Embedded in Iraq

In designing the political surge, the US failed to understand that the main problem is not simply the incompetence of the Iraqi government but its very legitimacy. The two main parties in the government—Dawa and the larger Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council—have a weak popular base. The government is seen as consisting mainly of "outsiders".

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U.S. escalating covert operations against Iran - report

U.S. congressional leaders agreed late last year to President George W. Bush's funding request for a major escalation of covert operations against Iran aimed at destabilizing its leadership, according to a report in The New Yorker magazine published online on Sunday.

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How gun makers can help us

We propose a new way to prod gun makers to reduce gun deaths, one that would be unlikely to put them out of business or to prevent law-abiding citizens from obtaining guns. By using a strategy known as "performance-based regulation," we would deputize private actors -- the gun makers -- to deal with the negative effects of their products.

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Rachel Maddow on Bush's War for Oil

Maddow discusses international oil companies moving into Iraq with Keith Olbermann. She is 100% on the money. Anyone who can now doubt this is delusional and may require medication.




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Guns for Safety? Dream On, Scalia.

The Supreme Court has spoken: Thanks to the court's blockbuster 5 to 4 decision Thursday, Washingtonians now have the right to own a gun for self-defense. I leave the law to lawyers, but the public health lesson is crystal clear: The legal ruling that the District's citizens can keep loaded handguns in their homes doesn't mean that they should.

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Baracknophobia: Jon Stewart Totally Schools James Dobson

Awesome. And the Vogue video from Colbert's green screen challenge isn't too bad either.

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Will the Last Superpower Recognize In Time What We Must Do to Save the Planet?

By David Korten, YES! Magazine - In a time when the old order is shattering, a global movement is emerging to challenge the use of war as a tool of statecraft.

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Olbermann's World's Worst 6/27 - Hannity Flip Flops on Korea

Fox News’ Sean Hannity applauded the Bush Administrations for lifting some of the sanctions on North Korea. However, moments later when his guest, former UN Ambassador John Bolton disagreed, Hannity quickly changed mind.



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Officials: 30,000 Troops Heading To Iraq In 2009

The Pentagon is preparing to order roughly 30,000 troops to Iraq early next year in a move that would allow the U.S. to maintain 15 combat brigades in the country through 2009, The Associated Press has learned.

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Pakistan launches Taliban offensive

Pakistan on Saturday launched an offensive against the Taliban -- the biggest military push against militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region since a civilian government took power in March.

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Kucinich: 'We went to war for the oil companies'

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has introduced measures to impeach George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, said Thursday that oil executives who secretly met with the vice president in 2001 should be held criminally liable for pushing an illegal war.

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Future Doctors Support Medical Marijuana

The AMA's med student branch, the Medical Student Section, unanimously passed a resolution supporting medical marijuana at the AMA national convention this month. With the other large national med student group, the American Medical Student Association, already supporting it, it looks like therapeutic cannabis has a future in US medicine.

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Obama To Go To Iraq Next Month

Obama will go to Iraq and Afghanistan next month, ABC News reported Friday. He has also announced plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Britain, France and Germany in mid-July.

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U.S Spy Bill Creates the 'Infrastructure for a Police State'

The whistleblower at the heart of a lawsuit against AT&T for illegal eavesdropping says Congress is set to stage a 'coup against the Constitution' as it nears passage of a new spying bill. Former AT&T technician Mark Klein provided internal company documents that he claims show that AT&T spied on the internet inside the United States.

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Iraqi Militants Becoming Citizens Turning Shame Into Pride

Major General Doug Stone is trying to turn jailed Iraqi militants into citizens. Call him a do-gooder, but guess what? It's working.

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OpEdNews Poll:Will Bugliosi Succeed in Getting Bush Indicted

Over 4,000 American soldiers have lost their lives fighting George W. Bush's war in Iraq on "false pretenses", which are "unlawful deaths", requiring that Bush be indicted and prosecuted on murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges, as noted and documented by renowned prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi in his stunning, best selling book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder", watch video below



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Clinton and Obama Set New Tone in Unity

by: Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times - Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) wave while departing Obama's campaign plane on Friday. Obama and Clinton appeared together on Friday in a show of unity for Obama's presidential campaign.

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The Best Cure for Anxiety Disorder...... Marijuana!

After years of using prescription antidepressants that offered no relief for her anxiety disorder, Patsy K. Eagan experiments with her drug of choice- marijuana

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Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell launches pro-Obama site

The minister who married the daughter of President Bush launches a pro- Barack Obama web site.

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McCain's Campaign Funding Hypocrisy

What's actually disturbing is the Swift Boat Media's complete indifference to McCain's bald-faced hypocrisy on the same issue. Amidst all the attacks on Obama's "flip-flop," how much have you read in the MSM about the fact that McCain has "completely reversed himself" on public financing -- and is currently breaking the law on a daily basis, making

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Iran War Resolution May Be Passed Next Week

Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week.

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Dobson: 'no way' to McCain candidacy 'under any circumstance

"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances," said James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents.

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Becoming VP: Be Open to the Job, But Don't Seek It

There is a growing expectation that politicians eschew the practice of actively seeking the number two slot on their partys' tickets. In other words, they're supposed to want it, but not seek it.

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Electoral Gap between McCain and Obama widens

Yeah, he's leading by 96 delegates now.

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Dodd And Feingold Will Filibuster Telecom Immunity

Two Senators willing to stand for the Bill of Rights, surely there are more. Please call yours.

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Hippy-dippy humorist

George Carlin began his comedy career in the late 1950s. And he ended it with a show in Las Vegas just a week before his death Sunday of heart failure at age 71.

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Obama and Clinton Reunite In Unity, NH

Former rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to campaign together Friday in the small New Hampshire town of Unity, their first joint appearance meant to ease tensions over the closely fought Democratic primary.

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Marijuana Decriminalization Talking Points - NORML

TALKING POINT #1: Decriminalizing marijuana frees up police resources to deal with more serious crimes.

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TALKING POINT #1: Decriminalizing marijuana frees up police resources to deal with more serious crimes.
TALKING POINT #2: Far more harm is caused by the criminal prohibition of marijuana than by the use of marijuana itself.
TALKING POINT #3: Decriminalization does not lead to greater marijuana use.
TALKING POINT #4: Criminal laws prohibiting marijuana possession do not deter marijuana use.

McCain:"I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned."

A daily dose of McBush, courtesy of Jed. It's a forceful reminder from the GOP nominee about his very, very, very right wing views on a woman's right to choose.


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And did I mention he’s black? (Obama)

"They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. They're gonna say, 'You know what, he’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black? He’s got a feisty wife.” Barack Obama



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Barack Obama’s black? Well that does it for me, I’m not voting for him…j/k
It’s incredibly sad that Obama has to actually “warn” people of the political rhetoric the repubs use to scare people into voting for John McCain.

'Ball of fire' if Iran attacked: IAEA chief

The UN atomic watchdog chief warned on Saturday that an attack on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme would turn the region into a fireball as Tehran rejected an Israeli strike as impossible.

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Drugmakers: Prepare for a Smackdown

Big Pharma, get ready for the FDA! The feds plan much heavier regulations for the industry, including penalties of up to $10 million for dosing us with risky drugs.

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Wonder Drugs That Can Kill

A great, disturbing story about the state of drug research including bad science, industry bias, journals that don't have enough good research, bad media reporting and confused doctors.

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All pharmaceuticals can kill. I almost died from a serious reaction to Cymbalta and HCZT (a high-blood pressure medication). The wildest part was that I figured out why my blood pressure was plummetting and my heart was freaking out. Not the doctors who were treating me. Eventually, two different doctors agreed with me that the Cymbalta & HCZT messed up my heart. I'm off both medications and feeling much better now. But, I am extremely leary of all pharmaceuticals and don't just take a pill for everything anymore.

People can understand numbers without naming them

Everybody has one--even rats and pigeons, to say nothing of people. The ability to grasp small numbers and map them onto a number line in the brain is an evolutionary birthright of ours. Arithmetic, of course, is another matter.

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Israel 'committing memorycide'

Part of any ethnic cleansing operation is not just wiping out the population and expelling it from the earth. A very typical part of ethnic cleansing is wiping people out of history.For ethnic cleansing to be an effective and successful operation you also have to wipe people out of memory and the Israelis are very good at it.

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White House invokes executive privilege in EPA inquiry

The Bush administration refuses to turn over subpoenaed documents related to the agency's decision to prevent California from enacting stricter emissions standards than the federal government.

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Just Foreign Policy - It's a Slippery Slope to War

Ask Your Representative to Oppose H. Con. Res. 362

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1. The resolution is H. Con. Res. 362, introduced by Representative Gary Ackerman. The most allowing provision "demands that the President"initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program.
You can find the full text of the resolution and list of co-sponsors here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.CON.RES.362:

What should Obama's policy be for Afghanistan?

What should Obama's policy be for Afghanistan?Ahmad: Take on the drug lords and support local leaders without seeking US strategic advantage



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Dollars, Oil and the Big Wipe Out

Why did the US invade Iraq?
Why is it making noises about invading
Iran?
Is it about oil...or something else?

 

The Petro-Dollar War

The first thing the US did when it invaded and took over Iraq was reverse Saddam Hussein's recently policy of demanding Euros in payment for his countries oil.
Some think that's what the war was all about and that Iran's insistence on receiving Euros for its oil is the real reason that country has been targeted.
Dollars? Euros? What's the difference?
The difference is this...if you are the dominant currency, you can support your lifestyle and war machine by printing more when you run out.
Take that power away and there will be a very economic painful dislocation in the US.

Dollars, Oil and the Big Wipe Out

Technorati Tags: war,oil,BrasscheckTV,video,money

Big Oil Returns to Iraq

By Patrick Cockburn, The Independent UK - The return of the four major Western oil companies will be greeted with dismay by many Iraqis who fear losing control of their vast oil reserves.

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Teen Pot Use Falling In States With Medical Marijuana Laws

States that have authorized the use of medical cannabis by qualified patients have not experienced an increase in pot use by the general population, according to a report issued this week by the Marijuana Policy Project. In seven of the twelve states, marijuana use among young people declined at rates that exceeded the national average.

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Why We're Suddenly Paying Through the Nose for Gas

By Michael T. Klare, The Nation - Oil companies, speculators and OPEC played their part, but ruinous Bush Administration policies have compounded the crisis.

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Iran says Israel a ''dangerous regime''

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran called Israel a ''dangerous regime'' on Saturday after a U.S. report that the Jewish state had carried out a large military exercise, apparently a rehearsal for a potential bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. The comments by...

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Dealer Accused of Selling Banned Munitions to Army

The munitions dealer, Efraim E. Diveroli, was charged with selling prohibited Chinese ammunition to the Pentagon to supply Afghan security forces.

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Democrats Have Legalized Bush's War Crimes

The Democratic leadership cleared the way for the president and his collaborators to evade punishment for defying the law.

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t r u t h o u t | Arrests for War Resistance Increase Again

"We can never forget that everything that Hitler did in Germany was 'legal,' and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did was 'illegal.' It was 'illegal' to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany, but I am sure that if I lived in Germany during that time I would have comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal ... we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive." Martin Luther King Jr.

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Kucinich: Impeachment 'Not Off the Table'

While Congressional leaders silently opt to table impeachment articles against President Bush, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) vows to speak out and keep the articles alive and in the public conscience. Kucinich spoke on Tuesday to Truthout about his resolution.

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Protesters "booing" President Bush

Pictures from a protest outside the police barricade near 10Downing St., on Sunday 15 June 2008. About 200-300 people wereprotesting President Bush's terrorism and Middle East policies. President Bush was in London on his "farewell" tour of theUnited Kingdom. Protest located directly in front of the Houses ofParliament, Westminster



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Protesters "booing" President Bush #2

Pictures from a protest outside the police barricade near 10 Downing St., on Sunday 15 June 2008. About 200-300 people were protesting President Bush's terrorism and Middle East policies. President Bush was in London on his "farewell" tour of the United Kingdom. Protest located directly in front of the Houses of Parliament...




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700 People Arrested in Mortgage fraud investigation

Government official says losses in the fraud cases total about $1 billion. More than 700 people have been arrested over mortgage fraud as part of an investigation by the FBI and Justice Department that has been going on since March 1, a government official told CNN Thursday. A Press conference is scheduled for today.

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Barack Obama: Lay Off My Family

On the same day that former GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee told his party that demonizing Barack Obama is a 'fatal mistake,' Obama told a reporter from CBN news that the GOP needs to lay off his family. Obama told CBN News that he is deeply disappointed that John McCain has not spoken out against political attacks leveled at his wife.

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Jeremy Scahill: Blackwater is Still in Charge, Deadly, Above the Law and Out of Control

Think Blackwater's days are numbered? Think again. Jeremy Scahill explains why its slaughter of Iraqis has not stopped the notorious mercenary firm.

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Legalize All Drugs

After years of reporting on the drug war, I'm convinced that this "war" does more harm than any drug.

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Is the Antiwar Movement Scaring People Away?

The central problem facing the antiwar movement isn’t a lack of support at the level of ideas, but a lack of participation by the millions of Americans who agree with the demands of the movement, but don’t have any outlet for the active expression of their views.

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The Wide Divide: You Are Being Ripped Off

Base an entire society and economic system on human greed and the acquisition of wealth and material goods, and this is what happens. The powerful exploit the weak. The rich buy political influence, and the working class gets an insulting pittance with a super-sized helping of condescension. Should anyone be surprised?

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Olbermann slams mccain on enron link. special report.

Olbermann investigates how enron created the energy speculation market to drive up the price of gas and how mccain now has Phil Graham (his chief economic adviser), the same lobbyist that worked to deregulate the market to make that happen working for him. Succinctly summed up by Olbermann.



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Broken Laws, Broken Lives: Medical Evidence of Torture by US

In PHR’s new report, Broken Laws, Broken Lives, we have for the first time medical evidence to confirm first-hand accounts of men who endured torture by US personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay. These men were never charged with any crime.

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Bush Vs. Our Liberties

If the George W. Bush Administration is going to protect us from terrorists by illegally (without warrant) spying on us, who will protect us from the G.W.B. administration?

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The Surge is Causing Ethnic Cleansing

Some backers of the surge even argue that the Iraqi civil war is over and that victory on Washington's terms is in sight -- so long as the United States has the will to see its current efforts through to their conclusion. Unfortunately, such claims misconstrue the causes of the recent fall in violence and, more important, ignore a fatal flaw in the

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McCain on Iran: Bush all over again

An alarmist John McCain is using Iran as a political weapon against Barack Obama -- even as he misjudges our Middle East adversary.

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Chemical Dumbing Down of America

www.infowars.comwww.prisonplanet.comWhy is America so brainwashed by the corporate media? Why do we care more about American Idol and sports games than being poisoned with mercury in our vaccinations and sodium fluoride in our water supply? America needs to wake up and get the facts about our chemical manipulation before it's too late.



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Kathleen Reardon & Her Strange View of Michelle Obama

To some whites, more than a lot of us would like to admit, blacks are specimens to be examined because blacks are so foreign to them. Michelle Obama is so foreign, even though she's lived in the same country with whites all this time, because she is a member of a race that still doesn't have fair representation of the variety within it in media.

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Ohio Could Be Huge Swing State Pickup for Obama

When it comes to presidential elections, Ohio has been- in recent years- a boon to the GOP. But this time around, things are looking bright for the Obama campaign in the Buckeye State, where three consecutive polls have given Obama a comfortable lead over John McCain in the general election.

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Documents confirm U.S. hid detainees from Red Cross

If you have nothing to hide, then how come you hide so much????? From the best...McClatchy newspapers

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GUANTANAMO: Beyond the Law

An eight-month McClatchy investigation of the detention system created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has found that the U.S. imprisoned innocent men, subjected them to abuse, stripped them of their legal rights and allowed Islamic militants to turn the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba into a school for jihad.

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Law School to Organize Bush War Crimes Trial

A conference to plan the prosecution of President Bush and other high administration officials for war crimes will be held September 13-14 at the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover.

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Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

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Think Again: New Orleans After the Storm

After years of excuses and delays, the FDA endorses safe and effective emergency birth control method, but only for adult women.

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Horrific New Torture Pictures Released [warning-graphic]

Bear witness. The photos the evil empire does not want you to see.

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Obama: U.S. should avoid making bin Laden a martyr

By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says if Osama bin Laden is captured alive, the United States should bring him to justice but in a way that avoids turning the al Qaeda leader into a martyr. After...

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Lawman's raids on immigrants spark fury in Phoenix

By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Frustrated by a steady flow of illegal Mexican immigrants into Arizona, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has decided to take matters into his own hands. Arpaio dispatches teams of sheriff's deputies into his own hands.Arpaio dispatches teams of sheriff's deputies into Hispanic communities where they stop people and arrest anyone who cannot prove he or she is a legal U.S. resident.Now he faces an onslaught of criticism from Hispanic activists, local lawmakers and the Phoenix mayor, who call his crackdown on immigrants a clear case of racial profiling in which only people who look Hispanic are targeted.

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CBS' Lara Logan Slams US Iraq War Coverage

CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan feels responsible for Americans not understanding what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.



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Left & Right Blogs Team Up w/ ACLU to Fight Telcom Amnesty

left-of-center bloggers, Ron Paul activists, and the ACLU join forces to wage an offensive against “Blue Dog” Dems who cave to the GOP demand for telcom immunity. At the center of this war lies the FISA bill being drafted by Steny Hoyer - a bill that news reports say will include retroactive immunity to telcoms that participated in illegal wiretaps

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House Resolution Calls for Naval Blockade against Iran

A US House of Representatives Resolution effectively requiring a naval blockade on Iran seems fast tracked for passage, gaining co-sponsors at a remarkable speed, but experts say the measures called for in the resolutions amount to an act of war.

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Kucinich threatens more impeachment articles on way

Rep. Dennis Kucinich warned the House Judiciary Committee that it would be wise not to ignore the 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush last week. If the committtee does not act within a month, he plans to introduce even more articles...

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2-star General Accuses WH of War Crimes

The two-star general who led an Army investigation into the horrific detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib has accused the Bush administration of war crimes and is calling for accountability. In a preface to a Physicians for Human Rights report based on medical examinations of former detainees, Taguba adds an epilogue to his own investigation.

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Two former Bear Stearns fund managers arrested

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two former hedge fund managers at investment bank Bear Stearns were arrested Thursday morning after a federal criminal probe into the collapse of funds they oversaw, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The former...

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Obama to forgo public funds for election campaign

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Thursday he has decided to forgo public financing of his election campaign against Republican John McCain. The decision frees him up to collect money privately, which...

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The UK and NOT the US is worlds biggest arms dealer

Britain was the world’s biggest arms seller last year, accounting for a third of global arms exports, the Government’s trade promotion organisation said.

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The Energy Non-Crisis

Is the oil crisis being manufactured?

Lindsey Williams says it is.
He was crystal clear over a year ago that gasoline was headed straight to $4.00 a gallon and he says he knows why.
Williams became an oil industry insider by virtue of his success at mediating labor disputes in the Alaska oil fields.
Little did his colleagues know, he had no intention to become a "good old boy."

 

 

The Energy Non-Crisis

Technorati Tags: BrasscheckTV,oil,oil prices,oil crisis,energy,propaganda,opinion,video

Generation Y Refuses Race-Gender Dichotomy

A powerful essay about individualism and GenY's resistance to partisanship, groupthink, and empire. - By Courtney E. Martin, AlterNet.At a stimulating confab on the election, our author declares: My feminism is about gender and racial justice, global security and community ethics

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Abortion Positions Could Swing the Election

Other key finding: "Despite the fact that the national focus seems to be on the economy, among pro-choice Independent women, pro-choice Republican women, and liberal to moderate Republican women, the issue of abortion produces a larger advantage for Democrats than the economy, the war in Iraq, or health care."

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'If the detainee dies you're doing it wrong'

From McClatchyFollowing are excerpts from some of the documents released today by the Senate Armed Services Committee:"The CIA is not held to the same rules as the military. In the past when the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) has made a big deal about certain detainees, the DOD has 'moved' them away from the attention of th

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Does the Afghan war matter to the US? VIDEO

As the Taliban offensive expands in southern Afghanistan, retaliatory actions by NATO and Afghani forces become increasingly likely. On Sunday, Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai threatened to send troops across Pakistan’s border in quote “hot pursuit.” Amid a general uproar in Pakistan over Karzai’s comments, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani retorted that Pakistan will defend itself at any cost. The Real News Network's Senior Editor Paul Jay discusses the geopolitics of the region with Senior News Analyst Aijaz Ahmad.



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Young Voters Breaking Records In 2008, Doubling From 2000

This year, 6.5 million voters under 30 turned up at the polls.

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"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."- Mahatma Gandhi

There Are 11.4 Million Refuges on Earth

Tents, sacks of food and a replica of a burnt-out village hut appeared in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday as a tourist hotspot became a refugee camp to highlight the plight of millions of people displaced in Darfur and elsewhere.

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Obama: GOP Tactics is the Reason Bin Laden Is Still Free

Democrat Barack Obama says he'll take no lectures from Republicans on who will keep America safer. GOP rival John McCain's campaign criticized Obama Tuesday for speaking approvingly of the successful prosecution of terrorists.

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Hell of a year (so far) by Mark Morford

Olbermann's "Countdown" show has bested "The O'Reilly Factor" in the ratings for the first time ever. This is remarkable not only because O'Reilly is the nation's second-finest bloviating caricature of smart cultural insight (next to Colbert), but because "Countdown" has only been around for about five years to the "Factor's" dozen. And more.......

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NATO, Afghan forces launch anti-Taliban offensive

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghan and NATO troops backed by helicopter gunships launched a massive "clean-up" operation Wednesday to drive Taliban militants from villages near Kandahar, leaving 23 rebels and two soldiers dead.

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Jon Stewart Mocks Media For Peddling Insane Obama Rumors

On Monday night's "Daily Show," Jon mocked the media's willingness to peddle insane rumors about Barack Obama — and their tendency to blame the rumor-mongering on internet sites. Calling it "Baracknophobia," Stewart showed clips of anchor and pundits from all three cable networks repeating baseless rumors (Muslim, plagiarist, sexist, etc.) .



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Bush to seek a repeal of the ban on offshore oil drilling

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg - WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush, reversing a longstanding position, planned to call on Congress on Wednesday to end a ban on offshore oil drilling, according to White House officials who said Bush now wanted to work with states to determine where drilling should occur.

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Enough Already!- by Justin Raimondo

The eulogies for Tim Russert ignore his role as the War Party's sounding board

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Fight the Smear against Barack Obama

Look at the lies see the truth !!

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And Obama's veep is ... a Republican?

Something strange happened to Chuck Hagel over the last couple of years: He started to turn into McCain. Not the McCain who's running for president this year, the McCain of old - the man who used to be a democrat's republican. Now Hagel's being discussed as a contender for Barack Obama's vice-presidential pick. A bold idea or political fantasy?

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This is Terrorism [Graphic Photos]

These photos may seem disturbing, but there are far worse images out there and the incriminating evidence of war crimes continues to mount. Eventually, the Bush Administration will have to answer for the authorization of this “harsh” form of interrogation.

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Pentagon Pre-Planned Harsh Interrogation Techniques

Officials looked into interrogation methods early on - A Senate investigation has concluded that top Pentagon officials began assembling lists of harsh interrogation techniques in the summer of 2002 for use on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and that those officials later cited memos from field commanders to suggest that the proposals originated

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Strengthening Civil Liberties

an email from Congressman John Olver on protecting our civil liberties...

I write today to update you on the efforts of the 110^th Congress to protect and strengthen our civil liberties in the wake of President George W. Bush’s extraordinary expansion of executive power.  Since 9/11, this nation has struggled to find a balance between protecting national security and safeguarding civil liberties.  In my view, the current Administration has adhered to an expansive interpretation of Presidential power that has endangered our civil liberties. 

Despite these setbacks, Congress is now working to responsibly restore our civil liberties.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FISA

In February, the House of Representatives defied President Bush and allowed the Protect America Act to expire.  This law, passed by the House of Representatives last August, amended the framework for electronic surveillance, giving the government authority for six months to conduct electronic surveillance on potential terror suspects without court-approved warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).  I voted against the Protect America Act because it severely diminished the role of the intelligence court and left innocent American citizens open to a violation of their private interactions.

The government now relies upon the original FISA law, which requires our intelligence community to obtain warrants approved by a special intelligence court to eavesdrop on phone conversations, e-mail messages, and other electronic communications between U.S. citizens and people overseas.  Contrary to the heated rhetoric surrounding this issue, the expiration of the Protect America Act has neither endangered American lives nor impeded the efforts of our intelligence community.  Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to reform FISA, and negotiations are ongoing.  The House-passed bill I supported did not extend retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies who cooperated with the President’s unauthorized Terrorist Surveillance Program.  I will closely scrutinize any agreement to ensure it maintains strong protections for our civil liberties while granting the intelligence community the proper tools to target those planning attacks on American soil.

TORTURE

The Administration maintains that the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence entities should not be limited in their use of harsh interrogation techniques.  This past March, the President vetoed an Intelligence Authorization bill which required all government agencies to abide by the U.S. Army Manual on Interrogation.  The Army Manual outlines acceptable interrogation techniques while outlawing waterboarding (simulated drowning) and other unduly harsh forms of interrogation.  While the veto override failed to garner the two-thirds majority required, I joined over 200 of my colleagues in standing up to the President.  The 110^th Congress will continue to fight for an interrogation policy that outlaws torture. 

MILITARY COMMISSIONS

Nearly seven years after 9/11 we have yet to implement an effective justice system for detainees apprehended in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.  By treating captives from the war on terror as enemy combatants rather than prisoners of war, this Administration has denied individuals due process and often held them for months or years without charge or trial.  In June 2006, the Supreme Court rejected key aspects of the military tribunal system.  The Republican led Congress responded by passing the Military Commissions Act, which further restricted detainee access to federal courts.  I voted against this legislation because it allows the submission of evidence gathered through coercive means, permits the President to selectively interpret the Geneva Convention and denies detainees the right of habeas corpus, a mainstay of western jurisprudence.  As a result of these and other objections, I have cosponsored legislation to restore Habeas Corpus, reform the Military Commissions process, end the practice known as extraordinary rendition, and close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.  It is imperative that the U.S. embrace a military tribunal system that does not demean but honors our founding principles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regardless of partisan affiliation, we all recognize the importance of the rights and privileges granted to citizens of the United States.  In recent years the debate surrounding the protection of our civil liberties has too often devolved into accusations of siding with the enemy or silencing domestic dissent.  This is deeply unfortunate because when our rights are denigrated and when our civil liberties are curtailed, democracy suffers.

Over the coming months I will continue to defend and expand our civil liberties while seeking a proper balance between protecting national security and safeguarding our individual rights and freedoms.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

John W. Olver

Member of Congress

P.S. If you would like to receive occasional updates on issues before Congress please sign up for my newsletter at http://www.house.gov/olver.

Technorati Tags: Congress,John Olver,civil liberties,government,laws,house,house of representatives

Hundreds of Gay Couples Wed in California

The weddings were a powerful opening salvo in what is expected to be a bruising fall campaign over the issue of same-sex marriage.

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Did rogue network leak nuclear bomb design? | csmonitor.com

Some US experts worry that a smuggling ring gave rogue states plans for a light warhead, apparently from Pakistan.

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Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire

Israel and militant group Hamas have agreed on a truce starting on Thursday, Palestinian and Israeli officials have told the BBC.

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Despite his denials, Rove is advising McCain campaign

Rove would only concede to “chit chat” with the McCain presidential campaign. Not surprisingly, there appears to be a little more to the relationship. McCain keeps trying to position himself as different from Still-President Bush, but that’s awfully difficult under the circumstances.

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White House Wins in Email Case, No Record To Be Released!

A federal judge says a White House office that has records about millions of possibly missing e-mails does not have to make them public.

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Impeachment Imperative

Presidential impeachment is the only remedy the American people have against the establishment of rule by a dictator, and is not an action to be taken lightly (as it was in the recent past). However, neither should it be considered “optional” for political reasons when a sitting President has committed criminal acts.

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Hope, doubt over truce across Israel-Gaza border

By Rebecca Harrison and Nidal al-Mughrabi NIR OZ, Israel/GAZA, June 17 (Reuters) - For Yossi Atzili, a truce with Hamas Islamists is the only way to stop mortar bombs from the Gaza Strip whizzing across the border and smashing into his paint factory...

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The Wide Divide (Graph of CEO pay vs Average Worker)

Picture speaks for itself.

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McCain Sets a New Record: 10 Flip-Flops in Two Weeks

In his eternal quest for the Republican presidential nomination, the supposed maverick John McCain has repeatedly reversed long-held positions and compromised purportedly core principles. From the Bush tax cuts, the religious right and immigration reform to overturning Roe v. Wade, proclaiming Samuel Alito a model Supreme Court Justice, bashing...

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Vichy Congress Ignores Impeachment, MSM Whores Bury It

Gee, why isn't a bill of Impeachment of the Chief Executive worth looking at? And why isn't it news?Behold censorship and dereliction of duty, Empire style. Only the People can change this.

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Obama, McCain, and Gershon Agree: Press Get Off the Stage

The press is distracted by personalities instead of policy because policy is far more work.

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Obama: McCain 'out of touch' on education

McCain is “out of touch” with people who struggle to pay for college. Obama argued the Arizona senator cared more about helping big business than helping students pay for higher education.

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AP Now Wants to Charge Bloggers to Quote Them

Welcome to the new Internet, where you pay per byte of bandwidth and can no longer quote parts of Associated Press stories without paying per word. [With Screenshot]

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Web sites for the apocalypse (slideshow)

Imagine a future apocalyptic world in which the Internet and all computer technology has been destroyed. Imagine you had the forethought to print out and save the content from the Web's most important sites, safeguarding the pages in a nuclear bomb shelter. Which would you save? Here is one man's list.

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The REAL McCain: Big Oil Fuels the Straight Talk Express

Gas prices are hitting all-time highs. Our country is in the midst of a recession thanks in part to our crippling dependence on oil, so what's John McCain's plan? Will he hold the corporate leaders of the energy industry accountable when he addresses them today in Houston? Probably not, considering they are some of his biggest fund-raisers.



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Bush the Vampire

Draining the lifeblood of liberty

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Bush/Cheney Transcripts Subpoenaed for Plame Case

Bush/Cheney Transcripts Subpoenaed By Jason Leopold June 17, 2008 A House committee has subpoenaed FBI transcripts of interviews with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney regarding their possible roles in the exposure of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson.

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Jeffrey Klein: McCain's Secret, Questionable Record

Despite graduating in the bottom 1 percent of his Annapolis class, McCain was offered the most sought-after Navy assignment -- to become an aircraft carrier pilot. The most accomplished midshipmen compete furiously for the few carrier pilot openings. After four abysmal academic years at Annapolis distinguished only by his misdeeds and malfeasance..

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California's first gay marriages go ahead

The first legally recognised gay marriages were performed in California last night as the state became the second in the US to allow same-sex weddings.

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Colin Powell Slams Bush

Powell said that every word of what he called his 'infamous' presentation about WMD (in Iraq) had been vetted by the intelligence community -- 'and I had no reason to disbelieve it.' The former secretary of state has previously described his prewar UN speech as a 'blot' on his record.

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Economists Say America IS in a Great Depression

The Bush administration has accelerated a problem in our economy that has caused a growing income inequality. There have been several eras in American history where our economy was faced with a growing income disparity but what is so frightening is there seems like little hope to find a solution.

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Before Iraq inks deal with U.S., a little history

By DeWayne Wickham - The biggest thing Iraqi officials have going against them in their negotiations with the Bush administration over the status of U.S. forces in that country is history. What the United States wants from countries it occupies, it usually gets.

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MoveOn, AFSCME hit McCain on Iraq

A new ad targeting John McCain's position on Iraq goes straight for voters' heartstrings. The ad, which is funded by liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org in conjunction with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, is spare -- it's just a woman holding a child and looking into a camera -- but it's clearly meant to deliver the biggest emotional punch possible.



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McCain's Playbook: Hate, Fear and Caveman Politics

Haunted by the ghosts of Vietnam, the media-manufactured 'maverick' has remade himself into a prototypical, dumbed-down Republican Party stooge.

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Obama Filling Sandbags to Help Flood Victims

Obama visited the flooded Midwest later Saturday, stopping in Quincy, Ill., to help fill sandbags.

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Maybe The Worst Sign Outage Ever

Customer service just isn't what it used to be.

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Indo-US deal: India needs to make tough choices!

To conclude the Indo-US nuclear deal, which was suspected to be almost over, India needs to make some tough choices. The US has asked India to make some “tough choices” in making the deal a possibility.

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Chinese restaurant defies violence in Baghdad

Despite a bomb blast that rattled windows and sent a panicked co-worker scurrying back to China, Baghdad's sole Chinese restaurant has defied the odds to keeps its doors open.

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Swiss Businessmen Had Design For Advanced Warhead

An intn'l. smuggling ring that sold bomb-related parts to Libya, Iran and North Korea also acquired blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon, according to a former top U.N. arms inspector "suggesting" the plans could have been shared secretly with Iran. No proof exists, but it is important for Bush to use the media to justify attack upon Iran.

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Why does diesel fuel cost more than gasoline?

Historically, the price of diesel fuel at the pump actually has been higher than that of regular gasoline more often than it has been lower. The main reason is rising global demand, but new environmental restrictions and higher federal taxes also are factors.

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Man's destruction of Africa revealed

Glaciers, lakes and forests have disappeared from Africa at an alarming rate in the past 36 years, satellite photographs have revealed.

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"Don't Talk to the Police" by Officer George Bruch - 21 min

Take the time to listen before you digg if you find it useful.share if you want to keep innocent ppl safer.




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Breaking Islamic myths on Al Jazeera

Dr. Mordechai Kedar of Bar-Ilan University was not a typical guest at Al Jazeera. - he gave a history lecture in Arabic, breaking one myth after another - Jerusalem was not mentioned in the Koran, the west bank is not occupied territory and more.

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300 Words That'll Make the CIA, FBI, & NSA Look at Your Site

Old, but interesting. I started collecting 'spook words' after reading that the major intel agencies would scan all messages on the Net looking for something interesting. The idea is that if lots of people add suspicious words to their messages, the agencies will be too busy with spurious input that they will have to give up reading it all.

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Brzezinski: Bush Should Stop Israel From Attack on Iran

``The Iranians cannot effectively retaliate against Israel, so they'll retaliate against us,'' Brzezinski said.

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Hillary Clinton's defeat fuels divorce rumours

Rumours have been rife that the Clintons' marriage may be on the rocks. From Washington, Tim Shipman dissects the dynamics of the power-hungry duo's complex relationship.

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CIA Reports on POW John McCain

A collection of CIA (I verified on CIA site) "released" FOI reports on John McCain- treated quite well, no torture whatsoever, cigs to smoke. His accomplishments are mentioned: targeted bombing of residential areas (women & children) w/out remorse. Take a look before CIA is ordered to disappear these docs.

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Real people 1, Eurocrats 0 (after extra time)

The voters of Ireland left the EU’s constitutional plans in tatters last week by rejecting the Lisbon treaty. Now the European political elite is desperately trying to find a way to get round their verdict

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Romania’s hunter of Communist criminals

In Romania, no one has been convicted for political crimes perpetrated under the Communist regime of Nicola Ceausescu. Marius Oprea succeeded recently in getting consideration of his proposed law to require the pensions of former Securitate officers to be shared with political prisoners.

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U.S. Military Hoped for Unlimited Freedom of Action in Iraq

Recently declassified documents show that the U.S. military has long sought an agreement with Baghdad that gives American forces virtually unfettered freedom of action, casting into doubt the Bush administration's current claims that their demands are more limited in scope.

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Afghanistan Issues Warning To Pakistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Sunday his troops would take their battle against Taliban extremists across the border into Pakistan to prevent them launching attacks in his country.

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Habeas Ruling Lays Bare the Divide Among Supreme Justices

The Supreme Court's decision that detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, have a right to challenge their imprisonment before a judge, clearly revealed the justices' deep divide over the role of the judiciary in illegally "declared" wartime. Frightening dissents by Chief Justice Roberts, and Scalia lament civilian, not military control over policy.

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$300 Billion Down the Tubes: Shocking Wasteful Spending

Video: The Pentagon spends hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons systems, but troops still aren't getting what they need.



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How Do America's Super Rich Get Away with Acting Like 'Just Folks'?

And the rich get richer as the poor get poorer....Of course, the style of dress that's come to be known as hedge-fund casual isn't bought at your local Nordstrom's. A couple of years ago, the Wall Street Journal put together a representative outfit that a male hedge-funder would wear to work in Greenwich, Connecticut (the epicenter of the industry): shoes by Cole Haan, $365; trousers by Ermenegildo Zegna, $495; shirt by Armani, $315; messenger bag (no dorky briefcase!) by Tumi, $395. Total, not including underwear and socks: $1,570 -- not all that much below $1,874, the average household's annual expenditure on clothing in 2006. But that's just for the hedge-fund rank and file; for the top guys, who take in a billion a year or more, it's private jets and even personal submarines.

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Kerry Rips McCain on Countdown

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Flunk the Electoral College

The Electoral College is an affront to basic democracy, warping competition and subverting political equality -- even when it works.

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Christian Political Group 'The Family' Openly Reveres Hitler

In his new book, The Family, author Jeff Sharlet reveals sordid details about this power-hungry, inside-the-Beltway fundamentalist group.

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Water Scarcity: The Real Food Crisis

An article on the challenges of using water sensibly enough that food production can be maximized and so that the poorest among us are not penalized owing to a misuse of resources.

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Population: What to Do When There Are Too Many of Us

The author of "More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want" writes that we can tackle a population-induced environmental crisis by empowering women.

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Attack Iran? Cheney's Already Tried

How Pentagon officials firmly opposed a proposal by Dick Cheney last summer for airstrikes against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

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It's Congress, not a king's court.

By Mickey Edwards - The central feature of American government, the one that made the United States "exceptional" and preserved our freedoms for more than 200 years, is in the process of being destroyed. The enemy is not in Iraq or the hills of Pakistan but in Washington and in cities and towns throughout the United States

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The wife John McCain callously left behind.

There is another Mrs McCain who casts a ghostly shadow over the Senator’s presidential campaign. She is seldom seen and rarely written about, despite being mother to McCain’s three eldest children.She is McCain’s first wife, Carol.

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OPEC to Offer New, More Affordable ‘Demi-Barrel’

by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace - (2008-06-07) — With the price of crude oil near $140 per barrel, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) today introduced a new product to meet the growing demand for more affordable oil.

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3 Ways to Improve Obama's Popularity with the Military

"The reality is that Republican politicians are much more popular among service-members than their Democratic counterparts...whether or not these criticisms are warranted is irrelevant. The fact remains that Obama’s popularity is lacking with service-members and their families. Here are three things he can do to boost his popularity."

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Franken wins endorsement for Senate in Minnesota

Al Franken has won a resounding endorsement for U.S. Senate from Democratic activists at the Minnesota state convention.

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Democrats Hope to Gain House Seats With Crowded Pack of Contenders

Virginia Democrats, emboldened by rising support for their party in statewide and local elections, say the crowded field of Democratic contenders in Tuesday's congressional primaries suggests that they have a deep bench of good candidates that could help them pick up seats in the House of Represe...

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The Day the Traffic Did Not Stop in Hartford

The video of a 78-year-old man being tossed in the air after being hit by a car and then left in the street like a discarded food wrapper would have been hideous whoever the victim.The least anonymous man on Park Street, who, thanks to one sickening video, became an unlikely symbol of the scary anonymity of the modern street.

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Hillary Finally Concedes - Video

ABC News: Clinton Concedes Democratic Nomination; Obama Lead

Sen. Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic nomination to Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday in Washington, ending her presidential campaign, flanked by supporters Saturday in Washington, D.C., and endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president.(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)"The way to continue our fight now..... (more)

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Istanbul Re-emerges As Beacon of Bosporus

At Crossroads of Asia and Europe, Turkey's Hippest City Returns To Ottoman Era Glory

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Iraq Lawmakers Want U.S. Forces Out as Part Of Deal

"The majority of Iraqi representatives strongly reject any military-security, economic, commercial, agricultural, investment or political agreement with the United States that is not linked to clear mechanisms that obligate the occupying American military forces to fully withdraw from Iraq," the letter to the leaders of Congress said.

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Batman and Barack?

Chris Lackner, The Ottawa Citizen - What if this summer's silver screen characters could get on the VP ticket?

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today's quote...

 

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

- Mark Twain

'Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.' - Mark Twain

Technorati Tags: today's quote,quotes,quotations,Mark Twain

When will food prices stop rising? No time soon, experts say

By John Yaukey, Gannett News Service - WASHINGTON — Any spike in prices begs the question: When will it end? Unfortunately, for millions of cash-strapped consumers, the cost of putting a meal on the table or a beer on the bar is likely to remain high for years, economists say.

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US and China getting ready for economic talks

WASHINGTON (AP) — A global credit crisis and record oil prices will be competing with traditional trade and currency issues when top officials from the United States and China gather in Annapolis, Md., later this month.

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Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money

Abiding by Obama rules, party returns some lobbyist and PAC money.The Democratic National Committee, now operating under Barack Obama's fundraising rules, on Friday returned about $100,000 in money from lobbyists and political action committees.Republican John McCain does accept money from lobbyists and PACs as does the RNC

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Clinton poised to end historic presidential bid

AP - Hillary Rodham Clinton is ready to thank her supporters for hanging on during her 17-month roller coaster journey from sure thing to also ran and to urge them to rally behind Barack Obama.

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Russia blames U.S. for global financial crisis

By Michael Stott ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blamed ''aggressive'' United States policies on Saturday for the global financial crisis and said Moscow's growing economic muscle could be part of the...

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Clinton lays plans for Obama endorsement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton laid plans on Friday for an event she hoped she would never have to hold, her endorsement of U.S. presidential campaign rival Barack Obama, which party strategists say needs to be convincing to avoid a rift.

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Dow tumbles 395 points on oil spike

The blue-chip indicator posts its biggest one-day point loss in 15 months, after crude prices see largest one-day advance ever and the dollar slides.

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Seeing Bobby Kennedy in Barack Obama

Forty years after RFK's assassination, Barack picks up where Bobby left off.

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