offer the benefits of marriage, but not the name. (Opinion -- pdf
)
"Although we cannot find that a fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists in this state, the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our state Constitution," Justice Barry T. Albin wrote for the 4-3 majority's decision.
Outside the Supreme Court, news of the ruling caused confusion, with many of the roughly 100 gay marriage supporters outside asking each other what it meant. Many started to agree that they needed to push for a state constitutional amendment to institute gay marriage.
Garden State Equality, New Jersey's main gay and lesbian political organization quickly announced Wednesday that three lawmakers would introduce a bill in the Legislature to get full marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Gay couples in New Jersey can already apply for domestic partnerships under a law the Legislature passed in 2004 giving gay couples some benefits of marriage, such as the right to inherit possessions if there is no will and healthcare coverage for state workers.
Source: New Jersey court recognizes right to same-sex unions - CNN.com
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Is Google Evil?
From the start, Google’s informal motto has been “Don’t Be Evil,” and the company earned cred early on by going toe-to-toe with Microsoft over desktop software and other issues. But make no mistake. Faced with doing the right thing or doing what is in its best interests, Google has almost always chosen expediency. In 2002, it removed links to an anti-Scientology site after the Church of Scientology claimed copyright infringement. Scores of website operators have complained that Google pulls ads if it discovers words on a page that it apparently has flagged, although it will not say what those words are. In September, Google handed over the records of some users of its social-networking service, Orkut, to the Brazilian government, which was investigating alleged racist, homophobic, and pornographic content.
Source: Is Google Evil?
TomPaine.com - What Women Want
Money issues like the ones above are on everyone’s radar, female and male alike. But the 900-pound gorilla of ballot initiatives for women would overturn the abortion ban passed in South Dakota last spring. With no exceptions for rape, incest or damage to women's health, the statute outlaws all procedures except those to “prevent the death” of a pregnant woman. National women’s groups and local residents are pounding the pavement to turn out the vote. There’s no question that women—already the majority of voters and clearly the losers if the law stands—hold the balance in this contest. If the ballot initiative fails and the law remains intact, it will immediately be challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, where it could be the long-sought vehicle the right wing has needed to overturn Roe v. Wade . Let’s hope South Dakota women vote as if the lives of their daughters and granddaughters depend on it, because that is indeed the reality of November 2006.
Source: TomPaine.com - What Women Want
Monday, October 23, 2006
Iraq War May Cost America: $1 Trillion
If you add these costs, and others, to the total tab, the cost of the war has jumped from $4.4 billion to $7.1 billion a month since the 2003 fiscal year, The paper estimates the total cost could top $1 trillion.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
AlterNet: EnviroHealth: How Prescription Drugs Are Poisoning Our Waters
this totally blew my mind...
When residents of Heritage Village and two other nearby retirement communities flush their toilets, wastewater laced with traces of prescription drugs rushes through a series of pipes into the Heritage Village treatment plant. This flushing is the main pathway by which pharmaceuticals enter the environment. Hospitals and nursing homes routinely dump unused or expired pills down the toilet, and consumers have been advised to do the same; effluent from pharmaceutical manufacturers also ends up at municipal wastewater treatment plants. Through a process of settling and aeration, the Heritage Village plant separates liquids from solids, treats the liquid portion with disinfectant, and then discharges this effluent into a mini-creek that meanders between the third green and the seventh tee of the Heritage Village golf course. Making its way through a riparian band of oaks and maples, the creek fans out into the Pomperaug River, which loops without further interruption through the town of Southbury.
The Pomperaug looks no different upstream or down, but studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on other rivers suggest that the Pomperaug below the effluent creek carries the signatures of drugs consumed by anyone plumbed into the Heritage Village system. The effect of those drugs on the environment, and possibly on those who drink water pumped from those streams, is only beginning to be understood.
We are a nation obsessed with pharmaceuticals. We spend vast sums to manage our health, and we pop pills to address every conceivable symptom. Some elderly Americans take as many as 30 drugs a day, some of them merely to counteract the effects of others. Prescription drug sales rose by an annual average of 11 percent between 2000 and 2005. Americans now fill more than three billion prescriptions a year; nationwide, more than 10 million women take birth-control pills, and about the same number are on hormone-replacement therapy.
The rate at which prescriptions are dispensed is only going up as the population ages. Already, those over 65 fill twice as many prescriptions per year as do younger Americans. Inevitably, more drugs will be headed into waterways like the Pomperaug. Our rivers -- already stressed by pollutants, groundwater pumping, reduced flows, and overburdened wastewater treatment plants that dump raw sewage -- will be ever less able to cope.
Alarmed by data that showed trace levels of pharmaceuticals in European streams, researchers in the United States have begun to survey our nation's waterways. In 2002, the USGS published the results of its first-ever reconnaissance of man-made contaminants. Using highly sensitive assays, the agency found traces of 82 different organic contaminants -- fertilizers and flame retardants as well as pharmaceuticals -- in surface waters across the nation. These drugs included natural and synthetic hormones, antibiotics, antihypertensives, painkillers, and antidepressants.
Now that science has documented the presence of free-flowing pharmaceuticals, researchers are faced with another, far more difficult, pair of questions: What does this mean for the environment, and what does it mean for us? Early evidence of harm to aquatic organisms is giving researchers grounds for real concern.
Source: AlterNet: EnviroHealth: How Prescription Drugs Are Poisoning Our Waters
Olbermann: 'Beginning of the end of America' - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - MSNBC.com
SPECIAL COMMENT
By Keith Olbermann
Anchor, 'Countdown'
Countdown
Updated: 3:00 p.m. ET Oct 19, 2006
We have lived as if in a trance.
We have lived as people in fear.
And now—our rights and our freedoms in peril—we slowly awaken to learn that we have been afraid of the wrong thing.
Source: Olbermann: 'Beginning of the end of America' - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - MSNBC.com
Total Military Takeover of America?
October 21, 2006
US Army Announces Readiness for Total Military Takeover of America
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that final steps towards a full Military Dictatorship of the United States have been taken with the US Army announcing USARNORTH has now reached ‘full operational capacity’ and is now ready to:
“Execute homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions”, and “Conduct the Army-to-Army portion of the theater cooperation mission with Canada and Mexico”.
According to these reports, the first of the USANORTH plans for the total military takeover of the United States, from its few remaining civilian overseers, rest with a new series of draconian laws recently enacted by their top Military Leaders and which, among other things, suspends the right of habeas corpus for Americans, and which the American Military Leaders have ordered their courts to disallow, and as we can read as reported by the Washington Post News Service in their article titled "Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases", and which says:
"Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed by inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
Beyond those already imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, the law applies to all non-U.S. citizens, including permanent U.S. residents. Habeas corpus, a Latin term meaning "you have the body," is one of the oldest principles of English and American law. It requires the government to show a legal basis for holding a prisoner."
Not being fully explained to the American people, however, are that these new draconian laws do in fact have a direct impact upon each of them, and as explained by an American dissident group called The Future of Freedom Foundation, and which in their article titled "Jose Padilla and the Military Commissions Act", states:
"Anyone who hoped that U.S. military detention of Americans accused of terrorism expired with the transfer of American citizen Jose Padilla from military custody to Justice Department custody have seen their hopes dashed by the Military Commissions Act that the president signed into law yesterday. Although the act limits to foreign citizens the use of military tribunals and the denial of habeas corpus, any person, including American citizens, can still be labeled and treated as an “unlawful enemy combatant” in the war on terrorism.
What does that mean for the American people? It means the same thing it did for Jose Padilla. You’ll recall that Padilla was arrested in Chicago for terrorism and transferred to military custody, where, according to Padilla, he was tortured and involuntarily injected with drugs.
The government’s position is that since the entire world is a battlefield in which the war on terrorism is being waged, U.S. officials now have the power to arrest any American suspected of terrorism, place him in military custody, and subject him to the same “unlawful enemy combatant” treatment that Padilla received, until the war on terrorism has finally been won, no matter how long that takes."
More ominously for the American people is their future culpability in these actions being done in their name by their Military Leaders, and as articulated by one of the United States most celebrated reporters, Helen Thomas, and who has said about these horrific new laws:
"President Bush on Tuesday signed the law that legalizes the administration's shameful treatment of detainees suspected of terrorism. The same measure also empowers the president to define torture. It's a sad legacy for America and its already-tarnished world image.
The far-reaching legislation gives Bush the right to decide what constitutes torture. The president has often said "we do not torture," despite evidence to the contrary - and photographs from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison as well. The president also can set guidelines for interrogation of prisoners. White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to say whether "waterboarding" - in which detainees are made to feel they are drowning - would be permissible.
Under the new law, the president also has extraordinary powers to designate who is an illegal enemy combatant, which potentially subjects U.S. citizens and foreigners to indefinite detention with no power to appeal. Bush is also allowed to interpret the Geneva Conventions on Humane Treatment of Prisoners of War.
One of the reasons Bush sought a green light from the lawmakers is "to have Congress stand with him in the dock," Malinowski added. The military commissions act is law. And all Americans will be tainted by it."
Helen Thomas’ reference to American Military Leaders standing in the ‘dock’, which means standing trial for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, rings ever truer with the decision of the International Committee of the Red Cross issuing only its second ever in history “concern” regarding the actions of a warring Nation [the first “concern” issued by the ICRC was in 1944 over the Nazi German treatment of concentration camp detainees], and which we can read as reported by the SwissInfo News Service in their article titled “ICRC "concerned" over US anti-terrorism law", and which says:
"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern on Thursday at the United States' tough new anti-terrorism law. The president of Swiss-run humanitarian body, Jakob Kellenberger, said that there were questions over its compliance with the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war."
To the second part of the USANORTH plan for the unsuspecting American people, Conduct the Army-to-Army portion of the theater cooperation mission with Canada and Mexico”, we can read from the Council on Foreign Relations report that first outlined the merger of the independent Nations of the United States, Canada and Mexico into a North American Union, and which says:
"Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales.
North America is vulnerable on several fronts: the region faces terrorist and criminal security threats, increased economic competition from abroad, and uneven economic development at home. In response to these challenges, a trinational, Independent Task Force on the Future of North America has developed a roadmap to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries.
When the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met in Texas recently they underscored the deep ties and shared principles of the three countries. The Council-sponsored Task Force applauds the announced "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," but proposes a more ambitious vision of a new community by 2010 and specific recommendations on how to achieve it."
Also not being understood by the American people are how their young children are currently being trained to be administrators of this North American Union, and as we can read as reported by the World Net Daily News Service in their article titled "N[orth] American students trained for 'merger', and which says:
"In another example of the way the three nations of North America are being drawn into a federation, or "merger," students from 10 universities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are participating annually in a simulated "model Parliament."
Under the sponsorship of the Canadian based North American Forum on Integration, students met in the Mexican Senate for five days in May in an event dubbed "Triumvirate," with organizers declaring "A North American Parliament is born." A similar event took place in the Canadian Senate in 2005.
The intentions of organizers are clear. "The creation of a North American parliament, such as the one being simulated by these young people, should be considered," explained Raymond Chretien, the president of the Triumvirate and the former Canadian ambassador to both Mexico and the U.S. Participants discuss draft bills on trade corridors, immigration, provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement and produce a daily newspaper called "The TrilatHerald."
To those dwindling numbers of Americans aware of the total destruction of their Nation, and way of life, ever harsher measures to destroy all dissent were outlined to them this past week by their Military Leaders, and as we can read as reported by these various sources:
As reported by the Reuters News Service in their October 17th article titled "Web could be terror training camp: Chertoff", and which says, "Disaffected people living in the United States may develop radical ideologies and potentially violent skills over the Internet and that could present the next major U.S. security threat, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Monday. "We now have a capability of someone to radicalize themselves over the Internet," Chertoff said on the sidelines of a meeting of International Association of the Chiefs of Police."
As reported by the CNET News Service in their October 17th article titled "FBI director wants ISPs to track users", and which says, "FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday called on Internet service providers to record their customers' online activities, a move that anticipates a fierce debate over privacy and law enforcement in Washington next year."
As reported by an American dissident writer, Chris Floyd, in his October 17th report titled "Sentimental Education: Academia Signs Up for Tracking Down Dissent", and which says, "Why is the United States government spending millions of dollars to track down critics of George W. Bush in the press? And why have major American universities agreed to put this technology of tyranny into the state's hands?
The Bush administration already has spyware devouring reams of private information in every direction. It is now paying top universities millions of dollars to refine this data into actionable intelligence - including the automated discernment and tracking of dissent against administration policies and criticism of the president. Bush has openly declared that he has no intention of obeying privacy laws - or any other laws safeguarding the Constitutional rights of American citizens - if he doesn't want to."
More interesting, perhaps, than the simultaneous flooding of the American media this past week with ‘frightening’ reports on the ‘dangers’ of the Internet by the US Military Leaders, was the sensationalist reporting revolving around an American man posting on the Internet a hoax threat, and which has resulted in his arrest, and as we can read as reported by the KWTX News Service in their article titled "Store Clerk Arrested In Stadium Threat Hoax", and which says:
"A Wisconsin grocery store clerk is under arrest on charges he's behind the hoax that claimed there would be dirty bomb attacks during this weekend's NFL games. Jake Brahm surrendered to federal authorities Friday morning, and was due in a Milwaukee court later in the day. The US Attorney in Newark, N.J., says Brahm is charged in a sealed criminal complaint."
Russian Intelligence reports on this American ‘hoax incident’, in our opinion, have correctly stated that these events are a false flag operation intended to bring the ever growing American dissident community to heel by ‘reminding’ them that even a 20-year-old store clerk is not beyond their reach. We can rightly imagine the fear these events have caused among the American dissidents as what they are experiencing now we have lived with our entire lives.
To the greater of these issues, though, remains the fact that the total destruction of America today has long been planned, and is even now in its final stages. To the many warning signs put before these American people there have also been many, and, perhaps, none more chilling then a simple letter sent from a former US Congressman, Bill Hefner, to a constituent of his in North Carolina written in 1997, and which says:
"Enclosed is the information you requested pertaining to the Army's policy and guidance for establishing civilian inmate labor program and civilian prison camps on Army installations.
This information has not yet been published (it is currently at the printers), however, it has been funded, staffed, and does reflect current Army policy. I hope you find this information useful."
As the storm clouds continue to gather over these once great American people, one cannot wonder at their continued insistence to not look up, see what is coming, and prepare.
© October 21, 2006 EU and US all rights reserved.
US Army Announces Readiness for Total Military Takeover of America
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that final steps towards a full Military Dictatorship of the United States have been taken with the US Army announcing USARNORTH has now reached ‘full operational capacity’ and is now ready to:
“Execute homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions”, and “Conduct the Army-to-Army portion of the theater cooperation mission with Canada and Mexico”.
According to these reports, the first of the USANORTH plans for the total military takeover of the United States, from its few remaining civilian overseers, rest with a new series of draconian laws recently enacted by their top Military Leaders and which, among other things, suspends the right of habeas corpus for Americans, and which the American Military Leaders have ordered their courts to disallow, and as we can read as reported by the Washington Post News Service in their article titled "Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases", and which says:
"Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed by inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
Beyond those already imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, the law applies to all non-U.S. citizens, including permanent U.S. residents. Habeas corpus, a Latin term meaning "you have the body," is one of the oldest principles of English and American law. It requires the government to show a legal basis for holding a prisoner."
Not being fully explained to the American people, however, are that these new draconian laws do in fact have a direct impact upon each of them, and as explained by an American dissident group called The Future of Freedom Foundation, and which in their article titled "Jose Padilla and the Military Commissions Act", states:
"Anyone who hoped that U.S. military detention of Americans accused of terrorism expired with the transfer of American citizen Jose Padilla from military custody to Justice Department custody have seen their hopes dashed by the Military Commissions Act that the president signed into law yesterday. Although the act limits to foreign citizens the use of military tribunals and the denial of habeas corpus, any person, including American citizens, can still be labeled and treated as an “unlawful enemy combatant” in the war on terrorism.
What does that mean for the American people? It means the same thing it did for Jose Padilla. You’ll recall that Padilla was arrested in Chicago for terrorism and transferred to military custody, where, according to Padilla, he was tortured and involuntarily injected with drugs.
The government’s position is that since the entire world is a battlefield in which the war on terrorism is being waged, U.S. officials now have the power to arrest any American suspected of terrorism, place him in military custody, and subject him to the same “unlawful enemy combatant” treatment that Padilla received, until the war on terrorism has finally been won, no matter how long that takes."
More ominously for the American people is their future culpability in these actions being done in their name by their Military Leaders, and as articulated by one of the United States most celebrated reporters, Helen Thomas, and who has said about these horrific new laws:
"President Bush on Tuesday signed the law that legalizes the administration's shameful treatment of detainees suspected of terrorism. The same measure also empowers the president to define torture. It's a sad legacy for America and its already-tarnished world image.
The far-reaching legislation gives Bush the right to decide what constitutes torture. The president has often said "we do not torture," despite evidence to the contrary - and photographs from the infamous Abu Ghraib prison as well. The president also can set guidelines for interrogation of prisoners. White House spokesman Tony Snow declined to say whether "waterboarding" - in which detainees are made to feel they are drowning - would be permissible.
Under the new law, the president also has extraordinary powers to designate who is an illegal enemy combatant, which potentially subjects U.S. citizens and foreigners to indefinite detention with no power to appeal. Bush is also allowed to interpret the Geneva Conventions on Humane Treatment of Prisoners of War.
One of the reasons Bush sought a green light from the lawmakers is "to have Congress stand with him in the dock," Malinowski added. The military commissions act is law. And all Americans will be tainted by it."
Helen Thomas’ reference to American Military Leaders standing in the ‘dock’, which means standing trial for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, rings ever truer with the decision of the International Committee of the Red Cross issuing only its second ever in history “concern” regarding the actions of a warring Nation [the first “concern” issued by the ICRC was in 1944 over the Nazi German treatment of concentration camp detainees], and which we can read as reported by the SwissInfo News Service in their article titled “ICRC "concerned" over US anti-terrorism law", and which says:
"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern on Thursday at the United States' tough new anti-terrorism law. The president of Swiss-run humanitarian body, Jakob Kellenberger, said that there were questions over its compliance with the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war."
To the second part of the USANORTH plan for the unsuspecting American people, Conduct the Army-to-Army portion of the theater cooperation mission with Canada and Mexico”, we can read from the Council on Foreign Relations report that first outlined the merger of the independent Nations of the United States, Canada and Mexico into a North American Union, and which says:
"Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales.
North America is vulnerable on several fronts: the region faces terrorist and criminal security threats, increased economic competition from abroad, and uneven economic development at home. In response to these challenges, a trinational, Independent Task Force on the Future of North America has developed a roadmap to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries.
When the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met in Texas recently they underscored the deep ties and shared principles of the three countries. The Council-sponsored Task Force applauds the announced "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," but proposes a more ambitious vision of a new community by 2010 and specific recommendations on how to achieve it."
Also not being understood by the American people are how their young children are currently being trained to be administrators of this North American Union, and as we can read as reported by the World Net Daily News Service in their article titled "N[orth] American students trained for 'merger', and which says:
"In another example of the way the three nations of North America are being drawn into a federation, or "merger," students from 10 universities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are participating annually in a simulated "model Parliament."
Under the sponsorship of the Canadian based North American Forum on Integration, students met in the Mexican Senate for five days in May in an event dubbed "Triumvirate," with organizers declaring "A North American Parliament is born." A similar event took place in the Canadian Senate in 2005.
The intentions of organizers are clear. "The creation of a North American parliament, such as the one being simulated by these young people, should be considered," explained Raymond Chretien, the president of the Triumvirate and the former Canadian ambassador to both Mexico and the U.S. Participants discuss draft bills on trade corridors, immigration, provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement and produce a daily newspaper called "The TrilatHerald."
To those dwindling numbers of Americans aware of the total destruction of their Nation, and way of life, ever harsher measures to destroy all dissent were outlined to them this past week by their Military Leaders, and as we can read as reported by these various sources:
As reported by the Reuters News Service in their October 17th article titled "Web could be terror training camp: Chertoff", and which says, "Disaffected people living in the United States may develop radical ideologies and potentially violent skills over the Internet and that could present the next major U.S. security threat, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Monday. "We now have a capability of someone to radicalize themselves over the Internet," Chertoff said on the sidelines of a meeting of International Association of the Chiefs of Police."
As reported by the CNET News Service in their October 17th article titled "FBI director wants ISPs to track users", and which says, "FBI Director Robert Mueller on Tuesday called on Internet service providers to record their customers' online activities, a move that anticipates a fierce debate over privacy and law enforcement in Washington next year."
As reported by an American dissident writer, Chris Floyd, in his October 17th report titled "Sentimental Education: Academia Signs Up for Tracking Down Dissent", and which says, "Why is the United States government spending millions of dollars to track down critics of George W. Bush in the press? And why have major American universities agreed to put this technology of tyranny into the state's hands?
The Bush administration already has spyware devouring reams of private information in every direction. It is now paying top universities millions of dollars to refine this data into actionable intelligence - including the automated discernment and tracking of dissent against administration policies and criticism of the president. Bush has openly declared that he has no intention of obeying privacy laws - or any other laws safeguarding the Constitutional rights of American citizens - if he doesn't want to."
More interesting, perhaps, than the simultaneous flooding of the American media this past week with ‘frightening’ reports on the ‘dangers’ of the Internet by the US Military Leaders, was the sensationalist reporting revolving around an American man posting on the Internet a hoax threat, and which has resulted in his arrest, and as we can read as reported by the KWTX News Service in their article titled "Store Clerk Arrested In Stadium Threat Hoax", and which says:
"A Wisconsin grocery store clerk is under arrest on charges he's behind the hoax that claimed there would be dirty bomb attacks during this weekend's NFL games. Jake Brahm surrendered to federal authorities Friday morning, and was due in a Milwaukee court later in the day. The US Attorney in Newark, N.J., says Brahm is charged in a sealed criminal complaint."
Russian Intelligence reports on this American ‘hoax incident’, in our opinion, have correctly stated that these events are a false flag operation intended to bring the ever growing American dissident community to heel by ‘reminding’ them that even a 20-year-old store clerk is not beyond their reach. We can rightly imagine the fear these events have caused among the American dissidents as what they are experiencing now we have lived with our entire lives.
To the greater of these issues, though, remains the fact that the total destruction of America today has long been planned, and is even now in its final stages. To the many warning signs put before these American people there have also been many, and, perhaps, none more chilling then a simple letter sent from a former US Congressman, Bill Hefner, to a constituent of his in North Carolina written in 1997, and which says:
"Enclosed is the information you requested pertaining to the Army's policy and guidance for establishing civilian inmate labor program and civilian prison camps on Army installations.
This information has not yet been published (it is currently at the printers), however, it has been funded, staffed, and does reflect current Army policy. I hope you find this information useful."
As the storm clouds continue to gather over these once great American people, one cannot wonder at their continued insistence to not look up, see what is coming, and prepare.
© October 21, 2006 EU and US all rights reserved.
Sen. Obama: '08 run a 'possibility' - Politics - MSNBC.com
NBC News and news services
Updated: 8:26 p.m. ET Oct 22, 2006
WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so.
The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision until after the Nov. 7 elections.
“That was how I was thinking at that time,” said Obama, when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about his previous statements.
Source: Sen. Obama: '08 run a 'possibility' - Politics - MSNBC.com
Blog Activism « WordPress.com
very cool article about the power of blogging...
Blog Activism
We just got this note from Tina in Finland, who agreed to let us blog it here. Regardless of how you may feel about the issue, it’s a pretty powerful story.
Thanks to the fantastic flexibility of WordPress, I was able to make a campaign site supporting the legalization of fertility treatments for single women and lesbians in Finland that quite possibly was a major factor in the law passing. (Treatments had been available before, but had not been explicitly legal, and the conservative parties had introduced a motion to make them illegal) The site shot up in popularity and we were sent statements by all kinds of politicians, including EU reps, ministers, and members of parliament. In the end, treatments were legalized by a 22 vote margin (83-105) which was far more than anyone dared to predict.
The site got over 11,000 people to sign a petition, got them to write letters to specific MPs (which Finns never do), and got hundreds of them out for a peaceful and well-behaved protest that made the front page of the biggest newspaper in Finland. (I put a link to the English newspaper article at the bottom of this)
We ran this site, that got thousands of hits a day, with no more than five individual citizens (with day jobs). Had I had to set up a site from scratch, I couldn’t have given the other non-html-fluent people passwords to add and change content, etc, and the whole thing would not have been possible. Part of what also made this work was that the site looked slick enough (thanks to the template and customizable header) that I didn’t need to fiddle with that, and could focus on adding the tidal wave of content that rushed in in the final days before the vote. AND you had made WordPress translatable, so the details didn’t look funny in Finnish.
We love to hear stories about people using blogs as a lever to move the world, even if it’s just a little bit.
Source: Blog Activism « WordPress.com
DCCC.org: Why a Democratic Majority?
America Needs a New Direction
With a Democratic majority in Congress we can focus the agenda on the priorities that families care about most, like fighting for health care, working to lower gas prices, making education for our children affordable and a plan for success in Iraq and the broader war on terror. America needs a new direction. House Democrats will lead the way with a Democratic Majority.
With a Democratic Majority...
• With Democrats in charge, we will help lower gas prices and achieve energy independence, crack down on price gouging; eliminate billions in subsidies for oil and gas companies and use the savings to provide consumer relief and develop American alternatives, including biofuels; promote energy efficient technology.
• With Democrats in charge, we will fight to help working families by raising the minimum wage; and repealing tax giveaways that encourage companies to move jobs overseas.
• With Democrats in charge, we will cut college costs, make college tuition deductible from taxes; expand Pell grants and cut student loan costs.
• With Democrats in charge, we will ensure a dignified retirement for our seniors by preventing the privatization of Social Security; but instead expanding savings incentives and ensuring pension fairness.
• With Democrats in charge, we will extend health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans nationwide and fight for affordable prescription drugs, not multi-billion dollar giveaways to pharmaceutical companies and HMOs.
• With Democrats in charge, we will get our fiscal house in order. Under the Bush administration, we have gone from record surplusses to record deficits and it is time for fiscal priorities that don't include mortgaging our nation's financial future on the backs of future generations.
• With Democrats in charge, we will make stem cell research a priority so that we can give a fighting chance to millions of Americans looking for hope. We will overcome President Bush’s stifling limitations on progress and push for necessary cures.
• With Democrats in charge, we will finally enact the necessary reforms of the 9/11 Commission. The findings of the commission are vital to securing our ports, limiting the flow dangerous materials at home and abroad and winning the broader war on terror.
• With Democrats in charge, we will stop selling our natural resources to the highest special interest bidder and work to reverse the dangerous effects of global warming. We will promote alternative energy so that our future is in our own hands and so we can continue to lead the world in innovation and preservation
Saturday, October 21, 2006
"Online Politics 101"
“Online Politics 101: The Tools and Tactics of Online Political Advocacy” gathers the e.politics how-to articles into one conveniently packaged (and free) publication. Each chapter contains a link to the live version on epolitics.com with updates and related materials.
Liberal vs Conservative
From Liberal Cartoons...Hey, gang. Imagine my surprise when I looked up the word "Liberal" in my thesaurus.
Liberal: ...generous, abundant, lavish, broadminded, tolerant, enlightened, charitable among others. Not bad, eh?
Conservative: ...stingy, miserly, reactionary, regressive, bigoted, prejudiced, biased, narrow-minded and more. Ouch!
Considering that, and the track record of conservatives (anti-women voting, anti-blacks voting, pro-segregation, pro-Vietnam War, anti-Head Start, etc.) you can see why I'd be embarrassed to call myself a conservative.
So with all those accurate, flattering words to describe "liberal"... And all those appropriate, hateful words to describe it's antonym, "conservative"...
"Axis of Oops"Tuesday, October 17, 2006
AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Marriage in America:
Just as the religious right is aggressively organizing to beat back the homosexual agenda (including the inexorable progress toward same sex marriage) the latest census reveals an interesting shift over the past 5 years:
married couples no longer make up a majority of U.S. households, down to 49.7 percent from 52 percent five years ago. Analysts cite a declining social emphasis placed on marriage, as more people choose to live single or unmarried with partners.
Matt Wood, a presumably married minority staffer at the Chicagoist, predicts coworkers' reactions: "Ha-ha! Marriage Makes You Abnormal." (Chicagoist)
Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs.
Link to AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Marriage in America:
Democrats Lead Insider Polls in Six of Eight Crucial Senate Races
Democrats Lead Insider Polls in Six of Eight Crucial Senate Races
"Democratic polling numbers are simply extraordinary. We need to win six Republican held seats to take back the Senate and we have a real chance to win as many as eight," wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over this past weekend in an insider status report.
"We are leading in six of these races and within striking distance in two others. I can assure you that we will not let these Republicans up for air for even a second between now and November. "
With 22 days left to the crucial November 7 mid-term elections, current DSCC internal polling results for the 8 hotly contested Senate races referred to by Senator Schumer are:
Missouri: Claire McCaskill (D): 48%
Jim Talent (R): 43%
Rhode Island:Sheldon Whitehouse (D): 49%
Lincoln Chafee (R): 39%
Tennessee:Bob Corker (R): 45%
Harold Ford, Jr. (D): 50%
Ohio:Sherrod Brown (D): 49%
Mike DeWine (R): 41%
Virginia:Jim Webb (D): 45%
George Allen (R): 48%
Pennsylvania:Bob Casey (D): 48%
Rick Santorum (R): 36%
Montana:Jon Tester (D): 47%
Conrad Burns (R): 40%
Arizona:Jon Kyl (R): 40%
Jim Pederson (D): 34%
Join me in being a believer that Democrats can retake the US Senate next month, and radically change the course of our country.
Click here to support the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. We CAN do this!
Related Reading Registering to Vote,
About.com's Guide to Gov't Info
Valid Reasons for Democrats to Be Nervous About Nov 2006 Elections
Know your Democratic Candidates for the US Senate
In Final Weeks, GOP Focuses on Best Bets, New York Times on October 16, 2006
"Democratic polling numbers are simply extraordinary. We need to win six Republican held seats to take back the Senate and we have a real chance to win as many as eight," wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over this past weekend in an insider status report.
"We are leading in six of these races and within striking distance in two others. I can assure you that we will not let these Republicans up for air for even a second between now and November. "
With 22 days left to the crucial November 7 mid-term elections, current DSCC internal polling results for the 8 hotly contested Senate races referred to by Senator Schumer are:
Missouri: Claire McCaskill (D): 48%
Jim Talent (R): 43%
Rhode Island:Sheldon Whitehouse (D): 49%
Lincoln Chafee (R): 39%
Tennessee:Bob Corker (R): 45%
Harold Ford, Jr. (D): 50%
Ohio:Sherrod Brown (D): 49%
Mike DeWine (R): 41%
Virginia:Jim Webb (D): 45%
George Allen (R): 48%
Pennsylvania:Bob Casey (D): 48%
Rick Santorum (R): 36%
Montana:Jon Tester (D): 47%
Conrad Burns (R): 40%
Arizona:Jon Kyl (R): 40%
Jim Pederson (D): 34%
Join me in being a believer that Democrats can retake the US Senate next month, and radically change the course of our country.
Click here to support the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. We CAN do this!
Related Reading Registering to Vote,
About.com's Guide to Gov't Info
Valid Reasons for Democrats to Be Nervous About Nov 2006 Elections
Know your Democratic Candidates for the US Senate
In Final Weeks, GOP Focuses on Best Bets, New York Times on October 16, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
State of Denial
GOP 2.0Wednesday, October 11, 2006
"What it Means to be a Liberal"
"1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others. This is at the very heart of liberalism. Liberals understand, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed, that 'time has upset many fighting faiths.' Liberals are skeptical of censorship and celebrate free and open debate.
2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support the civil rights movement, affirmative action, the Equal Rights Amendment and the rights of gays and lesbians. (Note that a conflict between propositions 1 and 2 leads to divisions among liberals on issues like pornography and hate speech.)
3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion expansion of the franchise; the elimination of obstacles to voting; 'one person, one vote;' limits on partisan gerrymandering; campaign-finance reform; and a more vibrant freedom of speech. They believe, with Justice Louis Brandeis, that 'the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.'
4. Liberals believe 'we the people' are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind. It is liberals who have defended and continue to defend the freedom of the press to investigate and challenge the government, the protection of individual privacy from..."
Continued...
2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support the civil rights movement, affirmative action, the Equal Rights Amendment and the rights of gays and lesbians. (Note that a conflict between propositions 1 and 2 leads to divisions among liberals on issues like pornography and hate speech.)
3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion expansion of the franchise; the elimination of obstacles to voting; 'one person, one vote;' limits on partisan gerrymandering; campaign-finance reform; and a more vibrant freedom of speech. They believe, with Justice Louis Brandeis, that 'the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.'
4. Liberals believe 'we the people' are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind. It is liberals who have defended and continue to defend the freedom of the press to investigate and challenge the government, the protection of individual privacy from..."
Continued...
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Four weeks to go...
Today Deval Patrick sent out an important video message to all of his coordinators who have been working so hard to bring change and new leadership to Massachusetts.
In the message Deval talks about how we will win on November 7th, what change means, and how to respond to Kerry Healey's negative campaigning.
We at HQ decided that we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to see it, and we ask you to watch the video on DevalPatrick.tv.
Spread the Word...
100Actions.com has a post called "Spead the Word: 1-888-DEM-VOTE" that's worth checking out...
To protect the right to vote this November, the Democratic Party's Voting Rights
Institute has set up a 1-888-DEMVOTE hotline to provide assistance to voters in
all 50 states.
Amnesty International's Latest Video
Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign has just launched a new video and we would like as many people as possible to watch it and take action!
The video sends a very powerful message, one that needs to be heard, so please send the video to as many people as you can - friends, family, colleagues - and help Amnesty International to keep fighting for an end to violence against women.
You can watch the video on: http://aigeneral.c.topica.com/maafeSDabtTHsbpc2AreaeQzEN/
The video sends a very powerful message, one that needs to be heard, so please send the video to as many people as you can - friends, family, colleagues - and help Amnesty International to keep fighting for an end to violence against women.
You can watch the video on: http://aigeneral.c.topica.com/maafeSDabtTHsbpc2AreaeQzEN/
U.S. Doubts Korean Test Was Nuclear
U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday. U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that seismic readings show that the conventional high explosives used to create a chain reaction in a plutonium-based device went off, but that the ...
read more digg story
read more digg story
Tell House Speaker Denny Hastert to Resign
Tell your Representative and Senators:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/87
House Speaker Denny Hastert insists he knew nothing about Mark Foley's predatory behavior until the scandal broke on 9/29/06.
But two-thirds of Americans believe Hastert is covering up the truth.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1543199,00.html
And now we know Hastert's Chief of Staff, Scott Palmer, confronted Foley about his abuses several years ago, according to a front page story in the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601888.html
Palmer and Hastert are extraordinarily close; they are roommates in Washington DC. It's impossible to believe Hastert was unaware of Palmer's confrontation with Foley.
That means Hastert is lying about what he knew and when he knew it - and is indeed leading a coverup.
Denny Hastert must resign as Speaker of the House immediately. Tell your Representative:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/87
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/87
House Speaker Denny Hastert insists he knew nothing about Mark Foley's predatory behavior until the scandal broke on 9/29/06.
But two-thirds of Americans believe Hastert is covering up the truth.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1543199,00.html
And now we know Hastert's Chief of Staff, Scott Palmer, confronted Foley about his abuses several years ago, according to a front page story in the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601888.html
Palmer and Hastert are extraordinarily close; they are roommates in Washington DC. It's impossible to believe Hastert was unaware of Palmer's confrontation with Foley.
That means Hastert is lying about what he knew and when he knew it - and is indeed leading a coverup.
Denny Hastert must resign as Speaker of the House immediately. Tell your Representative:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/87
Democratic Campaign Office Opens in Pittsfield
very cool...if they need me i'll be there...
Democratic Party Berkshire County Coordinated Campaign Office
Please come rally at our new campaign headquarters at One Fenn Street in Pittsfield, this Thursday at 4 o'clock. It is on the ground floor, with an entrance on North Street.
Our Member of Congress, John Olver, and our nominee for State Senator, Ben Downing, will be featured speakers at the event. Please attend and show your support for Deval Patrick, Tim Murray, Ben Downing, and all the other Democratic candidates (see the full list in the press release below).
FOUR WEEKS TO GO! We need your help. We have 10 phone lines available every night from 5:30 to 8:30, and we want them to all be in use. Bring your cell phone if you have minutes you can contribute to the campaign, or use one of the lines in the office. We have call lists and scripts, a coffee pot, and lots of enthusiastic volunteers. Be part of the action, and help us win this one!
We will also be making calls from North Adams and other locations. If you can't make it to one of our organized phone banks and want to make calls from home, contact Jason (contact info below) and he will set you up. We also need volunteers to help with canvassing, lit drops, fundraising, and other campaign activities. Come to the office on Thursday afternoon (or anytime) to sign up, or give Jason a call or send an email.
Our Member of Congress, John Olver, and our nominee for State Senator, Ben Downing, will be featured speakers at the event. Please attend and show your support for Deval Patrick, Tim Murray, Ben Downing, and all the other Democratic candidates (see the full list in the press release below).
FOUR WEEKS TO GO! We need your help. We have 10 phone lines available every night from 5:30 to 8:30, and we want them to all be in use. Bring your cell phone if you have minutes you can contribute to the campaign, or use one of the lines in the office. We have call lists and scripts, a coffee pot, and lots of enthusiastic volunteers. Be part of the action, and help us win this one!
We will also be making calls from North Adams and other locations. If you can't make it to one of our organized phone banks and want to make calls from home, contact Jason (contact info below) and he will set you up. We also need volunteers to help with canvassing, lit drops, fundraising, and other campaign activities. Come to the office on Thursday afternoon (or anytime) to sign up, or give Jason a call or send an email.
For Immediate Release
October 10, 2006
Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office Open
1 Fenn Street, Pittsfield
Berkshire County Democrats and the Berkshire Brigades have officially announced it has opened a coordinated campaign headquarters in Pittsfield located at 1 Fenn Street. The coordinated office will be open Monday thru Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The coordinated office will host a Rally to officially open the office on Thursday, October 12th at 4:00 p.m. Honored guests at the event include Representative John Olver and Ben Downing. The public is invited. Anyone interested in volunteering for the coordinated campaign, registering to vote, and/or anyone looking for information on how to get involved in the upcoming elections is encouraged to attend the rally.
The coordinated effort includes the campaigns of Patrick/Murray, Edward Kennedy for Senate, John Olver for Congress, Timothy Cahill for State Treasurer, Joseph DeNucci for State Auditor, Martha Coakley for Attorney General, William Galvin for Secretary State, Denis Guyer for State Representative, and Benjamin Downing for State Senate.
Phone bank and other volunteer opportunities are available every day between now and the November 7 general election. Activities will be conducted during both daytime and evening hours. Newcomers are welcome, and phone lines and training will be provided. During the contest for the Democratic nomination for Governor, Deval Patrick’s campaign was recognized for its unique and effective use of the Internet and personal outreach to contact and persuade voters. These campaign techniques will now support local Democratic candidates in promoting the interests of Berkshire families and the values of opportunity and community supported by the Democratic Party.
Several similar coordinated offices have opened throughout Massachusetts, including Amherst and Springfield. For more information please contact Jason Ostrander, Berkshire County Field Director, at jostrandersw@gmail.com or by calling 997-9000.
October 10, 2006
Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office Open
1 Fenn Street, Pittsfield
Berkshire County Democrats and the Berkshire Brigades have officially announced it has opened a coordinated campaign headquarters in Pittsfield located at 1 Fenn Street. The coordinated office will be open Monday thru Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The coordinated office will host a Rally to officially open the office on Thursday, October 12th at 4:00 p.m. Honored guests at the event include Representative John Olver and Ben Downing. The public is invited. Anyone interested in volunteering for the coordinated campaign, registering to vote, and/or anyone looking for information on how to get involved in the upcoming elections is encouraged to attend the rally.
The coordinated effort includes the campaigns of Patrick/Murray, Edward Kennedy for Senate, John Olver for Congress, Timothy Cahill for State Treasurer, Joseph DeNucci for State Auditor, Martha Coakley for Attorney General, William Galvin for Secretary State, Denis Guyer for State Representative, and Benjamin Downing for State Senate.
Phone bank and other volunteer opportunities are available every day between now and the November 7 general election. Activities will be conducted during both daytime and evening hours. Newcomers are welcome, and phone lines and training will be provided. During the contest for the Democratic nomination for Governor, Deval Patrick’s campaign was recognized for its unique and effective use of the Internet and personal outreach to contact and persuade voters. These campaign techniques will now support local Democratic candidates in promoting the interests of Berkshire families and the values of opportunity and community supported by the Democratic Party.
Several similar coordinated offices have opened throughout Massachusetts, including Amherst and Springfield. For more information please contact Jason Ostrander, Berkshire County Field Director, at jostrandersw@gmail.com or by calling 997-9000.
"Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming"
Your Guide to Environmental Issues.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming.
You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.
You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.
1) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle: paper, plastic, newspaper, and aluminum cans. If there isn’t a recycling program at your work, school, or in your community, ask about starting one.
2) Insulate Your Home
Add extra insulation to your walls and attic, and install weather stripping or caulk around doors and windows. This step alone can reduce your home heating costs by more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
3) Be Thrifty with Heating and Cooling
Turn down the heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day, and aim for moderation with heating and cooling at all times. Try pulling on a sweater before rushing to the thermostat.
4) Leave the Car at Home Whenever You Can
Less driving means fewer emissions. And besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
5) Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it’s time to buy a new car, choose one that gives you the best gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are now designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
6) Turn Down Your Appliances
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save water. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
7) Don’t Leave the Water Running
Remember to turn off the water when you’re not using it. For example, while brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog, or soaping up your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You’ll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital natural resource.
8) Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company
Many utility companies provide home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
9) Be an Informed Consumer
Learn more about environmental issues so that you can make wise choices for yourself and your family.
10) Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming.
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle: paper, plastic, newspaper, and aluminum cans. If there isn’t a recycling program at your work, school, or in your community, ask about starting one.
2) Insulate Your Home
Add extra insulation to your walls and attic, and install weather stripping or caulk around doors and windows. This step alone can reduce your home heating costs by more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
3) Be Thrifty with Heating and Cooling
Turn down the heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day, and aim for moderation with heating and cooling at all times. Try pulling on a sweater before rushing to the thermostat.
4) Leave the Car at Home Whenever You Can
Less driving means fewer emissions. And besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
5) Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it’s time to buy a new car, choose one that gives you the best gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are now designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
6) Turn Down Your Appliances
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save water. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
7) Don’t Leave the Water Running
Remember to turn off the water when you’re not using it. For example, while brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog, or soaping up your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You’ll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital natural resource.
8) Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company
Many utility companies provide home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
9) Be an Informed Consumer
Learn more about environmental issues so that you can make wise choices for yourself and your family.
10) Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming.
Comments at CNN
Your comments: Our readers write back
10/10/06 11:49 AM, EDT
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Monday, October 9, 2006
The Key to Happiness...
Quote of the Day (October 9, 2006)
One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.
Rita Mae Brown
Visit The Quotations Page for more quotes.
One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.
Rita Mae Brown
Visit The Quotations Page for more quotes.
Anna Politkovskaya
From The Nation;"The Death of a Journalist"
Russia and the world have lost a great and courageous journalist. The killing of Anna Politkovskaya on October 7 is horrifying and shocking, but not unexpected. Read Katrina vanden Heuvel's tribute to a fearless chronicler of the mass executions of Chechen civilians at the hands of Russian troops and security forces.
You can also tune in to Democracy Now tomorrow (Monday) morning at 8:00am EST to hear vanden Heuvel talk about Politkovskaya's life and work with Amy Goodman. Check out the show's website to see if a radio station near you is one of the more than 500 outlets coast to coast broadcasting the program or listen online.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
School Calls Police: Police Don't Respond
Because we all know there couldn't possibly be anything wrong at a school...
By CHRIS BROOKE
Last updated at 20:58pm on 6th October 2006
An inquiry has been ordered after police failed to respond to five 999 calls from a primary school reporting an armed intruder.
The man broke into the school brandishing a lump of wood and threatened staff by telling them 'you're dead'.
School had finished for the day, but there were still children inside and frantic staff rang 999 on five occasions over a 50-minute period. Eventually the man left of his own accord, but officers never turned up to investigate.
Kent Police chief constable Michael Fuller has ordered the investigation following a complaint from headteacher Stuart Pywell, of St Stephen's Junior School in Canterbury.
The drama at the school unfolded last week, when five young men were seen fighting with lumps of wood in the school grounds.
Continued...
The man broke into the school brandishing a lump of wood and threatened staff by telling them 'you're dead'.
School had finished for the day, but there were still children inside and frantic staff rang 999 on five occasions over a 50-minute period. Eventually the man left of his own accord, but officers never turned up to investigate.
Kent Police chief constable Michael Fuller has ordered the investigation following a complaint from headteacher Stuart Pywell, of St Stephen's Junior School in Canterbury.
The drama at the school unfolded last week, when five young men were seen fighting with lumps of wood in the school grounds.
Continued...
Matrix reasoning...
Another piece from the twisted mind of zero...
A new era has dawned. We have a new god, one which we can prove the
existence of without a doubt. Our new god is more efficient than the others that
have shown up here and there throughout time. It actually represents what we
think and not the ideas of some crack pot science fiction writer who was bored
and broke one night. When we “pray” to our god and ask it a question, we are not
given one answer but many to choose from, and we don’t have to wait. We never
have to wonder whether it is really out there because we can see and experience
it anytime we want. Our new god is the internet.
9 Reasons Not to Shoot up A School
Lists like this are needed when killing innocent little girls becomes a trend.
1. It’s just not nice
As the good Jewish folks would say, “It is just not kosher.” Whatever can be done to a person that would drive them to such a crime is not even close to the evil they themselves have perpetrated. It also goes against general good manners and proper etiquette. Mr. Rogers would definitely not approve.
2. It has been done before
Three times in the past week and a half to be exact. There was a time when a stunt like this would guarantee that your name would be remembered, in however bad a way, but that time is long past. Nowadays you are lucky to even get your picture in the paper.
3. No one cares if your mommy didn’t hug you enough
Or if you were picked on, or if your life sucks, or if your dick won’t get hard because some little girl laughed at you back in grade school. Everyone on this planet has issues. It is called learning to move on with your life, look up the definition, write it down, and remember it.
4. Teachers don’t get combat pay
They don’t get paid much at all. Also, one day one of these sick shits that like to pick up a gun and run amuck in a school might just run into the wrong educator and get dealt with. My old English teacher was an ex-marine who could rip your face off with a simple look. We can only hope…
5. Bill Gates got picked on in high school too
It didn’t seem to affect him much, though the billions probably take most of the sting away. The point here is it is not the fault of the people who messed with you that your life sucks. Plenty of people who did not get picked on are probably worse off. Case in point: Mel Gibson. We love you, Mel!
6. No one shot up your school
Return the favor. It is just good form. Why give someone else a reason to go shit nuts one day because some crazy memory of an old school shooting all of a sudden comes up out of nowhere? Stop the madness, kill a rabbit instead.
7. Rotten bastards convene during sessions of congress, not high school English classes
High school kids may not be the biggest gentlemen in the world, but they certainly aren’t rotten bastards. Not yet, they have to grow up first. Let them grow up. In the meantime, how about aiming at guys who maybe deserve it a little more? Bin Laden still hasn’t been caught…
8. Prove your manhood; shoot up an armory instead
It takes exactly zero balls to shoot up a bunch of innocent girls. Why not have a go at someone who can shoot back? This is America, you should have no problem finding someone with a gun who would absolutely love to have a shootout with you. There is a guy in every town that is just itching for a gunfight. Show up on his property and piss on his lawn.
9. Life really isn’t that bad
Things could always be worse and will most likely always get better as well. Only a total asshole takes out his own personal problems on the rest of the world. So, you may be feeling bad this week. Smoke a joint for Christ's sake and leave the schools alone.
This article is dedicated to everyone who has ever been a victim of a school shooting because someone else was just too weak to deal with their lives and had to go out and be a dumb shit.
"911 is your Pearl Harbor"
"9/11 is your Pearl Harbor,"
A speech by William Kristol, former chief of staff for former vice president Dan Quayle, turned hostile Tuesday when students began hurling insults at Kristol, alleging his and the U.S. government's complicity in the 9/11 attacks. "9/11 is your Pearl Harbor," said one student protestor, referring to a pre-Sept. 11 statement released by the Project for a New American Century, a conservative think tank Kristol chairs.
Friday, October 6, 2006
Peace Action - Be a Peace Voter
Hi. I am sending this because I thought you might be interested in this group called Peace Action. They are the nation's largest grassroots peace group and for years have been making a difference.
They are sponsoring the PeaceVoter.org pledge. It is a signature project that is rallying public support at the national, state, and Congressional district levels to end the war.
It's designed to put the politicians on notice that we want the war ended quickly and we don't want any more wars of aggression. Thanks.
Peace
They are sponsoring the PeaceVoter.org pledge. It is a signature project that is rallying public support at the national, state, and Congressional district levels to end the war.
It's designed to put the politicians on notice that we want the war ended quickly and we don't want any more wars of aggression. Thanks.
Peace
Check out this 'No War with Iran' petition
Incredibly enough, sources inside Washington say that the Bush Administration is moving ahead with a possible military strike against Iran. As insane as that sounds, I can believe that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld would actually do such a thing.
Thanks for joining me in signing the "No War with Iran" petition, and getting the movement started to prevent yet another disastrous war by the Bush Administration.
Thanks for joining me in signing the "No War with Iran" petition, and getting the movement started to prevent yet another disastrous war by the Bush Administration.
"Profiteering"Wednesday, October 4, 2006
"The Politics of Hope"
I think we have a hero in Deval Patrick, not only as our next Governer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; but, as a possible presidential candidate.
Monday, October 2, 2006
Gas Prices in Other Nations
Oslo, Norway
$6.62 a gallon for unleaded regular,
in US dollars
London
$5.96
Rome
$5.80
Brussels
$6.16
Hong Kong
$6.25
Tokyo,
$5.25
Sao Paolo, Brazil
$4.42
Buenos Aires
$2.09
Mexico City
$2.22
Johannesburg
$3.39
New Delhi
$3.71
NOW,
Here's the Kicker!!!
Caracas $0.12!!!
Kuwait $0.78!!
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $0.91!!
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