Verdict in Bell Shooting Is No Big Surprise

Nailing cops for bad shootings has always been virtually impossible. The Bell case was no exception.

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The Pentagon Strangles Our Economy: Why the U.S. is Broke

60 years of enormous military spending is taking a dramatic toll on the rest of the economy. The military adventurers in the Bush administration have much in common with the corporate leaders of the defunct energy company Enron. Both groups thought that they were the "smartest guys in the room."

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PBS breaks ‘media blackout’ of story on Pentagon propaganda

"...The New York Times published an explosive report exposing the Pentagon’s secret campaign to use analysts... TV news organizations have largely been silent on their role in the propaganda. Ari Melber notes that last night, PBS’s Newshour finally broke this blackout, but couldn’t convince the other networks to participate..."

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BREAKING! Pot Vending Machine in L.A. Stolen by the Feds

That medicinal marijuana vending machine in L.A. has officially been stolen by the DEA. I live around the corner from the dispensary that features the famous vending machine, and spoke with the manager. The Feds destroyed a perfectly legal California business tonight.

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Bill Moyers interviews the Reverend Jeremiah - FULL VIDEO

This is the full thing folks, finally - comes in two 30 minute installments. You're about to be educated.

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America's apartheid mentality toward the world

Let's start treating the world's 6 billion non-Americans as equals.

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US Marines deploying in Afghanistan for 1st time in years

U.S. Marines are crossing the sands of southern Afghanistan for the first time in years, providing a boost to a NATO coalition that is growing but still short on manpower.

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Joint Chiefs Chairman Says U.S. Preparing Military Options Against Iran

The nation's top military officer said today that the Pentagon is planning for 'potential military courses of action' against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's 'increasingly lethal and malign influence' in Iraq.

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Fifteen killed in Mexico drug battle near U.S.

Reuters - Fifteen Mexican drug gang members were killed near the U.S. border on Saturday, their bodies scattered along a road after one of the deadliest shootouts in Mexico's three-year-long narco-war.

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U.S. Preparing Military Options Against Iran

The nation's top military officer said today that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq.

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Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals

Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends.

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China to meet with Dalai Lama representatives!

This could be a major step in warming relations between ethnic Tibetans and the rest of China.

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Medical marijuana patients face transplant hurdles

Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal. His liver, ravaged by hepatitis C, is failing. Without a new one, his doctors tell him, he will be dead in days. But Garon's been refused a spot on the transplant list, largely because he has used marijuana, even though it was legally approved for medical reasons.

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U.S. Navy To Revive Fleet for Latin America, Caribbean

The move comes as South American nations, including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, boost military spending to counter tensions and protect oil reserves.

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No End in Sight... Well, not until Denver.

It's becoming clear. This will not end in June. It will not end when the superdelegates commit to Obama. It will go all the way to the convention and there, the Clintons will start to REALLY turn on their ugliest efforts to persuade the delegates that Obama has been irreparably damaged.

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To Impeach before Nov 4, Do Something Different, Quickly!

What can we do that is different and radical enough to cause Congress to hold impeachment hearings?Perhaps realizing that Congress itself is the current clear and present danger to the Constitution will help. If Congress takes an oath to defend the Constitution and does not, it is the enemy of both the Constitution and the people.

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Nat'l Poll: Obama +8 - Real Clear Politics - Elections 2008

In today's Gallup Daily tracking poll, Obama continues to hold a large lead over Clinton. If Clinton receives any type of bump from her Pennsylvania victory, it likely will be shown in the following days, as this poll ended just as returns began coming in.Obama 50Clinton 42

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Stand Tall for America | Senator Ron Wyden | Stand Tall for Health Care Reform

It's time for universal health care.

Whether you love your job or hate your job, you deserve to keep your health care when you quit or lose your job.

Whether you want to go back to school, start a business, find a new job, or just tell your boss to shove it your health care coverage should stay with you. No matter what you choose.

No one should be forced to stay in a job just to protect their health coverage.

Every American should be guaranteed health care that can never be taken away. Not by your boss, not by the government, not by an insurance company.

And Senator Ron Wyden's Healthy Americans Act will do just that.

Join the grassroots movement for universal health care.

Stand Tall for America | Senator Ron Wyden | Stand Tall for Health Care Reform

Technorati tags: universal healthcare, healthcare, activism, videos

Bob Ostertag: On Obliterating Iran

Hillary's "obliterate Iran" comment actually kept me up last night. Surely this represents a new low, even down here in the gutter Clinton is trying to claw her way out of. The ugliness of the Clinton campaign is now to the point where it is damaging not only Obama, the Democratic Party, and Clinton herself. This comment will have an impact on...

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Obama Camp: Back To Reality - Real Clear Politics - Election

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe held a conference call with reporters today, and mostly looked ahead at the path to the nomination. By the campaign's math, Clinton netted between 10 and 12 delegates in Pennsylvania. With nine remaining contests, they figure she will need to win 70 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to erase Obama's

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Conservatives rolling out attack ads aimed at Obama, backers

Also, Willie Horton ad creator takes credit for Clinton win in PA, unveils new attack aimed at Obama, Clinton.

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Do the Other Primaries Even Matter?

Slate.com chief political correspondent John Dickerson discusses the results of the Pennsylvania primary and looks ahead to North Carolina and Indiana.

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Clinton's win still leaves her the underdog

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Exuding fresh confidence after her Pennsylvania primary win, Hillary Rodham Clinton turned attention Wednesday to contests in Indiana and North Carolina and pressed her case that she can still win the Democratic presidential nomination despite the odds against her.

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Condi must go

Lying for a living

One of the more bizarre characters in the Bush White House, Condoleezza Rice has managed to hang on while others - the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and other assorted criminals - have left in disgrace.
Secretary of State?
Is this some kind of a sick joke?

Condi must go

Technorati tags: videos, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, government, politics, Brasscheck TV

Healthcare NOT Warfare, Sign the Petition

As Martin Luther King Jr. observed forty years ago, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." While the insurance and pharmaceutical industries post huge profits, the U.S. health care crisis grows steadily worse.
Today, nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance. Tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured. Meanwhile the war in Iraq drains our resources and overburdens our budget. Our government's duty is to protect us--security begins with our health and well-being at home. In 2008, we have an historic opportunity to turn from warfare to health care for all.
We call on the Democratic Party at all levels--in party platforms and resolutions--to commit to redirecting wasteful and unnecessary military spending to meet human needs. This commitment must start with comprehensive, guaranteed health care--driven by the needs of patients and the judgment of doctors. We call on Democrats to support a plan that eliminates any financial barriers between the patient and healthcare providers, resulting in a patient not receiving medically necessary care.
We call on members of Congress to bring the troops home from Iraq and to pass H.R. 676, Rep. John Conyers' bill which guarantees comprehensive publicly-funded, privately-delivered health care for everyone in the U.S.
Prior to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, this petition will be delivered to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean and your member of Congress.

Click on this link to sign the petition

Progressive Democrats of America

Technorati tags: healthcare, health, activism, politics, democrats, anti-war, petition, Progressive Democrats of America

God Damn America?

Examines the context of Rev. Wright's comments

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Son-Of-A-Bitch Mouse Solves Maze Researchers Spent Months Building

Well, there you go mice are smarter than scientists! Maybe, we've got it all wrong and the mice should be conducting experiments on the scientists!
Peace,
soul
University of Iowa neuroscientists studying spatial learning and the effects of stress on memory announced Tuesday that a little son-of-a-bitch mouse ruined an experiment on cognitive performance by effortlessly navigating a maze that researchers spent nearly a year designing and constructing.

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Happy 420!!!

I hope everyone had a happy, peaceful smoke! Hopefully, one day we’ll be able to celebrate legally!
Peace and Bright Blessings,
soul

Comment Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

Meida blacks out the story of Clinton closed door fundraiser

From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, Democrats voiced surprise and then anger over comments that Senator Hillary Clinton made at a private fund raiser that were caught on tape. Surprise because the media has largely blacked out coverage of the comments; anger because of their nature.

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Iraq Vets Want Bush and Cheney Out

IVAW members seize DC buildings demanding Bush's impeachment.

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1/3 Returning Vets Suffer from Brain Injuries, Mental Issues

And many are not getting care -- it's a betrayal on an epic scale.

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Pentagon institute calls Iraq war 'a major debacle'

The Iraq war has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute. The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush 's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq.

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Defeated in Iraq: How America Lost the War

Jonathan Steele on why -- and how -- the U.S. and Britain screwed up the Iraq project.

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Revealed: Cartoonishly Racist Faked Memoir Duped NY Times

We get the "Cliffs Notes" version of "Love and Consequences" which was quickly yanked off the shelves as a fake. It's a "white girl joins black gang until she goes to college" horrible story wickedly dissected by John Gorenfeld, revealing "gangsta moll Margaret B. Jones" is really middle-class liar Margaret Seltzer. Well-written, don't miss it.

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The Hidden Battle to Control the World's Food Supply

Food riots are breaking out across the planet. We must re-examine corporate control of the food supply.

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The Bush Admin's How-to Guide for Creating Religious Warfare

Using a mixture of cultural ignorance, incompetence and a touch of cronyism, the U.S has turned a patriotic nation against itself.

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How Republicans Hijacked the Justice Dept to Swing Elections

The GOP may have committed massive vote fraud in plain sight by encouraging widespread voter purges and restricting registration campaigns. Jim Crow has returned to American elections. The DOJ has stopped enforcing federal laws designed to aid registration. Political appointees have pressured federal prosecutors.

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Vacation or Bust

By Gary Varvel , The Indianapolis Star
From the Cartoonist Group.

Vacation or Bust

Technorati tags: Gary Varvel, Cartoonist Group, political cartoons, political satire, economy

98% of Historians find Bush's presidency a failure

The good news is only 2% of the country are insane!

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Please Satan, god of politics, stop the Clintons!

Hillary has become especially hard to take because she can’t get what she wants without lying a lot, and nobody any longer believes a thing she says. It would help were she as good a liar as her nominal husband is, but even Bill Clinton can’t lie like a Clinton any longer. Even the price of Clintons in China has gone through the floor.

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Hillary is Like the Annoying Contact Lense Stuck in my Eye

Hey everyone, I thought I'd give you some lighter reading for the weekend post. As it turns out, the title of this post is true. Check out my post here at eyesonobama.com to find out why.

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Oil hits intraday record above $112

Oil prices rose to an intraday trading record above $112 a barrel Tuesday after the U.S. dollar fell further and crude supplies to the U.S. and elsewhere were disrupted.

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President Obama To "Immediatly Review" Potential Bush Crimes

"Tonight I had an opportunity to ask Barack Obama a question that is on the minds of many Americans, yet rarely rises to the surface in the great ruckus of the 2008 presidential race -- and that is whether an Obama administration would seek to prosecute officials of a former Bush administration..."

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Pa. Voters Divided Over Obama Remarks

But many more seem to think it was no big deal _ and if there's a problem it's with the political slapfest that has followed.

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Clinton Heckled, Obama Cheered Over 'Bitter' Remarks

It is too early to assess what lasting impact this story is going to have on the race, but the way the audience at the Alliance For American Manufacturing forum in Pittsburgh received the candidates, and reacted to the issue, will be heartening for the Obama camp.

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Idiotic School Ban on Candy Mirrors Stupidity of Drug Prohib

Whaddya know? As soon as CA schools started banning candy, students started dealing it on the "underground market" at a marked up price.

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Will the Constitution Be Altered to Eliminate Key Liberties?

We're already dangerously close to that reality.

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Obama Under Attack Over 'Terrorist' Link

Dear American People;

Please don't believe this obvious attack by the Clinton campaign! It's apparent to me that Hillary is trying everything she can to discredit Barack Obama and she's coming up with alot of lame ass attacks against him...

Peace,

soul1383

clipped from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3736043.ece

Another dubious contact is dogging the Democrat hopeful

A PAST association with a former terrorist has returned to haunt Barack Obama
as the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination nears its end game.

Republicans are turning on Obama for his connection with William Ayers, once a
member of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group that bombed the
Capitol, the Pentagon and the State Department in the 1970s.

Ayers was loosely involved in Obama’s election as an Illinois state senator in
the late 1990s, when he was introduced to local activists at a meeting in
his house. He also donated $200 to Obama’s reelection campaign in 2001.

Obama served with Ayers on the board of the Woods Fund, a philanthropic
foundation, for three years and shared a platform with him at two academic
conferences.

Republicans believe they have found new evidence that Obama lacks judgment and
patriotism just as the controversy over the Rev Jeremiah Wright, his pastor,
who said, “God damn America”, is dying down.

A Cree Proverb...

"Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money."

- Cree Proverb

 

'Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.' - Cree Proverb

Technorati tags: quotes, quotations, Cree proverb, Native American, money, enviroment, society

The USS Economy

political cartoon

clipped from www.truthdig.com By Mike Luckovich

The Coming War with Iran: It's About the Oil, Stupid

Controlling an area the size of Kansas shouldn't be a problem for the U.S. military, except that it is heavily populated and many people in the triangle don't want the Americans there and are willing to fight.

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Who Is The Real Patriot?

I may not agree with his religion or some of his views, but I'd rather be in his fox-hole than Dick Cheney's or George Bush's.

clipped from www.blueridgenow.com A young African-American man heard John F. Kennedy’s “Ask what you can do for your country,” gave up his student deferment, left college, joined the Marines for two years and then became a Navy corpsman. Elected class valedictorian, he was assigned for four years to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he helped care for Lyndon Johnson. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney used student deferments, avoiding active duty through family connections. Who’s the real patriot — one who sacrificed years or those who merely mouthed love of country? Some of Wright’s comments are inexcusable and rightly condemned, but calling him “unpatriotic”? Wright’s church offers many services — housing, employment programs, scholarships, ministry to people with HIV/AIDS. “It’s (because of) his deep faith in God and his desire to be an agent of change in the world,” said Michael Pfleger, a South Side Roman Catholic priest. (Gleaned from AP and Chicago Tribune articles, April 4 ).

Drug war ad money is better spent on economic development

clipped from boinkology.com We’re as anti-meth as the next thinking person (because, you know, it destroys lives and kills people), but does anyone actually think these ads are going to be effective? Drug addiction is sad, lonely and pathetic. But idiotic advertisements and sexed up ad campaigns aren’t going to keep people off meth. People use “gutter drugs” like meth because their lives aren’t rosy to begin with. Spend the money wasted on this nonsense helping the economically devastated towns in the plains, where meth is rampant, to build new industry, get better schools and after-school programs. Stop scaring people and using sex to do it.

Burma plans its “democracy” - Care2 News Network

The previous constitution was torn up by the junta 18 years ago, and the country has operated without a basic law since then. The Burmese junta’s version of democracy comes with plenty of catches... Free Aung San Suu Kyi! Fair elections!

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1,300 Iraqi Troops, Police Dismissed

The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month's offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday. Anyone want to take their place?

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Carter and Gore to ask Clinton to step down

DEMOCRAT grandees Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are being lined-up to deliver the coup de grâce to Hillary Clinton and end her campaign to become president."They're in discussions," a source close to Carter told Scotland on Sunday. "Carter has been talking to Gore. They will act, possibly together, or in sequence."

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WHY AMERICANS ARE BITTER

Bush keeps telling us that our economy is going through a "rough patch" and we should suck it up while jobs continue to go off-shore, homes are being foreclosed, and children and elderly are dying needlessly for lack of medical care.

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Are There Really Any Words Left? : A Time For Resistance

This article is a call to the two-thirds Americans who are against the illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq to begin demonstrating their resistance. It also is a call for support for those who have engaged in acts of resistance. There is also an announcement for direct actions in observance of Iraq Moratorium on Friday 4/18

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A New Revolution of Revelation

What do good, patriotic Americans do when their Justice Department, Congress, and Judiciary will not uphold their oaths to defend the Constitution and preserve their rights? They do it themselves.

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Can Americans Stop Bush/Cheney From Attacking Iran? YES!

It will be tough, but working together, we can stop another war from being started. It's time that we come together in solidarity and take back our democracy. If we fail to act, the economy and our way of life will be forever changed and we will live under fascism and tyranny. Help to make a difference!

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"BITTER" DOUBLE STANDARDS: WHAT'S the Matter with PENNSYLVANIA

When Senator Obama was speaking in San Francisco about folks in small town Pennsylvania, he wasn't saying anything new nor anything unheard of. He was talking about some of the same issues raised in the best selling Book, "What's the Matter with Kansas", by Thomas Frank.

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Secret Iraqi Deal Shows Problems in Arms Orders

Iraq’s military received shoddy equipment under an $833 million deal with Serbia that sidestepped anticorruption safeguards, U.S. commanders said.

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UI Scientists Seek Marijuana Smokers For Study

I just can't get over the fact that you get PAID $600 to smoke pot for a study! I mean I feel like I need to wake up from a great dream.

A group of University of Iowa scientists is looking for marijuana smokers to help gain insight into the drug's effects. And they plan to pay subjects as much as 600 dollars to smoke their pot.

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Grandfathers Accidentally Switched At Hospital

LOS ANGELES—In yet another disturbing case of hospital negligence, two elderly grandfathers were accidentally switched at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and sent home with the wrong families, sources reported Monday.

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Petition: Say NO to Violence against Women

At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of pandemic proportions.

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Stick Your Elitism Where the Sun Doesn't Shine

Obama an 'elitist'? News flash...

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"Elitism for Elites" by: Barbara O'Brien

It always amuses me when upper-class people with power and privilege start screeching about “elitism.” Today all manner of political, media and blogging elites — people with advanced degrees who’ve never been to a tractor pull in their lives — are snorting about elitism because Barack Obama said something that anyone with a real redneck background

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Barack Obama knows what's going on...

Barack Obama's response to John McCain and Hillary Clinton's relentless taunting that he's not in touch with the American people...

Losing Our Will

The war in Iraq stands like a boulder in the road, blocking progress on so many other important issues that are crucial to our viability as a society.

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Memo Signed By Bush, AUTHORIZING TORTURE, Surfaces

This memo undercuts the frame that the recent ABC torture story suggested, by simply not mentioning the central role of the president in the NSC, that George W. Bush was elsewhere when decisions were made about torture. Now, we have signed memo indicating Bush was probably at the helm.

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The Torture Memo

How could two really smart government lawyers authorize torture in arguments that have no foundation in law?

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If Obama becomes President, no forgiving and forgetting!

Some of us are beginning to smell blood. Bush/Republican/neocon blood, that is. The French didn't forget their filthy collaborators after WW2, and neither should we. We must never forget ONE DAY of these last 7 to 8 years and the 9/11 traitors, the Judas media, and the now totally fascist DLC Clinton Democratic Party.

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The Coming War with Iran

If the Bush administration, the New York Times, and the Washington Post get their way, the US military will commence with missile and air strikes against Iranian targets before the November elections.

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Transcript: What Obama Really Said shows He Understands.

"But the truth is, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. They feel so betrayed by government."

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Sheeple Awake!

by Numerian April 12, 2008 - Could this be one of those moments when the middle class and poor people in this country awaken to the reality of their economic distress? It will be if people really listen to what Barack Obama had to say on this subject rather than digest only the snippets of quotes that the opposition are ranting about.

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The Daily Show Takes Down Fox News

Faux News Channel produces glowing hagiography of Bush, John Oliver puts it through the shredder.
Part 1:


Part2:


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'Why Is Coke Glamorous and Heroin Scary?'

Sixx, the '80s hair rocking bassist for Motley Crue, offers to the public the memoirs of his drug-addled stardom -- if only he could admit he had fun.

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The Military-Leisure Golf Complex

Pentagon elites and high government officials are tee-ing off at taxpayer expense at hundreds of courses all over the planet.

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WARRIORS IN KNEE-PANTS

Is the U.S. contributing to robbing children of their childhood?

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Yoo Disbarment Sought

The National Lawyers' Guild has called for the disbarment of John Yoo, the former Justice Department attorney who authored the notorious "torture memorandum," used to justify the illegal imprisonment and maltreatment of prisoners held by American military authorities as "unlawful combatants."

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The Torture Drawings the Pentagon Doesn't Want You to See

Drawings by journalist Sami Al-Haj depicting torture at Gitmo have been censored.

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Going Behind Closed Doors in Christian Right Households

To really understand the politics of the Christian Right, we need to look not only to public activity, but to private matters.

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Are You Unhappy? Is It Because of Consumer Addiction?

The pattern of out-of-control consumption in the U.S. is not too different from the well-known behavioral patterns of substance abusers.

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$46,000 Vacuumed Out Of White House Couch

listen to this...

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At my house we are already in a depression..

by Pamela Thompson - We are a middle class family struggling in todays economy.

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China says they foils terrorist plot to kidnap Olympians

Chinese authorities have detained 45 East Turkestan "terrorist" suspects, and foiled plots to carry out suicide bomb attacks and kidnap athletes to disrupt the Beijing Olympics, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

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Dalai Lama backs Olympics, says violence outdated

By Chisa Fujioka NARITA, Japan (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, said on Thursday he supports the Beijing Olympics and opposed violent protests that have disrupted the Olympic torch relay around the world. ''It is really...

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Dying for Coverage

 

New State Reports from Families USA
March – April  2008

The number of uninsured Americans reached 47 million in 2006, and it continues to rise. For many of the uninsured, the lack of health insurance has dire consequences. The uninsured face medical debt, often go without necessary care, and even die prematurely.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine released a groundbreaking report, Care without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late, which estimated that 18,000 adults nationwide died in 2000 because they did not have health insurance. Subsequently, The Urban Institute estimated that 22,000 adults died in 2006 because they did not have health insurance. To find out what this means for people across the nation, Families USA has generated the first-ever state-level estimates of the number of deaths due to lack of health insurance. Our estimates are based on both the Institute of Medicine and The Urban Institute methodologies applied to state-level data.

State-specific reports will be released March 12 through April 8. See the Newsroom for press releases.

Dying for Coverage

Technorati tags: health insurance, health news, insurance coverage, society, healthcare

Death by Lack of Health Insurance

Families USA has been crunching numbers compiled by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and the findings are quite eye-opening. Find out your state's death toll.

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'Those Dirty Hippies Wouldn't be Fussing over Tibet if...'

Nat Review Columnist: 'Those Dirty Hippies Wouldn't be Fussing over Tibet if Mao Was Still Around' - by Roy Edroso, Alicublog at 5:54 AM on April 10, 2008...More lucid thinking from Bill Buckley's pride and joy.

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Will Bush, Cheney and Their Criminal Cronies Face Justice?

Top officials approved torture methods.A week or so ago we noted Andrew Sullivan's prediction that Bush would one day face a war crimes tribunal. If anyone I know were in charge, he certainly would. But, as we stated then, political realities in the U.S. make it just plain wishful thinking. Still... last night ABC News ran with a story that certainly points precisely towards a trip to the Hague. Short version: the Regime's top operatives-- Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Rumsfeld, Tenet, John Ashcroft, Colin Powell-- sat around the White House discussing and approving clearly illegal torture specifics.

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Petraeus's Betrayal

By undercutting the widespread support for getting out of Iraq, General Petraeus betrayed the American public.

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If Dems Talk About 'Winning' in Iraq, Everybody Loses

The Petraeus hearings trapped Democrats into talking about whether the 'surge' is working, not that the U.S. has no right to be there.

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The Mythology of Boomers Bankrupting Our Healthcare System

Facts and myths about how the United States' shrinking work force can pay for the health needs of its retirees. This is yet ANOTHER reason that Single Payer, Universal HealthCare is a win-win for America!

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Rachel Maddow: Progressive Media's Next Mainstream Star

Rachel Maddow is the straightest shooter on Cable News and the voice of reason among lots of political cant. Way to go, Rachel.

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Let's make a Ruckus - Join The Ruckus Society...

Here's an email they had sent me...

Hey Ruckus -

Our beloved Satya (Nupur Modi in the press materials) joined 5 other Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) activists in a brilliant action to unfurl a massive banner on the Great Wall in China – “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008!” – in English and Chinese. We are SO proud of him and the entire courageous team. Tibetan Independence activist and SFT Executive Director Lhadon Tethong and colleague Paul Golding were detained as well, but all 8 were released together and  are in Hong Kong on their way home now. This is what it looks like to conquer fear and take a message of freedom directly into the heart of your opponent.
Here’s a few excerpts from the press materials, which are available at www.studentsforafreetibet.org
“Around 10 p.m. NYC time (10 a.m. Beijng time) six courageous Tibetan independence activists from the UK, US, and Canada were detained by Chinese authorities after rappelling (abseiling) off the top of the Great Wall of China with a 450-square foot banner reading “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008” in English and Chinese.
The activists from the UK, the US and Canada are Sam Price, Melanie Raoul, Leslie Kaup, Duane Martinez, Pete Speller and Nupur Modi.  Their current whereabouts are unknown but we are monitoring the situation closely.
The action took place on the eve of the one-year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as China was preparing for what they thought would be a glorious celebration.  As Ben Blanchard from The Guardian has already reported: "Free Tibet activists on the Great Wall, a barrage of critical rights reports, a shroud of smog hanging over Beijing -- China's government must surely have imagined a more auspicious one-year countdown for the Olympics."
To see the footage of these amazing Tibetan freedom activists in action, click on the links below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp5mAMrfvI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Qp2-pJUio
You can also see still photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greatwallaction
To read the press release, go to:  www.studentsforafreetibet.org

To see some media postings, interviews and blog commentaries go to:
http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org/
ALSO, DON'T FORGET to check www.BeijingWideOpen.org for Lhadon Tethong's latest posts.  Watch footage of her recent encounter with IOC President Jacques Rogge at his Beijing hotel.  Lhadon and Paul continue reporting from Beijing, exposing the reality of China's propaganda campaign.”
-
In other Ruckus news:
Though many of you already got to interact with Janine Carmona and Sabba Syal, new members of the Ruckus team, we wanted to formally introduce them! Janine has joined our Ruckus family for 6 months, primarily working on Not Your Soldier and bringing her talents to a wide array of real needs throughout the organization. Sabba comes to us from Chicago as our new Associate Development Director. She is already taking our development program to the next level in a myriad of ways, building off of the amazing work of J.C. (who had the coolest Rock ‘n’ Roll wedding ever last weekend - Congratulations J.C. and Amanda!!) and Nisha and past Ruckus Development Divas.
We were also the Feature Organization on Future5000.com this past month when it got lauded in The Nation and on Yahoo! – go check it out.
Upcoming, Ruckus is joining Whole Communities, stone circles and Common Fire Foundation to co-sponsor the Next Generation Leadership Retreat in the Mad River Valley of Vermont, August 12-19. The facilitation team (Kavitha Rao, Matt Kolan, Adrienne Maree Brown and Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey) will guide selected up and coming leaders in a retreat focused on mediation, transformative action and leading from a place of purpose and values.
P.S. Thanks for helping us match the Ben and Jerry’s grant and get all of our folks to the US Social Forum!

The Ruckus Society : Index

Technorati tags: activism, protestors, human rights, Tibetan protestors, Tibet, China, Olympics, Beijing Olympics

Press Release: Activists Display Banner at India Gate

"No Torch in Tibet” Banner in front of the India Gate, New Delhi (Photo by Annie Kohl)


Tibet Activists displayed banner at India Gate to protest China’s Torch RelayThe Action Demands ‘No Torch in Tibet‘

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Investment Bankers up a Tree

By Nick Anderson, The Houston Chronicle
© Cartoonist Group, 2006

Investment Bankers up a Tree

Technorati tags: Nick Anderson, Cartoonist Group, political cartoons, economy, the Fed, political satire

Tibet Protesters Climb Golden Gate Bridge - Video

youtube.com - pro-tibet protesters scale golden Gate Bridge.

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Protesters scale Golden Gate Bridge

Three people protesting China's human rights record and the impending arrival of the Olympic torch climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables. The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet" and "Free Tibet 08."

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What a heroic and daring way to shout the message of "Free Tibet" and "One World One Dream."

Peace and Bright Blessings to the activists shouting the message loud enough and peacefully enough to get the attention of the world!

Can we impeach him now?

Seriously. It's not whether we could, it's when he will be held accountable and how.

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com NEW YORK - A newly disclosed secret memo authored by the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in March 2003 that asserts President Bush has unlimited power to order brutal interrogations of detainees also reveals a radical interpretation of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The memo, declassified yesterday as the result of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit, cites a still-secret DOJ memo from 2001 that found that the "Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations." Relying on the earlier memo, the March 2003 memo argues that the president has authority as Commander-in-Chief to bypass not only the Fourth Amendment but the central due process guarantee of the Fifth Amendment as well. "This memo makes a mockery of the Constitution and the rule of law," said Amrit Singh, a staff attorney with the ACLU.

Ann Telnaes 04/04/08

©2008 New York Times Syndicate

Technorati tags: Ann Telnaes, US, Americans, political cartoons, political satire, humor

YouTube for Smart People

By Ari Melber, TheNation.com. Big Think seeks to smarten up the Internet by getting up close and intellectual with the most creative thinkers alive.

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Laughing at Cheney, Fighting Hate Talk, Protecting Your Vote

From AlterNet's Don Hazen:We have five kickass titles rolling off the presses over the next five months. We intend to rattle a few cages.

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40 Years Ago Today: The Assassination of Martin Luther King

On April 4th 1968, a brilliant and sincere prophet of progressivism was cut down at the age of 39.

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81% of U.S. thinks Country is on Wrong Track

Four out of five Americans believe things are "on the wrong track" in the United States, the gloomiest outlook in about 20 years, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday.

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Clintons report $109 million since 2000

From msnbc-



Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton reported $20.4 million in income for 2007 and more than $109 million since 2000 as they gave the public the most detailed look at their finances in eight years.

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Edited Photo Proves China Faked Tibet Violence

A photo that shows a Chinese policeman pretending to be a rampaging Tibetan monk during violence in Lhasa was Photoshopped, and the policeman edited out.

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Rioting breaks out in Tibetan area of China

BEIJING - New violence has broken out in a volatile Tibetan region of western China, leaving eight people dead, an overseas Tibet activist group said Friday. China�s official Xinhua News Agency said a government official was seriously injured.

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80,000 Jobs Cut in March; Unemployment Rate Rises

The economy shed 80,000 jobs in March, the third consecutive month of rising unemployment, presenting a stark sign that the country may already be in a recession. Sharp downturns in the manufacturing and construction sectors led the decline, the biggest in five years.

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