News -- July 7, 2006

American Dream, American Nightmare - "Orwell wrote that nationalism is partly “the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects.” He said it’s not to be confused with patriotism, which Orwell defined as “devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force upon other people.” ... But American nationalism, unlike American patriotism, is different-and dangerous. The second part of Orwell’s definition tells you why. Nationalism is the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or an idea, “placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests.” Patriotism is essentially about ideas and pride. Nationalism is about emotion and blood. The nationalist’s thoughts “always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations. … Nationalism is power-hunger tempered by self-deception.”"

Why America Terrorizing Muslims? - "“Terrorism is a political technique, not an ideology and any group willing to use violence in pursuit of its political goals may resort to it, noted Gwynne Dyer, London based prominent writer (The International Terrorist Conspiracy”: June 2006). He goes on to explain that “there are left-wing terrorists and right-wing terrorists; national terrorist and international terrorist; Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and atheist terrorists. In theory, you could have a “war against terrorism”, but it would involve trying to kill everybody who uses this technique anywhere in the world. The United States is not trying to do that, so it is not fighting a “war against terror.” In reality, what the United States leadership is doing, is fighting its own articulated war against the people and nations who had no animosity, nor any perceived capability to threaten the US as a global power."

N.Y. tunnel plot uncovered - "A man is being held in Beirut, Lebanon, in connection with a plot to blow up tunnels in New York, counterterrorism sources told CNN."

N. Korea missile aimed at area off Hawaii - report - "But data from U.S. and Japanese Aegis radar-equipped destroyers and surveillance aircraft on the missile's angle of take-off and altitude indicated that it was heading for waters near Hawaii, the Sankei Shimbun reported, citing multiple sources in the United States and Japan."

Weapons in outer space - "This adds to the alarming change of course last year when the United States became the first country to oppose the annual non binding resolution on Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space. Essentially the world considers it important to develop a treaty to prevent an arms race in space by prohibiting weapons there. The need for a treaty is compounded by the US withdrawal in 2002 from the ABM Treaty, which had key restrictions on space weapons."

Tax dollars to fund study on restricting public data - "The federal government will pay a Texas law school $1 million to do research aimed at rolling back the amount of sensitive data available to the press and public through freedom-of-information requests."

Oregon tests novel mileage tax - "When drivers fill up, specially equipped gas pumps will read the mileage and charge 1.2 cents for every mile driven instead of the state's tax of 24 cents per gallon of gas."

You don't need faith to be atheist - "The writer implies atheists rely on faith to deny the existence of God. This is clearly erroneous because an atheist lacks faith in an entity that has no evidence for its existence. For those who believe in God, they rely solely on blind faith. However without proof, it is sheer conjecture. The writer makes several points that need to be disputed:"

Georgia high court upholds gay marriage ban - "Georgia’s top court today reinstated the state’s constitutional ban on gay marriage, reversing a lower court judge’s ruling." -- America, the land of the free -- unless you are gay.

What You Don't Know Can Kill - "It has long been illegal in California to knowingly pass a communicable disease, venereal or otherwise, to another person. But earlier this week, California's Supreme Court published a decision that makes us potentially liable for infecting our partners with HIV even if we did not know for certain that we were HIV-positive."

Internet users face congestion charge - "Millions of people will be forced to pay a 'congestion charge' for sending email under plans being developed by American telephone companies to create a 'two-tier' internet. ... Industry experts say a 'two-tier internet' could see individuals and businesses charged a penny for each email they send, or asked to pay a premium for services such as online TV or an annual subscription for constant preferential treatment. This could leave less well-off users in the 'slow lane' of the information superhighway with an inferior service, as emails take longer to arrive and websites work more slowly."

Investigators: $110 million system doesn't stop ID theft - "Millions of Social Security numbers, either fake or stolen, are being used by illegal immigrants to get work, according to the Social Security Administration. Immigration officials said the way to stop it is with a new computer system that costs $110 million. It's designed to catch illegal immigrants when they apply for jobs, but the 6NEWS investigators found the program does nothing to guard against identity theft."

The Rape Trap - "The device, concealed inside a woman's body, hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed."

More teens found to smoke in latest survey - "The increase is the first since a steady 40 percent decline in high school smoking rates between 1997, when 36.4 percent of high school students smoked, and 2003."

Hands shown to emit light - "Human hands glow, but fingernails release the most light, according to a recent study that found all parts of the hand emit detectable levels of light. The findings support prior research that suggested most living things, including plants, release light. Since disease and illness appear to affect the strength and pattern of the glow, the discovery might lead to less-invasive ways of diagnosing patients."

The Rise and Fall of the Hit - "The era of the blockbuster is so over. The niche is now king, and the entertainment industry – from music to movies to TV – will never be the same."




Quote of the Day
"Ignorant people can be controlled; educated people, on the other hand, cannot be controlled because they can see through the lies and refuse to be manipulated."
~ John E. Dougherty