News (Page 2) -- August 16, 2006

Prescott lets slip that some suspects won't face serious charges - "John Prescott let slip yesterday that some of the 24 people arrested last week over the alleged transatlantic terror plot will not face serious charges." -- But that's fine since they got the desired outcome.

Chertoff discusses new security measures - "Airlines will soon be required to give the government passenger lists for all U.S.-bound international flights before takeoff, the nation's homeland security chief said Wednesday."

Fox News Airs Call for 'Muslim-Only' Line - ""It’s time to have a Muslims check-point line in America’s airports and have Muslims be scrutinized. You better believe it, it’s time," Gallagher said, garnering tepid audience applause." -- Idiot.

Al Qaeda building political arm in Iraq: General - "Al Qaeda wants to build a political operation in Iraq to broaden its campaign against the U.S.-backed government, a top U.S. general said on Wednesday." -- Orwell was a genius.

Why They Hate Us - "No, it's not our freedoms. Anti-Americanism isn't going away until the U.S. puts some fairness in its foreign policy. ... Around the world, anti-Americanism is not simply the result of anger about President Bush's foreign policies. Rather, it is deeply entrenched antipathy accumulated over decades. It may take generations to undo. Consider the causes: "

The Terrorists Must Be Working For The Republicans - "Why is it that terrorists only plan to attack in election years? Last year, there were no serious terrorist attacks or plots in the US, and already this year, they've uncovered four, the last one unveiled right after the pro-war crowd declared that voting for the anti-war crowd will lead to more terrorist attacks. And now that public sentiment has turned away from the war in Iraq, all of a sudden there is a rash of foiled terror plots aimed at Americans."

The Pols Who Cried Wolf - "The administration has put itself in the position of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. If, God forbid, a serious terrorist conspiracy is uncovered, there will be a tendency to dismiss it in a backlash to these over-hyped “plots.”"

Three Ways (Out of 100) That America's Screwing Up the World - "From the lack of body counts in Iraq, to drug wars to torture, the United States is making the world a worse place to live in."

A Split In the Racist Right - "A rift has opened between those who see blacks, Hispanics and Muslims as the primary enemy, and those who blame Jews for every evil."

Warped Worldview - "Christian Reconstructionists Believe Democracy Is Heresy, Public Schools Are Satanic And Stoning Isn’t Just For The Taliban Anymore – And They’ve Got More Influence Than You Think. ... It’s enough for Americans who be­lieve in personal freedom and religious liberty to get worried about – before the first stones start flying."

The Language of Ignorance - "According to Collins, belief in the God of Abraham is the most rational response to the data of physics and biology, while “of all the possible worldviews, atheism is the least rational.” Taken at face value, these claims suggest that “The Language of God” will mark an unprecedented breakthrough in the history of ideas. Once Collins gets going, however, we realize that the book represents a breakthrough of another kind. ... It is at this point that thoughts of suicide might occur to any reader who has placed undue trust in the intellectual integrity of his fellow human beings. One would hope that it would be immediately obvious to Collins that there is nothing about seeing a frozen waterfall (no matter how frozen) that offers the slightest corroboration of the doctrine of Christianity. But it was not obvious to him as he “knelt in the dewy grass,” and it is not obvious to him now. Indeed, I fear that it will not be obvious to many of his readers."

Guess What Foxman? Americans Don't Give a Damn! - "I for one am not at all surprised to read that eighty-percent of Americans still hold Mel Gibson in high regard, and that a mere six percent say they’ll never see a Gibson film again, I’ve been saying it all along, the vast majority of Americans don’t give a damn that Gibson made some anti-Semitic remarks, they don’t care about Jews anymore than anyone else."

Popping the Cork Halfway on Plan B - "With the FDA set to restrict over-the-counter sales of the “morning-after pill” to people over 18, right-wingers are sending the message to young girls that motherhood is their punishment for having sex."

Breaking news: Teens have sex! - "Honestly, when I see these studies I don’t get what the big deal is. Kids have sex--they always have, they always will. And who cares? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young people having sex so long as it’s consensual and safe. I’m tired of the argument that teenagers don’t understand the emotional consequences of sex--sex can be emotionally confusing at any age. I really believe it depends on the person."

Sex Ed Changes At School With 65 Pregnant Teens - "An Ohio school board is expanding sex education following the revelation that 13 percent of one high school's female students were pregnant last year."

Professor working on 'roofies' detector - "An assistant professor of chemistry is developing a tiny testing kit that women can carry in their purses and use to quickly detect date-rape drugs."