Exclusive: The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation - "He crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children. ... The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex."
Habeas Corpus, R.I.P. (1215 - 2006) - "This bill is not a national security issue—this is about torturing helpless human beings without any proof they are our enemies. Perhaps this could be considered if we knew the administration would use the power with enormous care and thoughtfulness. But of the over 700 prisoners sent to Gitmo, only 10 have ever been formally charged with anything. Among other things, this bill is a CYA for torture of the innocent that has already taken place."
In Case I Disappear - "I have been told a thousand times at least, in the years I have spent reporting on the astonishing and repugnant abuses, lies and failures of the Bush administration, to watch my back. "Be careful," people always tell me. "These people are capable of anything. Stay off small planes, make sure you aren't being followed." A running joke between my mother and me is that she has a "safe room" set up for me in her cabin in the woods, in the event I have to flee because of something I wrote or said. I always laughed and shook my head whenever I heard this stuff. Extreme paranoia wrapped in the tinfoil of conspiracy, I thought. This is still America, and these Bush fools will soon pass into history, I thought. I am a citizen, and the First Amendment hasn't yet been red-lined, I thought. Matters are different now. It seems, perhaps, that the people who warned me were not so paranoid. It seems, perhaps, that I was not paranoid enough. Legislation passed by the Republican House and Senate, legislation now marching up to the Republican White House for signature, has shattered a number of bedrock legal protections for suspects, prisoners, and pretty much anyone else George W. Bush deems to be an enemy."
Pinochet Also Thought He Could "Legalize" Torture - "There should be a lesson here for Bush and the GOP Congress. While you might believe today that you can legalize torture and other crimes against humanity, some day they will come for you. Power does not trump the law forever. You are naked before the world, and it's only a matter of time."
The day the darkness descended - "In any case, September 28, 2006 will go down as the day that the abolishment of freedom began and the torture descended on what was once a noble experiment."
How did we sink so low in just 6 years? - "How did things get this bad? The “Military Commissions Act” which passed the Republican-led Congress yesterday is a bigger blow to the Constitution and our core values than any piece of legislation in our 200 year history. It is 100 times worse than Bin Laden's crimes on 9-11."
Bush: Critics buy into terrorists' propaganda - ""You do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism," he told a receptive military audience. "If that ever becomes the mind-set of the policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of waiting to be attacked -- and then respond."" -- I fear the future.
ESPN FAKED STADIUM CHEERS FOR BUSH SR. - "It's a very simple rule. If you are a Democrat not named Joe Lieberman, ESPN will play a tape of boos previously recorded and insert them into the audio after the Democrat is announced. If you are a Republican and ESPN is expecting boos, ESPN will play a pre-recorded tape of cheers unrelated to the Republican."
Man forced off plane by fellow passengers - "A Spanish university professor with a long beard and dark complexion said Thursday he was briefly forced off an airliner during a layover on the Spanish island of Mallorca by passengers who feared he was an Islamic terrorist."
I Disapprove - "As you know, the November elections are quickly approaching. We've been in the midst of the advertising onslaught for a while now, and if you're like me, you've had your fill. Some folks don't like the propaganda. I don't mind that so much. Some folks don't like the lies. That doesn't bother me so much either. Some folks don't like the muckraking. Even that doesn't annoy me. What is it that gets to me? Five simple words: "I approve of this message". I can't stand it when someone who's paid for an advertisement tells me that they approve of the message they paid for. No shit, Sherlock."
America's Pathetic Putin-Envy - "Russia wasn't supposed to get stronger, certainly not on its own, without the West's help. It just doesn't make sense. Moreover, it's somehow cosmologically wrong that Russia should become stronger right at the time when American power is in a freefall. That just ain't right...so therefore, the authors offer a solution: cup your ears, close your eyes, and scream, "Russia is really weak! Russia is really weak!" and it'll all go away, like a bad dream..."
Reading the Gas Pump Numbers - "What the hell is going on here? Just six weeks ago, gasoline prices at the pump were hovering at the $3 per gallon mark; today, they're inching down toward $2 -- and some analysts predict even lower numbers before the November elections. The sharp drop in gas prices has been good news for consumers, who now have more money in their pockets to spend on food and other necessities -- and for President Bush, who has witnessed a sudden lift in his approval ratings."
Police blotter: When can cops seize your computer? - "In this week's installment, appeals court rules that police cannot search a home computer when one spouse refuses."
The Public School Nightmare: Why fix a system designed to destroy individual thought? - "Who was it that decided to force your attention onto Japan instead of Sweden? Japan with its long school year and state compulsion, instead of Sweden with its short school year, short school sequence, and free choice where your kid is schooled? Who decided you should know about Japan and not Hong Kong, an Asian neighbour with a short school year that outperforms Japan across the board in math and science? Whose interests are served by hiding that from you?"
A New Battlefront Opens in the Textbook Wars - "The battle over school textbooks spills out of Kansas and into California. At stake are whether gays are part of state history and how Islamic history should be taught."
Film on Christian children's camp has cross to bear - "Christians do believe they are in a cultural war for the lives and souls of people worldwide, and particularly for the minds and hearts of our children and youth."
Religious-Right Voter Guides Facing Challenge From Left - "A new group called Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good said yesterday that it will distribute at least 1 million voter guides before the Nov. 7 elections, emphasizing church teachings on war, poverty and social justice as well as on abortion, contraception and homosexuality."
'One degree and we're done for' - ""Further global warming of 1 °C defines a critical threshold. Beyond that we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know.""
Drug may heal livers of chronic alcoholics - "BRITISH scientists have discovered a drug that could cure liver disease, even in alcoholics who continue drinking. The medicine, found by a team of doctors and scientists at Newcastle University, could become a potential alternative to liver transplants."
Anti-smoking pill gets OK in Europe - "Champix is believed to work by reducing the severity of the smoker's urge to smoke and alleviating many withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. In addition, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, the medicine has the potential to diminish the satisfaction associated with smoking."
Florida Hospital to ban photos during childbirth - "One of the region's largest hospital groups will soon forbid photography or videotaping during childbirth, joining a national trend spurred by what some say is concern over medical liability."
Sugar linked with mental problems in Norway study - "Oslo teens who drank the most sugary soft drinks also had more mental health problems such as hyperactivity and distress, Norwegian researchers reported on Thursday."
Study: Hotel rooms have unseen guests - "Hotel guests leave behind more than just socks and old paperbacks: A new study found viruses on TV remotes, light switches and even hotel pens after cold sufferers checked out."
Quote of the Day
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities."
~ Voltaire
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