Turkish Lawmaker Compares Pope to Hitler - "Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades with remarks he made about the Muslim faith. A Turkish lawmaker said the pontiff would go down in history "in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini" for his words."
Pope 'meant no offence' to Islam - "The Vatican has denied that Pope Benedict XVI intended any offence to the Muslim religion, after a speech touching on the concept of holy war."
Who Served & Who Sends Others To Fight - "MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS" -- Very interesting.
Pentagon concludes US defeated in key Iraqi province - "A series of Pentagon and other government documents either released or leaked in the last week have underscored the deepening debacle confronting the US occupation of Iraq. The most startling among them is a classified report drafted by the US Marine Corps’ chief intelligence officer in Iraq concluding that the US has already lost in its effort to suppress the resistance in the country’s restive Anbar province."
Iraq to build trenches around Baghdad - "Iraq said on Friday it will dig trenches around Baghdad and seal off dozens of roads with access to the capital as a new security measure to restrict insurgent movements." -- That doesn't sound like things are going well.
Senate panel rejects Bush anti-terrorism plan - "A rebellious Senate committee defied President Bush on Thursday and approved terror-detainee legislation he has vowed to block, deepening Republican conflict over terrorism and national security in the middle of election season."
UN Honors Racist Dictator Who Boils People Alive With "Cultural Diversity" Award - "UNESCO gives Karimov "diversity" award - despite the fact he tortures innocent Muslims to death for fun and political kickbacks from Bush and Blair, who use phony confessions for war on terror propaganda."
NSA Bill Performs a Patriot Act - "A bill radically redefining and expanding the government's ability to eavesdrop and search the houses of U.S. citizens without court approval passed a key Senate committee Wednesday, and may be voted on by the full Senate as early as next week." -- Humanity falls faster.
Airport security meets science fiction - "In 1990, the science fiction movie "Total Recall" offered a vision of the future of airport security. Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in the film glides through security in minutes, checked by a full-body X-ray with shoes on and carry-on in hand. He doesn't step through a bulky X-ray machine, he doesn't take off his belt, he doesn't even have to empty his pockets of loose change. In 2006, that's not so far from reality."
Beijing considers hospitalising mentally ill for Olympics - "Other measures discussed were shutting down heavily polluting factories to clean up the air, giving most Beijing residents a 16-day holiday to alleviate traffic and allowing foreigners to worship in groups, which is officially outlawed, although the ban is rarely enforced."
Consumer confidence skyrockets - "Consumer confidence zoomed to a seven-month high as lower gasoline prices made people feel a lot better about the current economic climate and their own financial standing." -- And just in time for the midterm elections! Wow!
Most forego buying own U.S. health insurance - "Nine out of 10 Americans who tried to buy their own health insurance failed, either because the price was too steep or because they were denied coverage due to a current medical problem, a study said on Thursday. The findings by the nonprofit research group Commonwealth Fund come as more U.S. employers have stopped offering workers health insurance -- with runaway medical costs the most frequently cited reason. ... For employers still providing health insurance, more are promoting higher-deductible plans, which is leading to burdensome medical and credit-card debt, the Commonwealth Fund study found." -- Approaching terminal velocity.
Jon Stewart: Friend of Democracy - "We simply can't have that in America where the right to vote is virtually the only evidence we have for our being a democracy. The pollsters neglected to mention that half of the American electorate hasn't voted in decades. That fact has nothing to do with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. It is a characteristic of life under capitalism's dominion, under which many Americans have long since given up on any hopes for fairness and equality in American life. ... Moreover, Jon Stewart makes no political distinctions in pointing out political folly. Republicans (for causing America's current problems) and Democrats (for doing nothing about them) are treated to equal ridicule. Jon, as it turns out, honestly believes in the values of democracy, in contrast to the Republican and Democratic party leaderships."
Friedman Says He'd Legalize Pot in Texas - "Kinky Friedman says he favors legalizing marijuana to keep nonviolent users out of prison. If Texas elects him governor, he says, he'll try to get locked-up pot users released to make room for more violent criminals." -- Kinky?
Street language ruled to be no racial slur - "AN Aboriginal girl who kicked a woman and called her a "white slut" did not engage in racial vilification because the slur was common street language."
Ties Between Elites and Child Sex Rings "Beyond Imagination" - "The complicity in Mexico between child sex rings and the political and business elites "goes beyond what we can even imagine," says activist Lydia Cacho, who faces death threats and was even thrown briefly into prison for revealing those ties in a book. ... The number of Mexican politicians and businessmen involved in child pornography and sex rings "would shock us if we knew the real extent of the phenomenon," said Cacho."
Anger over Church advert which puts Jesus' face on beer glass - "An advertisement featuring the face of Jesus as a 'miraculous' apparition on a beer glass has caused anger among critics who say it undermines anti-binge drinking campaigns." -- Check out the glass.
Happy hour for drinkers' wages - "If you thought swigging beer or indulging in a glass of chardonnay was putting your career on a fast-track to nowhere, think again. In fact, a study conducted by two economists and published Thursday by the Reason Foundation and in the latest edition of The Journal of Labor Research, says that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more than those who refrain from drinking."
Why Do We Love Being Shocked and Disgusted? - "The appetite for blood porn, zombie flicks and sicko sideshows in America is endless. Is capitalism to blame, or is it a natural extension of a free society?"
Posh dorms, amenities becoming the norm at college - "Somewhere along the way, college life has gotten a whole lot more posh. On a number of campuses, students are able to hire personal maids to clean and do their laundry. They pay moving crews to pack and transport their stuff -- plasma TVs and other high-end electronics included. And they're living large in housing that looks like anything but a dorm."
Quote of the Day
"The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent."
~ Gore Vidal
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