News (Page 2) -- August 17, 2006

King endorses ethnic profiling - "Declaring that airport screeners shouldn't be hampered by "political correctness," House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King has endorsed requiring people of "Middle Eastern and South Asian" descent to undergo additional security checks because of their ethnicity and religion."

US to move quickly on Iran sanctions - "The United States intends to move very quickly in early September to impose UN sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium, a senior State Department official said Thursday."

N. Korea Appears to Be Preparing for Nuclear Test - "There is new evidence that North Korea may be preparing for an underground test of a nuclear bomb, U.S. officials tell ABC News."

Hatch says Demo win could help terrorists - "Sen. Orrin Hatch, who continuously decries the bitter partisanship in Washington, implied this week that Democratic success in November's election could result in terrorist attacks on America." -- Ah, the politics of fear. Shut up Orrin.

Terror concerns bother both parties - "Thirty-five percent of those surveyed say they are very concerned that a Democratic takeover of Congress would weaken the fight against terrorism, according to the poll. But 46 percent say they are very concerned that if Republicans retain control, they will get the country involved in too many military missions." -- We have been brainwashed to believe we only have two choices for the presidency.

Great movie, pity about the Big Lie - "When World Trade Center ended, I left the theater tense, my muscles aching. ... I suddenly realized that Oliver Stone's movie reinforces the Big Lie - endlessly repeated by Vice President Dick Cheney, echoed and amplified by the right-wing media - that the attacks of September 11 were somehow linked to Iraq or supported by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein."

UN probes child prostitute ring - "The United Nations is investigating allegations that some of its peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have used child prostitutes."

California on brink of global warming breakthrough - "California is forging ahead with the most aggressive U.S. program to reduce global warming -- a plan that pits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger against fellow Republican George W. Bush. ... State politicians still are hammering out differences over the proposed Global Warming Solutions Act. If passed, it is likely to play a role in November's vote for governor and in national politics for years to come."

Judge: Tobacco firms deceived smokers - "A federal judge ruled Thursday that the nation's top cigarette makers violated racketeering laws, deceiving the public for years about the health hazards of smoking. ... The government had asked the judge to make the companies pay $10 billion for smoking cessation programs, though the Justice Department's own expert said $130 billion was needed. That reduction in remedies led to accusations that Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum, a Bush administration political appointee, tried to weaken the case. However, an internal Justice Department cleared him of wrongdoing, saying he was supporting a figure he thought could be sustained on appeal."

Monks brawl at peace protest - "Protesters calling for an end to recent violence in Sri Lanka found themselves brawling with hardline Buddhist monks Thursday, after a rally dubbed a "peace protest" turned unexpectedly violent."

US criticised for HIV aid effort - "US policy is undermining the efforts of African countries to fight the HIV epidemic, a leading UN figure has said. Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy on Aids, said President George Bush's $15bn Emergency Plan for HIV/Aids was too focused on promoting abstinence. He said Washington was practising "incipient neo-colonialism" by telling African nations how to fight Aids. ... The Bush administration backs an "ABC" plan to fight Aids: Abstinence until marriage; Being faithful to one sexual partner; and if those conditions are not practised, the use of Condoms."

Judging Needle Exchange - "Government opponents of syringe access programs say that such programs condone drug use. The scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that such programs do not encourage drug use—they actually save lives by reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. In the face of this data, one can only conclude that the government's failure to broadly implement such programs is based not on a reluctance to condone “immoral” activity, but on an immoral refusal to save the lives of people who engage in activities of which the government does not approve."

TV found to be a painkiller for children - "Researchers confirmed the distracting power of television — something parents have long known — when they found that children watching cartoons suffered less pain from a hypodermic needle than kids not watching TV. Especially disturbing to the author of the scientific study was that the cartoons were even more comforting than Mom. While it's good to have a powerful distraction for children getting painful medical procedures, it is also troubling "because we have demonstrated the excessive power of television," said chief author, Carlo Bellieni, a father of three and a neonatologist and pediatrician at the University of Siena in Italy."

Breast implants linked to suicide, but not cancer - "A large Canadian study adds to evidence that women with breast implants do not face a higher risk of cancer or other major diseases, but they may have a higher-than-average rate of suicide."