News -- March 18, 2006

Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion - "One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day."

Federal Debt up $26 TRILLION Since Dubya Took Office !!! - "The federal government’s fiscal exposuresnow total more than $46 trillion,up from about $20 trillion in 2000. This staggering revelation was included in the US Dept. of Treasury's own report."

Bush: Violence Creating Urgency in Iraq - "President Bush on Saturday braced Americans for more bloodshed in Iraq but said recent civil strife has motivated warring political factions to move quickly to set up a representative government. ... The president said victory in Iraq will come when terrorists and loyalists of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein no longer threaten Iraq's democracy, when Iraqi security forces can ensure safety for citizens and terrorists can't call Iraq home."

Anti-War Protesters Rally Around World - "Thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets around the world Saturday, marking the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq with demands that coalition troops leave immediately."

Even as support for war shrinks, few speak out - "Even though polls say a majority of Americans think President Bush has bungled the war in Iraq and now oppose it, anti-war organizers are struggling to get new converts to tell someone besides pollsters that the country needs to change course." -- I'm telling everyone! Hey! I oppose the war in Iraq, President Bush, and his administration!

Iraq War Protests Attract Fewer People - "Thousands of people held anti-war demonstrations Saturday in global protests that marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq by demanding that coalition troops pull out. But the demonstrations attracted less people than organizers had hoped."

The Torture Judge - "U.S. court rules our government can break international laws to keep us safe."

"The Final Word Is Hooray!" - "Days or weeks into the war, commentators and reporters made premature declarations of victory, offered predictions about lasting political effects and called on the critics of the war to apologize. Three years later, the Iraq War grinds on at the cost of at least tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars."

Will the President Push the Preemptive Button? - " As our ears prick to the drumbeat of Bush v. Iran, a highly respected researcher from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) warns that Washington is edging toward a policy of nuclear preemption, and Teheran knows it."

Britain breaks with the US over Iran - "Britain has told the United States that it will not take part in any armed action against Iran’s nuclear sites, according to diplomatic sources in London. Already facing huge public criticism for his participation in the Iraq war, Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking to distance himself from America’s belligerent rhetoric towards Iran. Blair knows he would probably not survive the political storm if Britain joined in an attack on Iran. The concern in Whitehall, however, is that the Bush administration, egged on by Israel and its powerful friends in the United States, risks developing an unstoppable momentum towards war a war in which Britain clearly wants no part."

Who's really locked up in Guantanamo? - "It seems that U.S. forces, inundated by thousands of captives after the Afghan war, didn't have enough experienced interrogators and interpreters to sort out the actual terrorists from Arabs unaffiliated with Al Qaeda. But they were under pressure to get results and unwilling to believe that their Pakistani allies could deceive them. Prisoners who claimed to know nothing were subjected to increasingly brutal treatment until some confessed or accused others."

Bush claims he can violate detainee rights at Gitmo - "The Bush administration argued Friday that a newly enacted law wipes out hundreds of pending court cases by detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who are challenging their confinement."

AP Erases Video of Israeli Soldier Shooting Palestinian Boy - "In the midst of journalism's "Sunshine Week"--during which the Associated Press and other news organizations are valiantly proclaiming the public's "right to know"--AP insists on conducting its own activities in the dark, and refuses to answer even the simplest questions about its system of international news reporting. Most of all, it refuses to explain why it erased footage of an Israeli soldier intentionally shooting a Palestinian boy."

Vets May Be Denied Health Care - "At least tens of thousands of veterans with non-critical medical issues could suffer delayed or even denied care in coming years to enable President Bush to meet his promise of cutting the deficit in half - if the White House is serious about its proposed budget."

Atheism is a legacy worth fighting for - "For centuries, we have been told that without religion we are no more than egotistic animals fighting for our share, our only morality that of a pack of wolves; only religion, it is said, can elevate us to a higher spiritual level. Today, when religion is emerging as the wellspring of murderous violence around the world, assurances that Christian or Muslim or Hindu fundamentalists are only abusing and perverting the noble spiritual messages of their creeds ring increasingly hollow. What about restoring the dignity of atheism, one of Europe's greatest legacies and perhaps our only chance for peace?"

Non-believers looking for converts - ""And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26). "Not so," said Greg Swartz, Kansas City, president of Community of Reason. "Man created God in man's image.""

Religious freedom: inherent right or gift of the state? - "Many Americans may be surprised to learn that Congress had to “restore” religious freedom — a right that is supposed to be protected by the First Amendment. In fact, the very purpose of the Bill of Rights was to place certain rights beyond the reach of popular opinion or majority votes. But these days if you need relief from state laws or regulations that keep you from practicing your faith, forget about the First Amendment — you have to hope that the majority of some legislature will grant an exemption (or you can try invoking the free-exercise protection of your state constitution). If you belong to a minority religion, good luck."

A quiet fifth anniversary for Bush's faith-based initiative - "Despite the lack of media attention and grumbling from Bush supporters, the president's faith-based initiative continues apace."

Conn. Considers Bill to Prevent Proselytism in the Workplace - "Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would bar companies from holding mandatory employee meetings where religious or political ideas are discussed. Backers say the legislation could restrict companies' use of corporate chaplains as part of employee support programs."

Snuff Out Those Cigarettes in Calabasas - "The ban, perhaps the most comprehensive smoking ban in the United States, prohibits smoking in all public places at times when other people can be exposed to secondhand smoke. Businesses can apply to create a designated smoking area far away from non-smokers starting in April."

IRS reports audits up 21 percent - "Just over 1.2 million individual income tax returns were audited in fiscal year 2005, according to a report released late Friday afternoon by the Internal Revenue Service. That represents a 21 percent increase from a year earlier. That follows a 19 percent increase in audits in 2004."

Two Women Die After Using Abortion Pill - "Two more women have died after using the abortion pill RU-486, regulators said Friday in a warning that brought renewed calls for pulling the controversial drug from the market."

Glaciers Melting In Montana Park - "Dr. Daniel Fagre, a federal research scientist based at Glacier National Park in Montana, says that in 1850, the park had 150 glaciers. Today, because of global warming, there are only 27 left, with estimates that all the glaciers in the park will be gone by the year 2030."

Scientists Find Evidence Universe Inflated in Less Than Trillionth of a Second - "This conclusion comes after three years of continuous observations of the oldest light in the universe. Bennett says it is the remnant afterglow of light that first appeared when the universe was just 300,000-years-old, a faint microscopic radiation that lingers at temperatures close to absolute zero, the temperature at which all atomic motion stops."

New "Planet" Is Larger than Pluto - ""Since UB313 is decidedly larger than Pluto," Frank Bertoldi remarks, "it is now increasingly hard to justify calling Pluto a planet if UB313 is not also given this status.""


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Quote of the Day
"How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us."
~ Pope Leo X