The $2-Trillion War - "“We are not only saddling our young people with this burden,” she adds, “but we are sweeping it under the carpet and not noticing that there’s a big bump. These costs are locked in. The reality is that the government is very, very bad at budgeting for long-term costs. And one of the hardest things about teaching budgeting is that people don’t understand scale. How big is big? The highest-grossing movie ever, Titanic, took in $1.8 billion. We spend that in Iraq in one week.”"
Russia and China warn UN not to antagonise Iran - "Russia and China on Thursday warned against escalating the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. The call came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on whether the country has met United Nations demands."
House votes 397-21 for “Iran Freedom Support Act" - "As if Iraq isn’t a big enough mess, the House of Representatives has just voted to ‘hold Iran accountable and support a transition to democracy’. Sound Familiar? Only this time Iran is a democracy. They just held an election where their president was actually elected by the people. How refreshing."
Subject to the Penalty of Death -- Too much to post here.
TERRORISM IS TERRORISM! - "Clearly the United States is the largest terrorist state in the world and by our own definition. The US Department of Defense defines terrorism as: "the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives." Is this not what the United States is doing to Iraq? ... The United States Government refuses to admit terrorist acts that we use around the globe with this fake "Global War On Terror" ( GWOT ) against militarily weaker peoples and countries. This is sold to Americans by the shovel load through the main stream press that sells our terrorism as the "advancement of democracy" to "protect the American people" All designed to fool the American public into believing our terrorism is necessary when in actuality it is calculated plot for economic and strategic conquest. Terrorism has always been used to support military spending throughout our American history."
Chevron pumps higher profit - "Net income in the first quarter increased to $4 billion, or $1.80 a share, from $2.7 billion, or $1.28, in the year-earlier period."
Bush: Raise fuel-efficiency standards - "Bush called on Congress to give him the authority to set the standards for passenger cars sold in the United States as a means of reducing the nation's demand for gasoline." -- Oh, that makes me feel better.
Market fuel prices drop - "Oil and gasoline prices took another tumble in New York trading yesterday on signs of increasing supplies and slackening demand in the United States and China, adding to an 18-cent drop in wholesale gas prices that likely will produce relief at the pump in the days ahead."
May 1 immigrant boycott aims to 'close' cities - "Pro-immigration activists say a national boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood U.S. streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it debates reform. Such a massive turnout could make for the largest protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s, though not all Latinos -- nor their leaders -- were comfortable with such militancy, fearing a backlash in Middle America."
State Senate Supports Immigrant Walkout On Monday - "California's state senators on Thursday endorsed Monday's boycott of schools, jobs and stores by illegal immigrants and their allies as supporters equated the protest with great social movements in American history."
Myth vs. Fact - "Politicians and pundits are defending illegal immigration with worn-out myths that can easily be proven wrong."
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman rebuffs attempts to interview Administration officials in pre-war Iraq probe - "The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has denied Democratic attempts to interview Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former CIA Director George Tenet and two former senior aides to erstwhile Secretary of State Colin Powell."
Let Us Now Spit Upon The Earth You can do it the old way, or you can do it like Bush -- with smirks, mountain bikes and oil - "It was Earth Day weekend. The president talked about how mountain biking helped him "settle his soul" and "burn off excess energy when you're living life to its fullest," which apparently means blindly running your nation into a bloody flaming wall at full speed like a drunk NASCAR driver on Ambien. He talked about how he enjoyed mountain biking because it had such minimal impact on the pristine, wild surroundings. Shockingly, lightning did not strike him dead on the spot. ... Bush on Earth Day. It's like Satan talking up the joys of Easter. It's like Paris Hilton chatting about treading the planet with humility and grace. It's like Jerry Falwell gushing about his love of Brokeback Mountain, Eli Lilly extolling the virtues of meditation and green tea. It is, in a word, embarrassing. Humiliating. Intellectually bludgeoning. And hypocritical in a way, and at a depth, that is as nauseating to stomach as the testosterone levels at a Duke lacrosse frat party."
Running for Senate, and Against the War - "From a cocktail party of liberal contributors in Baltimore to the ball-cap-wearing crowd in a conservative town in southwest Virginia, wherever Democratic loyalists gather, there are five words sure to prompt applause for a Senate candidate: End the war in Iraq."
Conflict Stirs Up Confusion On Border of Chad, Sudan - "In this desolate, sand-blown desert region of Chad near the Sudanese border, civilians are caught in a conflict so confusing that they -- and even the combatants -- have trouble telling who is fighting whom. Or exactly why."
Two More Free Nations Fall To Biometric Prison - "When is a national ID card not a national ID card? That's correct my Orwellian students, its when your leader says its a "biometric access card". Australia is set to revert back to being a prison state as all citizens are to be forced to carry the "access card" by 2010. The card would include a computer chip with biometric information and photograph, and is 'designed to reduce welfare and identity fraud, and protect against terrorists." ... Any number of upgrades could see the card used in all aspects of life in the two countries. The ID systems in Britain and Australia equate to lifelong surveillance and an end to life as a private citizen."
Terrorist: ‘Nice Guy’ Trying To ‘Influence Social Policy’ - "That's not my definition. That's the government's definition in a terrorism pamphlet prepared and distributed by the Texas Department of Public Safety Special Crimes Service Counterterrorism Intelligence Unit. ... Consider yourself warned. WE are the enemy."
American Samizdat - "Your right to read news stories and writing that disrupt the government/Big Media symbiosis is under attack. And you probably don’t even know it. ... The Orwellian “Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006,” sponsored by Congressman Joe Barton (R, Texas), will, if it becomes law, allow your Internet provider to charge you extra to read this column. It will allow your provider to block this column entirely."
When Hollywood Makes History - "But the movie, which opens nationwide today, is a dramatic re-creation that includes scenes and images that go far beyond what is known about the attacks. Those scenes raise questions: How far can a dramatic movie go in imposing its own reality before it distorts the public's understanding of the event? And with memories of 9/11 still vivid and raw, is it too soon for such films to be made?"
A Death in the Congressman's Office - "A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce."
Corporate America backs gay rights - ""Corporate America is ahead of government in providing equal treatment for GLBT people because it knows that fairness is good for business," declares Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian civil rights group."
Circumcision, Fidelity More Effective HIV Prevention Methods Than Condoms, Abstinence, Researchers Say - "In addition, circumcision has been shown to reduce male-to-female HIV transmission by 60% to 75% (Goering, Chicago Tribune, 4/23)."
Research raises hopes for male birth pill - "A pill for men that will allow them to share the responsibility for birth control looks a better prospect with research published today."
Australian research shows mobile phones affect brain function - "Scientists from Swinburne University of Technology's Brain Sciences Institute in Melbourne found people's response times slowed during a 30-minute mobile phone call but their memory appeared to improve."
Calif. agency OKs broadband via power lines test - "The California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan on Thursday allowing providers of high-speed Internet services to test using electricity lines to deliver online access throughout the state."
Is Jesus the next killer app? - "Companies such as Sony, Panasonic, Avid and Hitachi are helping churches spread the gospel as part of an effort to cash in on an exploding market known as "house of worship technology.""
Quote of the Day
"But the reality is, I'm getting away with murder."
~ Papa Roach
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