Violence against world's women 'pervasive': UN report - "The study cited surveys on violence against women conducted in at least 71 countries showing "a significant proportion of women suffer physical, sexual or psychological violence...On average, at least one in three women is subjected to intimate partner violence in the course of her lifetime.""
Someone has to say it - "1. Iraq was better off under President Saddam Hussein AND the Baath Party. ... 5. The Middle East is going through its most difficult period since World War I because of the Iraq war and subsequent US policies. ... 15. The US military and political presence - and by default, its positioning of various entities in Iraqi politics - is the single greatest contributing factor to the civilian and sectarian strife we see today."
Federal Legislation Labels Activism As "Terrorism" - "The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) is currently pending in Congress, and industry groups are doing their best to push it through quickly and with little public scrutiny, Patriot Act style, before Fall recess. Please act now to make sure that the War on Terrorism, and the tragedy of 9/11, isn't used to push a political agenda and silence dissent. ... AETA labels the tactics of Martin Luther King and Gandhi as "terrorism."" -- As was predicted, a terrorist act is whatever the government says it is. And that can change daily.
Study: 655,000 Iraqis Died Due to War - "A controversial new study contends nearly 655,000 Iraqis have died because of the war, suggesting a far higher death toll than other estimates. The timing of the survey's release, just a few weeks before the U.S. congressional elections, led one expert to call it "politics.""
Army Introducing New Slogan - "In its battle to win the hearts and minds of recruiting-age Americans, the Army is replacing its main ad slogan -- "An Army of One" -- with one it hopes will pack more punch: "Army Strong."" -- Sounds like something Tarzan would say.
Army Tones Down Drill Sergeants - "In today's Army, shouting is out and a calmer approach to molding young minds is in, says the head of Pentagon personnel."
The Religious Right's Crusade for 'Decency' - "The Christian right has done its best to keep America obsessed with clean, friendly family values. But what constitutes 'decency' -- and where does the Foley scandal fit in?" -- Claiming to be Christian does not imply decency.
Bush's approval drops to all-time low - "For the first time in the Newsweek poll, a majority of Americans believe the Bush administration misled the American public in building its case for the Iraq war by a margin of 58 per cent to 36 per cent who think it did not." -- Who are these 36 per cent?
US population hits 300 million, but is it sustainable? - "On a global scale the average US citizen uses far more than his or her fair share of the planet's resources - consuming more than four times the worldwide average of energy, almost three times as much water and producing more than twice the average amount of rubbish and five times the amount of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. The US - with five per cent of the world's population - uses 23 per cent of its energy, 15 per cent of its meat and 28 per cent of its paper. Additional population will mean more people seeking a share of those often-limited resources."
Dobbs: Middle class needs to fight back now - "I don't know about you, but I can't take seriously anyone who takes either the Republican Party or Democratic Party seriously -- in part because neither party takes you and me seriously; in part because both are bought and paid for by corporate America and special interests. And neither party gives a damn about the middle class."
Voter excitement level highest in years - "Politics is a water-cooler topic, a dinner-table subject, an issue to discuss after Sunday services, and this year the interest of American voters is at its highest level in more than a decade." -- Diebold may have to work overtime.
Read This Before You Vote - "If one were to believe the hype, nothing less than the fate the civilized world is riding on the results of the upcoming midterm elections. American-style democracy, we're told, will step in and sort things out. Reminds me of T.S. Eliot: "An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry." Not everyone is fooled, of course. "I think it is dangerous to confuse the idea of democracy with elections," says Indian novelist, Arundhati Roy. "Just because you have elections doesn't mean you're a democratic country.""
Elections in the USA: Justice and Perversion and the Perversion of Justice - "Why do US Congress members and the mass media go into a political feeding frenzy over personal sexual transgressions like Congressman Foley’s nasty e-mail flirtations with teenage boys or former President Clinton’s office adventures in extramarital sex with a White House intern and not over issues of great consequence for peace or war, democracy or authoritarianism, torture or human rights?"
Democrats veer to the right in fight for House - "It's happening across the South and Midwest, as Democratic congressional candidates from Illinois to Georgia are casting aside liberal loyalties to compete in conservative districts where they hope to gain the 15 seats needed for Democrats to take control of the House."
Bush Says Democrats Would Raise Taxes - ""Next month, our nation has to make a choice: Do we keep taxes low so you can keep our economy growing? Or do we let the Democrats in Washington raise taxes and hurt the growth of the economy?" Bush asked. The White House distributed excerpts of his speech before the event. The way voters cast their ballots will have a direct impact on their pocketbooks, Bush said." -- The Republicans are experts at using fear to manipulate the masses. Isn't that defined as "terrorism"?
Federal deficit now lowest in 4 years - "The federal budget deficit, helped by a gusher of tax revenues, fell to $247.7 billion in 2006, the smallest amount of red ink in four years."
US free speech row grows as author says Jewish complaints stopped launch party - "The British-based author and former publisher Carmen Callil has become embroiled in a growing dispute over the limits of freedom of speech in America after a party celebrating her new book on Vichy France was cancelled because of the opinion she expresses about the modern state of Israel."
Jury awards $11.3M over defamatory Internet posts - "A Florida woman has been awarded $11.3 million in a defamation lawsuit against a Louisiana woman who posted messages on the Internet accusing her of being a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud.""
New Bush Space Policy Unveiled, Stresses U.S. Freedom of Action - "U.S. assets must be unhindered in carrying out their space duties, the Bush space policy says, stressing that “freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power.”"
The 'Poison Plastic' Retailers Won't Talk About - "PVC plastic (commonly used in toys, shower curtains, bags, shoes and more) has been linked to cancer and birth defects -- so why won't big-box stores like Target stop selling it?"
About Your Deteriorating Face - "A little known and alarming fact about growing old as a woman is that basically, your facial skeleton is disintegrating and no amount of skin tightening can make you look forever 21."
Women dress up when fertile: study - "WOMEN dress to impress when they are at their most fertile, US researchers have said in a study they say shows that signs of human ovulation may not be as mysterious as some scientists believe."
Quote of the Day
"One's right to life, liberty and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no election."
~ Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson
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