March 5, 2007

Afghan Media: U.S. Troops Deleted Images - "Afghan journalists covering the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack and shooting in eastern Afghanistan Sunday said U.S. troops deleted their photos and video and warned them not to publish or air any images of U.S. troops or a car where three Afghans were shot to death. Afghan witnesses and gunshot victims said U.S. forces fired on civilians in cars and on foot along at least a six-mile stretch of road in Nangarhar province following a suicide attack against the military convoy. The U.S. military said militants also fired on American forces during the attack."

Broken by This War - "And I know from experience that “support the troops” is a slogan, and not a practice. ... It is the soldiers, their families, and the people of Iraq that pay the human costs. The tab so far: more than 3,000 dead U.S. troops, tens of thousands of wounded, over half a million Iraqi casualties, roughly 250,000 American servicemen and women struggling with PTSD, and almost 60,000 military marriages that have been broken by this war. Including mine."

From Serving in Iraq To Living on the Streets - "As in the Vietnam War era, when thousands of vets ended up homeless, there are already signs that the recent conflicts are taking a traumatic psychological toll on some service members. Many veterans' advocates said that despite unprecedented attempts by the military and Veterans Affairs to care for veterans, increasing numbers of the new generation of warriors are ending up homeless."

Obama: US should never dictate what's best for Israel - "In speech delivered before AIPAC lobbyists in Chicago, US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama reveals strongly pro-Israel platform: US must preserve ‘total commitment to unique defense relationship with Israel’, work to stop Iran’s nuclear program even if military action is necessary."

A Horse of a Different Color - "Does Mr. Obama really not know that there are – or were – similar communities in the occupied territories? Does he really not know that countless Palestinian villages – with "houses and streets like you might find in a suburb in America" – have been demolished by Israeli tractors? Can Obama imagine a young Palestinian child riding his bike down the street – can he imagine his joyful play? Can he imagine a car in the driveway, the shrubs trimmed – the families living their lives in the moment before the Israelis wiped it all out in their ruthless campaign of conquest and ethnic cleansing? Of course he can't – if he wants to be president of the United States, that is. Israeli lives are more important, more valuable than Palestinian lives: that is what the occupant of the Oval Office must believe, or, if he doesn't quite believe it, then he must keep quiet about it and act as if he does. Otherwise, he'll never make it to the White House. Obama knows this, and therefore "forgot" to put the events in Kiryat Shmona into their proper context:"

Dump the Democrats and Unite! - "We should have known it was coming. Even though the Democratic Party rode the antiwar wave in to Congress last November they’ve done little since to end the bloody war in Iraq."

10 False Flags that Changed the World: #1 - "While citizens pay the Pentagon more money to fight these wars, let’s not forget what Donald Rumsfeld said about the Pentagon on the morning of September 10, 2001: “According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions.” That bombshell was pretty much forgotten by the next morning." -- I haven't forgotten.

Profit upon profit - "WHEN definitive histories of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are written, one of the most intriguing chapters is bound to be the extent to which the conflicts have been prosecuted with heavy support from private military contractors who cashed in handsomely - and excessively."

Correction: this could become a crash after all - "With his low opinion poll ratings, George Bush needs a crash on Wall Street like a hole in the head. The days are ticking away towards the end of his presidency and the Pentagon is warning that unless the "surge" in Iraq works the United States could be heading for another Vietnam."

Top Secret: We're Wiretapping You - "By all accounts, that's what happened to Washington D.C. attorney Wendell Belew in August 2004. And it happened at a time when no one outside a small group of high-ranking officials and workaday spooks knew the National Security Agency was listening in on Americans' phone calls without warrants. Belew didn't know what to make of the episode. But now, thanks to that government gaffe, he and a colleague have the distinction of being the only Americans who can prove they were specifically eavesdropped upon by the NSA's surveillance program. The pair are seeking $1 million each in a closely watched lawsuit against the government, which experts say represents the greatest chance, among over 50 different lawsuits, of convincing a key judge to declare the program illegal."

Everyone Loves Keith Olbermann—Except Me - "Regardless of how astute his political criticism is, I am no longer willing to tolerate Keith Olbermann's misogyny. Olbermann has a nasty habit of making sexist, derogatory statements about female celebrities. The things he’s said are shameful and should never have been uttered, let alone on television. While he is certainly not alone in his reprehensible treatment of women, Olbermann is widely admired by progressives; unlike other trashy gossip commentators, he must be held to progressive standards."

Texans fear US sovereignty will disappear down superhighway - "Backers of the idea, labelled the "Nafta Superhighway", after the North American trade pact, say it would revolutionise patterns of commerce across the continent and enhance the economic prospects of millions. But its critics say it could spell the end of US sovereignty. In arguments akin to those deployed by critics of the European Union, opponents say that opening borders will hit businesses, create a terrorist threat and allow illegal immigrants and drugs to flood in."

Oregon community reins in its police for minor infractions - "But the Sunriver Service District, which governs police and fire departments, voted in February to tell officers to make Sunriver's roads, which are private but open to the public, exempt from minor vehicle infractions. So residents and the public alike can run a stop sign at will in the 5-square-mile area that makes up Sunriver. Police there can only stop drivers for what the state calls traffic crimes, such as drunken or reckless driving."

The Gospel of Prothero - "This month, HarperSanFrancisco will publish Prothero's new book "Religious Literacy," a work whose message is far more sober than its author's affect. In spite of the fact that more than 90 percent of Americans say they believe in God, only a tiny portion of them knows a thing about religion."

How God rewards a female suicide bomber. - "If male martyrs can expect to find 72 virgin maidens in paradise when they die, what rewards can female suicide bombers expect? Their husbands. The Quran itself describes little about the specifics of the afterlife, but it does note that believers will find huris, or maidens "of modest gaze, whom neither man nor jinni will have touched before them." (Every believer can end up in heaven; martyrs just get there faster.)"

Supermodels for Christ - "Supermodels for Christ. Supermodels. For Christ. Where to begin?"

Ruling keeps sedated victims in dark - "If a doctor sedates a patient then touches her inappropriately without her knowing, does the patient have a right to learn about it later? A Multnomah County judge has apparently decided that she does not."

Mindreading scientists predict behavior - "While still in its initial stages, the techniques may eventually have wide-ranging implications for everything from criminal interrogations to airline security checks. And that alarms some ethicists who fear the technology could one day be abused by authorities, marketers, or employers."

FCC Destroys "Blogger" Webcasters - "New Royalty Rates Could Kill Internet Radio."

Greenhouse effect is a myth, say scientists - "A United Nations report earlier this year said humans are very likely to be to blame for global warming and there is "virtually no doubt" it is linked to man's use of fossil fuels. But other climate experts say there is little scientific evidence to support the theory. In fact global warming could be caused by increased solar activity such as a massive eruption."

New Evidence of Water on Mars - "Previous NASA probes have found evidence of water on Mars, but the new findings bolster the theory that water may have existed long enough to sustain simple forms of life."

Museum IDs new species of dinosaur - "A new dinosaur species was a plant-eater with yard-long horns over its eyebrows, suggesting an evolutionary middle step between older dinosaurs with even larger horns and the small-horned creatures that followed, experts said."




Quote of the Day
"Only the young die good."
~ Oliver Herford