"Theater Iran Near Term" (TIRANNT) - "Code named by US military planners as TIRANNT, "Theater Iran Near Term" has identified several thousand targets inside Iran as part of a "Shock and Awe" Blitzkrieg, which is now in its final planning stages."
Iran Must Get Ready to Repel a Nuclear Attack - "For the general Leonid Ivashov, the former Chief of the Russian armed forces’ Staff, it is doubtless that the Bush administration plans nuclear attacks against Iran and that the Pentagon will be capable to carry them out within the few coming weeks. He is too sure that the United States will not be talked out of it by the other nuclear powers and will have to endure but a conventional counter. The only unknown thing yet is if this project will be approved or refused by the United States’ Congress."
US Iran intelligence 'is incorrect' - "Much of the intelligence on Iran's nuclear facilities provided to UN inspectors by US spy agencies has turned out to be unfounded, diplomatic sources in Vienna said today."
Democrats Seek to Repeal 2002 War Authorization - "Senate Democratic leaders intend to unveil a plan next week to repeal the 2002 resolution authorizing the war in Iraq in favor of narrower authority that restricts the military's role and begins withdrawals of combat troops."
Cheney Holds Firm on Iraq, Pelosi Comments - ""My statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, is that we will validate the strategy of al Qaeda," Cheney said. "I said it, and I meant it."" -- Hmmm. I don't recall "al Qaeda" as being the reason for invading Iraq.
Fears grow over Iran - "Tony Blair has declared himself at odds with hawks in the US Administration by saying publicly for the first time that it would be wrong to take military action against Iran."
An accident waiting to happen - "Former UN weapons inspector, turned peace activist, Scott Ritter isn’t swallowing Gates’ assurances either. Here’s what he said on the subject during a recent lecture: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to war with Iran. It’s going to happen. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.” ... So he would have to be stark staring mad to bomb Iran against such opposition and in light of the political, humanitarian and economic mayhem that such an attack would trigger. Wouldn’t he? In truth, there could be method in his madness. Various papers penned by his neocon friends before he took office (“Clean Break” and the Project for the New American Century’s “Rebuilding America’s Defenses”) make clear the Bush administration’s end goal, which is control of this region and its resources to stem the rise of competitors. There were basically two obstacles to that goal: Iraq and Iran."
US poll: Israel alone named 'vital friend' - "A Gallup poll surveying US opinion on geopolitics singles out Israel as only foreign nation Americans feel favorably toward and also say that what happens there is vitally important to the US."
Albright says next president must `restore goodness of American power' - ""We have lost the element of goodness in American power, and we have lost our moral authority," she said. "The job of the next president will be to restore the goodness of American power.""
U.S. soldier gets 100 years for Iraq rape, killings - "In his plea agreement, he said he conspired with three other soldiers from the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division to rape 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi. The girl, her parents and a younger sister were all killed." -- How many other atrocities are unknown?
Osama targets Prince Harry - "Code-breakers say top al-Qaida leader wants Iraq-bound royal – 'dead or alive'." -- Give me a break.
Psychics 'hired to find Bin Laden' - "It is claimed the ministry hoped positive results would allow it to use psychics to 'remotely view' Bin Laden's base and also to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, after running up a bill of £18,000 of taxpayers' money, defence chiefs concluded there was 'little value' in using psychic powers in the defence of the nation and the research was taken no further." -- From the 'I can't make this shit up' pile.
Canada rules indefinite detention wrong - "Canada's Supreme Court struck down the government's right to detain foreign terrorism suspects indefinitely and without trial, ruling Friday that the system violates the country's bill of rights."
Affidavit: McVeigh had high-level help - "Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols says a high-ranking FBI official "apparently" was directing Timothy McVeigh in the plot to blow up a government building and might have changed the original target of the attack, according to a new affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Utah. The official and other conspirators are being protected by the federal government "in a cover-up to escape its responsibility for the loss of life in Oklahoma," Nichols claims in a Feb. 9 affidavit. Documents that supposedly help back up his allegations have been sealed to protect information in them, such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah had no comment on the allegations. The FBI and Justice Department in Washington, D.C., also declined comment."
Nichols Fingers FBI Agent Directing McVeigh in OKC Bombing By Name - "Though subsequent reports do not mention the accused agent by name, the Deseret Morning News identified the individual as Larry Potts, who was the lead FBI agent during the Ruby Ridge confrontation in 1992 and was also involved in the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993."
Revealing X-ray machine set to scan Sky Harbor fliers - "The equipment has rankled privacy-protection groups because it can produce exceptionally clear X-ray images of the human body."
It Can Happen Here - "In light of the series of laws passed in Congress and precedents set by the Bush administration, people have good reason to doubt the future of democracy and the rule of law in America." -- The future ain't what it used to be..
Rev. Lonnie Latham - Hypocrisy and Corruption in the Pulpit - "The Southern Baptist Convention is notable for its strongly held public positions on traditional moral values which include outspoken condemnatation of homosexuality and belief in 'wifely submission' in marriage. Latham himself is known in the Tulsa community for his preaching against homosexuality and his belief that homosexuality can be 'cured' through aggressive application of the Bible in sexual orientation reeducation programs. I can only imagine the joy of his congregation on Thursday when they heard on the local news that the most-righteous Rev. Latham was arrested in Oklahoma City for picking up a male prostitute who unfortunately turned out to be an undercover police officer. ... This story is both amusing and somewhat tragic, but what's truly remarkable about it is how often we've seen it repeated. It's become a cliche - the man of God who has an altar boy under his robes, a mistress in the choir or a gay lover working in the church office. And it's usually the most morally righteous and the most outspokenly critical of the sins of others who seem to be the most corrupt. It's as if their self-loathing drives them to direct their anger and hatred outwards towards others - often those who share the same prurient interests."
Misogyny 6, women 0 - "Mr Sarwar, a stonemason in his mid40s, appeared calm when he told a television channel that he had carried out God’s order to kill women who sinned. “I have no regrets. I just obeyed Allah’s commandment,” he said."
Protect the Children From Porn - "By all means, let's Protect The Children. Because that's what it's all about, right? It doesn't matter whose life gets mowed down in the process, as long as we are clear that it's all in the name of keeping kids innocent. Except we seem to be confusing innocence with ignorance. ... The prosecution claims she deliberately visited porn sites from the class computer and allowed the 12- and 13-year-olds to view the content. She claims -- and evidence proves -- the school computer got hit with a pop-up frenzy she didn't know how to stop."
Private Health Insurance Is Not the Answer - "Why are we keeping a hopeless, for-profit health insurance system alive? ... Despite the overwhelming evidence from other industrial countries -- and even domestic programs such as Medicare -- that government-run health plans are much more efficient, the U.S. political class seems to be on a mission to save private insurance."
Doctors’ personal beliefs can hinder care - "A disturbing number of doctors do not feel obligated to tell patients about medical options they oppose morally, such as abortion and teen birth control, and believe they have no duty to refer people elsewhere for such treatments, researchers say." -- How very sad.
Studies: Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk - "Scientists say conclusive data shows there is no question circumcision reduces men's chances of catching HIV by up to 60 percent - a finding experts are hailing as a major breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. Now, the question is how to put that fact to work to combat AIDS across Africa."
No "Go Pills"; Air Force Wants Sleep-Fighting Lamps - ""The more we understand about the body's 24-hour clock the more we will be able to override it," says Russell Foster, a circadian biologist at Imperial College London. "In 10 to 20 years we'll be able to pharmacologically turn sleep off."" -- That can't be a good thing.
Expert disputes storms' link to global warming - "Further study continues to show that hurricane activity occurs in cycles of 20 to 45 years, he said."
Google-ized - "Google's unofficial slogan is "Don't be Evil." It seems that such a slogan should be applied to oneself above all. Evil aside, Google has put itself in a position of, what can only be construed as, being a censor of information; for example, its decision to violate the openness of the internet by censoring Uruknet from its news service, collaboration with Chinese regime, and removing certain sites from google ads, such as controversial Ziopedia."
California plan would criminalize spanking - "A leading state lawmaker in California has introduced a proposal that would classify parents who place a careful swat on the bottom of their little one, enthralled in the pursuit of excitement during the "terrible twos," the same as a child abuse felon who beats a baby with an electrical cord."
While you slumber, your brain puts the world in order - "Ever wondered why sleeping on a problem works? It seems that as well as strengthening our memories, sleep also helps us to extract themes and rules from the masses of information we soak up during the day."
216 Million Americans Are Scientifically Illiterate (Part I) - "Okay, now let’s talk (dare I say rant?) about the 200 million Americans out there who cannot read a simple story in, say, Technology Review or the New York Times science section and understand even the basics of DNA or microchips or global warming. This level of science illiteracy may explain why over 40 percent of Americans do not believe in evolution and about 20 percent, when asked if the earth orbits the sun or vice versa, say it’s the sun that does the orbiting--placing these people in the same camp as the Inquisition that punished Galileo almost 400 years ago. It also explains the extraordinary disconnect between scientists and much of the public over issues the scientists think were settled long ago--never mind newer discoveries and research on topics such as the use of chimeras to study cancer, or pills that may extend life span by 30 or 40 percent. As Carl Sagan eloquently wrote in The Demon-Haunted World, ignorance reigns in our society at a moment when science is on the cusp of doing amazing and wonderful things, but also dangerous things. Ignorance, said Sagan, is not an option."
Spear-wielding chimps snack on skewered bushbabies - "In a revelation that destroys yet another cherished notion of human uniqueness, wild chimpanzees have been seen living in caves and hunting bushbabies with spears. It is the first time an animal has been seen using a tool to hunt a vertebrate."
New radiation warning--run for your life - "The International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Organization for Standardization want you to know when it's time to panic, so they've adding a person running and a skull and crossbones to the radiation warning symbol." -- Check out the a pic of the new symbol.
Medieval Muslims made stunning math breakthrough - "Magnificently sophisticated geometric patterns in medieval Islamic architecture indicate their designers achieved a mathematical breakthrough 500 years earlier than Western scholars, scientists said on Thursday. ... "Oh, it's absolutely stunning," Lu said in an interview. "They made tilings that reflect mathematics that were so sophisticated that we didn't figure it out until the last 20 or 30 years.""
Michael Jackson 'to convert to Islam' - "Michael Jackson could soon convert to Islam, according to his brother Jermaine. ... Michael and I and the word of God, we could do so much."
Quote of the Day
"Idiot population on the Earth is increasing at a frighteningly alarming rate."
~ S.L. Goldman
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