News -- April 5, 2006

The CIA Passed Nuclear Weapons Technology To Iran - "Ignored in this media coverage and diplomacy is the fact that any Iranian program successfully building nuclear weapons will owe much to the US intelligence community that handed Iran detailed technical blueprints for a nuclear weapon trigger. Just as the pre-war coverage of Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons programs conveniently failed to mention that most of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction came from the US and NATO, so too are the inconvenient facts about the history of Iran’s nuclear program being hushed up."

Rice Dismisses Talk of U.S. Bases in Iraq - "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday brushed aside suggestions that the United States wants an indefinite troop presence and permanent military bases in Iraq." -- I don't believe you, Condi.

Study: Bush tax cuts making rich richer - "The newspaper's tax cut analysis showed that more than 70 percent of the tax savings on investment income went to the top 2 percent, about 2.6 million taxpayers. And the savings from the investment tax cuts are expected to be larger in subsequent years because of gains in the stock market. Congress is now debating whether to make the Bush tax cuts permanent."

Playing The Clash made man a terror suspect - "A mobile phone salesman was hauled off a plane and questioned for three hours as a terror suspect - because he listened to songs by The Clash and Led Zeppelin. Harraj Mann, 24, played the punk anthem London Calling and classic rock track Immigrant Song in a taxi before a flight to London. The lyrics to both tracks made the driver fear his passenger was a terrorist. ... He said he was told he was being questioned under the Terrorism Act and his choice of music had aroused suspicions."

Rebuilding needs, here and there - "For the most part, America's managerial class does not use public transportation and is unaware of the extent of crumbling infrastructure, from public schools to unsafe neighborhoods. Nor, as Congress grapples with immigration reform, has anyone raised the social, economic and legal costs arising from this witch's brew of failing infrastructure, illegal aliens, health care and rampant crime."

Feingold says he supports gay marriage - "Sen. Russ Feingold said Tuesday he supports giving gays and lesbians the right to marry, becoming the fourth U.S. senator to take that position, according to a gay-rights advocacy group."

Same-Sex Marriage Lands Before Court - "A lawyer for a gay couple suing for the right to wed argued before a federal appeals panel that it is unconstitutional to outlaw same-sex marriage. ... Richard Gilbert, the couple's attorney, said procreation is not the important element of marriage, and Judge Sidney Thomas appeared to agree. "I don't understand, really, the procreation argument," Thomas said." -- The procreation argument cracks me up. So, using their logic, infertile heterosexual couples should not be allowed to marry because they can not procreate.

Same sex marriage veto 'not anti-gay' - "The federal government's opposition to the ACT's proposed laws on same sex marriages is not an anti-homosexual gesture, Prime Minister John Howard says." -- Huh? Orwell rolls again.

Mass. Lawmakers OK Mandatory Health Bill - "Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday that would make Massachusetts the first state to require that all its citizens have some form of health insurance. ... If all goes as planned, poor people will be offered free or heavily subsidized coverage; those who can afford insurance but refuse to get it will face increasing tax penalties until they obtain coverage; and those already insured will see a modest drop in their premiums."

Doctor flies into South Dakota to perform abortions - "Not a single doctor in South Dakota will perform an abortion, which is why Dr. Miriam McCreary has come out of retirement. Once or twice a month, the 70-year-old grandmother takes a 45-minute flight from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to perform abortions at the last clinic in the state willing to offer the procedure."

Sex tourism thriving in Bible Belt - "In a sleazy hotel room, "Brittany," then aged 16 and drugged into oblivion, waited for the men to arrive. Her pimps sent as many as 17 clients an evening through the door. ... It took place in Atlanta, the buckle of the U.S. Bible Belt, where the world's busiest passenger airport provides a cheaper, more convenient and safer underage sex destination for men seeking girls as young as 10. "Men fly in, are met by pimps, have sex with a 14-year-old for lunch, and get home in time for dinner with the family," said Sanford Jones, the chief juvenile judge of Fulton County, Georgia. ... "People are stunned that Atlanta's the No. 1 sex center in the country," said Steinberg. The FBI has identified 14 U.S. cities as centers for the sexual exploitation of children. In addition to Atlanta, they are Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. ... The risks are worth it. While there are few reliable statistics, child sexual exploitation is believed to be the world's third-biggest money maker for organized crime, said Stephanie Davis, policy adviser to Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. One reason for the demand is the false assumption that youths are disease-free. ... "This is a place where you can buy, sell or rent kids. It must be stopped.""

Religion, politics fuel U.S. decline - "As he's done in so many of his earlier books, Phillips draws a lot of detailed analogies in these pages, using demographics, economic statistics and broader cultural trends to map macropatterns throughout history. In analyzing the fates of Rome, Hapsburg Spain, the Dutch Republic, Britain, and the United States, he comes up with five symptoms of "a power already at its peak and starting to decline": 1) "widespread public concern over cultural and economic decay," along with social polarization and a widening gap between rich and poor; 2) "growing religious fervor" manifested in a close state-church relationship and escalating missionary zeal; 3) "a rising commitment to faith as opposed to reason and a corollary downplaying of science"; 4) "considerable popular anticipation of a millennial time frame"; and 5) "hubris-driven national strategic and military overreach" in pursuit of "abstract international missions that the nation can no longer afford, economically or politically." Added to these symptoms, he writes, is a sixth one, almost too obvious to state: high debt, which can become "crippling in its own right." Phillips methodically proceeds to show how each of these symptoms applied to great powers like the Dutch Republic and the British empire in the past, and how they apply to the United States today."

"Wake Up America" Ad Campaign Runs on National Air America - "The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national watchdog group whose members are atheists and agnostics working to keep church and state separate, is taking its "Wake up America" message to national airwaves."

40% lose virginity by 14th b'day, survey sez - "A new survey shows four out of 10 city kids say they have had intercourse before age 14, and have engaged in oral and even anal sex by 17."

The evolution of clots - "Scientists, unlike creationists, do not know everything, but as they learn more, every such claim has been rubbished. Evolution is not mocked but glorified by life's intricacy. ID is a bad idea, but has generated lots of good research, all of which shows how inane it is. ... What use is part of a clot? Much better, in fact, than no clot at all. Plenty of animals manage with just a few parts of the machinery and DNA shows that - like the eye - the rickety apparatus that stops us from bleeding was assembled from random bits that just happened to be hanging around. "

Evolution debate shifts to textbooks - "In a 3-to-2 vote, a House education subcommittee authorized the addition of language to a Senate bill that directs the state Board of Education to approve only textbooks that “emphasize critical thinking and analysis in each academic content.” ... Most science educators reject attempts to inject the phrase “critical thinking” into lessons about evolution because they insist it invites religious discussions — specifically about creation — that are difficult to prove."

Challenging false prophets - "People have a right to believe whatever they like, including irrational beliefs. In fact, we all have irrational beliefs, in a certain sense. We have to. If I walk out the door, I have an irrational belief that the floor is there. Can I prove it? You know if I’m paying attention to it I see that it’s there, but I can’t prove it. In fact, if you’re a scientist, you don’t prove anything. The sciences don’t have proofs, what they have is surmises. There’s a lot of nonsense these days about evolution being just a theory. Everything’s just a theory, including classical physics! If you want proofs you go to arithmetic; in arithmetic you can prove things. But you stipulate the axioms. But in the sciences you’re trying to discover things, and the notion of proof doesn’t exist."

Religion on Top - "But mention religion in the title and you can hear the posters coming - sounds like a swarm of bees. So no interest on HuffPost in the coming real catastrophe, but endless fascination with imaginary friends and people's right to have them, and the absolute prohibition on anyone suggesting that they are imaginary."

Episcopalians consider freeze on gay bishops - "U.S. Episcopal leaders will try to safeguard their membership in the worldwide Anglican Communion by holding back, at least until 2008, on electing new homosexual bishops and on allowing same-sex unions, according to two Episcopal bishops."

Google map used to bolster missile claim - "A researcher of the TWA Flight 800 downing says his use of the map program Google Earth to verify the claims of witnesses bolsters his belief that the 747 jetliner was shot down by a missile, contrary to the official explanation."

Concern Grows Over College Gender Gap - "After years of trying to lure young women to college, some universities are now trying to attract more men. The number of girls going to college has been rising for 30 years. For many people, that's cause for celebration. But there's also concern over what's happening to boys. ... Joe Manthey, Kid Culture In Schools: "By the year 2020, it's estimated that its going to be two-thirds female." Right now, 57-percent of college students are women. Forty-three percent are men."

Local Bar Favors TABC's "SIPS" Program; Disagrees With National Criticism - "The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's public intoxication sting program hit the national spotlight in recent days, which has resulted in negative responses from people nationwide. ... "Their officers going around to bars in the city, it helps everybody out. It's a win-win for everybody, it keeps customers safe, it keeps us safe, and it keeps them from breaking the law," said Fontes."

Tensions Prompt School To Alter Dress Code - "Students at Shaw Heights Middle School are no longer allowed to wear anything that is patriotic, including camouflage pants, because they have become a political symbol for a version of patriotism, CBS4 reports."

More Children and Men Getting Fat - "According to the government's most accurate recent check of the nation's girth, U.S. men and children are increasingly tipping the scales. But the obesity rate among women — who at 33 percent are heavier as a group — held steady."

Polyester fabric neutralizes stun gun jolt - "A consulting firm with a background in lightning warning systems has come up with a fabric that takes the powerful sting out of being hit with a stun gun or a cattle prod."

New Dinosaur Resembles Large Turkey - "Fossils discovered in southern Utah are from a new species of birdlike dinosaur that resembled a 7-foot-tall brightly colored turkey and could run up to 25 mph, scientists said Tuesday."




Quote of the Day
"People want the world to make sense."
~ Lt. Stanton, Fallen