Pentagon braces for Bush Iraq plan - "US MILITARY officials, expecting President George Bush to order an increase in the size of the force in Iraq, have concluded that such a build-up would require them to reverse Pentagon policy and send the army's National Guard and reserve units on lengthy second tours in Iraq."
Many More Sons Will Die While the Democrats Do Nothing to Stop the War - "They have failed to take on the principal reason they were elected and, tragically, the US public is unlikely to force them to."
Kennedy proposal uncovers party rift - "Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's proposal yesterday to require congressional approval for a troop surge was generally dismissed by fellow Democrats, revealing the deep divisions within the party over how to handle the war in Iraq."
Taking the Vietnam out of Iraq - "President Bush's new plan for Iraq - expected to include reinforcements of 20,000 US troops and to be announced on Wednesday night - has echoes of Vietnam in the belief that another push will get the job done."
Five years on, no end to the horror that is Guantanamo - ""It is remarkable that Guantanamo still exists five years on," said Clive Stafford Smith, legal director of the British group Reprieve, which represents three dozen inmates. "But what is also remarkable is that Guantanamo has distracted attention from other secret prisons the US has. As of August last year we know there are 14,000 prisoners in US custody around the world.""
The United States Of Hysteria - "Two incidents that occurred yesterday morning, dead birds in Austin Texas and a strange odor across New York, and the reaction they elicited, underscores the fact that Americans are living their lives on a day to day basis in abject fear of being a victim of a new terror attack, despite the fact that they have an equally dangerous chance of being struck by lightning. Welcome to the United States of Hysteria."
New 24 Season Showcases Mass Terror, Concentration Camps - " The new season of 24, that is to air this coming weekend, is to prepare the American people for the idea of concentration camps, detention centers and the rounding up of people in times of crisis." -- And this is one reason why I refuse to watch the show.
Democrats Beef Police State With 9/11 Commission Bill - "House Democrats have passed a piece of legislation that was crafted on the back of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission in their 2004 final report. The bill is a tonic for big government, increased federalization of America, and mandates expansion of no fly lists, terror watch lists and further government surveillance of American citizens."
ABC shut down blogger who criticized violent rhetoric on one of its radio stations - "The mainstream media have yet to report on the story of a blogger whose website was shut down after he began spotlighting inflammatory rhetoric common to several talk radio hosts on KSFO, an ABC Radio-owned station in San Francisco."
Democrats push 'Net neutrality - "Democrats, who all but sank major communications reform legislation in the previous congressional session over the issue of so-called 'Net neutrality, marked the first day of the new Congress by introducing a bill that will mandate 'Net neutrality, which is intended to guarantee the equal accessibility and flow of content over the Internet."
Snow Falsely Claims That Bush Said ‘Just The Opposite’ Of ‘Mission Accomplished’ - "In today’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow tried to distance President Bush from his infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech, claiming that Bush said “just the opposite” of “Mission Accomplished”:" -- Orwell rolls.
Militarized America Is Approaching Spiritual Death - "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
They Never Learn - "The series of blunders and willful miscalculations that led to our present predicament in Iraq are now being replicated in Somalia, where a rather large U.S. footprint is being stamped into the hard Somali soil."
What this means for a region consumed by war and chaos - "Will the US attacks escalate the conflict? Probably, because of the number of civilians killed by the American missiles. More Somalis could join the ranks of the Islamists who have just suffered a defeat in their fight against the transitional government. The Americans and their regional allies will say that the operation was a "one off" because it was an opportunity to hit al-Qa'ida leaders in Somalia wanted for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. However, there is a danger that the Americans will intervene again and be dragged further into the quagmire - at a time when the Bush administration wants to concentrate on boosting the military in Iraq."
Terrorists captured in Somalia 'are British' - "Suspected terrorists from Britain, Canada, Pakistan and elsewhere have been among those taken prisoner or injured in the military operations in Somalia, Ethiopia's prime minister said today."
The Ideological Animal - "Call it the 9/11 effect. ... We tend to believe our political views have evolved by a process of rational thought, as we consider arguments, weigh evidence, and draw conclusions. But the truth is more complicated. Our political preferences are equally the result of factors we're not aware of—such as how educated we are, how scary the world seems at a given moment, and personality traits that are first apparent in early childhood. Among the most potent motivators, it turns out, is fear. How the United States should confront the threat of terrorism remains a subject of endless political debate. But Americans' response to threats of attack is now more clear-cut than ever. The fear of death alone is surprisingly effective in shaping our political decisions—more powerful, often, than thought itself." -- And rest assured that your leaders know this.
Kids kicked off a bus for speaking English - "Imagine sending your kids off to school, but when they get to the bus they are told they can't get on because they speak English. That's right, English."
U.S. home prices unaffordable for many workers: study - "U.S. home prices may have dipped over the past year, but many American workers would still struggle to afford a median-priced home in major cities, a new study said on Wednesday."
Transmitting Canadian coins found in U.S. - "Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada, says the counterintelligence office of the U.S. Defense Security Service."
Clone farming has arrived - "The black and white calf may look unremarkable. But Dundee Paradise is evidence that clone farming - designed to deliver supersize cows producing an astonishing 70 pints of milk a day - has arrived in Britain."
Warm December Pushes 2006 to Record Year - "Last year was the warmest on record for the United States, with readings pushed over higher than normal by the unusual and unseasonably warm weather during the last half of December. ... Worldwide, the agency said, it was the sixth warmest year on record."
Simple blood test predicts heart attack and stroke risk - "A simple blood test can foretell with strong probability a person's risk of heart attack or stroke and the likelihood cardiovascular disease sufferers will die of their illness, according to a US study published."
Infant outcomes worse with planned C-section - "Newborns who are delivered via planned Caesarean section are more likely to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and to experience lung disorders compared with those delivered via planned vaginal delivery, according to findings published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology."
Visa, Nokia turn cell phones into credit cards - "Consumers will be able to pay for groceries and other purchases by swiping a phone over a reader that electronically communicates with a microchip on the phone. Phone owners confirm the purchase with the push of a button and the deal is complete."
Apple Unveils Long-Awaited Phone, TV Box - "Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled a new mobile phone that downloads and plays music as well as a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions."
'Image spam' could bring the internet to a standstill - "But this, experts say, is the spam that could bring the internet to a virtual standstill this year. To bypass anti-spam software, the emails use an image instead of text."
Who Built the Pyramids? - "Not slaves. Archeaologist Mark Lehner, digging deeper, discovers a city of privileged workers."
Study: Andromeda way bigger than thought - "The discovery of several large, metal-poor stars located far from the center of the Andromeda galaxy suggests our nearest galactic neighbor might be up to five times larger than previously thought. The newfound stars are massive, bloated stars known as red giants."
Moon shots: China, Japan in '07; U.S., India in '08 - "The moon is going to be a busy site for space exploration in 2007 as two Asian countries take aim at Earth's natural satellite with the intent of launching robotic survey lunar orbiters."
Quote of the Day
"What have we found? The same old fears."
~ Pink Floyd, (Wish You Were Here)
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