January 19, 2007

An Impartial Interrogation of George W. Bush - "Mr. President, Sir, when reporter Bob Woodward asked you if you had consulted with your father before ordering our army into Iraq you said, "No, he's not the father you call on a decision like this. I talked to my heavenly Father above." My question, Mr. President: If God asked you to bombard, invade and occupy Iraq for four years, why did he send an opposite message to the Pope?"

The great games over Iraq - "No doubt, we are now witnessing the dawn of a new great game over Iraq. A recent communique by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has stated its "collective desire to prevent Iraq from becoming a battleground for regional and international powers". The irony, however, is that this communique is also signed by two "out of area" Arab states, Jordan and Egypt, whose inclusion in the security calculus of the Persian Gulf rattles Iran and fuels the growing rivalry between the Shi'ite power bloc and the Sunni Arabs led by Saudi Arabia."

Those ingrate Iraqis - "President Bush is right: Americans deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis' energy consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem."

Gonzales, live: "The Constitution does not say that every citizen has the right to habeas corpus." - "Gee, who decides when they don’t?"

Pentagon Drafts Rules for Detainee Trials - "The Pentagon has drafted a manual for upcoming detainee trials that would allow suspected terrorists to be imprisoned or put to death using hearsay evidence and coerced testimony." -- What a sad world we live in.

The War Becomes More Unholy - "A stepped up military offensive that targets mosques, religious leaders and Islamic customs is leading many Iraqis to believe that the US-led invasion really was a "holy war.""

Crusade Number Four - "Very few Americans understood their nation had just invaded another in an act worthy of the late, unlamented Chairman Leonid Brezhnev. Much of Somalia has already been occupied by Ethiopia’s powerful, US-financed army which invaded that defenseless nation, with Washington’s blessing, under cover of the Christmas holiday."

As Bush's War Strategy Shifts to Iran, Christian Zionists Gear Up for the Apocalypse - " Is Bush pushing for a second war or a Second Coming?"

Where Is the Consistency in the War on Terrorism? - "It would seem safe to assume that individuals who have fired a bazooka at the United Nations headquarters in New York, served time in connection with the first state-sponsored act of terrorism in the United States, or actively participated in secret groups that claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings in New York, New Jersey and Florida, would raise many red flags when coming into this country. Or maybe not. Just last week, Guillermo Novo, Pedro Remon and Gaspar Jimenez, the men behind those and other terrorist acts, received a hero's welcome in the United States. After a quick flight from Panama aboard a private jet, the men flashed victory signs and smiled to a swarm of cameras in a Miami airport while U.S. authorities looked on."

Bush fights to quash vote of no confidence - "A beleaguered President George W Bush was battling yesterday to prevent Republican rebels in Congress joining Democrats to pass a vote of no confidence in his Iraq policy."

"We want nuclear programme; rules in region have changed" - "Tel Aviv- Jordanian King Abdullah II said in remarks published Friday that Jordan was abandoning its "nuclear-free Middle East policy" and was seeking to develop a nuclear programme for peaceful purposes. "The rules have changed on the nuclear subject throughout the whole region. Where I think Jordan was saying, 'We'd like to have a nuclear-free zone in the area,' after this summer, everybody is going for nuclear programmes," Abdullah said in an interview with the Israeli Ha'aretz daily." -- Where's the freakin' comet? Humanity has failed.

Chinese missile destroys satellite in space - "The prospect of "Star Wars" between China and the West loomed last night after Beijing used a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite in space."

As trial goes on, he hunkers down - "The government's case against a Plainfield couple who refused to pay income taxes for more than a decade has drawn the ire of tax protesters and militia members from around the country, including some who have pledged to defend the couple with firearms if necessary."

Methodists: No Bush Library at SMU - "The petition, on a new Web site, http://www.protectsmu.org/ , says that "as United Methodists, we believe that the linking of his presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate.""

Senate passes Democrats' ethics bill - "The Senate, responding to voter frustration with corruption and special interest influence in Washington, on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation. Under the bill, passed 96-2, senators will give up gifts and free travel from lobbyists, pay more for travel on corporate jets and make themselves more accountable for the pet projects they insert into bills."

Hillary's team has questions about Obama's Muslim background - "Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage? This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama." -- Now that's just pathetic. Go away Hillary. You will not get my vote.

McCain no longer rocks in Granite State - "“John McCain is tanking,” says ARG president Dick Bennett. “That’s the big thing [we’re finding]. In New Hampshire a year ago he got 49 percent among independent voters. That number’s way down, to 29 percent now.” ... Bennett says ARG is finding a similar trend in other states polled, including early primary battlegrounds like Iowa and Nevada. “We’re finding this everywhere,” he says. The main reason isn’t hard to find: His hawkish stance on the Iraq war, which is tying him ever more closely to an unpopular president. “Independent support for McCain is evaporating because they view him as tied to Bush,” says Bennett." -- Hmmm. I see I am not alone in my dislike for John.

Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison - "You'd be forgiven for thinking that it was some new restriction on free speech in Communist China. But it isn't. The U.S. Government wants to force bloggers and online grassroots activists to register and regularly report their activities to Congress in the latest astounding attack on the internet and the First Amendment." -- Land of the free?

US Army officer barred from disputing legality of Iraq war at court-martial - "A US military judge ruled Tuesday that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, a US Army officer who refused deployment to Iraq because he felt the war is 'unlawful,' cannot argue that point in his upcoming court-martial. Lt. Col. John Head further ruled that Watada may not raise a free speech defense, as soldiers do not enjoy the same constitutional rights as civilians." -- But yet soldiers fight to "protect" our constitutional rights. Hmmmm. Why would anyone willingly give up their rights?

A blanket ban on Holocaust denial would be a serious mistake - "That a measure is well-intended does not, however, make it wise. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And this proposal is very unwise. First of all, if passed, it would further curtail free expression - at a time when that is under threat from many quarters. Free expression is a unique and primary good in free societies; it's the oxygen that sustains other freedoms. You must therefore have very good reasons for restricting it by law."

Couple pay £9,000 to have first British web baby - "A British woman will be impregnated with a "designer baby" in the next few months, it has been revealed. She will be the first British woman to undergo treatment at a U.S. embryo bank that allows would-be parents to select their child's characteristics over the Internet. Customers can choose egg and sperm donors after seeing pictures of them and receiving details of their medical history, education and family background."

Bernanke: Fiscal action needed as America ages - "Bernanke acknowledged that official projections suggest the U.S. budget deficit could stabilize or shrink in the next few years, but cautioned: "We are experiencing what seems likely to be the calm before the storm.""

Arizona Bill Would Legalize Assisted Suicide, Pro-Life Groups Opposed - "A bill introduced in the Arizona state legislature would attempt to make the southwestern state the second in the nation to legalize assisted suicide. Other states such as Vermont and California may also see battles this legislative session to join Oregon in allowing the grisly practice." -- Grisly?

MySpace Hit With Online Predator Suits - "Four families have sued News Corp. and its MySpace social-networking site after their underage daughters were sexually abused by adults they met on the site, lawyers for the families said Thursday."

Residents Battle Proposed Private Party Ban - "Miami Beach residents and city commissioners are going head to head over a proposed amendment that would make it illegal to have private gatherings at home." -- Again, land of the free?

No-spank bill on way - "Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, wants to outlaw spanking children up to 3 years old. If she succeeds, California would become the first state in the nation to explicitly ban parents from smacking their kids."

“The Weather Channel” Mess - "I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out there, but I can’t find them. Here are the basic facts you need to know:
*Billions of dollars of grant money is flowing into the pockets of those on the man-made global warming bandwagon. No man-made global warming, the money dries up. This is big money, make no mistake about it. Always follow the money trail and it tells a story. Even the lady at “The Weather Channel” probably gets paid good money for a prime time show on climate change. No man-made global warming, no show, and no salary. Nothing wrong with making money at all, but when money becomes the motivation for a scientific conclusion, then we have a problem. For many, global warming is a big cash grab. *The climate of this planet has been changing since God put the planet here. It will always change, and the warming in the last 10 years is not much difference than the warming we saw in the 1930s and other decades. And, lets not forget we are at the end of the ice age in which ice covered most of North America and Northern Europe. If you don’t like to listen to me, find another meteorologist with no tie to grant money for research on the subject. I would not listen to anyone that is a politician, a journalist, or someone in science who is generating revenue from this issue."

Bacteria tests reveal how MRSA strain can kill in 24 hours - "PVL-producing MRSA, a highly-virulent strain of the drug-resistant superbug, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, has spread around the world and caused deaths in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. PVL or panton-valentine leukocidin toxin destroys white blood cells and usually causes boils and other skin complaints. But if it infects open wounds it can cause necrotising pneumonia, a disease that rapidly destroys lung tissue and is lethal in 75% of cases."

Staph bug causes new pneumonia - "A nasty staph germ circulating in and out of hospitals produces a poison that can kill pneumonia patients within 72 hours, researchers said on Thursday."

Ted Nugent fires up GOP crowd, and not in a good way - "Using machine guns as props, Nugent, 58, appeared onstage as the final act of the inaugural ball wearing a cutoff T-shirt emblazoned with the Confederate flag and shouting offensive remarks about non-English speakers, according to people who were in attendance." -- Ah, the Nuge Spooge is showing is class.

Why beauty is infectious - "The first evidence that beauty is infectious is published today by scientists who have shown that when women see a rival smiling at a man, he becomes more attractive as a result."

Make Mix Tapes And The RIAA May Send A SWAT Team To Bust Down Your Door? - "If the RIAA was really upset by it (despite the free publicity), there's no reason they couldn't file a civil suit, rather than bringing in a SWAT team."

Study: World falling behind on 2015 education goal - "Access to education increased dramatically over the past century but 323 million children worldwide are still not in school and efforts to achieve universal primary education by 2015 are likely to fail, a new study said on Wednesday."

Oregon board votes to raise graduation requirements - "Proposals to raise the requirements for a high school diploma -- most often four years of English, at least three years of higher level math and three years of science -- have already passed in a dozen states, including Ohio, Michigan and Texas. More states are poised to follow. The new requirements are finding plenty of support among politicians, colleges and employers, but some students, principals and parents aren't as enthused. They worry about who will pay for the extra courses and whether the new requirements will cause more students to give up and drop out."

Dumb Math Tests a Canadian Thing - "The Canadian court's stamp of approval paired with the simple nature of the question has made the four-part mathematics problem the de facto standard among product promotion sweepstakes. It's also a standard in decline."

No sex, thanks - "In our erotically superheated society, celebs, and people next door, are reclaiming chastity."

Digital archivists look to porn, Flash for tips - "How can society preserve digital art on the Internet the way brick-and-mortar museums can for Picassos and van Goghs? Oddly enough, at least one preservationist believes the answer might be found in an expression that most curators don't consider art--online pornography."




Quote of the Day
"If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
~ Anatole France