March 25, 2006

News -- March 25, 2006

The Israel Lobby - "The effect of the Israel lobby is getting some coverage right now, due to the publication - in England, of course, no American outlet would touch it - of the paper "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy". It's by two fairly well respected professors and discusses the influence of the Israeli lobby on the American government and media. First, a quick disclosure. I'm Jewish, and a pro-Israel sort of guy. But that country, like our own, has been hijacked by an immoral right wing group that tries to justify imperialism, brutality, and curtailment of civil liberties in the name of national security. So it's very important to be honest and not let the threat of accusations of anti-semitism suppress legitimate criticism. ... Honestly, these things are fairly well known to Washington insiders and those who pay close attention. But the paper is significant exactly because what it says is quite true, and as a result of this it is difficult for respectable, objective sources to publish this kind of information. Because the influence of the lobby is not openly discussed the net effect is that there is a powerful and often hidden warping of both our foreign policy and news reporting. As the paper says, "the Lobby boasts of its own power and then attacks anyone who calls attention to it"."

Why is American policy in the Middle East skewed in favor of Israel? - "American foreign policy has been weighed down for all too many years by an albatross hung round Uncle Sam's neck, one that distorts our stance especially vis-à-vis Middle Eastern issues and ultimately works against U.S. interests in the region and around the world: that albatross is unconditional support for the state of Israel. Of course, saying this amounts to a hate crime in today's political atmosphere, and it is almost impossible to criticize the Jewish state without being accused of religious bigotry, which is just how Israel's partisans want it. In the halls of Congress and the corridors of power, Israel is above criticism. But not anymore…"

Bush makes the ultimate commitment to Israel - "We borrow from our grandkids to give Israel billions every year, some of which is used to support illegal colonization of the West Bank by fundamentalist extremists; we supply Israel with our most advanced tactical aircraft, armor, anti-missile and military communications systems; we wink at Israel's development of a substantial nuclear weapons force; we leisurely investigate Israeli espionage and influence peddling in Washington. But we've never said that American soldiers will fight and die for Israel. Until now."

Judge: Charges against AIPAC officials may be unconstitutional - "A federal judge on Friday questioned the constitutionality of a law under which two former lobbyists with a pro-Israel group have been charged with receiving and disclosing national defense information. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said the law, enacted by Congress during World War I, may be unconstitutionally broad and vague, especially given its potential impact on First Amendment rights."

Boehner says he won’t let anti-Israel laws through - "“As the new House majority leader, I can assure you that under my leadership, legislation that is in any way perceived as anti-Israel will not be considered in the House of Representatives,” Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) told the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, to thunderous applause." -- You know who runs Congress and it is not the American people.

It’s time to use the H-word - "The word holocaust from the Greek word holokauston, meaning "a completely (holos) burnt (kaustos) sacrificial offering." In Iraq, Bush is daily, through murder most foul, making a sacrificial offering of Iraqi men, women and children to the god of empire. ... The Amerikan people are easily cowed, why is that? Could it be our collective guilt over being the bully of the world? The old "what goes around comes around" thing? Like, deep in our communal soul we know that corporate Amerika through their political lackeys have committed and continue to commit genocide both at home and around the globe. That is some very heavy-duty shit to carry around. So we soon become caught up in this whole anxiety thing, I mean, hell, half the damn country is popping a pill for something; or seeking other avenues of escape from Bush’s reality. Keeping the faithful fearful, always works for the oppressor, and we are easily cowed. Corporate/political despots count on that fear, for control."

Iran's Nuclear Steps Quicken, Diplomats Say - "If engineers encounter no major technical problems, Iran could manufacture enough highly enriched uranium to build a bomb within three years, much more quickly than the common estimate of five to 10 years, the diplomats said."

Pentagon: Russia fed U.S. war plans to Iraq - "As U.S. troops moved toward Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein received intelligence about their battle strategy and troop movements from a Russian ambassador, according to a Pentagon report."

"President Bush was beyond pathetic.." - ""President Bush was beyond pathetic on the issue of Iraq during his press conference this week.... Bush has lost the American public on the war, and why he deserved to lose it was illustrated in spades by the press conference. He was confused and confusing; he made blatant misstatements of fact; he used phony arguments against critics of the war; he offered a false picture of progress in Iraq, then blamed the media for not telling that story. We will succeed in Iraq ultimately, he said, because he "believes" it. And, by the way, U.S. troops will be there at least until 2009."

9/11 Truth Goes Mainstream? - "The hypocrisy in the statements about Sheen's lack of knowledge on the subject of 9/11 lies in the fact that when people who do have the proper credentials to question 9/11 ask real questions they get no coverage by these same media outlets. While Sheen is not a government official, a 9/11 family member, an esteemed scientist, a rogue scholar, or a member of military intelligence - those that are exactly these things never get any coverage whatsoever."

Why Did the Trade Center Skyscrapers Collapse? - "The government’s collapse theory is highly vulnerable on its own terms, but its blinkered narrowness and lack of breadth is the paramount defect unshared by its principal scientific rival – controlled demolition. Only professional demolition appears to account for the full range of facts associated with the collapses of WTC 1 (North Tower), WTC 2 (South Tower), and the much-overlooked collapse of the 47-story WTC building 7 at 5:21 pm on that fateful day. ... While some experts claim that airliner impact severely weakened the entire structural system, evidence is lacking. The perimeters of floors 94–98 did not appear severely weakened, much less the entire structural system. The criminal code requires that crime scene evidence be saved for forensic analysis but FEMA had it destroyed before anyone could seriously investigate it. FEMA was in position to take command because it had arrived the day before the attacks at New York’s Pier 29 to conduct a war game exercise, "Tripod II," quite a coincidence. The authorities apparently considered the rubble quite valuable: New York City officials had every debris truck tracked on GPS and had one truck driver who took an unauthorized 1 ½ hour lunch fired. ... First, no steel-framed skyscraper, even engulfed in flames hour after hour, had ever collapsed before. Suddenly, three stunning collapses occur within a few city blocks on the same day, two allegedly hit by aircraft, the third not." -- Check out this guy's credentials at the bottom of the page.

Close-Up of WTC-7 Collapse Footage Shows Unmistakable Demolition Charges - "Looking at the upper right-hand corner of the building we see a rapid series of small explosions travelling upward just as the building itself begins to fall. The size, placement and timing of these "puffs" is very consistent with squibs from cutting charges of the type used in professional controlled demolitions, and in fact nothing but small explosive charges could create such an appearance." -- Check out the video.

Bush Addresses Heated Immigration Debate - "Bush sides with business leaders who want legislation to let some immigrants stay in the country and work for a set period of time. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, say national security concerns should drive immigration reform."

Evidence Mounts That The Vote May Have Been Hacked - "When I spoke with Jeff Fisher this morning (Saturday, November 06, 2004), the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 16th District said he was waiting for the FBI to show up. Fisher has evidence, he says, not only that the Florida election was hacked, but of who hacked it and how. And not just this year, he said, but that these same people had previously hacked the Democratic primary race in 2002 so that Jeb Bush would not have to run against Janet Reno, who presented a real threat to Jeb, but instead against Bill McBride, who Jeb beat. "It was practice for a national effort," Fisher told me. And some believe evidence is accumulating that the national effort happened on November 2, 2004."

U.S. Plans New Bases in the Middle East - "The U.S. military has developed a ten-year plan for "deep storage" of munitions and equipment in at least six countries in the Middle East and Central Asia to prepare for regional war contingencies. The plans, revealed in March 2006 contracting documents, call for the continued storage of everything from packaged meals ready to eat (MREs) to missiles in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, as well as the establishment of two new storage hubs, one in a classified Middle Eastern country "west" of Saudi Arabia ("Site 23") and the other in a yet to be decided "central Asian state.""

Dems split as impeachment whispers get louder - "Democrats remain far from unified. Prominent party leaders -- and a large majority of those in Congress -- distance themselves from the effort. They say the very word is a distraction, that talk of impeachment and censure reflect the polarization of politics. Activists spend too many hours dialing Democratic politicians and angrily demanding impeachment votes, they say." -- The Democratic Party is the second most incompetent political party in America.

Proposed FEC Rules Would Exempt Most Political Activity on Internet - "Most bloggers, individual Web users, and such Web sites as Drudge Report and Salon.com are exempted from regulation and will be free to support and attack federal candidates, much as newspapers are allowed."

41% of Israel's Jews favour segregation - "A poll of attitudes among Israel's Jews towards their country's Arab citizens has exposed widespread racism, with large numbers favouring segregation and policies to encourage Arabs to leave the country. The poll found that more than two-thirds of Jews would refuse to live in the same building as an Arab. Nearly half would not allow an Arab in their home and 41% want segregation of entertainment facilities. The survey also found 40% of Israel's Jews believe "the state needs to support the emigration of Arab citizens", a policy advocated by some far-right parties in the run-up to next week's general election."

Scientist discovers that evolution is missing from Arkansas classrooms - "Teachers at his facility are forbidden to use the “e-word” (evolution) with the kids. They are permitted to use the word “adaptation” but only to refer to a current characteristic of an organism, not as a product of evolutionary change via natural selection. They cannot even use the term “natural selection.” Bob feared that not being able to use evolutionary terms and ideas to answer his students’ questions would lead to reinforcement of their misconceptions. But Bob’s personal issue was more specific, and the prohibition more insidious. In his words, “I am instructed NOT to use hard numbers when telling kids how old rocks are. I am supposed to say that these rocks are VERY VERY OLD ... but I am NOT to say that these rocks are thought to be about 300 million years old.”"

San Antonio-area school board reverses book ban - "By a 5-2 vote, the Judson school district board Thursday overruled Superintendent Ed Lyman's ban of the novel "The Handmaid's Tale" from an advanced placement English curriculum. The vote came after nearly three hours of public comment, including from Judson High School students. ... Lyman had banned the book by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood after a parent complained it was sexually explicit and offensive to Christians." -- If you have not read "The Handmaid's Tale", you should. Thanks to Secular Front for posting the article.

Mouse Testicle Cells Behave Like Stem Cells - "German scientists say cells from the testes of mice can behave like embryonic stem cells. If the same holds true in humans, it could provide a controversy-free source of versatile cells for use in treating disease."

Canada's seal hunt to begin Saturday - "The spring leg of Canada's seal hunt is set to begin at dawn Saturday by isolated Atlantic fishermen determined to maintain their way of life, as the government largely ignores pleas from protesters opposed to the slaughter."

Pill-popping society fouling our water, official says - "Birth control pills, cancer drugs and a host of other pharmaceuticals that people flush down the drain every day are showing up in our drinking water, says Gord Miller, Ontario's environmental commissioner."

Florida high school students may pick majors - "Students like the Zoghbis would get an education more tailored to their career plans under a proposal from Gov. Jeb Bush that education experts say would make Florida the first state to require incoming high school freshmen to declare a major, just like college students."

Sexsomnia: Not as funny as it sounds - "It's the name for a condition in which someone has a sexual experience while asleep, sort of like how people walk or talk in their sleep."




Quote of the Day
"I want to tell you something very clear, don't worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."
~ Ariel Sharon to Shimon Peres, October 3rd, 2001, as reported on Kol Yisrael radio.

No comments: