News (Page 2) -- August 28, 2006

John Mark Karr Freed in JonBenet Case - " Prosecutors abruptly dropped their case Monday against John Mark Karr in the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, saying DNA tests failed to put him at the scene despite his repeated insistence he killed the 6-year-old beauty queen." -- Oh, but what a brilliant distraction.

Vast majority of us now officially 'bitter and angry' - "Of course we're bitter and angry. The majority of Americans are. And if you're not, I can only ask, what planet are you living on? In fact, if you aren't bitter and angry at this dumb, smug president who's wrecking the country " well, then you're just not paying attention. ... So, you bet I'm bitter and angry. And I can only ask, what would it take to make the bitterness and anger unanimous?" -- Nice list.

Neocon Dreams, American Nightmares - "Taking what might be considered the moderate neocon position on the Israel/Hezbollah war, the editors of The New Republic demand that the Bush Administration "move ruthlessly to prevent Iran from acquiring the deadliest arsenal of all," while their contributor Michael Oren calls only for an Israeli, rather than an American, attack on Syria. Next door at The Weekly Standard, William Kristol sees no point in playing coy. Having already called for an American attack on Syria twenty months ago, he is now beating his bongo for an immediate "military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities." Concerned about retaliation against American citizens in the form of terrorist attacks around the world? Don't worry. Any and all "repercussions," he promises, "would be healthy ones." Kristol even imagines that such an attack could cause the Iranian people "to reconsider whether they really want to have this regime in power," as if the natural reaction of people who see their country attacked, their families killed and their property destroyed is to side with the people who are bombing them (just like in, um... Iraq)."

Daley: Loop evacuation drill to be 'spontaneous' - "Chicago has conducted countless tabletop drills since Sept. 11, 2001 to simulate what would happen if the city was hit with a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Next week, the simulation will come “off the tabletop and out into the street.” ... The goal of the drill is to test in a real-life situation how prepared Chicago is for a mass evacuation nearly five years to the day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

Pope prepares to embrace theory of intelligent design - "There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning his church more closely with the theory of "intelligent design" taught in some US states. Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence. Critics say it is a disguise for creationism."

King County's sensible take on drugs - "Is it time to forge an "exit strategy" for our prolonged "war on drugs"? That question — normally considered a "no-no" in legal circles, especially among prosecutors and police — has been raised by the prestigious King County Bar Association since 2000. And the results have been impressive. ... The uncomfortable truth is that despite decades of aggressive government crackdowns, U.S. drug use and drug-related crime are as high as ever. Made profitable by prohibition, violent criminal enterprises that purvey drugs are flourishing. Harsh criminal sanctions, even for minor drug possession, have packed jails and prisons. Public coffers have been drained of funds for critical preventive social services. Prohibition has failed to stamp out markets and quality, or increase street prices for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. The drug war kicked off by President Nixon in the 1970s costs $40 billion or more a year. It is a massive, embarrassing, destructive failure."

Mind Control: America's Secret WarA History Channel Documentary - "This powerful History Channel documentary reveals how for decades, top secret government projects worked virtually non-stop to perfect means of controlling the human mind. Though for many years the government denied that these projects even existed, the details have long been preserved in thousands of pages of now declassified government documents reluctantly released through the Freedom of Information Act. LSD and electroshock therapy in huge doses given to unsuspecting citizens are only a part of the unbelievable program revealed by these declassified documents."

Bush's language angers US Muslims - "They are upset about his use of terms like "Islamic fascists", which he used this week both for Hezbollah and the suspected bomb plotters held in the UK. "It offends the vast majority of moderate Muslims," Ahmed Younis said. "The use of the term casts a shadow upon Islam and bolsters the argument that there is a clash of civilisations between Islam and the West," Mr Younis, the national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (Mpac), told the BBC. He said it was wrong to link the actions of violent Muslims to their religion. "There is nothing Islamic about their fascism. The Prophet [Muhammad] and the Koran clearly articulate that this type of activity is outside of bounds for Muslims.""

Reclaiming The Issues: Islamic Or Republican Fascism? - "Genuine American fascists are on the run, and part of their survival strategy is to redefine the term "fascism" so it can't be applied to them any more. Most recently, George W. Bush said: "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation." In fact, the Islamic fundamentalists who apparently perpetrated 9/11 and other crimes in Spain and the United Kingdom are advocating a fundamentalist theocracy, not fascism. But theocracy - the merging of religion and government - is also on the plate for the new American fascists (just as it was for Hitler, who based the Nazi death cult on a "new Christianity" that would bring "a thousand years of peace"), so they don't want to use that term, either."

Course Correction - "Times editors did not seem to notice the dark side of this story--the negative impact on the wages of Americans in non-supervisory jobs (that's 82 percent of the workforce). Their wages stagnated and even declined in real terms, discounted for inflation. This helps explain why typical Americans did not join the cheering--they are losing ground and borrowing more to keep afloat. Last year for the first time since 1933, the family balance sheet went negative, that is, negative savings."

Teen: Didn't Miss Much in Captivity - " The Austrian teenager held in an underground cell for more than eight years insisted Monday she didn't miss out on much in captivity and was even spared some temptations and torments of adolescence, such as smoking, drinking and dealing with "bad friends.""

'Defense demands could set standard of living back 20 years' - "The government economist claims the demands are extravagant and would push Israel 20 to 30 years back economically, including a sharp drop in the standard of living."

AIPAC urges U.S. to shut Iranian Web site - "The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is urging the United States government to disconnect an Iranian news site from American Internet servers, charging that the site has ties to terrorist organizations. The allegation is based on a report published by Haaretz last month."

Harris clarifies statements on religion - "Congresswoman and candidate for the Senate Katherine Harris (R-FL) has responded to criticism of recent statements regarding religion by indicating that she is a strong supporter of Israel, RAW STORY has learned."

Spanish firm to build and run new PFI toll road in Texas - "This would be part of the ‘super-highway’ spanning the United States from the Mexican border at Laredo, making its way through Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma and connecting with the Canadian highway system north of Duluth, Minnesota. Because it would provide a connection all the way between Canada and Mexico, the project is also described as the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) super highway."

FDA weighs drug to stop premature birth - "A drug to help women carry their babies to term that is awaiting federal approval doesn't appear to delay the earliest preterm births most often linked to death and serious health problems, according to federal documents released Monday."

Receding Texas lake reveals old skeleton - "He said that an on-site examination of the body indicated that it is less than 1,000 years old. But arrowheads collected at the site suggest a burial taking place between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago, he said."

Professor helps invent lightning sensor - "A University of Oklahoma professor has helped invent a device that measures the likelihood that lightning will strike."

Bright Idea: Sunlight Curbs Afternoon Drowsiness - "Letting in a little extra light throughout the day may do more than just lift your spirits. It could make you more alert and help you avoid an afternoon energy slump."