News -- January, 26, 2006

Rove's Warning For 2006: It's All About the "War On Terror" - "The speech that will define U.S. politics throughout 2006 has already been given. The audience was the Republican National Committee and the date was January 19. The speechmaker was Karl Rove, top political adviser to President George Bush. Rove laid out the political strategy that will shape the fight for U.S. public opinion, the midterm elections, and the terrain for all social struggles in 2006. The cornerstone of this strategy is once again “You Are With Us or You Are With the Terrorists.” This battle plan is a direct challenge not simply to the Democrats, but to antiwar activists and every progressive and grassroots movement. The responsibility falls squarely on us to meet Rove head on with an unequivocal challenge to the war in Iraq and to the “war on terror” justification for spying, torture, and racist injustice from the Gulf Coast to the U.S.-Mexico border."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0125-25.htm

Bush Confident Warrantless Wiretaps Legal - ""The program's legal, it's designed to protect civil liberties, and it's necessary," Bush told a White House news conference."
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/26/D8FCG4P8E.html

Congressional Hearing Spells Out Clear Case For Impeachment - ""He is claiming absolute power that no one in American history has ever claimed. This cannot stand," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. "If you’re dealing with what appears to be a criminal conspiracy by the president, the vice president, the attorney general and others, you cannot ask the attorney general and the people under him to fairly investigate," Nadler said. "Obviously, they will dismiss this out of hand because they will not admit how real this is. "I want to be absolutely clear, what the president ordered in this case was a crime," said Jonathan Turley."
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=10055

Are Concentration Camps Coming to U.S.? - "I've heard and seen many reports concerning detention camps that have been built throughout the country. Quite frankly, I viewed them with a bit of skepticism, not that I didn't trust the source or the information, I didn't trust the conclusions. The claims have been many and include information (including pictures) indicating some of these camps are built to hold as many as a million people if need be. While these types of stories are easy to fabricate and can provide plenty of speculation fodder to spread; the following news release should give cause for concern to even the most conspiracy challenged Americans. ... Color me naive, but when I hear talk of cages, detention and/or concentration camps, my mind usually wonders in devious directions. I haven't seen anywhere in history where detention centers and so forth were used as freedom enhancing tools. View this anyway you wish, but do so at your own peril. Consider yourself warned, what you choose to do with this information is only up to you."
http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2816

Some historical perspective and a call to action by Gore Vidal - "For what we are now seeing are the obvious characteristics of the West after the fall of Rome: the triumph of religion over reason; the atrophy of education and critical thinking; the integration of religion, the state, and the apparatus of torture--a troika that was for Voltaire the central horror of the pre-Enlightenment world..."
http://secularfront.blogspot.com/2006/01/some-historical-perspective-and-call.html

If it walks like a DUCK and quacks like a DUCK... - "Marty is putting himself and his family at great risk by calling a duck a duck. He should be applauded and protected."
http://wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/01/if-it-walks-like-duck-and-quacks-like.html

AG's memo raises questions on Patriot Act - "A footnote in Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's 42-page legal memo defending President Bush's domestic spying program appears to argue that the administration does not need Congress to extend the USA Patriot Act in order to keep using the law's investigative powers against terror suspects."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/01/25/ags_memo_raises_questions_on_patriot_act/

Diebold Blocks Alaska Voters From Viewing Election 2004 Results, Data! - "In just one more story which illustrates the many undemocratic dangers of allowing private companies to "own" our public elections, Diebold, Inc., one of America's largest Voting Machine Companies is currently blocking citizens in Alaska from viewing election data from the 2004 general election!"
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002327.htm

Closed-Door Deal Makes $22 Billion Difference - "House and Senate GOP negotiators, meeting behind closed doors last month to complete a major budget-cutting bill, agreed on a change to Senate-passed Medicare legislation that would save the health insurance industry $22 billion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. ... The change in the Medicare provision underscores a practice that growing numbers of lawmakers from both parties want addressed. More than ever, Republican congressional lawmakers and leaders are making vital decisions, involving far-reaching policies and billions of dollars, without the public -- or even congressional Democrats -- present." -- Democracy at work.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/23/AR2006012301700.html

Why don’t we know what is going on in Israel & Palestine? - "In 2004, when 8 Israeli children were killed and 179 Palestinian children were killed, NBC reported on 100% of Israeli children’s deaths and on 10% of Palestinian children’s deaths, ABC on 100% and 11%."
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/clues.html

Holocaust is a religion of Zionism for gentiles: Hoffman - "Skepticism is not allowed because the "Holocaust" does not entail the history of World War Two, rather it is a religion, the religion of Judaism for gentiles. To question the details of the gas chambers is to be a "hater" and an "anti-Semite." Historical accounts can be questioned and doubted. Religion cannot be questioned or doubted. The "Holocaust" is a religious cult masquerading as history. It is a means for Judaizing the West."
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=281819

Congress catching on to the value of blogs - "Obama and Kerry are two of about 11 members of Congress who are blogging today, either on their own blogs or as guests on others' sites. Republicans like Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of Illinois, Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois and Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas have joined the fray, along with Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York. That's still a small percentage of Congress, but some observers of politics and blogs think a greater number of Washington's elected officials will soon come around."
http://news.com.com/Congress+catching+on+to+the+value+of+blogs/2100-1028_3-6031314.html?tag=nefd.lede

Marriage amendment set for Virginia ballot - "The Virginia Senate yesterday gave overwhelming final approval to a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, clearing the way for the issue to be put to voters in November."
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060126-122352-2292r.htm

Government study: VoIP, video can be taxed - " State and local governments may be able to tax certain aspects of Internet use under an existing federal law designed to ban such fees, government auditors said this week." -- Anything to get your money.
http://news.com.com/Government+study+VoIP,+video+can+be+taxed/2100-1028_3-6031256.html?tag=nefd.top

New planet discovered in Milky Way - "Scientists have discovered a planet more like Earth than any other found before, they said on Wednesday. It's 20,000 light-years away, just shy of the center of the Milky Way."
http://news.com.com/New+planet+discovered+in+Milky+Way/2100-11397_3-6031296.html?tag=nefd.top















Quote of the Day
"If you give government power, it uses it."
~ Former Rep. Bob Barr (R)