History will not treat us kindly - "Most Americans are hiding. We are like the good Germans of 1933 who knew an authoritarian regime was consolidating its power, but thought we could avoid personal consequences if we kept quiet. We remained silent as enemies of the State were rounded up, and everyones' liberties curtailed. It did not happen all at once. It was a process of conditioning. ... Many people refuse to recognize the corruption and evil of our government, because the thought is simply intolerable. It undermines their fundamental beliefs and trust, and makes most of what occupies their days utterly trivial. The “solution” for these people is to tune-out any potentially upsetting epiphany. They welcome reassuring propaganda that reinforces our noble purposes in the Middle East and elsewhere. They do not care to investigate personally, or even listen to, the evidence of our considerable crimes."
BUSH'S REIGN 'GRAVE, DETERIORATING' - "Good Luck. Even his daddy's buddies and a bipartisan panel can't get him to listen. It's not the message; it's his closed ears. President George W. Bush will never admit Iraq is disintegrating and his policies were doomed from the outset."
The "Iraq Memorial" should go on the White House Lawn - " Eventually, there’ll be a memorial to the men and women who died in Iraq, so where do we put it? ... I have an idea. Let’s tear down the rot-iron gates surrounding the White House. Let’s remove the cement abutments and the cyclone fencing. Let’s put up a 10 ft high crescent of black marble on the White House lawn skirting both sides of the presidential walkway. That way, we can be sure that any future president will be forced to pass by the stone monuments that bear the names of the men and women who lost their lives in Bush’s Folly."
Israel Nuke Comment Sparks Controversy - "In an interview with a German television station broadcast Monday, Olmert appeared to list Israel among the world's nuclear powers, violating the country's long-standing policy of not officially acknowledging that it has atomic weapons. ... "Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map," Olmert said. "Can you say that this is the same level, when you are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"" -- This was no "slip of the tongue."
Gulf states announce nuclear plan - "Six oil-rich Gulf nations have said they are considering seeking nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Officials from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also urged a peaceful settlement to the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme. The six Arab states said they were exploring the possibility of creating a shared nuclear programme."
The Top 10 Conservative Idiots - "This week: George W. Bush (1, 2) is still in denial about Iraq, the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee (4) washes its hands of the Foley matter, and we bid a not-so-fond farewell to all the Unseated Republicans (10). Buh-bye."
Rush Limbaugh Crosses the Line - "The patriot from Louisiana immediately called into question Limbaugh’s blatant disregard for the Constitution by praising Lincoln’s tactics in the so-called Civil War. Limbaugh was quick to point out that the Constitution was not, and probably is not, important, that the preservation of the union was. I find that interesting. A man, who claims to love freedom and independence, would rather have a despotic empire as long as the "union" is still intact. When Limbaugh was asked again about the Constitution, he conveniently avoided the question, and like a politician, replied with his own question, not on the same topic of course. Later in the call Rush began to sing Lincoln’s praises once more. Limbaugh even said that Lincoln did some things that he wished Bush would do. Like suspending the writ of habeas corpus, running people out of the country that are opposed to Bush’s policies and wars, and arresting those civilians. Sounds more like El Rushbo is a Nazi to me. Lincoln arrested people in the middle of the night, held them in prison without charge or cause, and never brought them to trial – all so that he could get his way of "preserving the Union." Anyone who thinks that Lincoln was a great president, and the hero of America needs to read Thomas DiLorenzo’s book, The Real Lincoln, and find out the truth about the "Great Emancipator." Lincoln’s Gestapo tactics were reminiscent of King George III, whose tyranny Americans had desperately sought to avoid."
Iran defends Holocaust conference - ""Its main aim is to create an opportunity for thinkers who cannot express their views freely in Europe about the Holocaust," he said."
The U.S. government hates democracy - "As far as I'm concerned, we can't put forward enough reminders of how the U.S. government—and the corporations that own it—do business. Platitudes about peace, freedom, justice, etc., aside, the land of the free is not even remotely interested in spreading democracy. There is an abundance of evidence to back up this assertion. For now, I offer the example of post-World War II Italy. Mussolini was gone but the U.S. elites had no intention of letting Italy slip through the cracks."
Democracy Shamocracy - "Democracy is supposed to be about ordinary people, common folk, having a say-so in the decisions that shape their lives; the idea that there’s an “inalienable right” to certain freedoms; that the only legitimate government is one that answers to “the people.” In democracies, people are not subjects, but citizens."
Gary Webb's Death: American Tragedy - "When Americans ask me what happened to the vaunted U.S. press corps over the past three decades – in the decline from its heyday of the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers to its failure to challenge the Iraq WMD lies or to hold George W. Bush accountable – I often recall for them the story of Gary Webb."
A generation is all they need - "One day we will all happily be implanted with microchips, and our every move will be monitored. The technology exists; the only barrier is society's resistance to the loss of privacy." -- You've been warned.
China Tightening Control of Online Games - "China is tightening controls on its booming online game industry, requiring distributors to closely monitor game contents after some were found that included forbidden religious or political material, a state news agency said Tuesday."
'Inappropriate' anti-smoking ad pulled - "BRITAIN today delayed the airing of an "inappropriate" anti-smoking advertisement because it warned viewers that cigarettes contained the radioactive isotope that killed ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko."
TOP-LEVEL INSIDERS SELLING THEIR STOCK - "America's corporate chiefs are unloading their own stocks at one of the boldest paces in 20 years."
Apocalypto: The Most Powerful Film Of All Time - "Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is the most powerful film of all time, it is packed with strong positive messages and it is the most polished, iconic and awe-inspiring allegorical warning against the unrestrained power and abuse of government that cinema has ever seen."
DNA 'should be taken from babies' - "DNA samples should be taken from babies and stored on a database to help in the fight against crime, a senior police officer said yesterday."
By 2040: an Arctic with no ice? - "Ice is melting so fast in the Arctic that the North Pole will be in the open sea in 30 years, according to leading climatologists. Ships will be able to sail over the top of the world and tourists will be able visit what was, until climate change, one of planet’s most inaccessible landscapes."
Wi-Fi as a Health Hazard - "Sufferers of electromagnetic field sensitivity claim that the growing pervasiveness of wireless networks only exacerbates their condition. Skeptics discount their fears -- and their symptoms -- and the battle is joined."
Scientists take key step toward Alzheimer's test - "Scientists have identified a group of proteins that together indicate a person has Alzheimer's disease in what may be a big step toward an accurate test for the devastating brain ailment."
Synthetic Biology: Creating New Life Forms by Rearranging DNA - "Synthetic biologists claim they intend to create bioengineered organisms that can "produce pharmaceuticals, detect toxic chemicals, break down pollutants, repair defective genes, destroy cancer cells." [The New Atlantis, Spring, 2006] These are laudable objectives. But there is a dark side to the direction they are taking. ... Synthetic biologists extend their work even beyond the concerns of genetically modified (GMO) foods. They want to design new strands of DNA into sequences that result in totally man-made viruses, no part being derived from DNA sequences found in nature."
Musicians Oppose Media Consolidation - "Singers, Songwriters Speak Out Against Media Consolidation in Public FCC Hearing. ... "Big radio is bad radio," Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America, told FCC commissioners in the second of six public meetings nationwide. "You can drive I-40 from Knoxville to Barstow, California, and hear the same 20 songs on every country radio station.""
Mozart's entire musical score now free on Net - "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's year-long 250th birthday party is ending on a high note with the musical scores of his complete works available from Monday for the first time free on the Internet."
Quote of the Day
"Today is better than tomorrow."
~ Popular Baghdad saying
Second Quote of the Day
"I awoke to another depressing day here on Earth."
~ Randy Anderson
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