News -- May 15, 2006

Chavez warns US over Iran policy - "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned the US that any attack on Iran will have devastating consequences and send oil prices soaring."

Oil for no one if Iran attacked - "Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said here on Thursday in case of a military attack against Iran, no country in the world would have access to crude oil."

Chávez is a threat because he offers the alternative of a decent society - "Venezuela's president is using oil revenues to liberate the poor - no wonder his enemies want to overthrow him."

Film on U.S. military hospital 'extremely graphic' - "The Army is bracing for the release of a documentary film that promises a graphic and unflinching portrait of life in a U.S. military hospital in Iraq. ... A memo dated Tuesday from Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the Army's chief surgeon, warned medical staff at Army posts around the country to prepare for a possible influx of soldiers and families seeking comfort and counseling after watching the documentary, which airs May 21 on HBO."

Cheney Penned Note About Plame, Filing Shows - "The filing by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the second that names Cheney as a key White House official who questioned the legitimacy of Wilson's examination of Iraqi nuclear ambitions. It further suggests that Cheney helped originate the idea in his office that Wilson's credibility was undermined by his link to Plame."

Cheney pushed to widen eavesdropping - "Vice President Dick Cheney argued in the weeks after the September 11 attacks that the National Security Agency should intercept domestic telephone calls and e-mails without warrants as part of its war on terrorism, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions."

The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again - " Worried about Dick Cheney listening in Sunday on your call to Mom? That ain't nothing. You should be more concerned that they are linking this info to your medical records, your bill purchases and your entire personal profile including, not incidentally, your voting registration. Five years ago, I discovered that ChoicePoint had already gathered 16 billion data files on Americans -- and I know they've expanded their ops at an explosive rate. They are paid to keep an eye on you -- because the FBI can't. For the government to collect this stuff is against the law unless you're suspected of a crime. (The law in question is the Constitution.) But ChoicePoint can collect if for "commercial" purchases -- and under the Bush Administration's suspect reading of the Patriot Act -- our domestic spying apparatchiks can then BUY the info from ChoicePoint."

BLOCKING JUSTICE - "Once rarely used, the "state secrets" privilege has over the past five years become a routine defense used by the U.S. Government to keep cases from being tried."

US Military Plans Joint Exercise in West Africa - "The U.S. military curently enjoys cooperation with a number of countries in West Africa, and Africa's growing oil industry, concentrated in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, has also led to an increased U.S. military presence in the region."

Ohio losing faith with President - "President George W Bush's reshuffling of his White House team is part of an attempt to salvage a reputation which seems to be sinking fast. But Justin Webb in Washington says it is too late to be tinkering with the staff: most Americans have already consigned President Bush to history." -- And what a sad history.

The Freefalling Dollar and Bush’s war on the Middle Class - "Can’t the American people see what is happening to their future? In just 6 years Bush has taken the world’s strongest currency and chopped it into finally ground hash. By the time people rouse from their stupor, the greenback will be eye to eye with the peso."

Blacks see threat from Hispanic illegal aliens - "Blacks in the region are joining Minuteman militia groups opposed to illegal Hispanic aliens working in the United States, saying they take jobs from blacks and piggyback off the strides made during the civil rights movement."

Crossing the border in search of a cure - "It's no secret Americans cross the border into Mexico every day to take advantage of cheap medications, dental procedures, and even cosmetic surgery. However, Americans are going south of the border for another highly controversial procedure — stem cell transplants."

Designer babies? Couples flock to US to choose next baby's sex - "Parents from around the world are forking out around 19,000 dollars for a groundbreaking gender selection treatment offered by only a handful of US clinics but banned in most countries. The high-tech method of resolving the ancient question of "Would we prefer a boy or a girl?" has raised ethical concerns and fears that it could worsen an already worrying gender imbalance plaguing countries such as China and India. ... "Usually these couples have four of five children of one sex and desperately want one of the opposite sex, they want to balance their families in a way that works for them," Steinberg told AFP."

White Blood Cells From Cancer-resistant Mice Cure Cancers In Ordinary Mice - "White blood cells from a strain of cancer-resistant mice cured advanced cancers in ordinary laboratory mice, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported today."

A new tactic to imtimidate women - "Once again, Right to Life has launched a false campaign designed to erect more hurdles for women attempting to exercise their constitutionally protected right to decide whether to bear children. New bills in the Michigan Legislature, called the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act, are the first in the country to attempt this particular strategy."


No bumper sticker today.


Quote of the day
"The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion."
~ Arnold H. Glasow