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These are answers that captainoutrageous has provided in Politics
| Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 02/19/09 - Today in Australian history Most Americans don't know the significance of this date but in Australia this is a the anniversary of a day that lives in infamy .
Ten weeks after Pearl Harbour at 9.58am on February 19,1942 the very same Japanese naval attack taskforce bombed Australia for the first time.
In fact it was the very first time that Australia had every been attacked in its history.
More ships were sunk, more bombs were dropped and more civilians died in Darwin, the Northern Terrority, than earlier at Pearl Harbour.
The man who had led the attack on Pearl Harbour, Mitsuo Fuchida, was in command of this first attack on Darwin. It had been launched from four carriers, Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu and Kaga, about 500km to the northwest.
The US destroyer Peary was sunk with the loss of 80 lives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Darwin_(February_1942)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/19/2495794.htm captainoutrageous answered on 02/21/09:Thank you for reminding us of the great sacrifice made by the Australia's during WWII | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/21/09 - Does some actually know what is going on? Cooling = Warming?
Can anyone make heads or tails out of this paragraph from the Associated Press, especially the last sentence?
Mother Nature, of course, is oblivious to the federal government's machinations. Ironically, 2008 is on pace to be a slightly cooler year in a steadily rising temperature trend line. Experts say it's thanks to a La Nina weather variation. While skeptics are already using it as evidence of some kind of cooling trend, it actually illustrates how fast the world is warming.
La Nina I get. "Slightly cooler" I get. But a "cooling trend" as an illustration of how fast the world is warming?
According to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, “the debate is over.” He believes – along with a large number of his co-Nobel Prize recipients who participated in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report – that his version of human causation-driven global warming has carried the day. All mounting evidence to the contrary has been pilloried as corporate-driven falsehoods designed to maintain the status quo.
Some top scientists, however, beg to differ. Whether under the auspices of academia, or in government, many scientists are pointing to faulty computer models that “predict” global warming calamity. Add to that, global cooling is back on the table, thanks in large part to the world’s four top climate monitoring centers, which registered record cold over the past few months. And let's not forget, many IPCC-reporting scientists vocally disagree with the conclusions in the final report that greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for current global warming trends.
Confused yet? I am. I know that statistics can be used to prove anything, just be selective about the data you want to present but data shouldn't be contradictory. Yes, we need to address oil dependency, coal dependency, rain forest destruction and over population. Summers are hotter, winters colder, lifestyle is unsustainable, what next?
captainoutrageous answered on 01/23/09:Much of the conjecture is based on computer generated models and statistics. And as we all know, you can use statistics to prove anything. I found the following article of interest:
Separating Theory from Fact: Global Warming Vs. Global Cooling
February 28, 2008 by
Philip Arrington
One thing we can be certain of within the global warming and global cooling discussion is that global climate change is occurring. It has been for the last 4.6 billion years. Our planet naturally goes through phases of temperature rises and declines primarily due to natural orbital changes (Eccentricity and Milankovitch cycles). Eccentricity is an example of one of these types of changes.
It's sometimes responsible for causing ice ages and periods of glaciation. Eccentricity is basically a change in the shape of the earth's orbit from and to more oval or circular orbits. These changes cause certain parts of the planet to receive less radiation from the sun for at least part of the year (1). These types of changes have and will continue to effect the earth's climate because we don't have a perfect fixed orbit. In essence some form of global warming or global cooling is always occurring. Presently the 3rd rock from the sun is experiencing a warning phase. If you go to ecoworld's website at http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?tid=404, you will see that the earth's average mean temperature has constantly been on rising trend since 1977.
If we are currently in a warming phase why are some saying we're not? The most recent concern over global cooling has come from recent measurements of polar ice melt. The idea is that this ice melt is/will cause temperature decreases in our oceans. This change will then effect weather causing ocean currents and thus cause a world wide cooling effect (2). Although this may one day be true the issue with this theory is that we haven't proved that the oceans are cooling along with the conditional effects that are going on as a result. | | Question/Answer | | Mathatmacoat asked on 01/21/09 - cooling = warming? Antarctica is melting
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24946650-401,00.html
this is of course contrary to the pundits who say it is cooling. Well it appears it depends where you take your measurements but taken as a whole it is melting. So much for the Planet is cooling brigade and guess who is stationed in the part that is cooling. Another case of if it isn't happening to the Americans, it isn't happening. They should change the name of that place to Ostrichvillia. What we might get is a smaller, colder, Antarctica but that is just my take on the news, it says nothing about the early onset of coastal flooding captainoutrageous answered on 01/23/09:Overall, it is warming.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=8239 | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/25/08 - Something to celebrate? How do you tell if you are a true Aussie?
Richard Glover
January 26, 2008
'You know you're an Aussie if ? you are secretly proud of our killer wildlife'
TODAY you'll probably want to party, celebrating all the things that make us unique. But how do you tell if you are a true Aussie? Here are my 43 top ways to tell if you're a local.
You know you're Australian if …
1. You know the meaning of the word "girt".
2. You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn.
3. You think it's normal to have a leader called Kevin.
4. You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse.
5. You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden.
6. You believe it is appropriate to put a rubber in your son's pencil case when he first attends school.
7. When you hear that an American "roots for his team" you wonder how often and with whom.
8. You understand that the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs" refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.
9. You pronounce Melbourne as "Mel-bin".
10. You pronounce Penrith as "Pen-riff".
11. You believe the "l" in the word "Australia" is optional.
12. You can translate: "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas."
13. You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.
14. You call your best friend "a total bastard" but someone you really, truly despise is just "a bit of a bastard".
15. You think "Woolloomooloo" is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.
16. You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife.
17. You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin.
18. You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but "Woy Woy" can't be called "Woy".
19. You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread.
20. You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.
21. Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.
22. You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.
23. You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.
24. You still don't get why the "Labor" in "Australian Labor Party" is not spelt with a "u".
25. You wear ugh boots outside the house.
26. You believe, as an article of faith, that every important discovery in the world was made by an Australian but then sold off to the Yanks for a pittance.
27. You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them.
28. Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.
29. You understand that "excuse me" can sound rude, while "scuse me" is always polite.
30. You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.
31. You understand that "you" has a plural and that it's "youse".
32. You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.
33. Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules for beach cricket.
34. You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call "Anzac cookies".
35. You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours".
36. When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.
37. You believe the phrase "smart casual" refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered.
38. You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.
39. When working on a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.
40. You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second.
41. You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.
42. You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says "cobber".
43. And you will immediately forward this list to other Australians, here and overseas, realising that only they will understand.
Happy Australia Day.
captainoutrageous answered on 01/26/08:He's right - I don't understand. Maybe one day I will be fortunate to spend some time in Australia and then perhaps I will understand a bit more. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/24/08 - Too Stern by half? It seems in this world of constant change, old news is new again. Climate change is becoming unpopular again and when that happens Governments looking for "savings" will see the environment as an over rated luxury.
Think tank questions Stern review on costs
Mark Davis Political Correspondent
January 25, 2008
THE Federal Government's top economic think tank is concerned that the influential Stern review on climate change substantially exaggerated the economic costs of global warming.
Productivity Commission researchers have found that Sir Nicholas Stern's estimates that global warming would cost $9 trillion rested on "value judgments and ethical perspectives" rather than conventional economic methodologies.
They say the review was as much an exercise in advocacy as economic analysis and just one small change to a central assumption would have cut its estimates of the cost of climate change in half.
The Stern review, released by the British Government in 2006, galvanised public and political opinion and helped make climate change an issue in the Australian federal election last year.
Professor Ross Garnaut is carrying out an Australian version of the Stern review, which will be used by the Federal Government to decide on targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Sir Nicholas, a former World Bank chief economist, used sophisticated modelling techniques to estimate the damage rising temperatures would wreak on the world over the next century.
He concluded that if nothing was done to arrest global warming it would cost between 5 per cent and 20 per cent of world GDP every year, which vastly outweighed his estimates of the costs of tackling climate change.
But the Productivity Commission will release a working paper today that identifies several areas where the Stern review's methodological decisions tended to push up the estimates.
First, it says Sir Nicholas's analysis was based on the highest of the range of scientific estimates of how far temperatures will rise over the next 100 years.
The most recent report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change set out six different projections for rising temperatures, ranging from 1.8 to 4 degrees. But the Productivity Commission paper says the Stern review modelled just one scenario for higher temperatures, which was consistent with the highest of the UN panel's projections.
Second, it says the Stern review used population growth estimates much higher than those of leading bodies such as the UN and did not take into account the effect of economic development in reducing vulnerability to climate change in the Third World.
Finally, the methodological decision with the biggest effect on the estimates was the review's use of an unusually low "discount rate" for converting future costs into present values. The Productivity Commission researchers say the review used a discount rate of 1.4 per cent, much lower than the 6 per cent used by other economists who have costed climate change.
"These low rates are the main reason the review's headline estimates of damage costs are so much higher than most other studies," they say. "Adding 1 percentage point to the discount rates reduces the damages estimates by more than half.
"The review's approach [to the discount rate] is based on ethical judgments about intergenerational equity that are not necessarily representative of wider opinion and certainly are different from the judgments of some other climate change analysts.
"Regardless of the different views about discounting, the review erred in its failure to present a range of results for different discount rates." captainoutrageous answered on 01/25/08:Regardless to which report one uses, it is not likely to have much impact on the average man in the street who drives 1/2 mile to the store, when he could walk? Or the woman who gets back in the car and drives to the other side of the parking lot to visit another store (five minute walk). Or to the Chinese, whose recent prosperity and technological availability, are replacing bicycles with cars more and more everyday? | | Question/Answer | | Mary_Susan asked on 01/11/08 - BUSH'S IDEA OF NAT.ID CARD, CALLED "REAL ID" WASHINGTON (AP) - Residents of at least 17 states are suddenly stuck in the middle of a fight between the Bush administration and state governments over post-Sept. 11 security rules for driver's licenses - a dispute that, by May, could leave millions of people unable to use their licenses to board planes or enter federal buildings.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who was unveiling final details of the REAL ID Act's rules on Friday, said that if states want their licenses to remain valid for air travel after May 2008, those states must seek a waiver indicating they want more time to comply with the legislation.
Chertoff, as he revealed final details of the REAL ID Act, said that in instances where a particular state doesn't seek a waiver, its residents will have to use a passport or a newly created federal passport card if they want to avoid a vigorous secondary screening at airport security.
``The last thing I want to do is punish citizens of a state who would love to have a REAL ID license but can't get one,'' Chertoff said. ``But in the end, the rule is the rule as passed by Congress.''
Chertoff spoke as he discussed the details of the administration's plan to improve security for driver's licenses in all 50 states - an effort delayed due to opposition from states worried about the cost and civil libertarians upset about what they believe are invasions of privacy.
Under the rules announced Friday, Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years.
The Homeland Security Department has spent years crafting the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, a law designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government-issued identification. The effort once envisioned to take effect in 2008 has been pushed back in the hopes of winning over skeptical state officials.
To address some of those concerns, the government now plans to phase in a secure ID initiative that Congress approved in 2005. Now, DHS plans a key deadline in 2011 - when federal authorities hope all states will be in compliance - and then further measures to be enacted three years later.
To make the plan more appealing to cost-conscious states, federal authorities drastically reduced the expected cost from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion, a 73 percent decline, said Homeland Security officials familiar with the plan.
The American Civil Liberties Union has fiercely objected to the effort, particularly the sharing of personal data among government agencies. The DHS and other officials say the only way to ensure an ID is safe is to check it against secure government data; critics such as the ACLU say that creates a system that is more likely to be infiltrated and have its personal data pilfered.
In its written objection to the law, the ACLU claims REAL ID amounts to the ``first-ever national identity card system,'' which ``would irreparably damage the fabric of American life.''
The Sept. 11 attacks were the main motivation for the changes.
The hijacker-pilot who flew into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour, had four driver's licenses and ID cards from three states. The DHS, created in response to the attacks, has created a slogan for REAL ID: ``One driver, one license.''
By 2014, anyone seeking to board an airplane or enter a federal building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, with the notable exception of those more than 50 years old, Homeland Security officials said.
The over-50 exemption was created to give states more time to get everyone new licenses, and officials say the risk of someone in that age group being a terrorist, illegal immigrant or con artist is much less. By 2017, even those over 50 must have a REAL ID-compliant card to board a plane.
So far, 17 states have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to the REAL ID Act's provisions, many due to concerns it will cost them too much to comply. The 17, according to the ACLU, are: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington state.
Among other details of the REAL ID plan:
The traditional driver's license photograph would be taken at the beginning of the application instead of the end so that if someone is rejected for failure to prove identity and citizenship, the applicant's photo would be kept on file and checked if that person tried to con the system again.
The cards will have three layers of security measures but will not contain microchips as some had expected. States will be able to choose from a menu which security measures they will put in their cards.
Over the next year, the government expects all states to begin checking both the Social Security numbers and immigration status of license applicants.
Most states already check Social Security numbers and about half check immigration status. Some, like New York, Virginia, North Carolina and California, have already implemented many of the security measures envisioned in REAL ID. In California, for example, officials expect the only major change to adopt the first phase would be to take the photograph at the beginning of the application process instead of the end.
After the Social Security and immigration status checks become nationwide practice, officials plan to move on to more expansive security checks, including state DMV offices checking with the State Department to verify those applicants who use passports to get a driver's license, verifying birth certificates and checking with other states to ensure an applicant doesn't have more than one license.
A few states have already signed written agreements indicating they plan to comply with REAL ID. Seventeen others, though, have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to it, often because of concerns about the cost of the extra security.
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What are your thoughts on this plan involving 50 states??? captainoutrageous answered on 01/12/08:I suppose there are benefits to the added security, but invariably, those who wish to acquire fake ids and have the financial resources, will do so. | | Question/Answer | | Mary_Susan asked on 01/01/08 - HAPPY NEW YEAR POLITICOS!! Two days to the Iowa Caucus'!
Election year his here. captainoutrageous answered on 01/01/08:And happy New Year to you. It will be interesting to see what the new year has in store. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/27/07 - The new political order Politicians are actually expected to do some work and rely on facts, not fabrications?
Nothing makes sense in this new world disorder
November 27, 2007
A NEW rule of thumb has emerged for Coalition press conferences.
If the principal appears at the lectern flanked by his wife, it means he's pulling the pin.
If he appears solo, it's a dead cert he's making a bid for the leadership.
Australian politics has undergone such a wrenching rearrangement in the past 72 hours that there is a dizzy, hallucinatory quality to everything.
If you'd told me three days ago that by Monday Tony Abbott would be making a run at the Liberal leadership based on his "people skills", I would politely have assumed you were smoking something. And if anyone can nominate a more hilarious fib than Kevin Rudd's claim on Sunday that he had found this election "a humbling experience", I am all ears.
Nothing is making sense.
Just look at the potential field for the Liberal leadership.
There's Mr Abbott and his people skills against the duelling egos of Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson.
The former foreign affairs minister, Alexander Downer, that old flirt, showed a tantalising flash of leg yesterday but eventually threw in the towel on the 7.30 Report last night.
His comments during the day were laced with the trademark Downer graciousness and tact.
"You can imagine, after I've been the Opposition leader once before and I've been the foreign minister for so long, I don't sort of leap out of bed in the morning thinking I'd love to be the Opposition leader now. I find it a bit hard to get enthusiastic about it."
Well, when you put it like that.
It's kind of hard to imagine where he's going to find post-political work with an attitude like that. Can you picture it?
"Mr Downer, thank you for applying for the position of chief executive. The board is pleased you could be here for this interview."
"Yeah, well, you know. I've been the foreign affairs minister for 11½ years, so as you can probably imagine, the prospect of running your two-bit investment bank is not exactly a big thrill or anything."
Luckily, as Tony "People Skills" Abbott reminded us on grainy video footage during the campaign, there are plenty of jobs out there, so I guess even chronic recalcitrants are in with a fighting chance.
Kevin Rudd, meanwhile, appeared in Brisbane at Scarborough's Southern Cross College, a school he briefly attended as a boy.
The prime minister-elect does seem to have rather a photogenic range of former schools at which he can graciously accept a standing ovation when required. Is it possible that he planned it that way, even from the age of nine?
Mr Rudd announced crisply that to get his education revolution started, he would be requiring all of his MPs to visit one public and one private school in their electorates, and report back to the party's first caucus meeting on Thursday.
Homework! Did you hear that, Class of 2007?
Two schools by Thursday and a written report, or it's detention for the lot of you, and make sure your shirt's tucked in.
And that means you, Laurie Ferguson! captainoutrageous answered on 11/28/07:Color me unsurprised! | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/28/07 - There really is only one place to be? There may be other options but who needs the ice and snow?
Australia ranked world's third most livable nation
November 28, 2007 01:00am
AUSTRALIA is the third most desirable country to live in, according to an annual United Nations report that looks at wealth, life expectancy and educational levels.
Australia came in behind top-ranking Iceland and Norway in second spot.
The top three nations have not changed since last year's report, when Australia was again third but Norway was on top and Iceland second.
AIDS-afflicted sub-Saharan African states occupied the lowest rankings of the UN Human Development Index.
As expected, rich free-market countries dominate the top places.
Behind Iceland, Norway and Australia come Canada and Ireland.
But the US has slipped to 12th, from eighth last year
captainoutrageous answered on 11/28/07:I rather like the States (even with all its problems), but if I had to choose another country in which to live, it would be Canada first, Australia second. | | Question/Answer | | Mary_Susan asked on 11/27/07 - Australia, the World's Next Republic?? Australia will be taking a vote due to recent election change to the Liberal Party to change to a Republic and drop the monarchy. The change to a Republic has a lot of support among the citizens.
What do you think??? captainoutrageous answered on 11/28/07:I think the Australians should leave things as they are. The present system is probably as representative, if not more so, than what we Americans call a republic. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/13/07 - Ahmamadjihad is at it again Ahmadinejad: Iran can help secure Iraq, Israel is 'cruel'
Iranian president urges U.S. and Britain to reconsider the invasion of Iraq
Iranian president says Israel "cannot continue its life"
(CNN) -- Iran wants "peace and friendship for all," the country's president said Wednesday while again denying Western assertions his nation is pursuing nuclear weapons and trying to destabilize Iraq.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the Natanz nuclear facility in April.
But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a hard line against Israel, calling it "an invader" and saying it "cannot continue its life."
Asked if Iran had launched a proxy war in Iraq -- something the U.S. ambassador and top military commander there both asserted this week -- Ahmadinejad said the United States is merely seeking a scapegoat for its failing campaign in Iraq.
"Forces have come into Iraq and destroyed the security, and many people are killed," the Iranian president told Britain's ITN during an interview in the garden of the Iranian presidential palace in Tehran.
"And there are some claims that may seem very funny and ridiculous. Those who have lots of weaponry and warfare and thousands of soldiers -- if they are defeated, they blame others. There is no way to escape for peace."
Iranians do not believe in war and consider it a "last resort," he said.
He further claimed that Tehran is a friend of Iraq -- maintaining "good relationships" with the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions -- and "if Iraq is not secure, we are the first country that would be damaged."
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He added, "Responsible people should understand this: that Iran is against any sort of insecurity and attacks, and Iraq is able to defend themselves." Watch Ahmadinejad discuss issues affecting his country »
During the interview, Ahmadinejad struck a friendly tone toward Britain, saying he regretted that British soldiers have died in Iraq.
"We are sorry for your soldiers to be killed. We think peace should exist. Why should there be an invasion so that people will be killed?" he asked.
"We want friendship -- friendship to all. We love all nations and all human beings. Anyone who is killed, we are against it."
Ahmadinejad urged the United States and Britain to reconsider the invasion of Iraq. The two countries should "correct themselves," he said. If they don't, "the defeat would repeat."
The Islamic republic could help improve conditions in Iraq, but first coalition forces must leave, he said.
"We can help solve many problems in Iraq. We can help secure Iraq. We can help the attackers leave Iraq if the American government and British government correct themselves." he said.
Ahmadinejad has said in the past that Tehran would fill any power vacuum left by a withdrawal of coalition forces in Iraq.
The United States has cited the Iranian president's remarks as a reason to continue its efforts in Iraq.
As for allegations that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, Ahmadinejad said he resents the notion that Iran "has to obey whatever was put to us" and asked why there is no similar furor over American and British nuclear programs.
"Our bombs are dangerous, but American bombs are not dangerous?" he asked.
When the ITN interviewer asked if he could tour the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran, Ahmadinejad chuckled and asked him if he thought the United States or Britain would allow Iran to inspect their nuclear facilities.
"We do not need a bomb. We are against bombs, actually. There are many reasons we are against it," he said. "From a political point of view, it's not useful, we think."
The United Nations Security Council has so far imposed two rounds of limited sanctions against Iran for the country's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
Tehran has insisted the program is meant for peaceful energy production.
In regard to Israel, which Ahmadinejad has said should be politically "wiped off the map," the Iranian president said there is a way to deal with the Jewish state without violence.
Giving as an example the dissolution of the Soviet Union -- which he said came about "without war" -- Ahmadinejad suggested that "everything would be solved" if the Palestinian people were allowed to vote on their fate.
However, his hard-line rhetoric resurfaced when Ahmadinejad said Israel "cannot continue its life."
"Israel is an invader and is cruel, and it hasn't got a united public. All other nations are against it," he said. "We do not recognize them. They are attackers and illegal." E-mail to a friend
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What can this mean other than Iran intends to invade Iraq and attck Israel as soon a american forces leave Iraq? captainoutrageous answered on 10/30/07:Following on tomder's comment. Appeasement of the Madhi Hatter is not a good choice anymore than it was for Neville Chamberlain. | | Question/Answer | | purplewings asked on 10/23/07 - Concerned about our government erosion. I'm not just referring to the President being able to make new policy or ignore the wishes of the citizens, but to all politicians in general. In Michigan, we are in distress because of plant closings, corporate shut-downs, and lay offs with people losing their homes. At the same time, politicians in Lansing have overspent their budget leaving the state without proper funding for necessities such as police, prisons, schools, etc. Our elected officials have decided to rectify that by having another tax raise. Imagine losing jobs and homes to now being expected to pay for the state's failure to properly budget.
I recently read that when people stop paying attention or caring what the government does - it gives free rein for them to do whatever they like. It's hard to be interested when we are ignored and overburdened. How can we best get the government to do what they've been elected to do......serve us?
captainoutrageous answered on 10/24/07:It is the old adage of "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." It is time for the people to take back their voice in government - a government governs through the consent of the governed - we have lost sight of this very important principle. | | Question/Answer | | purplewings asked on 10/20/07 - Just dipping my toe in the water. Is anyone here still? Can we start rumbling again? captainoutrageous answered on 10/21/07:There are some of us still hanging in, but apparently one faction has exited the scene. That's a shame. As long as we keep personal insults and attacks out of it, differing viewpoints are good for the site (and the mind). | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/06/07 - DEMS WANT BUSH TO BOMB IRAN "When George Bush and Dick Cheney talk about their plans to bomb Iran, they are told "You can't do it, because every Republican is going to be defeated"--that's what a Republican former intelligence official told legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. "But," the former official went on, "Cheney doesn't give a rat's ass about the Republican worries, and neither does the President."
I recently spoke with Hersh, whose new piece, "Target Iran," is featured in The New Yorker this week.
When I asked Hersh who wants to bomb Iran, he said, "Ironically there is a lot of pressure coming from Democrats. Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Edwards have all said we cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. Clearly the pressure from Democrats is a reflection of - we might as well say it - Israeli and Jewish input." He added the obvious: "a lot of money comes to the Democratic campaigns" from Jewish contributors.
But while Democrats argue that we must "do something" about an Iranian nuclear threat, Hersh says the White House has concluded their own effort to convince Americans that Iran poses an imminent threat has "failed." Apparently the public that bought the story of WMD in Iraq is now singing the classic Who song, "Won't Get Fooled Again."
Moreover, Hersh reports, "the general consensus of the American intelligence community is that Iran is at least five years away from obtaining a bomb" - so the public is right to be skeptical.
As a result, according to Hersh, the focus of the plans to bomb Iran has shifted from an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities to an emphasis on the famed "surgical strikes" on Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in Tehran and elsewhere. The White House hopes it can win public support for this kind of campaign by arguing that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is responsible for the deaths of Americans in Iraq.
Why don't Bush and Cheney "give a rat's ass" about getting Republicans reelected to the Senate and the House in 2008? "Of course that was hyperbole to make a point," Hersh said. "When it comes to choice between bombing Iran and taking some political heat, the president will do what he wants. Look, no decision has been made, no order has been given, I've never said it's going to happen. But I had breakfast this morning in Washington with somebody who's close to a lot of military people, and there's a sense among them that the president is essentially messianic about this. He sees this as his mission. It could be because God is telling him to do it. It could be because his daddy didn't do it. It could be because it's step 13 in a 12-step program he was in. I just don't know."
The biggest problem in US relations with Iran, Hersh said, is that Bush refuses to "talk to people he doesn't like. . . . We dealt with China, we dealt with the Soviet Union in those bad days of Stalin and Mao. But there is no pressure whatsoever" coming from the leading Democratic presidential candidates demanding that Bush negotiate with the Iranians rather than bombing them." Jon Wiener, blogging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 10/06/07:"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive ..." | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 09/28/07 - How the heck.......... ...does Hillary plan to pull off a $5,000.00 bond to every baby born and not expect to have to raise taxes or anything to cover it????????? captainoutrageous answered on 09/29/07:Well, first she's got to get elected. Then she has to get through Congress, and if and when that happens, there are bound to be substantial changes to the plan. | | Question/Answer | | Fritzella asked on 09/26/07 - Republican Party Situation Dire for 2008 "Republican Party is in such bad shape heading into the 2008 congressional elections that many insiders are all but convinced things will get worse before they get better. The blame, some say, lies within the party itself.
Recent reports coming from the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees paint a picture of institutions on the brink of bankruptcy and organizational disrepair. The Republican Party has ceded its traditional fundraising advantages to the Democrats. Recruiting conservative candidates to run for congressional office has proved exceedingly difficult. Even worse, several Republicans officials bemoaned, there is no short-term solutions on the horizon.
"In my lifetime you'd have to go back 30 years to find another time when the party committees were in such dire straits," Craig Shipley, president of the Republican public relations firm Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, told the Huffington Post. "The stimulus in the 70s was that the grassroots became disgusted with the abandonment of conservative principles and corruption of the party. The same thing is happening today. There is just a bad odor in the party right now."......--Sam Stein, Blogging
Edited for length.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 09/28/07:It definitely looks bleak for the Republicans unless the leadership can pull off a miracle in foreign affairs. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/22/07 - The gaffe of the day? Saddams dead, Nelsons dead, is Osama dead? they are all dead, so maybe that's why they can't find Osama?
Bush's Mandela death gaffe 'out there'
By staff writers
September 21, 2007 10:27pm
Article from: NEWS.com.au
NELSON Mandela is still very much alive despite a gaffe by US President George W. Bush, who alluded to the former South African leader's death in a speech yesterday.
"It's out there," said Achmat Dangor of the Nelson Mandela Foundation of Mr Bush's comment, which received worldwide media coverage.
"All we can do is reassure people, especially South Africans, that President Mandela is alive," he said.
In a speech defending his administration's Iraq policy, Mr Bush said former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's brutality had made it impossible to find a leader who could unite the country.
"I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?'," he said.
"Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."
The bizarre gaffe was made in a press conference in Washington yesterday.
Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for preaching racial harmony and guiding the nation into the post-apartheid era.
References to his death – Mandela is now 89 and increasingly frail – are seen as insensitive in South Africa.
With Reuters
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
with thinking like this and a genius at the helm it's no wonder they can't solve problems, oh well George can solve it at the next OPEC meeting captainoutrageous answered on 09/24/07:Despite the Australian press' use of the statement out of context, Bush's comments were poorly worded and thus easy to take out of context by the hurried observer (rightly or wrongly). | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/16/07 - He told us what we already know and have been saying?
Alan Greenspan says Iraq invasion motivated by oil
By Jeannine Aversa
September 17, 2007 06:40am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
FORMER Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, in his new book, says the US went to war in Iraq motivated largely by oil.
Mr Greenspan said: "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."
His book also criticises US President George W. Bush for not responsibly handling the nation's spending and racking up big budget deficits.
A self-described "libertarian Republican," Mr Greenspan takes his own party to task for forsaking conservative principles that favour small government.
"My biggest frustration remained the president's unwillingness to wield his veto against out-of-control spending," Mr Greenspan wrote.
Mr Bush took office in 2001, the last time the Government produced a budget surplus.
Every year after that, the Government has been in the red. In 2004, the deficit swelled to a record $US413 billion ($A493.75 billion).
"The Republicans in Congress lost their way," Mr Greenspan wrote. "They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose."
In 2006, voters put Democrats in charge of Congress for the first time in a dozen years.
Mr Greenspan's memoir, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, is scheduled for release today. The book is a recollection of his life and his time as Fed chief.
Mr Greenspan, 81, ran the Fed for 18 1/2 years and was the second-longest serving chief. He served under four presidents, starting with his initial nomination by former President Ronald Reagan.
He says he began to write the book on February 1, 2006, the day his successor - Ben Bernanke -- took over.
The ex-Fed chief writes that he laments the loss of fiscal discipline.
"Deficits don't matter," to my chagrin, became part of Republicans' rhetoric."
Mr Greenspan long has argued that persistent budget deficits pose a danger to the economy over the long run.
Large projected surpluses were the basis for Mr Bush's $US1.35 trillion ($A1.61 trillion), 10-year tax cut approved in the summer of 2001.
Budget experts projected the Government would run a whopping $US5.6 trillion ($A6.69 trillion) worth of surpluses over the subsequent decade after the cuts.
Those surpluses, the basis for Mr Bush's campaign promises of a tax cut, never materialised. captainoutrageous answered on 09/17/07:Hear! Hear! Wise assessment from a respected individual. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/07/07 - Where am I now? Oops, Dubya picks wrong PEC
George Bush and his "battler" buddy John Howard.
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Security talks ease Beijing's exclusion fears
Stephanie Peatling
September 7, 2007 - 11:00AM
United States President George Bush made one of his characteristic pronunciation bungles this morning welcoming business leaders to the "OPEC" meeting instead of the APEC meeting.
But with a dose of Texan charm Mr Bush grinned and said OPEC - which stands for Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries - was a meeting he is due to attend next year.
Sailing through an attempt at bidding everyone "G'day" Mr Bush gave a strong speech praising the development of democracy in the Asia Pacific region and a rousing defence of America's role in the war in Iraq.
Mr Bush described the ongoing war in Iraq as "the calling of our time" saying the fight to spread democracy must never be abandoned.
"Moms around the world share the same hope and that is for their kids to grow up in a free and safe society," Mr Bush said.
"Whenever they are given the chance the people of every culture and every region choose freedom over repression."
Mr Bush told delegates the "surest road to stagnation and instability is isolation".
He mentioned Burma and North Korea as countries America wanted to see open up and become fully functioning democracies.
He also said that even though he was looking forward to attending the Olympics in China next year it was an opportunity for China to become a more open society.
"Chinese leaders can use this opportunity to show confidence by demonstrating a commitment to greater openness and tolerance", Mr Bush said.
Mr Bush also lavished praised on Prime Minister John Howard saying he was "determined, courageous and steadfast" and that America could have "no better ally".
captainoutrageous answered on 09/10/07:If you don't know where you are, you would be well advised not to ask him. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 08/29/07 - Is this funny or the truth???????????????????????????? Tax truth
At first I thought this was funny...
then I realized the awful truth of it.
Be sure to read all the way to the end!
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries, then
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin ,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.
Put these words
upon his tomb,
" Taxes drove me to my doom..."
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State a ND Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt,
had the largest middle class in the world,
and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What the hell happened? Can you spell "politicians!"
captainoutrageous answered on 08/30/07:It's pretty scary. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 08/20/07 - The master race is back again? People with lighter eyes 'more likely to achieve'
By staff writers
August 20, 2007 11:55am
Blue-eyed people "better strategic thinkers"
Are "likely to achieve more in life"
Public quick to link study with racism
PEOPLE with blue eyes are likely to achieve more in life than those with brown, say US scientists.
Scientists who conducted the tests said brown-eyed people performed better at reaction time, but those with lighter eyes appeared to be better strategic thinkers, the Daily Mail reported.
Brown-eyed people succeeded in activities such as football and hockey, but lighter-eyed participants proved to be more succesful in activities that required skills in time structuring and planning such as golf, cross-country running and studying for exams, the scientists said.
Louisville University professor Joanna Rowe, who conducted the tests, said the results suggested an unexplored link between eye colour and academic achievement.
"It is just observed, rather than explained," she said.
"There's no scientific answer yet."
Bedfordshire University senior psychology lecturer Dr Tony Fallone, who has also studied eye colour, believed it should be taken more seriously as an indicator of personality and ability, the Daily Mail reported.
Daily Mail readers had mixed opinions ranging from "What about all the brilliant people from other continents where there are no blue eyes? No strategic thinkers there, eh?" to "I guess I must be the exception to the rule".
captainoutrageous answered on 08/20/07:Beware! The Aryans are coming. The Aryans are coming. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 08/13/07 - Here is a site that American voters will.............. find to be interesting.
http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
Give it a try.
Fred captainoutrageous answered on 08/17/07:Looks fairly unbiased. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 06/14/07 - NEW MODERATOR TO BE MARYSUSAN I will be the new moderator for the Improved Policics Board when it opens. At that time, I will post the guide of conduct for discussing Politics here.
Cordially,
Mary Sue captainoutrageous answered on 06/16/07:Well, if nothing else, it ought to be interesting. | | Question/Answer | | Dark_Crow asked on 06/16/07 - Mass. preserves gay marriage The state legislature defeated a constitutional amendment to let the voters decide on a ban.
"We're proud of our state today, and we applaud the legislature for showing that Massachusetts is strongly behind fairness," (homosexuality)said Lee Swislow, executive director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.
What perversion next?
captainoutrageous answered on 06/16/07:I agree with the decision.What consenting adults do in their bedroom is their business. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 05/23/07 - take poll on illegal immigration Newsmax
kennedy mccain captainoutrageous answered on 05/28/07:Especially like the emergency radio offer. :>) | | Question/Answer | tomder55 asked on 05/22/07 -
Your tax dollars at workMay 8, Congress passed HR 1595(288 - 133 ) The Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act .
The bill recognizes recognizes the island's suffering and loyalty to America during WWII . Cool
But then it goes on to authorizes reparations for the descendants of those killed by the Japanese. So who else do we have to pay off for the atrocities of the Japanese during WWII ? Let's say we by some kindness think the survivors deserve restitution by us . Why would there descendents be simularily eligible ? Why don't we simularily pay the families of the American soldiers who paid the ultimate price to liberate the Island July 21,1944 -August 10,1944 (3,000 killed,7,122 wounded)? captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/07:Once again, I think someone's priorities are slanted. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 05/22/07 - Another one of my hypothetical questions.... Would the rise of a dictator/tyrant such as Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, etc. be possible in 21st century America?
I know the libs are already chomping at the bit on this one, but I think that's just a knee-jerk reaction in this particular day and age.
I was thinking about it some this morning. I'm no historian--not by a long shot--but didn't Hitler "campaign" on a platform of fear, and create a common enemy while at the same time bolstering national pride? I know there was more to it than that, but you get the picture.
Right now, I can see why the conservatives couldn't pull it off, despite the many accusations to the contrary. The left's illegitimate child, the press, would counter ANY move made by a conservative at this point. However, I personally worry more ABOUT the left than the right--even the far right (whoever THEY are). I mean seriously, let's look: the left is the group of "tolerance, love, peace, fairness," and whatever other PC words you want to toss in there. However, who is gradually squashing freedom of religion? The left, if that religion is Judaism or Christianity. Who is quite overtly trying to take away the 2nd Amendment? The left again. While they are not quite restricting freedom of speech (unless it's "non-PC"), who "filters" the information the average American gets? The left, via their willing lapdogs in the media. And so on and so on....
So is it possible that America could voluntarily elect and hail a leader that is, in fact, a cruel tyrant and dictator?
DK captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/07:I think it is very possible, but I don't know that I agree that the move in that direction will necessarily come from the left. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/22/07 - Muslim survey And I'm not believing what I heard...ABC Radio news reported that most Muslims in America believe suicide bombings can never be justified, but "thirteen percent do in some cases." They then played a clip of some Muslim dude telling us Americans can now rest easy in knowing American Muslims are Americans first and Muslims second. Well now, that's comforting.
First, thirteen percent of Muslims believing suicide bombings can be justified to me is a disturbing number. And considering there are roughly 2.35 million Muslims in this country, that would mean over 300,000 don't have a problem with suicide bombings. On top of that, twenty-six percent of young Muslims can justify suicide bombings.
Moreover:
63% identified themselves as Democrats or as "leaning" toward the Democratic Party, although "On key social issues," Pew says, "Muslims in the U.S. are much more conservative than the general public. Most say that homosexuality is a way of life that should be discouraged, rather than accepted, by society. A large majority of Muslims (59%) also say that government should do more to protect
morality in society."
Only 25 percent consider the U.S. war on terrorism a sincere attempt to curtail international terror. Only 40 percent said they believe Arab men carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
By six to one, they say the U.S. was wrong to invade Iraq, while a third say the same about Afghanistan -- far deeper than the opposition expressed by the general U.S. public.
And ABC tells us don't worry, be happy. Pew themselves headline the report, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream."
The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.
So American Muslims are more conservative on social issues than most Americans, but 63% identify with the party of abortion and gay rights - 71% having voted for John Kerry. 300,000 can find a way to justify suicide bombings and only forty percent believe Arabs had anything to do with 9/11 ... yet Muslims in America are mostly moderate and mainstream.
I don't know about you but I find it all quite disturbing on many levels.captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/07:Lord this is scary. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to separate those who have assimilated and are contributing members of society and those whom America is the devil. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 05/14/07 - Did you know....................................... .......that trying to teach the concepts of chivalry (honor, dignity, selflessness, etc) to 7th grade wannabe gangsters is like trying to teach a damn pig to sing?
....sigh....
Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?
DK captainoutrageous answered on 05/15/07:I currently teach high school, but I spent many years teaching middle school. It can be frustrating. There were days that I thought you could have put a monkey in front of the room and he would get just about as far with those kids as I did. But, there were times that I managed to strike a cord with my gangstas - they are not that far removed from the my 9th Govt class. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/12/07 - Lance Cpl. Christopher Adlesperger Lance Cpl. Christopher Adlesperger of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was on a “clearing mission” in Fallujah with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. When Adlesperger and his squad approached a house on Nov. 10, 2004, they entered into one of the most difficult and dangerous battlefield situations: they faced an entrenched enemy in an urban setting – with an entrenched machine gun. As they entered the house, a volley of insurgent fire and grenades rained down upon them, immediately killing Adlesperger’s point man and injuring two others.
Despite shrapnel wounds, Adlesperger advanced the attack against the jihadists, while single-handedly clearing the stairs and moving the wounded to safety. According to the citation on his award, “On his own initiative, while deliberately exposing himself to heavy enemy fire...[Adlesperger] established a series of firing positions and attacked the enemy, forcing them to be destroyed in place or to move into an area where adjacent forces could engage them.”
A month after the Fallujah battle, the 20-year-old Adlesperger was on another clearing mission when he was killed by enemy gunfire.
For his courageous actions in Fallujah, Adlesperger was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross , the second highest military medal for combat valor. His family was presented with the medal at a recent award ceremony. Adlesperger’s actions “destroyed the last strongpoint in the Jolan District of Al Fallujah and saved the lives of his fellow Marines...” the citation states. “By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire and utmost devotion to duty... Adlesperger reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
Adlesperger had previously been awarded the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
![]()
captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/07:A very brave and noble young man. | | Question/Answer | | Dark_Crow asked on 05/11/07 - who in the hell is Duncan Hunter?.................. . captainoutrageous answered on 05/12/07:http://www.gohunter08.com/inner.asp?z=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Hunter | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/07/07 - The cost of CFL's How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent lightbulb? About $4.28 for the bulb and labor — unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about $2,004.28, which doesn’t include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.
Sound crazy? Perhaps no more than the stampede to ban the incandescent light bulb in favor of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) — a move already either adopted or being considered in California, Canada, the European Union and Australia.
According to an April 12 article in The Ellsworth American, Bridges had the misfortune of breaking a CFL during installation in her daughter’s bedroom: It dropped and shattered on the carpeted floor.
Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances, Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice. The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges’ house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state’s “safe” level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter.
The DEP specialist recommended that Bridges call an environmental cleanup firm, which reportedly gave her a “low-ball” estimate of $2,000 to clean up the room. The room then was sealed off with plastic and Bridges began “gathering finances” to pay for the $2,000 cleaning. Reportedly, her insurance company wouldn’t cover the cleanup costs because mercury is a pollutant.
Given that the replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs in the average U.S. household is touted as saving as much as $180 annually in energy costs — and assuming that Bridges doesn’t break any more CFLs — it will take her more than 11 years to recoup the cleanup costs in the form of energy savings.
Even if you don’t go for the full-scale panic of the $2,000 cleanup, the do-it-yourself approach is still somewhat intense, if not downright alarming.
Consider the procedure offered by the Maine DEP’s Web page entitled, “What if I accidentally break a fluorescent bulb in my home?”
Don’t vacuum bulb debris because a standard vacuum will spread mercury-containing dust throughout the area and contaminate the vacuum. Ventilate the area and reduce the temperature. Wear protective equipment like goggles, coveralls and a dust mask.
Collect the waste material into an airtight container. Pat the area with the sticky side of tape. Wipe with a damp cloth. Finally, check with local authorities to see where hazardous waste may be properly disposed.
The only step the Maine DEP left off was the final one: Hope that you did a good enough cleanup so that you, your family and pets aren’t poisoned by any mercury inadvertently dispersed or missed.
This, of course, assumes that people are even aware that breaking CFLs entails special cleanup procedures.
The potentially hazardous CFL is being pushed by companies such as Wal-Mart, which wants to sell 100 million CFLs at five times the cost of incandescent bulbs during 2007, and, surprisingly, environmentalists.
It’s quite odd that environmentalists have embraced the CFL, which cannot now and will not in the foreseeable future be made without mercury. Given that there are about 4 billion lightbulb sockets in American households, we’re looking at the possibility of creating billions of hazardous waste sites such as the Bridges’ bedroom.
Usually, environmentalists want hazardous materials out of, not in, our homes.
These are the same people who go berserk at the thought of mercury being emitted from power plants and the presence of mercury in seafood. Environmentalists have whipped up so much fear of mercury among the public that many local governments have even launched mercury thermometer exchange programs.
As the activist group Environmental Defense urges us to buy CFLs, it defines mercury on a separate part of its Web site as a “highly toxic heavy metal that can cause brain damage and learning disabilities in fetuses and children” and as “one of the most poisonous forms of pollution.”
Greenpeace also recommends CFLs while simultaneously bemoaning contamination caused by a mercury thermometer factory in India. But where are mercury-containing CFLs made? Not in the U.S., under strict environmental regulation. CFLs are made in India and China, where environmental standards are virtually non-existent.
And let’s not forget about the regulatory nightmare known as the Superfund law, the EPA regulatory program best known for requiring expensive but often needless cleanup of toxic waste sites, along with endless litigation over such cleanups.
We’ll eventually be disposing billions and billions of CFL mercury bombs. Much of the mercury from discarded and/or broken CFLs is bound to make its way into the environment and give rise to Superfund liability, which in the past has needlessly disrupted many lives, cost tens of billions of dollars and sent many businesses into bankruptcy.
As each CFL contains 5 milligrams of mercury, at the Maine “safety” standard of 300 nanograms per cubic meter, it would take 16,667 cubic meters of soil to “safely” contain all the mercury in a single CFL. While CFL vendors and environmentalists tout the energy cost savings of CFLs, they conveniently omit the personal and societal costs of CFL disposal.
Not only are CFLs much more expensive than incandescent bulbs and emit light that many regard as inferior to incandescent bulbs, they pose a nightmare if they break and require special disposal procedures. Should government (egged on by environmentalists and the Wal-Marts of the world) impose on us such higher costs, denial of lighting choice, disposal hassles and breakage risks in the name of saving a few dollars every year on the electric bill?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have some Tyvek suits, goggles, gloves and respirators cheap. Will they now be selling these alongside the CFL's in Home Depot? I wonder how many have already been dumped in landfills? captainoutrageous answered on 05/08/07:According to Energy Star, the cleanup recommendations are not as detailed as those in the article. Even so, it sure sounds like a major undertaking.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/07/07 - Breaking news? Surely you've heard about the 'scandal' that is Fred Thompson playing a racist role on TV 19 years ago. Huffpo even had this 'scandal' link on their website as "breaking" news (thank you Google cached search) with minx' headline of "Fred Thompson's Campaign Ends In Racist Fireball: LAT Discovers Videotape of Him Using Anti-Semitic Smears, "Fondling" Mein Kampf.
How pathetic. captainoutrageous answered on 05/08/07:For crying out loud. So I suppose that means that every actor's morals and character should be judged by the parts they play? Give me a break. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/03/07 - Fred Thompson about socialized medicine Cuban style “Paradise Island”
The myth of Cuban health care.
By Fred Thompson
You might have read the stories about filmmaker Michael Moore taking ailing workers from Ground Zero in Manhattan to Cuba for free medical treatments. According to reports, he filmed the trip for a new movie that bashes America for not having government-provided health care.
Now, I have no expectation that Moore is going to tell the truth about Cuba or health care. I defend his right to do what he does, but Moore’s talent for clever falsehoods has been too well documented. Simply calling his movies documentaries rather than works of fiction, I think, may be the biggest fiction of all.
While this p.r. stunt has obviously been successful — here I am talking about it — Moore’s a piker compared to Fidel Castro and his regime. Moore just parrots the story they created — one of the most successful public-relations coups in history. This is the story of free, high quality Cuban health care.
The truth is that Cuban medical care has never recovered from Castro’s takeover — when the country’s health care ranked among the world’s best. He won the support of the Cuban people by promising to replace Batista’s dictatorship with free elections, and to end corruption. Once in power, though, he made himself dictator and instituted Soviet-style Communism. Cubans not only failed to regain their democratic rights, their economy plunged into centrally planned poverty.
As many as half of Cuba’s doctors fled almost immediately — and defections continue to this day. Castro won’t allow observers in to monitor his nation’s true state, but defectors tell us that many Cubans live with permanent malnutrition and long waits for even basic medical services. Many treatments we take for granted aren’t available at all — except to the Communist elite or foreigners with dollars.
For them, Castro keeps “show” clinics equipped with the best medicines and technologies available. It was almost certainly one of these that Moore went to, if the stories in the NY Post and the Daily News are true.
Nothing about this story inspires doubt, though. Elements in Hollywood have been infatuated with the Cuban commander for years. It always leaves me shaking my head when I read about some big-time actor or director going to Cuba and gushing all over Castro. And, regular as rain, they bring up the health care myth when they come home.
What is it that leads people to value theoretically “free” health care, even when it’s lousy or nonexistent, over a free society that actually delivers health care? You might have to deal with creditors after you go to the emergency ward in America, but no one is denied medical care here. I guarantee even the poorest Americans are getting far better medical services than many Cubans.
According to Forbes magazine, by the way, Castro is now personally worth approximately $900 million. So when he desperately needed medical treatment recently, he could afford to fly a Spanish surgeon, with equipment, on a chartered jet to Cuba. What does that say about free Cuban health care?
The other thing that irks me about Moore and his cohort in Hollywood is their complete lack of sympathy for fellow artists persecuted for opposing the Castro regime. Pro-democracy activists are routinely threatened and imprisoned, but Castro remains a hero to many here. According to human rights organizations, these prisoners of conscience are often beaten and denied medical treatment, sanitation or even adequate nutrition.
If Moore wants a subject for a real documentary, I would suggest looking into the life of Cuban painter and award-winning documentarian Nicolás Guillén Landrián. He was denied the right to practice his art for using the Beatles’ song, “The Fool on the Hill,” as background music behind footage of Castro climbing a mountain. Later, he was given plenty of free Cuban health care when he was confined for years in a “mental institution” and given devastating, repeated electroshock “treatments.”
There are many other artists and activists who have enjoyed similar treatment. I suspect we’ll see movies with sympathetic portrayals of terrorists held in Guantanamo before we ever hear about the torture of true Cuban heroes. Even Andy Garcia’s brilliant fictionalized movie about the real Cuban experience, The Lost City , was given the Hollywood silent treatment. My bet, though, is that we’ll hear lots about how Michael Moore showed that Cuba’s socialized medicine is better than ours.
So go ahead and start working on the Oscar speech, Michael.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/07:I'd rather take my chances with a snake oil salesman. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/03/07 - RIP Wally Schirra U.S. space pioneer Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts that flew NASA's first flights, has died at the age of 84, NASA said on Thursday.
According to his family, Schirra died of natural causes on Thursday morning, NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said.
CNN reported that Schirra was in California and had been ill for several weeks, but Hartsfield said he could not confirm that.
A spokesman for Speak Inc., based in San Diego, California, which booked appearances and speeches for Schirra, said he lived in Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego.
Schirra was the only astronaut to fly on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights. His Apollo 7 mission in October 1968 was a 10-day testflight for procedures and equipment used on later flights to the moon.
It was the first flight after the Apollo 1 tragedy in January 1967 in which three astronauts burned to death in their space capsule during a launchpad practice session.
Schirra was a Navy test pilot when he joined NASA in April 1959.
The Mercury 7 astronauts included Schirra, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Deke Slayton, Alan Shepherd and Scott Carpenter.
They became national celebrities as NASA used them to promote the fledgling space program that was to compete in a space race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Of those seven astronauts, only Glenn and Carpenter are still alive.
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NAME: Walter M. Schirra (Captain, USN, Ret.)
NASA Astronaut (former)
PERSONAL DATA: Born March 12, 1923, in Hackensack, New Jersey.
EDUCATION: Newark College of Engineering (N.J.I.T.), 1941; U.S. Naval Academy, 1942-1945 B.S.; Safety Officers School (U.S.C.), 1957; U.S. Navy Test Pilot School (N.A.T.C.) 1958; NASA Astronaut Training, 1959-1969; Honorary Doctorate in Astronautical Engineering, Lafayette College, 1969; Honorary Doctorate in Science, U.S.C., 1969; Honorary Doctorate in Astronautics, N.J.I.T., 1969; Trustee, Detroit Institute of Technology, 1969-1976; Advisor, Colorado State University, 1977-1982; Trustee, National College, South Dakota, 1983-1987.
AWARDS: The Collier Trophy, 1962; Kincheloe Award, SETP, 1963; Haley Astronautics Award - AIAA, 1963, 1969; Harmon International Trophy, 1965.
AWARDS-MILITARY: U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross (3); Air Medal (3); NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2); NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1); Philippines Legion of Honor (Commander).
HALLS OF FAME INDUCTED: International Aviation Hall of Fame, San Diego, CA, 1970; New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame, Teterboro, NJ, 1977 (approx.); International Space Hall of Fame, Alamagordo, NM, 1981; National Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, OH, 1986.
CLUBS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots (Fellow), 1958- present; AAS (Fellow), 1960-present; Explorers Club (Fellow) 1965-present; Makai Country Club, Kauai (Princeville), Hi, 1971-present; Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club, 1985-present; San Diego Yacht Club, 1987-present; Charlie Russell Riders, Charter Member, 1985-present; Rancheros Visitadores, Member, 1989-present; Desert Caballeros, Member, 1989-present; Durango Mountain Caballeros, Member, 1989-present; Q.E.D., San Diego, Ca, 1989-present; The Golden Eagles, (Naval Aviators), 1989- present.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Captain Schirra was one of the seven Mercury Astronauts named by NASA in April 1959. On October 3, 1962; he piloted the six orbit Sigma 7 Mercury flight; a flight which lasted 9 hours, 15 minutes. The spacecraft attained a velocity of 17,557 miles per hour at an altitude of 175 statue miles and traveled almost 144,000 statute miles before re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. Recovery of the Sigma 7 spacecraft occurred in the Pacific Ocean about 275 miles northeast of Midway Island.
Schirra next served as backup command pilot for the Gemini III Mission and on December 15-16, occupied the Command Pilot seat on the history-making Gemini 6 flight. The highlight of this mission was a successful rendezvous of Gemini 6 with the already orbiting Gemini 7 spacecraft, thus, accomplishing the first rendezvous of two manned maneuverable spacecraft and establishing another space first for the United States. Known as a "text book" pilot, Schirra remained in the spacecraft following his Mercury and Gemini flight and is the first Astronaut to be brought aboard recovery ships twice in this manner. With him on Gemini 6, was Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford.
He was the Command Pilot on Apollo VII, the first manned flight test of the three direction United States spacecraft. Apollo VII began on October 11, 1968, with Command Module Pilot Donn F. Eisele and Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham. Schirra participated in, and executed, maneuvers enabling crew members to perform exercises in transposition and docking and orbit rendezvous with the S-IVB stage from the Saturn IB launch vehicle. The mission completed eight successful tests and maneuvering ignitions of the service module propulsion engine, measured the accuracy of performance of all spacecraft systems, and provided the first effective television transmission of on-board crew activities. Apollo VII was placed in an orbit with an apogee of 153.5 nautical miles and a perigee of 122.6 nautical miles.
The 260 hour 4.5 million mile shake down flight was concluded on October 22, with splashdown occurring in the Atlantic some 8 miles from the carrier Essex (only 3/10 of a mile from the originally predicted aiming point). Captain Schirra has logged a total of 295 hours and 15 minutes in space. He is unique in that he is the only Astronaut to have flown Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE: Director, Imperial American (Oil & Gas), 1967, 68, 69; President, Regency Investors (Leasing), 1969-1970; Founder, Environmental Control Co. (ECCO), 1970-1973; Director, J.D. Jewel (Chicken Comp.) 1971, 72, 73; Director, First National Bank, Englewood, Co., 1971-1978; Belgian Consulate for Colorado and New Mexico, 1971-1984; Director, V.P., Chairman, Sernco, 1973-1974; Director, Rocky Mountain Airlines, 1973-1984; Director, Carlsberg Oil & Gas, 1974, 1975; V. P., Johns-Manville Sales Corp., Denver, Co, 1975, 76, 77; Director, Advertising Unlimited, Sleepy Eye, MN, 1978-87; Director, Electromedics, Denver, Co, 1979-1985; President, Prometheus Systems, Inc., 1980-1981; Director, Finalco (Leasing Co.), McLean, Va, 1983-1988; Director, Cherokee Data Systems, Boulder, Co, 1984-1986; Director, Net Air Int., Van Nuys, Ca, 1982-1989; Director, Kimberly-Clark, Neenah, Wi, 1983-1991; Independent Consultant, Schirra Enterprises, 1979-Present; Director, Zero Plus Telecommunications, Inc., Campbell, Ca, 1986-Present.
CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Advisory Committee, Oceans Foundations, San Diego, Ca, 1985-present; Advisory Board/Council, U.S. National Parks (Interior), 1973-1985; Director, Denver Organizing Committee for 1976 Olympics, 1973-1975; Advisor, Flight for Life, Mercy Hospital, Denver, Co, 1978-1986; Trustee, Colorado Outward Bound School (COB), 1970-1974; COB Regional Trustee, 1988-present; Advisory Board, International "Up With People", 1976-present; Founder/Director, Mercury Seven Foundation, 1982-present; Director, San Diego Aerospace Museum, 1984-present; Trustee, Scripps Aquarium, 1985-present; International Council, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, Ca, 1989-present; Sharps Hospital, Foundations Board, San Diego, Ca, 1988- present.
PUBLICATIONS: We Seven, 1960; Schirra's Space, 1988.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/07:And it is a shame that there are not more like him. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/03/07 - The lunacy continues Florida is the latest state to move up it's primary date . It will bypass the Feb. 5 mega-Super Tuesday and have it on Jan.29 despite warnings from both Republican and Democrat leaders that they will take away delegates from Fla. if it moves its primary earlier than Feb. 5.(Don't believe it) They feel they lose influence otherwise (like it's been decades since a Florida vote was decisive ..... obviously the candidates from both parties snub the state during the election cycle).
This is getting rediculous.
Let's say that the primaries decide candidates for both parties by early Feb. next year. These candidates now have 6-7 extra months before the conventions to have their candidacy implode. Let's say that by July and August the party delegates and the regulars then decide that they've about had it with the presumptive nominee . Now what ? Almost all of the delegates will be bound by rule to vote for the nominee they are committed to . captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/07:Instead of perpetual motion, we have perpetual campaigning. Now ain't that just dandy? | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 05/03/07 - hotels taking Bibles out of drawers and replacing them with An Inconvenient Truth.
California taking mom and dad out of books because some kids now have one parent or two same sex parents therefore promoting heterosexual behavior.
Pittsburgh delays smoking ban largely because of lawsuit by Mitchels restuarant (which happens to be where the Lawyers and Police go for lunch during court)
What next besides the threat of a ban on my barbque grill? captainoutrageous answered on 05/03/07:For crying out loud. Could the politically correct just butt out? | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 05/02/07 - Global warming or just breaking wind? Experts: Rice Farming Huge Source of Methane Emissions
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand —
As delegates to a climate conference here debate how to reduce greenhouse gases, one of the problems — and a possible solution — lies in the rice fields that cover much of Thailand, the rest of Asia and beyond.
Methane emissions from flooded rice paddies contribute to global warming just as coal-fired power plants, automobile exhausts and other sources do with the carbon dioxide they spew into the atmosphere.
In fact, the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting this week in Bangkok concludes that rice production was a main cause of rising methane emissions in the 20th century. It calls for better controls.
• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Natural Science Center.
"There is no other crop that is emitting such a large amount of greenhouse gases," said Reiner Wassmann, a climate change specialist at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.
"Methane emissions are unique to rice," he said. "If Asian countries are exploring possibilities to reduce greenhouse gas, they have to look at rice production. I'm not saying it's the biggest source, but in Asia it's a source that cannot be neglected."
It's the bacteria that thrive in flooded paddies that produce methane, by decomposing manure used as fertilizer and other organic matter in the oxygen-free environment. The gas is emitted through the plants or directly into the atmosphere.
A molecule of methane is 21 times more potent than a molecule of carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas.
Although carbon dioxide is still the bigger problem, representing 70 percent of the warming potential in the atmosphere, rising levels of methane now account for 23 percent, reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
After decades of atmospheric buildup, methane — also emitted naturally from wetlands and from other manmade sources, such as landfills and cattle farming — has leveled off in the past few years.
Some scientists credit changes in rice production, and some also trace it to repairs in oil and gas storage facilities that can leak methane.
A 2005 study by U.S. scientists focused on China, which produces a third of the world's rice and where rice fields have shrunk by 24 million acres in the past decade as farmers shifted to other crops and abandoned marginal land.
The study also found that nitrogen-based fertilizer has replaced manure, and many Chinese farmers are using less water on their fields.
For Asians, modifying rice production might prove easier and cheaper than some of the other fixes proposed in the IPCC draft report, such as switching from coal to solar, wind power or other renewable energy sources.
But despite the recent leveling off, the EPA projects that global methane emissions will rise again, as rice fields expand with growing populations.
Wassmann said few countries have followed China's example, instead ignoring such solutions as periodically draining their fields or shifting to locations that need less water.
Scientists say such measures pose the same challenge for poor countries as proposals to introduce environmentally friendly tilling methods or capping methane from livestock manure: Farmers often lack the funds and know-how to shift away from techniques in use for generations.
"In the developing world, you really have to think first and foremost about providing population with food," said Pete Smith of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, lead author of the IPCC report's section on agriculture. "You can't start thinking about climate mitigation if you have to feed your family."
Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, shows both the promise and limitations of trying to make the industry greener.
Most large mills here burn leftover rice husks for power — a more climate friendly source than coal or oil — and are increasingly selling excess power back to the state.
"Instead of letting it rot in the fields and produce bad gas, we burn it and make use of it," said Rut Subniran, executive chairman of the Patum Rice Mill and Granary outside Bangkok. "This is good for the country because it can reduce our oil imports. It's good for the environment."
But a few miles away, impoverished rice farmers have largely ignored government calls to periodically drain their fields to help reduce methane emissions.
Busy harvesting the latest crop, some blamed tradition and habit, but others said draining the fields was just too costly.
"The government has told us how rice paddies release methane," said Adisak Wantayachiwa, who farms 28 acres north of Bangkok. But most farmers "don't want to pay the cost of draining their fields," he said. "They would just rather keep them flooded."
----------------
So... technology is not solely responsible for global warming. Agriculture, specifically rice paddies, which are a main source of a staple food product in most third world countries, are a major source of greenhouse gasses.
So, what are we to do. We can't use technology because it causes carbon dioxide, and we can't farm because it causes methane. Can't raise cows, pigs or chickens either... they are also major sources of methane production. We also have to cork our own butts, since we also fart methane. How will we live?
That is the idiocy of the whole eco-movement. They try to get us to change our lifestyles based on their biases, with no scientific proof to back up global warming or the greenhouse effect. But in order to comply with the restrictions they would have on us, we literally would have to kill ourselves off.
Between you and me, if it came down to a choice of possibly dying off in a few hundred thousand years or definitely dying off now, I'll choose the first option. But that's just me; I'm selfish that way.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 05/03/07:Curiouser and curiouser!?! | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 05/02/07 - How much do you REALLY know about global warming? This is interesting, and the science teacher on my hall (she has her MS, so I figure she's pretty smart) said the science was sound.
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/GlobWarmTest/start.html captainoutrageous answered on 05/03/07:Yeah! I only missed one. Does that qualify me for a job as a climatologist? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/01/07 - The inherent contempt power option
This is what I see are Congress' options regarding the eventual citation of Contempt of Congress to members of the Administration that refuse a subpoena .
I've no doubt that the Democrats intend to force a constitutional crisis before the next 2 years are complete . The funding bill they passed last week is in itself a violation of the separations.
The Slimes logic as they state it is that although Condi was in a counselor position at the time frame that they want answers about;she is now in a position that required Senate confirmation so the Senate is in a postion to hold her in contempt if she refuses to testify . I don't know how the courts would interpret that . The last time the question came up the Court stayed out of it and instead dismissed it under the "political question doctrine." See example cited below .
What happens if this get's taken to it's logical conclusion ? Condi refuses to testify ....the House issues a contempt order ....the executive refuses to enforce it.
The last time the Congress actually voted to hold an executive branch official in contempt of Congress was in the 1982 case of EPA Administrator Anne Gorsuch Burford. Gorsuch was found in contempt by a House vote of 259-105 (with 55 Republicans voting in favor). The charges were referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution.
Being that Condi is in a position that required confirmation ,she ,I believe is subject to the impeachment option .
But Congress does have a little used option to enforce a contempt declaration on their own .
During the Senate Watergate hearings the White House said it might have presidential legal counsellor John Dean refuse to obey a Senate subpoena,
and the chairman of the commitee said the Sergeant at Arms would in that case be sent to White House to arrest Dean under the "inherent contempt"process . Dean ultimately testified .
Under the inherent contempt power, the individual is brought before the House or Senate by the Sergeant-at-Arms, tried at the bar of the body, and can be imprisoned. The purpose of the imprisonment or other sanction may be either punitive or coercive. Thus, the witness can be imprisoned for a specified period of time as punishment, or for an indefinite period (but not, at least in the case of the House, beyond the adjournment of a session of the Congress) until he agrees to comply. The inherent contempt power has been recognized by the Supreme Court as inextricably related to Congress’s constitutionally-based power to investigate. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30240.pdf
captainoutrageous answered on 05/01/07:The United States system of government is based on a set of checks and balances, designed to prevent one person or branch of government from becoming too powerful. When the Constitution was written, James Madison and the other founding fathers felt that the legislature should be supreme since it was the embodiment of the will of the people. Throughout the early history of the nation, Congress was the dominant force in American politics. Currently, it looks as if the executive branch considers itself unaccountable to the other two. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/01/07 - Tenet to testify. We hope Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, enforces the subpoena of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss prewar claims about Saddam Hussein’s long-gone weapons programs. Ms. Rice, who was national security adviser before the war, says she has answered every possible question. Actually, we don’t have room for all our questions.
Just a few: Did she vet the briefing Mr. Bush got from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s rogue intelligence shop on Iraq’s alleged efforts to acquire uranium? The Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department thought, correctly, that the report was false. So why did Ms. Rice permit the president to repeat it to the world? Or did Mr. Bush also know what he was claiming was wrong?
The same applies to other claims about Iraq, including a false report about the purchase of aluminum tubes for bomb building, talk of mushroom clouds and fairy tales about links between Iraq and Al Qaeda.......
Above quote is from the editorial pages of the NY Slimes last week.
Given that this is George Tenet's week of infamy ;perhaps the Slimes and Congressman Waxman could save us all alot of time and money by referencing the Tenet testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence ;Feb.11,2003
Iraq has established a pattern of clandestine procurements designed to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program. These procurements include-but also go well beyond-the aluminum tubes that you have heard so much about
Iraq has tested unmanned aerial vehicles to ranges that far exceed both what it declared to the United Nations and what it is permitted under UN resolutions. We are concerned that Iraq's UAVs can dispense chemical and biological weapons and that they can deliver such weapons to Iraq's neighbors or, if transported, to other countries, including the United States.
Iraq is harboring senior members of a terrorist network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a close associate of Usama Bin Ladin. We know Zarqawi's network was behind the poison plots in Europe that I discussed earlier as well as the assassination of a US State Department employee in Jordan.
Iraq has in the past provided training in document forgery and bomb-making to al-Qa'ida. It also provided training in poisons and gasses to two al-Qa'ida associates; one of these associates characterized the relationship he forged with Iraqi officials as successful.
Mr. Chairman, this information is based on a solid foundation of intelligence. It comes to us from credible and reliable sources. Much of it is corroborated by multiple sources. And it is consistent with the pattern of denial and deception exhibited by Saddam Hussein over the past 12 years.
If they wish to dig a little deeper they could refer to this post war address by Tenet entitled :Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Let me tell you some of what was going on in the fall of 2002. Several sensitive reports crossed my desk from two sources characterized by our foreign partners as "established and reliable."
The first, from a source who had direct access to Saddam and his inner circle said . . . Iraq was aggressively and covertly developing such a [nuclear] weapon. Saddam had recently called together his Nuclear Weapons Committee irate that Iraq did not yet have a weapon because money was no object and they possessed the scientific know how. The Committee members assured Saddam that once the fissile material was in hand, a bomb could be ready in just 18-24 months. The return of UN inspectors would cause minimal disruption because, according to the source, Iraq was expert at denial and deception.
The same source said Iraq was stockpiling chemical weapons and that equipment to produce insecticides, under the oil-for-food program, had been diverted to covert chemical weapons production. . . .
A stream of reporting from a different sensitive source with access to senior Iraqi officials . . . stated that a senior Iraqi official in Saddam's inner circle believed, as a result of the UN inspections, Iraq knew the inspectors' weak points and how to take advantage of them. The source said there was an elaborate plan to deceive inspectors and ensure prohibited items would never be found.
Now, did this information make a difference in my thinking? You bet it did. As this and other information came across my desk, it solidified and reinforced the judgments we had reached and my own view of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein and I conveyed this view to our nation's leaders.
Of course today Tenet claims that no one agreed that Saddam was a growing or 'imminent threat'. But this certainly shows he wasn't councelling caution. Perhaps it is he who needs a supoena to answer some questions. I wonder if he'll get the same soft ball treatment that Valerie Plame got ?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/01/07:The following discusses congressional subpeona and contempt powers:
http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL31836.pdf | | Question/Answer | | Delilah asked on 05/01/07 - Equality -
"Equality is a slogan based on envy. It signifies in the heart of every republican: "Nobody is going to occupy a place higher than I." - Alexis de Tocqueville
Please identify the "I."
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 05/01/07:See previous response. | | Question/Answer | | Delilah asked on 05/01/07 - Equality -
"Equality is a slogan based on envy. It signifies in the heart of every republican: "Nobody is going to occupy a place higher than I." - Alexis de Tocqueville
Please identify the "I."
Delilah
captainoutrageous answered on 05/01/07:"I" refers to everyone as individuals. In Democracy in America, he analyzed what made free societies work and discussed the good and bad aspects of social equality. He warned that the "tyranny of the majority" would put great pressure on people to act like everyone else. As a result, democracy would tend to smother individuality and personal freedom. "Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom."
| | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 04/12/07 - Some humor A college professor, an avowed atheist, was teaching class one day when he shocked several of his students by flatly stating that there is no God, that the expression "One Nation Under God" is unconstitutional, and that he was going to prove that God did not exist. Addressing the ceiling he shouted: "God, if you are real, then I challenge you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!"
The lecture hall fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Ten minutes went by. Again he taunted God, saying: "Here I am, God. I'm still waiting."
Just before the 15 minutes came to an end, a guy who had been in Special Forces and was now a civilian, newly registered in the class, walked up to the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent
the man ass over teacups from his lofty platform, knocking the professor out cold! At first the students were shocked and babbled in confusion.
The young ex-Green Beret looked around the room, sauntered over to a seat in the front row, and sat down. He waited silently for the professor to recover. The class fell silent, too.
Eventually, the professor regained consciousness. Clearly shaken, he looked around the room until he spotted the young man who had hit him sitting in the front row, a broad grin splitting his face. When the
prof regained his senses sufficiently enough to speak, he yelled: "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?"
"God was busy," the young ex-SF trooper drawled, "so He sent me."
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Hard pressed on my right.
My center is yielding.
Impossible to maneuver.
Situation excellent.
I am attacking.
--------------
Rules for gunfighting...
USMC
1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a Ř."
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating or reloading.
14. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
15. And above all ... don't drop your guard.
Navy SEAL
1. Look very cool in the latest sunglasses.
2. Kill every living thing within view.
3. Return quickly to looking very cool in latest beach wear, check tan lines.
4. Check hair in mirror.
US Army Rangers
1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 95 pound ruck while starving.
2. Locate individuals requiring killing.
3. Request permission via radio from "Higher" to perform killing.
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 95 pound ruck while starving.
US Army
1. Select a new beret to wear.
2. Sew combat patch on right shoulder.
3. Reconsider the color of beret you decide to wear.
US Air Force
1. Have a cocktail.
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner.
3. See what's on HBO.
4. Determine "what is a gunfight."
5. Send the Army.
US Navy
1. Go to Sea.
2. Drink Coffee.
3. Launch airplanes and cruise missiles.
-------------------
A General died and went to Heaven. At the pearly gates he was met by St. Peter. He told St. Peter right away, "If there are Special Forces Soldiers in Heaven, I don't want to go in because I hate SF." St. Peter said, "Don't worry about it because no Special Forces made it to Heaven."
So the General went on into Heaven and began looking at all the wonderful sights, when all of a sudden he spotted something that he just couldn't believe.
There before his eyes was a 6' 5" 275 lb. muscle-bound specimen of manhood wearing a Green Beret. Not only that, this guy had a 4 day growth of beard, scuffed up jungle boots, big, fat cigar in his mouth, an M-60 in one hand, a Claymore in the other, bandoleers of ammo across his chest and numerous hand-grenades hung all over him. The General called over St. Peter and said, "I thought you said there weren't any of them Special Forces guys in Heaven...there's one right over there."
St. Peter looked where the General was pointing and said, "That's God, he's not Special Forces qualified, he just likes to pretend he is."
---------------
Back in Viet Nam, there were two fine Special Forces soldiers, Jeff and Dave.
One day, the two were enjoying a strong sarsaparilla in the Delta Hilton, when a SOG man walked into the bar with an NVA's head under his arm. The CO shakes
his hand and says, "I hate NVA! Last week the SOB's burnt an A-camp to the ground, shot up the troops, and killed some Indig troops." The CO then says, "If any man brings me the head of an NVA, I'll give him one thousand dollars."
The two Special Forces soldiers looked at each other and walked out of the bar to go hunting for an NVA. They were stalking around in the jungle for a while when suddenly they saw one. Jeff, in order to be silent, threw a rock which hit the NVA right on the head. The NVA fell down, but landed seventy feet down a ravine.
The two troopers made their way down the ravine and Dave pulled out a knife to claim their trophy.
Suddenly, Jeff said, "Dave, take a look at this." Dave replied, "Not now, I'm busy." Jeff urgently tugged him on the shoulder and says, "I really think you should look at this." Dave says, "Look, you can see I'm busy. There's a thousand dollars in my hand." But Jeff was adamant. "Please, take a look at this."
Dave looked up and saw standing at the top of the ravine were five thousand NVA. He just shook his head and said, "Oh my goodness, we're gonna be millionaires!"
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Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 04/13/07:Grins, though it looks like someone is a bit partial to the USMC and the Seals. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 04/11/07 - LOL driving directions from New york to London
1. Head southwest on Broadway toward Warren St 0.2 mi
1 min
2. Turn left at Park Row 0.1 mi
1 min
3. Slight right at Frankfort St 0.3 mi
1 min
4. Turn left at Pearl St 56 ft
5. Turn right onto the F.D.R. Dr N ramp 0.4 mi
1 min
6. Merge onto FDR Dr N 7.7 mi
12 mins
7. Take exit 17 on the left for Triboro Bridge/Grand Central Pkwy toward I-278/Bruckner Expy 0.4 mi
2 mins
8. Merge onto Triborough Bridge
Partial toll road 0.4 mi
1 min
9. Merge onto I-278 E via the ramp to I-87 N/Bronx/Upstate N Y/New England 0.6 mi
1 min
10. Take exit 47 to merge onto Bruckner Expy/I-278 E toward New Haven 1.9 mi
2 mins
11. Take the I-278 E exit toward New Haven 0.3 mi
12. Merge onto Bruckner Expy 5.0 mi
6 mins
13. Continue on I-95 N
Partial toll road
Entering Connecticut 62.1 mi
1 hour 12 mins
14. Take exit 48 on the left to merge onto I-91 N toward Hartford 36.8 mi
37 mins
15. Take exit 29 for US-5 N/CT-15 toward I-84/E Hartford/Boston 0.4 mi
16. Merge onto CT-15 N 1.7 mi
2 mins
17. Merge onto I-84 E
Partial toll road
Entering Massachusetts 40.7 mi
38 mins
18. Take the exit onto I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike toward N.H.-Maine/Boston
Partial toll road 56.0 mi
56 mins
19. Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy 0.4 mi
1 min
20. Merge onto Atlantic Ave 0.8 mi
3 mins
21. Turn right at Central St 0.1 mi
22. Turn right at Long Wharf 0.1 mi
23. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi
29 days 0 hours
...
24. Slight right at E05 0.5 mi
2 mins
25. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban 0.1 mi
26. Turn right at E05 5.7 mi
10 mins
27. Take the exit onto A29/E44 toward Amiens
Toll road 27.8 mi
23 mins
28. Take the exit toward Dieppe/Amiens/Calais/A151/Rouen
Toll road 1.1 mi
1 min
29. Merge onto A29/E44
Toll road 22.6 mi
19 mins
30. Take the exit onto A28/E402 45.6 mi
37 mins
31. Take the exit onto A16/E402 toward Boulogne/Calais
Toll road 44.3 mi
38 mins
32. Take exit 29 toward Boulogne-Centre/Outreau/Le Portel 0.6 mi
1 min
33. Merge onto N416 1.1 mi
1 min
34. At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto N1 0.4 mi
1 min
35. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on N1 0.1 mi
1 min
36. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on N1 0.9 mi
2 mins
37. At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit 0.6 mi
1 min
38. Slight left at Rue Ferdinand Farjon 427 ft
39. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit 0.4 mi
1 min
40. Slight right at Dover - Boulougne-sur-Mer 30.1 mi
1 hour 50 mins
41. Continue on Dover - Boulogne-sur-Mer 0.2 mi
42. Continue on Eastern Service Rd 0.3 mi
2 mins
43. Turn right at E Ramp 0.4 mi
2 mins
44. Slight right at Dock Exit Rd 0.1 mi
45. At Eastern Docks Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A20 0.6 mi
2 mins
46. Slight left to stay on A20 0.3 mi
47. At Prince of Wales Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A20/Limekiln St 0.2 mi
1 min
48. At Limekiln Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A20 0.3 mi
1 min
49. At Western Heights Roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A20 7.0 mi
8 mins
50. Continue on M20 (signs for M20/London/Ashford) 49.7 mi
47 mins
51. Continue on A20 (signs for London (SE)/Lewisham) 9.7 mi
15 mins
52. At Clifton's Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A20 2.2 mi
6 mins
53. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on A20 1.3 mi
4 mins
54. Slight left at A2 0.7 mi
2 mins
55. Slight right at A2/Kender St 72 ft
56. Turn right at Kender St 0.3 mi
1 min
57. Turn left at A2 1.9 mi
5 mins
58. At Brick Layers Arms, take the 1st exit onto A201/New Kent Rd 0.6 mi
2 mins
59. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto A302/St George's Rd 0.4 mi
1 min
60. Turn left at A3203/Lambeth Rd 0.6 mi
3 mins
61. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto A3203 0.2 mi
1 min
62. At Horseferry Rd, take the 3rd exit onto A3212
COMPARED TO
Driving directions from Myrtle Beach, S.C. to San Diego, Ca
1. Head northeast on N Kings Hwy toward 5th Ave N 0.4 mi
1 min
2. Turn left at Main St 0.2 mi
1 min
3. Continue on US-501 14.1 mi
20 mins
...
4. Turn left at US-378 28.8 mi
42 mins
...
5. Slight right at SC-51 29.8 mi
44 mins
...
6. Continue on W Evans St/SC-S-21-31 0.2 mi
1 min
7. Turn left at W David H McLeod Blvd 1.6 mi
3 mins
8. Continue on I-20 W
Passing through Georgia
Entering Alabama 420 mi
6 hours 17 mins
...
9. Take exit 136 for I-459 toward Montgomery/Tuscaloosa/Gadsden 1.1 mi
1 min
10. Merge onto I-459 S 28.5 mi
25 mins
...
11. Take the I-20 W/I-59 S exit toward Tuscaloosa 1.2 mi
1 min
12. Merge onto I-20 W
Passing through Mississippi, Louisiana
Entering Texas 1,084 mi
15 hours 50 mins
...
13. Merge onto I-10 W
Passing through New Mexico
Entering Arizona 542 mi
7 hours 33 mins
...
14. Take exit 199 to merge onto I-8 W toward San Diego
Entering California 336 mi
4 hours 43 mins
...
15. Take the CA-125 S/CA-125 N exit toward CA-94 0.3 mi
16. Keep left at the fork to continue toward CA-125 S and merge onto CA-125 S 2.4 mi
3 mins
17. Continue on CA-94 W (signs for CA-94 W) 8.5 mi
8 mins
18. Exit onto F St 0.7 mi
3 mins
19. Turn right at 9th Ave 0.1 mi
courtousy Google
from shore to shore
62 steps across the ocean
19 across the USA
captainoutrageous answered on 04/12/07:Talking about going around your arse to get to your thumb. | | Question/Answer | | otoka asked on 04/11/07 - theatre and performance proscenium theatre
captainoutrageous answered on 04/12/07:A Proscenium theater is a theater space whose primary feature is a large archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through which the audience views the play. The audience directly faces the stage, which is typically raised several feet above front row audience level. The main stage is the space behind the proscenium arch, often marked by a curtain which can be lowered or drawn closed. The space in front of the curtain is called the "apron." The areas obscured by the proscenium arch and any curtains serving the same purpose (often called legs or tormentors) are called the wings. Any space not viewable to the audiences is collectively referred to as offstage. Proscenium stages range in size from small enclosures to several stories tall. In general practice, a theatre space is referred to as a "proscenium" any time the audience directly faces the stage, with no audience on any other side, even if there is not a formal proscenium arch over the stage. Because of the somewhat ironic nature of a theatre called a proscenium theatre without a proscenium arch, these theatres are often referred to as "end-on" theatre spaces.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proscenium
The following shows a diagram of this theater setup:
http://theater.about.com/od/actorsinformation/ss/theaters.htm | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 04/11/07 - GWOT is merely a colloquialism “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean do many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
Rep. Ike Skelton, the Chair of the House Armed Services Committee decided lasst week that he is not comfortable with the phrase The 'Global War On Terrorism'. Can't say I blame him ;I quit using it a long time in favor of the 'War Against Jihadistan' or 'Islamo-Nazi scumbags' .
the chairman , said the decision to limit use of the “global war on terror” and the “long war” was done as part of an effort to the standardize grammar and terms to be used in writing the 2008 defense authorization bill. “Each year, the members and staff of the House Armed Services Committee work to prepare the best possible defense authorization bill,” Skelton said in a statement. “When writing legislation, the words we choose are important, and we make every effort to be as precise and specific as possible so that congressional intent may be understood.”
U.S. military operations in Iraq are “separate and distinct from the war against terrorists, who have their genesis in Afghanistan and who attacked us on 9/11, and the American people understand this,” Skelton said, adding that Republican objections to “our efforts to clarify legislative language represent the typical Republican leadership attempt to tie together the misadventure in Iraq and the overall war against terrorists.”
So his real transparent motivation is to isolate the funding of the Iraq theater from the global war against the jihadists . When they tire of that one they will soon tire of Afghanistan ;and so on and so on.
By banning the phrase Skelton hopes to
restore the sense of calm and peace that prevailed during the Clinton Administration ;in other words ;let's just bury our heads in the sand like the good ole days and ignore those who want us gone. In Harry Potter lingo it is "the war that must not be named" . Just sprinkle some pixie dust and wave that magic lexicon wand ..maybe if we don't mention it it will go away !
I got it ! Let's change the name "Armed Services Committee " to "Surender Monkey Committee".I think I'll email San Fran Nan Belle al-Pelosi with the idea .
captainoutrageous answered on 04/11/07:It's all newspeak to me. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 04/07/07 - A TWIST TO THE POLITICAN
KISSING THE BABY![]()
captainoutrageous answered on 04/07/07:Good for Hilary that he's little. Looks as if he's about to land a powerful punch. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 04/07/07 - A global warming Easter For the first in my life as far as I can recall, we're expecting a white Easter. And this just a couple of days after scientists predicted a return of the dustbowl and the water supply running out in 20 years for many people.
But hey, the good news is now that "desalination is the wave of the future," all that rising seawater will have somewhere to go.
And by the way, we've had a wetter than normal winter and spring thus far, local lake levels are rising and farmers are predicting record crops.
Happy global warming Easter. captainoutrageous answered on 04/07/07:It's 23 degrees here with light snow. However, despite the fact that we have been dumped on a lot this winter, we are still 2 inches below normal precipitation for the year to date. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 04/07/07 - Wouldn't This Be A Hoot:
In 2008:
President: Hillary Clinton
Vice - President: Nancy Pelosi
Secretary of State: Bill Clinton
Is it probable and/or possible?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 04/07/07:I suppose it is possible, but I think it is rather unlikely. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 04/05/07 - The Score al-AP writes...
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defused a growing confrontation with Britain, announcing the surprise release of 15 captive British sailors Wednesday and then gleefully accepting the crew's thanks and handshakes in what he called an Easter gift.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed "profound relief" over the peaceful end to the 13-day crisis. "Throughout we have taken a measured approach - firm but calm, not negotiating, but not confronting either," Blair said in London, adding a message to the Iranian people that "we bear you no ill will."
The announcement in Tehran was a breakthrough in a crisis that had escalated over nearly two weeks, raising oil prices and fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran's hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far.
Iran did not get the main thing it sought - a public apology for entering Iranian waters. Britain, which said its crew was in Iraqi waters when seized, insists it never offered a quid pro quo, either, instead relying on quiet diplomacy.
Syria, Iran's close ally, said it played a role in winning the release. "Syria exercised a sort of quiet diplomacy to solve this problem and encourage dialogue between the two parties," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in Damascus.
The announcement of the release came hours after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, trying to show that a U.S. dialogue with Syria - rejected by the Bush administration - could bring benefits for the Middle East. The British sailors were not part of their talks, and it was not clear if the release was timed to coincide with her visit.
Iran's official news agency said the British crew was to leave Iran by plane at 8 a.m. today. By Wednesday evening they had still not been handed over to the British Embassy in Tehran and the embassy said it was not clear where they would spend the night. Britain's ambassador met with the sailors and confirmed they were in good health, Britain's Foreign Office said.
Several British newspapers credited Blair's foreign policy adviser Nigel Sheinwald and Iranian chief negotiator Ali Larijani with laying the groundwork for an agreement during telephone contacts that began Tuesday night. Larijani had gone on British TV on Monday and signaled that Tehran was looking for a diplomatic solution.
British officials were told to pay close attention to Ahmadinejad's press conference but were unsure the release would come until they heard his words, The Independent newspaper said.
Ahmadinejad timed the announcement so as to make a dramatic splash, springing it halfway through a two-hour news conference.
The president first gave a medal of honor to the commander of the Iranian coast guards who captured the Britons, and admonished London for sending a mother, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, on such a dangerous mission in the Persian Gulf.
He said the British government was "not brave enough" to admit the crew had been in Iranian waters when it was captured.
Ahmadinejad then declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had "pardoned" them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holiday.
"This pardon is a gift to the British people," he said.
After the news conference, Iranian television showed a beaming Ahmadinejad on the steps of the presidential palace shaking hands with the Britons - some towering over him. The men were decked out in business suits and Turney wore an Islamic head scarf.
"Your people have been really kind to us, and we appreciate it very much," one of the British men told Ahmadinejad in English. Another male service member said: "We are grateful for your forgiveness."
Ahmadinejad responded in Farsi, "You are welcome."
The score? al-AP/Iran/Ahmedinejad/Syria/Islamofascism - at least 5
US & British Foreign policy/British Marines/women's rights/GWOT - 0
The Mahdi Hatter looks like a god for 'towering' British Marines (and one in a scarf) "thanking" him for his Easter gift. Syria gets a triple play for Pelosi's visit, her idiotic misrepresentation of Israel's message and perfect timing for 'facilitating' the release of the hostages. And they all get a boost from al-AP's glowing account of the whole affair. Can it get any more pathetic? captainoutrageous answered on 04/05/07:The way I see it, the Madhi Hatter just comes across like an ant trying to play lion. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 04/05/07 - wonder how long til
it backfiresNow they say the Bar b que permit was an April fools joke
BUT knowing the way our rights are taken over by the government I wonder how long until they think it IS a good idea! captainoutrageous answered on 04/05/07:Probably not long at all. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 04/04/07 - need another invention here Tomder inc
We need to invent a comment back recording device that goes DIRECTLY back to a REAL person ASAP!
Yesterday I was at the car wash and noticed that it went up one whole dollar since last summer. Needing the bird poop washed off my windshield I figured what the hey! So I started plopping my quarters in the machine. After EACH and every quarter the machine says, (in a Betty Boop voice) 'Stop, don't hit me. Vandalism is just wrong'. I wanted to comment back, 'YOU are the one vandalizing me charging a whole dollar more for you to annoy me!'
THEN each button I pushed presoak, wash, rinse
it said the same thing 'Stop, don't hit me. Vandalism is just wrong"
I had to have heard that at least 15 times in the whole 2 minute and 54 second amount of my car wash time.
cordially
Tomder inc
CRC
sapph
captainoutrageous answered on 04/05/07:Holy, moly, I think I'd find a new car wash. Sounds like that one is in a bad part of town. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 04/04/07 - Remember This?
The Pledge of Allegiance:
"I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
One Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 04/05/07:Yup. We used to say it every morning when I attended public school. Now, though we have a flag in every classroom, we are not allowed to say it at the high school in which I teach for fear of offending someone. At least, they still begin each assembly with the Star Spangled Banner. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 04/03/07 - MEET THE 72 VIRGINS yeah buddy we gottem here
![]()
captainoutrageous answered on 04/03/07:Ready to lock and load. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 04/02/07 - john travolta
wants us to
conservehere is his house complete with two double garages and room for his five planes.
travoltas planes and excuses )
Clocking up at least 30,000 flying miles in the past 12 months means he has produced an estimated 800 tons of carbon emissions – nearly 100 times the average Briton's tally.
Travolta, a Scientologist, claimed the solution to global warming could be found in outer space and blamed his hefty flying mileage on the nature of the movie business.
![]()
Think we should contribute to the cause??? captainoutrageous answered on 04/02/07:Shades of Leona Helmsley ('We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes. . . ). Us little guys have to conserve so the big guys can play. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 04/02/07 - This just shows you cannot trust islamic clerics
Pledge to repay Hilali's war donations
By Richard Kerbaj
April 03, 2007 12:00am
Article from: The Australian
THE nation's most powerful Islamic association has promised to repay more than $US10,000 ($13,000) in donations raised by Australian Muslims for Lebanese war victims that ended up being handed over in cash by Taj Din al-Hilali to a "suspect" radio station in Lebanon.
The Howard Government has also attacked Sheik Hilali, the mufti of Australia, for betraying the trust of Australian donors by dishing out money to supporters of Iraqi jihadists.
Lebanese Muslim Association president Tom Zreika said yesterday his organisation was prepared to pay back donors any money that Egyptian-born Sheik Hilali could not properly account for.
He said the LMA would launch an investigation into exactly how Sheik Hilali distributed the $70,000 raised by the organisation in conjunction with other Islamic bodies, following last year's Israel-Hezbollah conflict in southern Lebanon.
"We will take all the necessary steps to bring to account any mishandling of funds in Lebanon and will further investigate the $US10,000 given to a suspect radio station," Mr Zreika told The Australian, referring to the Islamic Tawhid radio station, which supports jihad in Iraq.
"In the meantime, this organisation will pay back the $US10,000 in compensation."
The Australian revealed yesterday that Sheik Hilali handed out more than $US38,000 of Australian-raised charity funds following last year's 34-day war, and had been accused of giving the money to a proscribed terrorist wing of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah or its affiliates.
It was also revealed that Sheik Hilali had failed to give the LMA official documents detailing how the money was spent.
Mr Zreika said while Sheik Hilali deserved a chance to explain how he distributed the funds, the LMA - which runs Sydney's Lakemba Mosque, where the cleric has an office - would dissociate itself from him if the funds were shown not to have been properly spent.
"All ties will be cut with Hilali if it's proved that he's misappropriated the funds," he said.
Sheik Hilali is overseas and could not be contacted.
The Australian understands that the LMA was kept in the dark on how the money was distributed, and had initially opposed Sheik Hilali's involvement.
"At no time was Sheik Hilali authorised to hand out funds in Lebanon, and in particular the amount of $US10,000 to the Islamic radio station," said a source close to the LMA.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Teresa Gambaro said last night that Sheik Hilali had to come clean.
"The onus is still on Sheik al-Hilali to immediately give a full and accurate account of which organisations he provided these donations to, and how much these organisations received," she said.
"These donations must be shown to have complied with Australian law and I expect every cent to be accounted for."
The Australian Council For International Development executive director Paul O'Callaghan said the lack of transparency undermined the image of the fundraising community. He said it was an organisation's responsibility when raising charity funds to inform donors on how the money would be allocated.
"The onus is totally on an organisation to advise in advance what their intention is and how donors can track where the donations go," said Mr O'Callaghan.
captainoutrageous answered on 04/02/07:And can we say flim-flam man? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 04/02/07 - for itsdb, who thinks things are getting better in Iraq Monday: 3 GIs, 1 Briton, 84 Iraqis Killed; 280 Iraqis Wounded, 10 Kidnapped
Updated at 6:10 p.m. EST, Apr. 2, 2007
At least 84 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 280 Iraqis were wounded in violent attacks. Also, 10 people were abducted at a fake checkpoint. In the largest incident, about 200 were wounded and 13 killed during a truck bombing in Kirkuk. Three American and one British soldier died in four separate attacks today.
An American soldier died during a truck bombing in Kirkuk; it is unclear whether the event is the same that killed 134 and wounded 200 Iraqis. Asecond GI was killed during combat operations today in Anbar Province. A roadside bomb killed a U.S. servicemember in Fuhaylat. Also, a British soldier died in Basra, the second in as many days.
Thirteen people were killed and about 200 were wounded during a truck bomb attack in the northern city of Kirkuk. Many children are believed to be among the dead and injured. The number of casualties is expected to rise. American soldiers were filmed among the injured.
The bodies of 23 men were found near Baquba in Bani Saad; among the dead were 19 who were kidnapped together at a fake checkpoint yesterday. Today, 10 more people were abducted from a fake checkpoint.
In Baghdad, 14 dumped bodies were found scattered throughout town. A suicide car bomber drove into a police checkpoint in the Doura neighborhood where he killed two people and wounded five others. Near a Bayaa area courthouse, a car bomb killed four and wounded ten. Elsewhere, an interior ministry motorcade came under fire; two guards were seriously wounded. Two guards were killed and three more wounded by a roadside bomb in Bab al Muathim. A roadside bomb in Qahira injured three people. A mortar damaged a school. In al-Ghadeer, a sniper killed an Iraqi soldier, while an off-duty Iraqi soldier was gunned down at a checkpoint in Yarmouk. Also, mortars fell in several neighborhoods late yesterday where they killed one person and wounded 20 more. And, the body of a Baghdad University director was found two days after he was kidnapped.
A suicide bomber killed four people and wounded 30 near a popular Khalis restaurant.
In Mosul, U.S. troops raided two homes where they killed six people who belonged to two families. Three dumped bodies were found.
Gunmen killed a police officer in Amara.
In Fallujah armed men killed a member of the Fallujah Clerics Council. Three unidentified bodies were discovered.
Mortars injured two civilians in Hibhib.
Mortar rounds fell on a U.S. base in Haditha, but casualties were not reported.
In Diyala province, clashes took place at Iraqi army headquarters in Ghalbia. Also, five civilians were injured when the were fired upon; the injured had to be taken to Baghdad as routes to other hospitals were too dangerous to use.
A truck carrying rice to Mandii was bombed; the blast destroyed seven months of food rations.
Iraqi and U.S. forces arrested at least 50 suspects in Dour, including the mayor. Two suspected al-Qaeda were arrested in Ramadi. Nine people were detained in Latifiya. Three gunmen were arrested in Karbala. Also, Iraqi forces killed two suspects during security operations. captainoutrageous answered on 04/02/07:Is there no end in sight for the senseless violence? | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/29/07 - why we banned Legos
Rethinking Schools Classic.
From RS Editor Bill Bigelow:
Why We Banned Legos
Volume 21, Issue 2 As they watched their elementary-age students playing with Legos, Ann Pelo and Kendra Pelojoaquin saw some disturbing trends.
In the current issue they describe how some kids hoarded the "best" pieces, denied their classmates any access at all to the pretend town they were building, and displayed other undesirable behavior surrounding ownership and the social power it conveys.
So the teachers banned Legos, and worked with the kids to surface the issues raised by the ways they had been using the popular building blocks.
Our children are political beans.
Legos ban )
more on Legos )
captainoutrageous answered on 03/29/07:And don't those idiots realize that these natural behaviors will surface elsewhere? | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 03/29/07 - The Iron Code After years of reading volumes of literature--from ancient to modern--and seeing countless movies and TV shows, and having observed the actions of others and ourselves, a friend of mine and I condensed what we think it is to be a man into a short and succinct form--a code, if you will.
You see, we (and others like us, few though they are) believe that today's passive and pu**ified world no longer has any standard whatsoever that a man may be measured by, or ideals to live up to. Therefore, I humbly submit to you a masterpiece, crafted by a friend:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE IRON CODE (or "being male doesn't make you a man")
NEVER VIOLATE A WOMAN NOR HARM A CHILD.
DO NOT LIE, CHEAT OR STEAL. THESE THINGS ARE FOR LESSER MEN.
PROTECT THE WEAK FROM THE EVIL STRONG . NEVER ALLOW THOUGHTS OF GAIN TO LEAD YOU INTO THE PURSUIT OF EVIL.
NEVER BACK AWAY FROM AN ENEMY. EITHER FIGHT OR SURRENDER. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY I WILL NOT BE EVIL .
EVIL MUST BE FOUGHT WHEREVER IT IS FOUND.
Being born a male in this world doesn't make you a man. That is simply a process of horomones and D.N.A. Being a MAN is about the choices that we make and how we respond to the outcome of those choices. Do we follow the rest of the herd waiting to die? Just another number in the staus quo? Or, do we stand up and become the kind of men that GOD created us to be?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is teachable stuff. Even as we speak (or read), it is being crafted into a poster to hang in my classroom, in the hopes that this next generation won't turn out to be as f***ed up as they seem to be trying to be.
Next, I'm consulting with various strong and moral women to come up with one that can be taught to the young females who would like to one day become a lady.
What do you think?
DK
captainoutrageous answered on 03/29/07:Awesome code. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 03/29/07 - So they are Christians? afterall Pauline's said it so it must be so. Please don't think that this person in anyway reflects Australia
'Christian Muslims' welcome
By Ben Packham
March 30, 2007 12:00am
Article from: Herald-Sun
PAULINE Hanson has invented a new religion where Muslims and Christians can pray together.
The former One Nation leader, who is having another tilt at politics, said she was wary of allowing Muslims to settle in Australia.
But she would welcome some Muslims, she said.
"There are Christian Muslims - there is no problems about that," she told ABC radio yesterday.
"But if people believe in the way of life under the Koran, that concerns me greatly."
The comment - an apparent reference to Arab Christians - revives memories of her famous "Please explain" gaffe during her early days in Parliament.
In another curious statement, Ms Hanson said Malaysia had been "taken over by Muslims, despite a long history of Islam in that country".
She also said she had no sympathy for confessed terrorist collaborator David Hicks, saying he was "prepared to blow himself up to kill other people".
But there is no suggestion Hicks ever planned to be a suicide bomber.
Despite her apparent confusion, she said she had learnt a lot since her first stint in Parliament. "I think I'm a little bit older, wiser, a lot more mature, and my knowledge of politics is a lot broader," she said.
Ms Hanson, who is making a run for a Queensland Senate seat, launched her new biography, Untamed and Unashamed, yesterday.
The book includes details of a romantic liaison with her one-time staff member David Oldfield, who failed a lie detector test this week after claiming he did not have sex with Ms Hanson.
The former fish and chip shop proprietor said Mr Oldfield should have come clean.
"I think the biggest problem here is that he has apparently lied to his wife," she said.
"He should have been up-front and honest - there wouldn't be any problem. So that's his problem, not mine. My life has moved on."
Ms Hanson said her affair with Mr Oldfield was her one regret in her life, which included a marriage at 16, child at 17, two marriage breakdowns, 11 weeks in prison for an electoral fraud conviction and starting up the One Nation party.
"I regret my association with him in the bedroom," she said.
Ms Hanson appeared nonplussed when comics from TV's The Chaser turned up at her book launch with a stained dress they said was proof of her affair.
She said she had had enough of the Oldfield episode.
"I don't intend to bring him up any more," she told reporters at the Sydney book store hosting the launch. "I am so over it, and I think everyone else is. I've had enough of it."
She said the next federal election, which she hopes heralds her return to Parliament as an independent senator, would be a big test for both major parties.
"I personally don't have a lot of time for either one of them," she said. "I think it's the same old rhetoric."
Ms Hanson said she was not racist, and was simply proud of Australia.
But Roland Jabbour, chairman of the Australian Arabic Council, said Ms Hanson had damaged Australia's reputation.
"I think her comments are a reflection of someone who is totally ignorant," he said. "It would be a sad day if she ever succeeded in gaining a seat in Parliament again."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It's so hard to get good people these days, please don't think Hanson refects Australia captainoutrageous answered on 03/29/07:Can she say "foot in the mouth" disease? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 03/28/07 - Bauer v. Bond James Bond on Jack's Turf: Taunts Bauer Again, Calls Him "Rubbish"
-- New York Times headline, February 30, 2007
After months of transatlantic bickering and tabloid name-calling, the public feud between Jack Bauer and James Bond has taken on an ugly new coloring. The battle for espionage bragging rights, now affecting U.S.-UK relations, has become a classic barroom brawl, as the clandestine torture tactics championed by both principals is bandied about in television spots, print articles, and YouTube videos the world over, aided and abetted by the New Media Youth.
In an effort to calm the dispute, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a statement yesterday calling on the two men "to begin acting like gentlemen again. Their countries expect a certain degree of decorum from them, not adolescent temper tantrums." She added, "This is not, and never was, a competition." In London, Conservative Party leader and Calvin Klein model David Cameron struck a more partisan note. "Brits know about a stiff upper lip," he said, "and Commander Bond will show Mr. Bauer just what that means."
At U.S. detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, this "spy war" is all too real. Detainees are terrified that the celebritized "torture tactics" championed by Mr. Bauer might tsunami their peaceful Caribbean retreat. A statement released through an ACLU-court-appointed-human-rights-free-of-charge lawyer said, "We prisoners of conscience worry we will lose our three daily, politically correct squares in an effort to boost the tough guy image of Jack Bauer." The Bond-leaning EU and ICC are considering sending "food troops" to the base to ensure that religiously ordained, and nutritious, meals are in fact still being served.
Despite mounting pressure from both governments to "hold the high ground," neither man appears willing to resist upping the ante. Commander Bond made a pre-emptive appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman Monday night, one day after being snubbed at the 79th Annual Oscars in Los Angeles. Asked by Letterman if he was Mr. Bauer's moral as well as tactical superior, Bond responded, "I don't try to have it both ways, Dave. I make decisions and let the chips fall where they may" -- a none too subtle allusion to Mr. Bauer's rather conflicted decision-making patterns. Letterman clearly understood, telling his guest, "That would imply you think Jack Bauer hasn't defended his country to the best of his ability." Bond merely smiled his famous "come hither" smile.
And with that, the fists began to fly again. Bond had to engage an extra security detail to escort him from the CBS Studios through the gauntlet of angry Bauer sympathizers arrayed outside.
To respond to Bond's accusations, Mr. Bauer immediately booked himself on a special world telecast sit-down with Ms. Oprah Winfrey, or Oprah, as she is popularly known. He said of the quarrel with Bond, "I am just a simple man with simple tastes. I believe in God. I believe in the love of a woman. I believe that good always triumphs over evil, and I believe in ice hockey." "But," Oprah prodded, "now that Congress is cutting funding to Homeland Security, won't that affect your ability to get your job done in order to protect us?" "I don't need fancy pants cars, watches, and the rest of it to do my job," Mr. Bauer intoned.
In a rare evening edition of the Guardian, 007 snapped back, "I can get down and dirty with the best of them, too!" Poll numbers, however, suggest that Bond is losing favor, even among his strongest demographic, the prep school educated Alpha male set. To bolster support for the MI6 agent, the BBC is putting together a special report entitled, "Men of the Shadows: Why the British Provide More Comforts and Resources to Special Forces Than the Yanks," to air on BBC Prime, a channel not available in the United States, but popular in India and points farther west.
As the feud rages on, pro-Bauer and pro-Bond websites and blogs are popping up all over the Internet, with Wall Street hearing rumors that should the clash continue, Google or MySpace will attempt to buy out a majority on one side in order to capitalize on the awesome advertising opportunities opening up as the entire world watches and waits for the next blow to land.
You Decide -- Who Is Tougher? Jack Bauer or James Bond?
Amy K. Mitchell is managing editor of The American Spectator. captainoutrageous answered on 03/29/07:My money's on 007. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/27/07 - vote for your favorite ![]()
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captainoutrageous answered on 03/28/07:Um, choices, choices. May I abstain please? They are all great. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 03/28/07 - Rising oceans The real cause behind the threat of rising oceans...
![]() captainoutrageous answered on 03/28/07:Between them and my ex, we are in heap big trouble if they all go swimmimg the same day. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 03/27/07 - The answer to the SUV? Trust the French to lead the way and come up with a real alternative to the urban blight of the SUV
Let them ride bikes: Parisians to hit roads
March 26, 2007
PARIS: On July 15, the day after Bastille Day, Parisians will wake up to discover thousands of low-cost rental bikes at hundreds of high-tech bicycle stations scattered throughout the city, an ambitious program to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the city's image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place.
By the end of the year, there should be 20,600 bikes at 1450 stations - or about one station every 250 metres across the entire city. Based on experience elsewhere - particularly in Lyon, France's third-largest city - regular users of the bikes will ride them almost free.
"We think it could change Paris's image - make it quieter, less polluted, with a nicer atmosphere, a better way of life," said Jean-Luc Dumesnil, an aide to the Mayor, Bertrand Delanoe.
Anthonin Darbon, director of Cyclocity, which operates Lyon's program and won the contract to run the one in Paris, said 95 per cent of the roughly 20,000 daily bicycle rentals in Lyon are free because of their length.
Cyclocity is a subsidiary of the outdoor advertising behemoth JCDecaux. London, Dublin, Sydney and Melbourne are reportedly considering similar rental programs.
The Cyclocity concept evolved from utopian "bike-sharing" ideas tried in Europe in the 1960s, most famously in Amsterdam. But in the end, the bikes were stolen and became too beaten-up to ride.
JCDecaux developed a sturdier, less vandal-prone bike, along with a rental system to discourage theft: each rider must leave a credit card or refundable deposit of about €150 ($250). In Lyon, about 10 per cent of the bikes are stolen each year, but many are later recovered.
To encourage people to return bikes quickly, rental rates rise the longer the bikes are out. In Paris, for instance, renting a bike will be free for the first half-hour, €1 for the next, €2 for the third, and so on.
In a complex, 10-year public-private partnership deal, JCDecaux will provide all the bikes and build the pick-up/drop-off stations. Each will have racks connected to a centralised computer that can monitor each bike's condition and location. In exchange, Paris is giving the company exclusive control over 1628 city-owned billboards.
The Washington Post
captainoutrageous answered on 03/27/07:Sounds like a great idea. Of course, I'm biased - I am a cyclist. | | Question/Answer | | PrinceHassim asked on 03/26/07 - Iraq. I told you it was a civil war and ye believed me not!
Since al-Qaeda bombed one of the most important Shiite shrines in Iraq 13 months ago, tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and whole neighborhoods have undergone sectarian cleansing. The bombing caused the once-relatively quiescent Shiite community to rise up in a campaign of revenge.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq said 34,452 Iraqis died last year alone.
Perhaps the American war of independence was nothing but an insurgency. Mel Gibson fought in it in the patriot and he and his militia wore farm clothes not military uniform.
Being a prophet is a hard calling. Ho hum! captainoutrageous answered on 03/26/07:Whatever you call it - war, civil war, military action - it's still a damn mess. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 03/26/07 - Viking's Home Journal Viking's Home Journal
VIKINGS HOME JOURNAL
(Today's Journal for the modern Viking)
* Three fast and tasty village dog recipes for the working Viking
who doesn't have all day to cook.
* War wound stitchery-Don't throw away those severed body parts.
Needle point tips that can make that foot or arm good as new.
* Surprising reader's poll: 9 out of 10 Viking women are not
satisfied in bed. Find out what they really want.
* Burning pitch techniques that can really let you rain hell on your
neighbors!
* Surrounded by intellectuals-How one Viking escaped. By David-the-Saxon.
* Viking mid-life crisis-Is raping murdering and pillaging all there is ?
* Is your son a Pansy?-A candid article by Erick-the-Red which every father
should read.
* Don't let your Viking Tupperware party end in a blood bath-Do's and don'ts
for a successful evening.
* Detroit unveils the New 89 line of warships-Faster, sleeker, fewer
slaves in the galley!
AT YOUR VILLAGE NEWSSTANDS NOW !
captainoutrageous answered on 03/26/07:Well, the articles don't sound any worse than some of the crap I have been seeing on the front covers of existing publications. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/21/07 - animal rights nuts gone nuts? Kill tame bear, say animal nuts
March 20, 2007
ANIMAL-RIGHTS activists have called for a zoo’s baby Polar bear to be KILLED — because it relies on humans.
Knut became a superstar after he was rejected by his mother at birth last December.
His twin brother died after just four days.
The hand-reared polar bear touched the hearts of the nation and became the symbol of Berlin Zoo.
He was even photographed by star snapper Annie Leibowitz for an international campaign.
But extremists in Germany claim Knut’s cuteness is against his own “animal rights” and he should be put to sleep.
Activist Frank Albrecht said last night: “The hand-rearing of Knut is a breach of the animal protection code.
“He’ll rely on humans forever and this cannot be right.”
Zoo director Wolfram Ludwig added: “He will not be a proper Polar bear. But it is too late to kill him now.”
Thousands of tourists flock to see Knut fed by a baby’s bottle every day. He was voted the city’s top citizen in a TV poll.
Wolfgang Apel, of the German Animal Protection Society, said: “We must be careful with Knut but killing him is not the answer.“
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captainoutrageous answered on 03/23/07:A rather silly argument by these individuals. Yes, in the wild, Knut would not have made it, but he's not in the wild, nor are any of the other bears at the zoo - they rely on humans, as well. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/22/07 - Hybrid green car lie Once I get more facts and sources I plan to post this on the Christianity board----oooowwwwwhh!
"The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles"
"The Hummer costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 mile"
green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.
the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.
“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping 295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.
“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?
Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.
When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis.
Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust,” the total combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.
The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.
SO, IF you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.
One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.
green lie ) captainoutrageous answered on 03/23/07:Thank you for sharing this information. I guess I've been out of the loop - I was actually talking with a friend Sunday about the virtues of her Prius. This definitely gives another take on the subject. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 03/22/07 - GOP Scandal? Followup to Sapph's youtube video...
As I noted on here post, ABC (and the SF Chronicle and others) took the bait and hinted at a GOP conspiracy:
CLAIRE SHIPMAN: "Robin, the ultimate conspiracy theory, some Democrats think a Republican operative could be responsible because it not only makes Hillary Clinton look bad but Barack Obama look bad, since it's an attack ad."
ROBIN ROBERTS: "Something to think about."
Wrong!
Mystery creator of anti-Clinton ad steps forward
By Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Internet video sensation that targeted Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton now has rival Sen. Barack Obama on the spot.
Heralded by many as the embodiment of Web-driven citizen activism, the mysterious YouTube ad now stands revealed as the work of a Democratic operative employed by a consulting firm with Obama links.
"It's true ... yeah, it's me," said Philip de Vellis, a 33-year-old strategist with Blue State Digital, a Washington company that advises Democratic candidates and liberal groups.
Blue State designed Obama's website, and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.
Obama, Blue State and de Vellis all say de Vellis acted on his own. De Vellis left the company on Wednesday. He said he resigned; Thomas Gensemer, the firm's managing director, said he was fired.
The entire episode hangs a cloud over the Obama camp.
Since he arrived on the national political scene, Obama has won convert after convert with a vow to rise above the bare-knuckle fray of politics.
However tenuous, any link to the ad, with its Orwellian image of Clinton as Big Brother, raises questions the Obama camp would rather not face.
In a statement, the Obama campaign said it "had no knowledge and had nothing to do with the creation of the ad."
"Blue State Digital has separated ties with this individual and we have been assured he did no work on our campaign's account," it added.
De Vellis, in a blog he wrote after he had been identified by Huffingtonpost.com, appeared to acknowledge the trouble he had brewed. "I support Senator Obama," he wrote. "I hope he wins the primary. (I recognize that this ad is not his style of politics)."
It's not as if Obama's campaign is not willing to mix it up.
Last month, Obama adviser Robert Gibbs referred to the infamous Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers of the Clinton era after the Clinton team demanded that Obama apologize for anti-Clinton remarks by Hollywood producer and Obama backer David Geffen.
And this week, Obama consultant David Axelrod publicly challenged Clinton strategist Mark Penn over his characterization of Obama's stance on the war in Iraq.
The unmasking of de Vellis also cracks the enticing image of the Internet as a freewheeling arena where average citizens engage in vigorous, often provocative, discourse.
De Vellis said he acted like any techno-savvy, politically attuned Web surfer. He said he worked on a Sunday in his apartment, using his Mac computer and video editing software to alter an updated version of a classic Apple ad that aired during the Super Bowl in 1984.
But the fact remains that de Vellis was a political professional. He had worked for Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown in his successful campaign for U.S. Senate in Ohio. And he was working for a firm with political clients, including Obama.
"Obviously some people are going to look at this and see that I'm working in politics and they'll think that it's kind of disingenuous or not genuine," de Vellis said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I still think that ordinary citizens can change politics. It could have been anyone else who could have made this ad."
The ad portrayed Clinton on a huge television screen addressing an audience that sat in a trancelike state. A female athlete, running ahead of storm troopers, sprints into the auditorium and tosses a hammer at the screen, destroying Clinton's image. "On January 14th the Democratic primary will begin," the text states. "And you will see why 2008 isn't going to be like 1984." It signs off with "BarackObama.com"
In the interview, and later in a blog written for the Huffington Post, de Vellis expressed pride in his creation, while acknowledging that his employers are "disappointed and angry at me, and deservedly so."
"It changes the trajectory of my career," he said.
OK, who'll be first to come out and apologize for blaming this on Republican dirty tricks?captainoutrageous answered on 03/23/07:Personally, I don't see what all the hubbub is about - I thought it was a stupid commercial. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 03/22/07 - Fred Thompson continues to impress Here is part of his commentary tha the delivered on the Paul Harvey show this week .
Southern Exposure
By Fred Thompson
We are all very well aware of the fact that we have an illegal-immigration problem in this country. As usual, we avoided the problem for as long as we could and when we couldn’t avoid it any longer we were told that, indeed, somewhere between 12 and 20 million people had somehow come into this country unnoticed.
It’s like we went overnight from “no problem” to a problem so big that it now defies a good solution. It’s become one of those “there are no good choices only less bad choices” that Americans are becoming all too familiar with.
We know that the overwhelming majority of illegals come across the Mexican border. Fortunately, we’ve got someone who is all too willing to tell us what we should do about it — the president of Mexico Philipe Calderon. President Calderon doesn’t think much of our border policies. He criticizes our efforts to secure the border with things such as border fencing. He says that bottle necks at U.S. checkpoints hurt Mexican commerce and force his citizens to migrate illegally in order to make a living (and of course send money back to Mexico). He apparently thinks we should do nothing except make American citizens out of his constituents. Calderon also accused U.S. officials of failing to do enough to stop the flow of drugs in to the United States. Mexican politicians gave President Bush an earful of all of this during his recent trip to Mexico.
I think its time for a little plain talk to the leaders of Mexico. Something like:
hey guys, you’re our friends and neighbors and we love you but it’s time you had a little dose of reality. A sovereign nation loses that status if it cannot secure its own borders and we are going to do whatever is necessary to do so, although our policies won’t be as harsh as yours are along your southern border. And criticizing the U.S. for alternately doing too much and too little to stop your illegal activities is not going to set too well with Americans of good will who are trying to figure a way out of the mess that your and our open borders policy has already created.
My friends, it’s also time for a little introspection. Since we all agree that improving Mexico’s economy will help with the illegal-immigration problem, you might want to consider your own left-of -center policies. For example, nationalized industries are not known for enhancing economic growth. Just a thought. But here’s something even more to the point that you might want to think about: What does it say about the leadership of a country when that country’s economy and politics are dependent upon the exportation of its own citizens?
— Fred Thompson is an actor and former United States senator from Tennessee.
© PAUL HARVEY SHOW, ABC RADIO NETWORKS
captainoutrageous answered on 03/23/07:Hear! Hear! Calderon and those of his ilk would like the proverbial "having his cake and eating it, too." | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 03/22/07 - Some prices of common products (approximations only) Jack Daniels Bourbon =$94.90 per gallon
1792 Bourbon = $149.90 per gallon
Reposado Tequila = $139.90 per gallon
Balvinie Single Malt Scotch Whiskey = $179.90 per gallon
Crappy domestic merlo = $29.90 per gallon
Crappy domestic beer = $23.09 per gallon
Sparkling water = $18.90 per gallon
Pantene Pro V shampoo with conditioner = $41.50 per gallon
Listerine mouthwash = $26.52 per gallon
Toothpaste (cheap stuff) = $42.45 per gallon
Evian bottled water = $11.43 per gallon
Tropicana Orange Juice = $7.99 per gallon
Coca Cola = $6.20 per gallon
Gatorade sports drink = $14.56 per gallon
Pet Promise canned dog food = $16.25 per gallon
And the cost of gasoline at the pump averages about $2.57 per gallon (nationawide average as of 3/19/07).
What in the hell is the big issue with gas prices. Why is everyone in such an uproar over the high cost of gas or the profits that oil companies are making? Your shampoo maker is making more per gallon than your oil company is. Why isn't anyone talking about the high price of shampoo and the shampoo company profits that should be taken away from them?
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 03/23/07:But I'm not putting 20 gallons of Jack Daniels in my tank every week to get to work. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/18/07 - just in time for tax season Dear Internal Revenue Service:
Enclosed you will find my 2006 tax return, showing that I owe $3,407.00 in taxes.
Please note the article from the "USA Today" newspaper dated 12 November, wherein you will see the Pentagon (Department of Defense) is paying $171.50 per hammer, and NASA has paid $600.00 per toilet seat.
I am enclosing four (4) toilet seats (valued @ $2,400.) and six (6) hammers (valued @ $1,029.), which I secured at Home Depot, bringing my total remittance to $3,429.00. Please apply the overpayment of $22.00 to the "Presidential Election Fund," as noted on my return. You can do this inexpensively by sending them one (1) 1.5" Phillips Head screwdriver, (see aforementioned article from USA Today newspaper detailing how H.U.D. pays $22.00 each for 1.5" Phillips Head screwdrivers). One (1) screw is enclosed for your convenience.
It has been a pleasure to pay my tax bill this year, and I look forward to paying it again next year.
Sincerely,
A Satisfied Taxpayer captainoutrageous answered on 03/18/07:Even better than the other one. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/18/07 - the republican & the democrat & the homeless person
A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.
The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republican's pocket and got out twenty dollars. He kept $15 for administrative fees and gave the homeless person five.
captainoutrageous answered on 03/18/07:Cute! | | Question/Answer | | Dark_Crow asked on 03/15/07 - New philosophy forum...... http://www.philosophyforums.net/
It looks promising. captainoutrageous answered on 03/16/07:Looks interesting. I hope they get off to a good start. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 03/13/07 - Inconvenient news for the Goracle Times disses Al film as convenient stretch of truth
By Herald staff
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - Updated: 01:37 AM EST
The New York Times fires a shot today at Al Gore and his Academy Award-winning global warming film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” saying it involves “hype” and shoddy science.
“Hollywood has a thing for Al Gore and his three-alarm film . . . So do many environmentalists, who praise him as a visionary, and many scientists, who laud him for raising public awareness,” the Times reports. “But part of his scientific audience is uneasy . . . these scientists argue that some of Mr. Gore’s central points are exaggerated and erroneous.”
The Times quotes geologist Don J. Easterbrook, addressing the Geological Society of America: “I don’t want to pick on Al Gore. But there are a lot of inaccuracies . . . we have to temper that with real data.”
James E. Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a Gore adviser, told the Times, “Al does an exceptionally good job of seeing the forest for the trees,” but his work has “imperfections.” He singled out Gore’s dire prediction of more, deadlier hurricanes as exaggerated.
The Times cites a recent U.N. report’s prediction of a maximum 23-inch ocean rise this century, while Gore claims the ocean will rise 20 feet over an unspecified time, flooding entire cities.
Gore told The Times his movie made “the most important and salient points” about climate change,” but not necessarily “some nuances and distinctions.”
Some scientists recently have been publicly questioning the greenhouse-gas theory, saying evidence points to natural heating and cooling cycles. Gore has been demanding political action to cut emissions, but scientists also are divided on whether that would actually alter the warming trend.
Last week, Britain’s Channel 4 announced “The Great Global Warming Swindle,” a counter-documentary in which scientists dispute manmade global-warming theories and discuss professional pressures to go along with them.
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What's an exaggeration or imperfection here and there as long as you get the 'nuances' that lead to an Oscar? captainoutrageous answered on 03/14/07:You can use statistics to prove anything if you finagle them just right. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 03/12/07 - HERE ARE A BUNCH OF
VIDEOS ON TERRORISMHAVEN'T HAD TIME TO WATCH THEM MYSELF
yahoo page ) captainoutrageous answered on 03/13/07:Very interesting. You should find the time to view them. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 03/10/07 - A great quote "It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers!
In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late.
Accordingly, I'm readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I'll, in turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials - after the fact."
Robert E. Lee, 1863
captainoutrageous answered on 03/12/07:Lee always had an awesome way with words.
"He is one of the most beloved figures in American history. Lee's fame rests on his military achievements as Confederate commander in the face of overwhelming odds, and on his outstanding personal character. He won the admiration and respect of Northerners as well as Southerners. Lee fought for one section of the young nation, but the struggle did not make him intolerant. He fought, not for personal gain, but to prove himself worthy of a cause." Marrin, Albert. Virginia's General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War. Atheneum, 1994. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 03/10/07 - Does it matter or not? Tell me if you've heard this before?
Why are you obsessed with Bill Clinton’s sex life?
Clinton's private life has nothing to do with his public life.
The man's sex life is none of our business.
Or any number of similar quotes. So why are the media and other moonbats scrutinizing Rudy and Newt's personal lives if it doesn't matter? I hear the NY Times has been on a mission against Rudy this week, and even though Gingrich isn't running for anything yet his "sordid" personal life is suddenly under scrutiny again.
al-AP is doing their hit jobs on Rudy this week, I'm sure hoping to break his stride and sway social conservatives from getting behind what is likely the Reps best chance. If Giuliani can't keep his family together, how will he keep the country together? It was good of al-AP to form that question in our minds wasn't it?
Steve and Cokie Roberts asked this:
To much of America, Rudy Giuliani is a genuine hero, but not to his ex-wife or their children. So which images will have more power? America's Mayor or Broadway Rudy? The Faithful Leader or The Unfaithful Husband? The Able Manager or The Absent Dad?
I don't know, and frankly I don't care, but the Roberts seem certain the "smart political money" says Rudy's negatives will "prove fatal" before the election.captainoutrageous answered on 03/11/07:He won't be the first whose political aspirations have been shot down because of the media airing their personal lives. It is a shame that people often cannot see that personal weakness is not necessarily an indication of poor governing ability. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 03/08/07 - And it just keeps getting
crazierI know guys who drive with NO drivers license, needles and kids in the car, etc, etc.... and they are out of jail within a month at most. This kid pulled the cover off a fire alarm at school and is facing a year in jail.
I think a sentence like that will do the kid more harm than good.
What 10-year-old's jury will hear
By RICK CASEY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
If a jury is seated May 15, as scheduled, to decide whether 10-year-old Casey Harmeier committed the crime of attempting to send a false fire alarm, here is some of the evidence jurors are likely to hear.
Casey is a good student, making A's and B's.
According to his father, he has never been in trouble, either at Tomball ISD's Beckendorf Intermediate School or previously at Tomball Elementary School.
When I asked district spokesman Stacy Stanfield to confirm that, she said, “Student records are confidential. I am told he is a good student.”
Teacher: ‘He's a great kid’
He was called to the principal's office last year — to receive the “citizen-of-the-month award.”
When Casey was sentenced to three weeks at the district's alternative school for actually activating the fire alarm, alternative-school teacher Janet Bohannon e-mailed his fifth-grade classroom teachers asking if there was anything she needed to know in order to help him.
“Casey is a really good kid and a hard worker,” replied Lori Dollar. She added her concern that “we do a lot of labs in science that he will be missing.”
Teacher Carrie Roberts wrote: “He's a great kid.”
An eyewitness account
Presumably those same teachers would have to testify he was a really stupid kid when he attempted to pull the fire alarm. There were so many witnesses.
He was in line with classmates and a teacher was nearby when he accidentally brushed a clear plastic cover over the fire alarm. Seeing the cover was ajar, another boy dared him to pull the cover off.
A dare is tough on a boy. Casey pulled the cover and was frightened when a loud horn went off.
Neither he nor his teacher nor, apparently, the principal knew the covers were rigged to sound a loud, local alarm precisely to discourage false alarms from being sent to the dispatcher.
In the principal's office, Casey erroneously said he pulled the alarm. Principal Dolores Guidry sentenced Casey to three weeks at the alternative center and the boy who dared him to in-school suspension.
Without consulting Casey's parents, Guidry called the Tomball police, who arrested Casey and charged him with a felony. It was nearly four hours after the incident that Frank Harmeier, who teaches history at the Tomball alternative school, was notified that his 10-year-old was under arrest.
It took Harmeier 51 days, but he finally was able to get school district officials to admit in writing that “the overwhelming evidence” (a fire alarm log) showed that the fire alarm was not set off by Casey but by a staff member attempting to stop the local horn.
Prosecutor Cari Allen was notified. She did not, however, drop the charges.
“I think the evidence will show he was attempting to do it,” she said.
Apparently she doesn't know about the eyewitness. I will call her Becky because her mother wants to protect her privacy.
Becky told her mother about the incident when she came home from school that day.
“She said the other boy dared Casey to pull the cover off,” her mother said. “She said, ‘I don't think you should do that.’”
Becky's mom said her daughter was clear that it was only about the cover.
“There was no dare to pull the fire-alarm lever,” she said.
Becky's mom called Principal Guidry the next day.
"I told her Becky had witnessed the whole thing," she said. "But I told her under no circumstances should she talk to my daughter without me or my husband there."
Why?
"I didn't want to take the risk of their taking her off to jail,” she said.
She said she had received calls from other parents, all upset that Casey had been arrested without his parents' knowledge.
As it happens, Becky's grandmother dared a classmate to pull an alarm when they were ninth-graders nearly 60 years ago. The girl did. Both had to stay after school several days and write an essay on good citizenship, said Becky's mom.
Neither became a criminal.
Guidry didn't bother to interview Becky, but I'd be surprised if defense attorney Craig Washington didn't want the jury to hear from her.
Watching the prosecutor and school officials squirm during the trial may be the only good thing the juvenile justice system does for Casey.
Already he's been put through a session where, without his parents present, he was asked whether they abused him, sexually or otherwise.
After that session he wrote a brief journal item: "I feel like a dieses. Like all I am is a viol monster of a person well at least thats wat I think. I'm always scared every time I leave my parents sight and the questions I had to answer were scary and asked if I had ever been high, drunk, or raped and it scared me."
At a more recent appearance, Casey was present with his father and Washington as the prosecutor offered a plea bargain and confidently said she knew she could get a conviction.
"I know that's just a negotiating technique, but Casey doesn't," said Harmeier. "He cried all the way home."
Casey will never pull the cover off a fire alarm again. But he wouldn't have anyway. And an essay on citizenship could have helped his spelling.
You can write to Rick Casey at P.O. Box 4260, Houston, TX 77210, or e-mail him at rick.casey@chron.com .
captainoutrageous answered on 03/09/07:Sounds like our society has its priorities screwed up. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/08/07 - I want one to scrap! Four F-14 fighter jets seized at two California airfields
03:20 PM MST on Wednesday, March 7, 2007
By SHARON McNARY
The Press-Enterprise
Federal authorities seized four F-14 Tomcat fighter jets from two air museums in Chino and a Victorville company on Tuesday, declaring that a Navy official improperly sold them.
Story continues below
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
William J. Hayes, an assistant special agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, right, stands with an agency officer near one of the F-14 Tomcats seized at the Chino Airport.
Featured in the 1986 film "Top Gun," the Navy stopped using its fleet of F-14s last year.
Two Tomcats were seized at Yanks Air Museum, and a third at Planes of Fame, both located at the Chino Airport.
A Yanks employee, who showed the plane to an undercover investigator in 2005, bragged that he had rebuilt the F-14 from parts and that it still had its afterburners, which give a jet extra thrust, according to an affidavit prepared by an investigator with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The fourth Tomcat, used as a prop on the TV show "JAG," about military lawyers, was seized at Aviation Warehouse, a business tenant of the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville.
The seizure was intended, in part, to prevent the non-functioning jets or their parts from being bought by U.S. companies acting on behalf of Iran, the only country whose air force still flies the F-14, the affidavit said.
The Inland owners of the jets are not suspected of supplying parts to Iran, according to a federal agent involved in the investigation.
A Navy official sold three of the planes to a scrap dealer, who sold them to a used aircraft dealer who sold them to Yanks, which sold one to Planes of Fame. The Navy official sold the fourth plane to a scrap dealer which resold it to Paramount Pictures, which sold it to the aircraft dealer, according to the affidavit.
The F-14 was introduced in 1972 as a replacement for the Navy's primary fighter, the F-4 Phantom.
The United States permitted the government of Iran to buy F-14s during the 1960s and 1970s under the regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran.
After the fall of the shah and the Iranian hostage crisis, the United States placed an embargo on the trade of parts for the plane, and a flourishing black market developed, the affidavit said.
The Pentagon halted sales of spare parts from its recently retired F-14 fighter jet fleet because of concerns they could be transferred to Iran, The Associated Press reported in February.
Investigators from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the Navy Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service seized the four planes, immigration and customs spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.
The agency has the authority to seize military and technical equipment to prevent it from falling into the hands of terrorists or countries hostile to the United States. The other two agencies have jurisdiction over the disposal of surplus military equipment.
"It is important that we eliminate the vulnerability that any of this technology could be transferred to those who would wish to harm us or our national security," said William Hayes, assistant special agent in charge of investigations for the immigration and customs agency in Orange County.
Headed for Scrap
The planes will be reduced to scrap, Hayes said.
The owners of the airplanes are not suspected of selling spare parts to Iran or any company representing Iran, Hayes said.
Investigators discovered the planes' existence in September 2005 during the probe of a Bakersfield company that is suspected of being a company secretly acting on behalf of the Iranian government.
Federal law requires military aircraft to be destroyed when they are sold as scrap for recycling, but an officer put in charge of disposing of the four planes at Point Mugu Naval Air Station failed to do so, the affidavit said.
Instead, the officer sold relatively intact planes to two scrap metal companies for $2,000 to $4,000 each in 1999, depositing the proceeds in a base "morale, welfare and recreation" account.
An investigation is continuing into the circumstances of those sales,
rest of story
page
captainoutrageous answered on 03/09/07:Sure would make one hell of a Christmas present. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 03/08/07 - Oh just shut up! That's what I call being really politically correct.
Hilali gagged by Muslim leadersBy Richard Kerbaj
March 09, 2007 12:44am
FIVE of the nation's most powerful Islamic clerics, including Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali, have been banned from talking to the media by Muslim leaders for delivering "anti-Australian" messages.
The Lebanese Muslim Association has gagged the imams from Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's southwest from media commentary - especially to Arabic news outlets - because of the "immeasurable damage" they have caused the community.
A letter was yesterday sent by the Lebanese Muslim Association to its five imams, including Sheik Yahya Safi - the official Australian representative to the Mufti of Lebanon - Sheik Shady Suleiman, and Sheik Hilali.
The letter, obtained by The Australian, demands the imams "pause and desist" from talking to any media outlet, in particular Sydney's Arabic community radio station Voice of Islam.
The imams have been told they could lose their positions as spiritual leaders at the nation's largest mosque if they defy the LMA's orders.
LMA president Tom Zreika yesterday told The Australian the letter was issued to end the "perceived un-Australian viewpoints given by some clerics".
"One of the big issues is the double-speak by the various imams," Mr Zreika said.
He added that the messages some clerics delivered in Arabic contradicted comments given in English while talking to the mainstream media.
"They go on to the Voice of Islam and talk about something which really isn't in accordance with our views as Australians.
"(While) most of our clerics are selected on the basis that they have Australian values and Australian characteristics ... some of them haven't (lived) up to that."
The LMA's hardline approach towards silencing its clerics comes after the furore sparked by Sheik Hilali last year, following revelations in The Australian last month that the mufti was banned from delivering sermons at Lakemba Mosque.
Sheik Hilali caused national and international uproar last October when The Australian uncovered a sermon in which he compared women to "uncovered meat" and joked about Sydney's infamous gang rapes.
The cleric, who has been the nominal head of Australia's Muslim community for years, further compounded the controversy by subsequently appearing on Egyptian television to dismiss the furore over his insults to women and make disparaging remarks about Australia's convict beginnings.
Sheik Shadi yesterday told The Australian that he supported the LMA's decision, saying it was in the best interests of the Muslim and wider community.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So now we know. The viiews of Muslim clerics are too politically incorrect to be aired in public captainoutrageous answered on 03/09/07:Now, if only the imans will listen. And if they don't, will the LMA follow through? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 03/08/07 - Gore steps into it a little deeper Turns out Gore isn't even buying those carbon offsets from the company he owns . He get's em as a perk; they are in fact an employee benefit .
The confusion, Campbell said, arose because GIM pays to offset the energy use of its operations and the personal emissions of its 23 employees, including Gore.
So, the firm will cover the cost to offset the energy use at Gore's home, or his global jet travel, as it would the offset cost of any other employee, Campbell said.
GIM, which Gore started with former Goldman Sachs executive David Blood in 2004, uses the Chicago Climate Exchange and the British-based Carbon Neutral Company to cover the high energy use of GIM and its employees.
Just how lucrative the company is for Gore is unclear.
"Mr. Gore, as a private citizen, does not release his private income,"
Well yeah ,but curious minds want to know does Gore report this as income or is this an allowable tax-exempt employee benefit like employer provide health insurance?
Why was GIM formed in England instead of the US ?Perhaps this explains it :
Investors in Carbon Credits Partnerships are generally likely to be persons with substantial income or capital gains that they wish to shelter from tax - Premiership footballers, investment bankers and directors of the top 100 companies are prime candidates. The potential savings in any example are calculated on the taxpayer being liable at the 40% tax rate.
Partnerships are effectively transparent for UK direct tax purposes, as is a Limited Liability Partnership, in that each partner, or member of the LLP, is usually treated for tax purposes as if he incurred his proportionate share of any partnership trading profit or loss himself. A member of a trading partnership which incurs a loss would usually be able to relieve his share of the trading losses against his income or capital gains.
Expenditure in the first year will almost inevitably give rise to losses which will be, with most partnerships, close to 100% of the investor’s subscription.
Just another rich guy's write-off. Good thing his primary concern is the climate.
captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/07:Sounds like he has fared much better financially than he would have as the nation's chief executive - ya think? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 03/08/07 - Captain America RIP dead at 66 .Bumped off by a sniper bullet ? Say it aint so ! The Super Hero who k.o.ed Hitler cannot be offed so easily ! Will Jihadi Joe claim responsibility ?
How long will this last ? After WWII Marvel comics packed the Cap. in pre-global warming iceberg.But we need Captain America today more than ever. First Super Hero registration and now the Cap .being gunned down by a terrorist? What kind of Hillary Clinton alternate universe does Marvel comics live in ? captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/07:In March, 2007, as part of the aftermath of Marvel Comics' cross-over series Civil War, Captain America was apparently killed in Captain America vol 5 #25. Series writer Ed Brubaker plans to use this to write about the meaning of the character in modern times.
"What I found is that all the really hard-core left-wing fans want Cap to be standing out on and giving speeches on the streetcorner against the Bush administration, and all the really right-wing [fans] all want him to be over in the streets of Baghdad, punching out Saddam."[10]
Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said, however, that a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible. The character's death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon, who said 'It's a hell of a time for him to go. We really need him now.'"[10] Marvel released a statement to Newsarama saying "Yes, Captain America, Steve Rogers, is dead," and that the Captain America series would continue with Rogers being deceased.[11]
wikipedia.org | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 03/07/07 - someone on yahoo asked can my trailer court
do this too???BOSTON (Reuters) - More than 30 Vermont towns passed resolutions on Tuesday seeking to impeach
President Bush, while at least 16 towns in the tiny New England state called on Washington to withdraw U.S. troops from
Iraq.
Known for picturesque autumn foliage, colonial inns, maple sugar and old-fashion dairy farms, Vermont is in the vanguard of a grass-roots protest movement to impeach Bush over his handling of the unpopular Iraq war.
"We're putting impeachment on the table," said James Leas, a Vermont lawyer who helped to draft the resolutions and is tracking the votes. "The people in all these towns are voting to get this process started and bring the troops home now."
The resolutions passed on Vermont's annual town meeting day -- a colonial era tradition where citizens debate issues of the day big and small -- are symbolic and cannot force Congress to impeach Bush, but they "may help instigate further discussions in the legislature," said state Rep. David Zuckerman.
"The president must be held accountable," said Zuckerman, a politician from Burlington, Vermont's largest city.
After casting votes on budgets and other routine items, citizens of 32 towns in Vermont backed a measure calling on the U.S. Congress to file articles of impeachment against Bush for misleading the nation on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and for engaging in illegal wiretapping, among other charges.
Five Vermont towns passed similar resolutions last year.
The idea of impeaching Bush resides firmly outside the political mainstream.
The new Democratic-controlled Congress has steered clear of the subject, and Wisconsin Sen. Russell Feingold's call last year to censure Bush -- a step short of an impeachment -- found scant support on Capitol Hill, even among fellow Democrats.
Vermont's congressional delegation has shown no serious interest in the idea.
'SOLDIERS HOME NOW'
Sixteen Vermont towns passed a separate "soldiers home now" resolution calling on the White House, the U.S. Congress and Vermont's elected officials to withdraw troops from Iraq.
"The best way to support them is to bring each and every one of them home now and take good care of them when they get home," the resolution said.
It was unclear how many towns had put the resolutions to a vote, and the results of all the town meetings in the state of about 609,000 people may not be known for days.
Residents of Burlington were voting on a separate question calling for a new investigation into the September 11 attacks.
Voters were asked to circle "yes" or "no" to the question: "Shall Vermont's Congressional Delegation be advised to demand a new, thorough, and truly independent forensic investigation that fully addresses the many questions surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001?"
Doug Dunbebin, who gathered signatures to get the issue on the ballot, said questions linger about September 11, when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people at New York's World Trade Center, at the
Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.
A group known as Scholars for 9/11 Truth believes the events of that day were part of a conspiracy engineered by the U.S. government and that it took more than two planes to bring down the Twin Towers in New York.
Vermont's new U.S. representative, Peter Welch (news, bio, voting record), a Democrat, said there was no need for a further investigation. captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/07:Ah well, they are making their voices heard, no matter how tiny. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/07/07 - Please keep me updated when the Artic villages need to turn their air conditioners on. Right now it is below zero there.
just curious what they call a heat wave.
would it be 70 degrees or 100 or what?
From what I looked up their average high is 70 degrees
but is that air conditioner weather to them?
captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/07:It would probably need to hit 80. Course, I don't know if they own any shorts or non-fur outfits - maybe it would be lower. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 03/07/07 - ownapieceofamerica anybody can now own a piece of America
pieceofamerica ) captainoutrageous answered on 03/08/07:This has got to be stupider than the "pet rock." | | Question/Answer | | JacquelineA2006 asked on 03/01/07 - 2007.. part II
i was trying to post a follow-up question but it wasn't working on here for some reason. anyhow this is an example of one of the many responses i get from men on this topic..
----------
Whats wrong with a girl a having the car and offering to pick the guy the up?
It's a date and a 2 way thing...
If your both interested in each other meet half way... She drives the guy pays?
Next time it can be the other way around.
----------
Now, that is just stupid.
captainoutrageous answered on 03/02/07:I see no problem with the suggested arrangement. Obviously, if you are not comfortable with such an arrangement, you need to say so. If they don't like your response, then it's time to look elsewhere. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 02/28/07 - Dear Abby, My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning, and, when I confront him, he denies everything. What's worse,
everyone knows that he cheats on me. It is so humiliating.
Also, since he lost his job 6 years ago, he hasn't even looked for a new one. All he does all day is smoke cigars, cruise around and
bullsh*ts with his buddies while I have to work to pay the bills.
Since our daughter went away to college he doesn't even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a lesbian. What should I do?
Signed: Clueless
Dear Clueless:
Grow up and dump him. Good grief, woman. You don't need him anymore. You're a United States Senator from New York. Act like one.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/28/07:Good one! | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/25/07 - The Miranda Rights For New York City
1. You have the right to swing first. Anything
you do can and
will lead to a broken f****n skull.
2. You have the right to have a priest and/or an
EMT present
at the time of the skull breaking.
3. If you don't have a priest, one will be
appointed free of
charge, to read you the last rites, you piece of
sh*t.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/26/07:Pretty scary. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 02/25/07 - May God curse the terrorists? We could hope the Muslims are at last getting the message, Islamic terrorism is a curse and it is the Muslims who are cursed.
Bomber slaughters 40 in attack at business collegeFrom correspondents in Baghdad
February 26, 2007 05:04am
A SUICIDE bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives killed 40 people in a Baghdad college overnight, a day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed optimism about a security crackdown in the capital.
Guards stopped the bomber in the reception lobby of the Baghdad Economy and Administration College but the man managed to blow himself up, police said.
Police put the death toll at 40, with 35 people wounded.
Most of the victims were students, witnesses said.
"May God curse the terrorists," shouted some students after the attack. Others sat on the ground outside weeping.
A string of car bombings and rocket salvos also hit Baghdad overnight as insurgents defied efforts by US and Iraqi security forces to stabilise the capital.
A professor said the college attack happened as students were leaving morning classes and arriving for afternoon lessons.
Others doing exams were wounded by flying glass that tore through their classroom, the professor said.
"There were bodies everywhere," said the professor, who declined to be identified.
The blast left large pools of blood in the college's reception area. Textbooks and pens lay scattered on the floor.
The college is part of nearby Mustansiriya University, which was hit by twin bomb attacks last month that killed 70 people, mainly students.
Insurgents have repeatedly attacked universities and colleges in Baghdad, trying to strike fear into the city's middle class.
Many college professors and intellectuals have also been killed.
Mr Maliki expressed optimism yesterday about the 10-day-old security plan, regarded as a last chance to reverse Iraq's descent into civil war, and said US and Iraqi forces had killed about 400 suspected militants since it began.
US military officers have said they expected an increase in the use of suicide vests after security forces set up more checkpoints on Baghdad's roads to search vehicles and try to prevent car bombs.
Among the attacks overnight, rockets and mortar bombs crashed into a market in a Shiite area in southern Baghdad and there were conflicting reports about casualties, police said.
One police source said 10 people were killed in the attack in the Abu Dsher area of Doura neighbourhood. Two other police sources said no more than three people had been wounded.
A car bomb also killed one person and wounded four in central Baghdad, not far from the Iranian embassy, police said.
Police said the diplomatic mission did not appear to have been the target. The embassy compound was not damaged.
US forces have set up joint security outposts with Iraqi forces around the city and the crackdown does appear to have reduced the number of bodies found tortured and shot in the city, the apparent victims of death squads.
A typical daily body count had been about 40 or 50 a day in recent months but since the start of the plan it has been between five and 20. However, US commanders say it will take months to judge the success of the offensive.
A fuel tanker rigged with explosives killed 45 people yesterday when it blew up near a Sunni mosque in restive western province of Anbar, after the mosque's imam had criticised al Qaeda militants at Friday prayers, police and residents said.
US President George W. Bush is sending 21,500 extra troops to Iraq to help with the clampdown in Baghdad. Most are heading for the capital although 4000 will be sent to Anbar, the most dangerous province in Iraq for American forces.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
all of this leads me to believe the fight is not being won captainoutrageous answered on 02/26/07:I just don't see us succeeding in Iraq using conventional warfare. In many ways, this is worse than in Vietnam where it was so difficult to tell friend from foe. | | Question/Answer | | _JacquelineA asked on 02/23/07 - extremely angry!!
I would like to let everyone know that i did not post the last topic titled frustrated. My roommate's younger sister who is eleven had gotten onto this page because i keep myself automatically signed-in and posted lyrics to some stupid song. i would like to just delete it but am not sure how..
captainoutrageous answered on 02/24/07:Good to know. Wasn't really sure what kind of response to make to that post. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 02/20/07 - U.S., Britain ranked last in child welfare BERLIN - The United States and Britain ranked at the bottom of a U.N. survey of child welfare in 21 wealthy countries that assessed everything from infant mortality to whether children ate dinner with their parents or were bullied at school.
The Netherlands, followed by Sweden, Denmark and Finland, finished at the top of the rankings, while the U.S. was 20th and Britain 21st, according to the report released Wednesday by UNICEF in Germany.
One of the study’s researchers, Jonathan Bradshaw, said children fared worse in the U.S. and Britain — despite high overall levels of national wealth — because of greater economic inequality and poor levels of public support for families.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Surprise, surprise, the UN would consider child well-being the lowest in the US and the UK in their report (pdf). First of all, what purpose does it serve for the UN to compile reports such as this on the wealthiest countries other than to highlight that pernicious income inequality?
Just looking at one of the higher ranked countries, Sweden, I find that based on the latest statistics (2002) I could find that the median income in the US is 47 percent higher than in Sweden. As this report uses $35,000 for a family of four as the poverty threshold that would put Sweden's 2002 median income of $26,800 below the poverty threshold.
Add the fact that Swedes pay 51% of their income in taxes and ranks 21st in the 2007 Index of Economic Freedom while the US and UK are 4th and 6th respectively, where would you rather raise your children?
Shouldn't the UN spend more effort on children's well-being in say, North Korea? captainoutrageous answered on 02/21/07:Somebody is always trying to find something awful to say about the US. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 02/20/07 - The time has come, the Walrus said Blair to announce Iraq troop withdrawal
February 21, 2007 - 9:24
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce a timetable for withdrawing British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to leave in several weeks, the BBC reports.
(More to come.)
[img s http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/vsh0107l.jpg] captainoutrageous answered on 02/21/07:The link isn't working for me (and yes, I did try it without the brackets). | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 02/16/07 - A whiz too far? Talking urinals: New Mexico offers different approach to fight drunken driving
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is hoping to keep drunks off the road by lecturing them at the last place they usually stop before getting behind the wheel: the urinal.
The state recently paid $21 each for about 500 talking urinal-deodorizer cakes and has put them in men’s rooms in bars and restaurants across the state.
When a man steps up, the motion-sensitive plastic device says, in a woman’s voice that is flirty, then stern: “Hey, big guy. Having a few drinks? Think you had one too many? Then it’s time to call a cab or call a sober friend for a ride home.”
(Note: I am not making this up...)
The recorded message ends: “Remember, your future is in your hand.”
The talking urinal represents just the latest effort to fight drunken driving in New Mexico, which has long had one of the highest rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths in the nation. (The new tactic is aimed only at men, since they account for 78 percent of all driving-under-the-influence-related convictions in New Mexico.)
“It startled me the first time I heard it, but it sure got my attention,” said Ben Miller, a patron at the Turtle Mountain Brewing Co. bar and restaurant. “It’s a fantastic idea.”
Jim Swatek, who was drinking a beer nearby, said: “You think, ‘Maybe I should call the wife to come get me.“’
Turtle Mountain Brewing owner Niko Ortiz commended the New Mexico Transportation Department for “thinking way outside the box.”
Department spokesman S.U. Mahesh said the bathroom is a perfect place to get the message across. In the restroom, “guys don’t chitchat with other guys,” he said. “It’s all business. We’ve got their total attention for 10 to 15 seconds”
Similar urinal cakes have been used for anti-drug campaigns in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Australia, and for anti-DWI efforts on New York’s Long Island, said Richard Deutsch of New York-based Healthquest Technologies Inc., which manufactures the devices.
But Deutsch said he believes New Mexico is the only state to buy the devices.
New Mexico had 143 alcohol-related deaths in 2005, for the nation’s eighth-highest rate per miles driven. The problem is blamed in part on the wide-open spaces that make it necessary to drive to get anywhere, and the poverty and isolation that can lead people to drink to relieve their boredom or misery.
Also, some have complained that the state has only recently begun to emerge from years of lax enforcement.
Gov. Bill Richardson led a successful push two years ago to require ignition locking devices for anyone convicted of DWI — a first in the nation — and each year the Legislature has agreed on tougher penalties for repeat offenders.
New Mexico also has started a toll-free “drunk buster” hot line, boosted DWI enforcement in problem areas and increased police checkpoints. The state also has a DWI czar.
In November, a wrong-way drunken driver slammed into a car near Santa Fe, killing five family members, authorities said. The governor has since directed state regulators to issue cease-and-desist orders against three airlines to stop serving alcohol on flights to and from New Mexico. The culprit in the fatal wreck had been seen drinking on a flight into Albuquerque hours before the accident.
At the Turtle Mountain, the urinal cakes have proved so intriguing that three have been swiped already.
“I’m mystified why someone would stick their hand into one of our urinals,” Ortiz said. “But I’m sure we’ll see them on eBay. Hopefully, the seller will advertise it as, ‘Stolen from Turtle Mountain.“’
A urinal cake telling us "your future is in your hand?" Bwaaahaaahaaa!!! Can we sink any lower? And why just men's rooms, does it have something to do with that women going to the restroom in groups thing (no offense), so they wouldn't listen anyway? If people are stupid enough to steal them out of the urinals doesn't New Mexico have a more disgusting problem?captainoutrageous answered on 02/18/07:See, there are advantages to being a woman. | | Question/Answer | tomder55 asked on 02/17/07 - The end of the electoral college ?
Wednesday I posted about attempts to undermine the primary process. Today I post about the possibilty of the end of the electoral college. Yes it is a possibility and sooner than you think.
A movement is afoot to undermine the Electoral College. The key player in this effort is a group called National Popular Vote , a 501(c)(4) non-profit group that advocates having the popular vote dictate presidential selection.
Because the Constitution states that “Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors,”[Art.2 Sec.1] their effort is concentrated on getting as many states as possible to enact a bill that would, “guarantee that the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia will win the Presidency.”
23 states currently have bills in their legislatures awarding the state’s electors to the winner of the national popular vote rather than the votes in their state.
To illustrate the absurdity of this let's suppose Kansas and Conn. enact the law and 90 % of Kansans votes Republican and 90% Conn.'s popular vote is a Democrat .As it stands now all Kansas goes Republican and all Conn. goes Democrat. With this law it could be that both go either Republican or Democrat depending on the national outcome. The way I see it ,one of these states gets disenfranchised.
As with the movement of the primary dates ,the aim of this is to minimize the influence of the smaller states in the electoral process. Why would a candidate care about the vote in Wyoming when they can concentrate their efforts into a few urban centers and come away with a majority ? The winner would be the candidate willing to pander to the big cities. Small state issues would be ignored. Rural America would be further marginalized. Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago would elect the president. The Electoral College was designed to prevent large states (then Virginia and New York) from having the only say in electing the president, to keep radical swings in public opinion from causing radical swings in government, and to keep the small states in on the action.
I view these as nothing less than the abolishment of federalism. Why not abolish the Senate while they are at it ? or make it's membership based on population of the state ?
How can this possibly be fair when each State has it's own election laws . Do they now propose to make national standards for all voting also ?
I do not understand this . In 2 centuries there have been 2 elections where the President did not get the majority of the popular vote.Oh wait...yeah I do get it.... One of them was President Bush in 2000.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/18/07:The manner of electing the president was a major problem at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The convention rejected the proposal that Congress elect the chief executive, on the grounds that the president would then be under the control of the legislature. The proposal that the people elect the president also was rejected. To solve this problem, the convention agreed on the method of indirect popular election, which became the Electoral College.
Frequent proposals have been made for abolishing the Electoral College and for the direct election of the president. These amendments would tend to reduce the importance of the states in the federal system. It has been claimed that direct election might encourage third and fourth parties. But this, in turn, might often result in the election of a president who received only a minority of the popular votes cast. Opponents of the Electoral College point out that the system has already allowed four candidates to be elected president whose closest opponent received more popular votes. The four were John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and George W. Bush in 2000. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/17/07 - IRAQ: I have no doubts that the United States will win the war in Iraq by November, 2008. Since the Democrats have been pessimists and quite irritabale, will a Republican victory in Iraq quench any thoughts of them having a majority in the House and Senate in 2008? I think the Democratic Party will become somewhat obsolete in the minds of most Americans and be termed losers
HANK.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/18/07:I don't see us winning the war in Iraq by 2008. I'm afraid it is a quagmire that we may eventually just have to pull out of. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/15/07 - FREEDOM:
Have the people in the United States lost their love for freedom?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 02/16/07:I don't think we have lost our love of freedom, but we have traded away much of it in favor of security and safety. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 02/14/07 - I gotta tell you, this guy looks interesting: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/13/romney.announce/index.html
What do y'all think? captainoutrageous answered on 02/15/07:I do not agree with his promise to push for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 02/14/07 - The 2008 election season It came upon us faster than I can remember and it appears to be already in full swing. Much of the rush to announce and organize appears due to many States changing their primary dates in an attempt to have greater influence in the outcome.
The latest example came out of Kalifornia.Their Senate passed a measure that would enable Democrats and Republicans to choose nominees Feb. 5 instead of June 3. The bill is expected to be heard in the Assembly next week and to pass easily. The Governator has said he will sign it.
Simular legislation is pending in Illinois, Texas, Florida and New Jersey. NY politicians and other states are also considering it .Pennsylvania and Indiana have legislation that would move their primaries to the first week of March.
This will force candidates to get organized quicker and to get their funding ducks in a row earlier . It clearly gives front-runners the advantage for 3 obvious reasons .
1. Well funded front runners will be in a better position to take their campaigns to a national-wholesale level.It will be over after Feb. 5.and expensive media markets will be in the deciding mix. The candidates with the most money on hand are the prohibitive favorites. Besides the above mentioned states the following will also hold primaries on Super Tues. Feb. 5 :Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia
2. Dark horses will not have a change to gain momentum before the bulk of the delegates are already selected .
3. With the primaries spread out the way they were there was more room for debate amongst the candidates with the possibility of a glaring slip up changing the dynamics of the campaign . With all the primaries grouped together like this it will be possible for a front-runner to skip debates without consequences (as Hillary is already threatening )
Do you think that there is any advantage to just going to a national primary day ? I don't but that is where I see this heading to.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/15/07:At the rate we are headed, we are going to be so sick of politicians by election day, that many won't give a flip who wins. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/13/07 - LINCOLN:
Lincoln was against the spread of slavery into the territories but was NOT an abolitionist. Why was he called the great emancipator and a champion of black freedom?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 02/14/07:During the first half of the war, abolitionists and some Union military leaders urged Lincoln to issue a proclamation freeing the slaves. They argued that such a policy would help the North because slaves were contributing greatly to the Confederate war effort. By doing most of the South's farming and factory work, slaves made whites available for the Confederate Army.
Lincoln agreed with the abolitionists' view of slavery. He once declared that "if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." But early in the war, Lincoln believed that if he freed the slaves, he would divide the North. Lincoln feared that four slave-owning border states-Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri-would secede if he adopted such a policy.
In July 1862, with the war going badly for the North, Congress passed a law freeing all Confederate slaves who came into Union lines. At about that same time, Lincoln decided to change his stand on slavery. But he waited for a Union military victory, so that his decision would not appear to be a desperate act.
On Sept. 22, 1862, five days after Union forces won the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation. It stated that if the rebelling states did not return to the Union by Jan. 1, 1863, he would declare their slaves to be "forever free." The South rejected Lincoln's policy, and so he issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. Lincoln took this action as commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. He called it "a fit and necessary war measure."
Although the Proclamation only freed slaves in the areas of rebellion, it was a major step in the abolition of slavery in the United States. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 02/13/07 - New honor for Carter LOS ANGELES - Jimmy Carter became the second former U.S. president to win a Grammy Award when he was honored in the spoken-word category Sunday for the audio-book version of his bestseller “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis.”
Carter, 82, shared the award in a rare tie with actress Ruby Dee and her late husband Ossie Davis for “With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together.”
Recent winners in spoken word category:
2006 - Jimmy Carter/Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis
2005 - Barack Obama, Dreams from my Father
2004 - Bill Clinton, My Life
2003 - Al Franken, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
Is there a pattern here? Any bets on a repeat for Obama this year with The Audacity of Hope?
In 2006, Carter's book didn't make the top 100 at BarnesandNoble.com. It didn't make the top 50 at Amazon.com, where the Dog Whisperer took top honors. Carter must have been very dramatic in his oration... captainoutrageous answered on 02/14/07:I would say the Grammy Awards definitely have a liberal bent. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 02/12/07 - The ABC All-Dictator tour Fresh off her chat with Bashar Assad (and gushing over the "tall, quiet" dictator and his wife who "famously live in a modest home...with three children they drive to school themselves, protecting family dinners, even biking together through villages"), Diane Sawyer visited with Mahmoud I'm-in-a-jihad.
Aside from his warm greetings to the good American people, denial of involvement in Iraq, repudiation of all conflict and a Clintonesque evasive action ("I do not know what you mean by militia.", the Mahdi Hatter gave Diane a bit of a smackdown...
Mahdi: "Well, are you here to solve the problem of the American government in Iraq?"
Sawyer: "I'm hoping that you can help solve the problem in Iraq."
Mahdi: "Well, these are some points that must be discussed at the diplomatic level. You're just a journalist."
I wonder why ABC left Diane's "I'm hoping that you can help..." line out of their transcript? But hey, didn't she look stunning in her hijab? captainoutrageous answered on 02/13/07:Typical politician - he never addresses the real questions. "The best defense is a good offense" philosophy is also evident. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/10/07 - without too much trouble can someone find a website for the stryker brigade with a picture of a Romeo 4.
I want to know how they are compared to the Abrams
My Lee J broke his wrist right before graduation. Now they are changing him to Fort Riley, Kansas and to a Romeo 4 and now he is not going to be going overseas in March.
Thanks much
worried mom
captainoutrageous answered on 02/12/07:Check out the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m113-iav.htm
http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/archive/index.php/t-1241.html
http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=10 | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 02/10/07 - The thought police is now a reality? some research is not warranted?
Brain breakthrough 'can read intentions'
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February 11, 2007
Scientists have developed a technique which enables them to "read" a person's brain and predict their intentions.
By studying changes in brain activity, it is now thought possible to identify how a person is going to act before they do so.
The breakthrough could have huge implications for brain-stimulated devices used by people suffering from paralysis.
In the study, volunteers were asked to decide whether to add or subtract two numbers but told not to reveal what they were going to do.
Using complex computer programs and sophisticated imaging of the brain, scientists were able to identify what each person was going to do with 70% accuracy.
The research was led by Dr John-Dylan Haynes, from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, working with researchers in London and Tokyo. The results were published in the online edition of Current Biology.
Dr Haynes said: "It has never before been possible to read out of brain activity how a person has decided to act in the future."
It is done by a process called "multivariate pattern recognition" in which a computer is programmed to recognise brain activity associated with specific thoughts.
The computer is effectively "trained" to recognise these patterns and then predict a person's decision.
The research also showed that different parts of the brain are used to store different functions.
Dr Haynes said: "The experiments show that intentions are not encoded in single neurons but in a whole spatial pattern of brain activity."
He said the research revealed that intentions were "stored" at the front of the brain while the execution of intention took place further back in the brain.
"Intentions for future actions that are encoded in one part of the brain need to be copied to a different region to be executed," he said.
The findings could prove vital for patients who rely on brain-stimulated aids such as prosthetics and wheelchairs.
Dr Haynes said: "In future it will be possible to read even abstract thoughts and intentions out of patients' brains.
"One day even the intentions such as 'open the blue folder' or 'reply to the email' could be picked up by brain scanners and turned into the appropriate action."
PA captainoutrageous answered on 02/12/07:Ah, mind control, here we come. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/11/07 - Really great site Has tons of links on about any political issues you can imagine.
http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/freedom.htm
http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/websites.htm captainoutrageous answered on 02/12/07:The second site provides good links. It's a shame that they mispelled "independence" on the first one. | | Question/Answer | tropicalstorm asked on 02/11/07 - Eternal embrace
for Valentines day![]()
Couple still hugging 5,000 years on
Tue Feb 6, 1:28 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - Call it the eternal embrace.
Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.
"It's an extraordinary case," said Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.
"There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging -- and they really are hugging."
Menotti said she believed the two, almost certainly a man and a woman although that needs to be confirmed, died young because their teeth were mostly intact and not worn down.
"I must say that when we discovered it, we all became very excited. I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites," she told Reuters.
"But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."
A laboratory will now try to determine the couple's age at the time of death and how long they had been buried.
Couple still hugging 5,000 years on
Tue Feb 6, 1:28 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - Call it the eternal embrace.
Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.
"It's an extraordinary case," said Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.
"There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging -- and they really are hugging."
Menotti said she believed the two, almost certainly a man and a woman although that needs to be confirmed, died young because their teeth were mostly intact and not worn down.
"I must say that when we discovered it, we all became very excited. I've been doing this job for 25 years. I've done digs at Pompeii, all the famous sites," she told Reuters.
"But I've never been so moved because this is the discovery of something special."
A laboratory will now try to determine the couple's age at the time of death and how long they had been buried.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/12/07:It makes you wonder about the circumstances of their death. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/09/07 - NEW twist Zsa Zsa's husband is claiming he had a long on going affair with Anna Marie, so he could be the father. The
medical examiner is refusing to release Anna Marie's DNA so Now Anna Marie's baby could possibly end up being the most famous whoz'urdaddy baby. captainoutrageous answered on 02/10/07:It would certainly leave a lot of room for speculation. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/08/07 - Poor anna Nicole As much as people picked on her she has had it hard lately and now they (ABC) say she just died captainoutrageous answered on 02/09/07:She was only 39. They are not releasing the cause of death yet. I believe the autopsy is scheduled soon. If death was a result of natural causes, the results will be released soon, otherwise it could take weeks. It is likely drug related. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/09/07 - COMPARISON:
Are the World War II kamikaze pilots equivalent to the suicide bombers in Iraq and elsewhere? Some weird stuff, huh?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 02/09/07:The suicide bombers are scarier. You don't know they are coming for ya. | | Question/Answer | | Closer_To_The_Heart asked on 02/09/07 - FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES...ENJOY Somebody from California apparently wrote the top part, but somebody from Texas came back and put them on their butt's at the bottom.
CALIFORNIA:
I can wear sandals all year long.
I go to the Beach - not "down to the shore."
Our chicks are WAYYYY hotter than yours. Well... Miami can hang.
I say "like" and "for sure" and "right on" and "dude" and "totally" and "peace out" and "chill" and "tight" and "bro" and I say them often.
I know what real cheese & avocados taste like.
Everyone smokes weed and its no big deal.
We'll roll up 40 deep when something goes down.
I live next door to Mexicans, but we call them American's!
All the porn you watch is made here, cause we're better and that's how it is.
I don't get snow days off because there's only snow in Mammoth, Tahoe, Shasta, and Big Bear.
I know 65 mph really means 100.
When someone cuts me off, they get the horn and the finger and high speed chase cuz we don't fuck around on the road.
The drinking age is 21 but everyone starts at 14 (legally 18 if you live close enough to the border).
My governor can kick your governors ass.
I can go out at midnight.
You judge people based on what area code they live in, and when asked where you're from, you give your area code.
I might get looked at funny by locals when I'm on vacation in their state, but when they find out I'm from California I turn into a Greek GOD.
We don't stop at stop signs... we do a " California roll" No cop no stop baby!
I can get fresh and REAL Mexican food 24 hours a day.
All the TV shows you "other" states watch get filmed here.
We're the Golden State. Not the Cheese State. Not the Garden State ...GOLDEN!!!
We have In-N-Out (Arizona and Vegas are lucky we share that with them).
I have the most representation in the House of Representatives, which means MY opinion means more than yours, which means I'm better than you [geez.... hahaha].
The best athletes come from here.
*******IF YOU'RE FROM CALIFORNIA, REPOST THIS*******
******IF YOU'RE NOT, GO SIT IN A CORNER AND CRY******
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TEXAS :
Ahem... So.. Um.. yeah... I read this, and thought I would reply...
Hey... California, listen up... Texas is where its at!
I too can wear sandals all year long... plus I can put on boots to stomp your toes and I won't even stick out.
You may be able to go to the "beach" instead of the "shore"... but can you go to the drive thru "Beer Barn?" What now surfer boy?
Your chicks aren't way hotter than ours... they are almost equal... and that's only due to silicone, saline, Botox, lasers and hair dye... We have the real ones and they can beat yours up.
We're taught to say "Yes Sir" and "Yes Ma'am" and respect our elders because of it. We also say "Howdy" and "fixin" and "Y'all" which are pretty much recognized right away anywhere in the world :) We're famous.
You may know what real cheese and avocados taste like... but I know what 100% Grade A Angus Beef tastes like. Who wants avocados and cheese when you can have steak and potatoes?
Ha Ha ... who do you think grows the weed and sells it to you?
Why roll 40 deep when something goes down if 5 corn fed country boys can get the job done...
I live next door to Americans, but we call them Mexicans.
About your Porn.... 3 words... "Debbie Does Dallas "... You can brag about it now, but we started it.
Why would you brag about not getting snow days off?
We're smart enough to know 65mph means 65, but our speed limit is 70.
When someone cuts me off, they get run over by my big ass truck, then I give them the finger and tell them to go back to California.
The drinking age is 21, but if you aren't chasin' the beer by 1 yr. old... you're behind.
Yeah, Well my governor became the President of the United States … yours isn't even eligible.
You can go out at midnight? That's nice, I haven't even come home by then.
Ok... you said, "You judge people based on what area code they live in, and when asked where you're from, you give your area code" and as hard as I try I have no idea what you're talking about... I think you're watching too much TV.
Yeah, you'll definitely get looked at funny when you come to visit but we have another name for you pretty boys, and its not Greek, its French.
Of course you don't stop at stop signs... none of you can drive.
You can pick up Real Mexican food 24 hours a day huh... well I can swing by home depot and pick up 24 Real Mexicans anytime of day. Can you say catering?
All the TV shows get filmed there... but where does your favorite poker game from? Texas Hold'em anyone? Besides, we've got Walker Texas Ranger. Chuck Norris knows where it's at! LOL. (I had to add something 'bout that! LMAO)
You can keep your golden state... We're the Lone Star State ...the one and only!! Not to mention we are the ONLY flag that can fly at the same level as the United States flag. Everyone else is beneath it.
Do I have to remind you about the drive thru Beer Barn again? Does In-N-Out serve alcohol? (Oh and did I mention Dr. Pepper was created in Texas?)
You guys have the best athletes huh?... Nine words... Lance Armstrong and The University of Texas at Austin.
Though I could mention MICHAEL JOHNSON - Olympic Sprinter, World record holder in 200m and 400m, 5 Olympic Gold metals, 9 time World Champion (born Dallas, Tx ).
Oh and remind me again who won the Rose Bowl between USC and Texas ????? I believe it was the LONGHORNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Football is a religion, not a sport.
90% of football "movies" you guys are making are about Texas Football.
Texas is the only state that can still separate to become its own country. The only way California's gonna accomplish that is if another earthquake comes along and you guys sink into the ocean. Can you say Atlantis... HaHaHa.
Come on Texans Show Your Colors! Repost!
And as the Great Sam Houston once said " Texas could survive without the United States , but the United States could not survive without Texas !!"
captainoutrageous answered on 02/09/07:Sounds like a p___ing contest to me. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/09/07 - BAGHDAD & LOS ANGELES:
Both cities are about 81 square miles. BAGHDAD has the Tigres River and Los Angeles has the Pacific. The Iraq war has been going on for five years. Do you think our troops could 'take over' Los Angeles in five years?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 02/09/07:There are 6 million people living in Baghdad. There are approximately 133,000 US personnel (not all are troops) in all of Iraq. Plus the fact, that the Iraqis are embroiled in a civil war, making it difficult to determine who sides with whom, the task is not as simple as this comparison alludes to it being. | | Question/Answer | | Closer_To_The_Heart asked on 02/06/07 - What a difference in 50 years!
Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.
1956 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his car and gets his to show Jack.
2006 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1956 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.
2006 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1956 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.
2006 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping.
1956 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to College, and becomes a successful businessman.
2006 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.
1956 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2006 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Mary turns up pregnant.
1956 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a special school for expectant mothers.
2006 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told to be more careful next time.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1956: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2006: Pedro's cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can't speak English.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1956 - Ants die.
2006 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.
1956 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2006 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/06/07:An interesting take on then and now. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 02/04/07 - a 21st century answer to an age old question A little boy goes to his father and asks "Daddy, how was I born?"
The father answers: "Well son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:
'You got Male!' captainoutrageous answered on 02/04/07:That's great! | | Question/Answer | | rannsingh asked on 02/03/07 - concentration how to concentrate on studies captainoutrageous answered on 02/03/07:Limit your distractions. If you do like to listen to music while you study, be sure it is instrumental with a nonpredictive melody. Don't try to study when you are hungry or uncomfortable, however, you don't want to make yourself so comfortable that you fall asleep. Be sure that you have all the materials you need when you begin to study, otherwise you will be getting up and down to get things. Reward yourself with a short break after 30-60 minutes of intense studying. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 02/01/07 - You gotta be kidding me! Franken for Senate?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16910222/ captainoutrageous answered on 02/02/07:Is it any stranger than pro wrestlers and actors running for office? | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 02/01/07 - not guilty The Toon 'pranksters' found 'NOT guilty'
In one news report I heard I thought yeesh if the people reacted like that and had got any more hysterical it would have been an updated version of 'War of the Worlds' captainoutrageous answered on 02/02/07:It seems like an overreaction to me, but maybe Bostonians are more paranoid because of the planes loaded with terrorists leaving from their airport. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 02/02/07 - "SHIP OF FOOLS"
"The ship of fools is an old allegory, which has long been used in Western culture in literature and paintings. With a sense of self-criticism, it describes the world and its human inhabitants as a vessel whose deranged passengers neither know nor care where they are going." - Wikipedia
Well, guys and gals, perhaps it's time for HANK to take a hard line re: what's going on in our culture and elsewhere. How about an analogy? Let's call our White House a SHIP and call the politicians who haunt it EARTHLINGS who neither know nor care where WE, the citizens, are going. They're out for themselves. So, maybe our balance of power should be shifted from Washington to ALL State capitols. The United States exemplifies a FEDERAL republic whose central government is suppose to be restricted in power. Sorry! It's not! If each State became a REPUBLIC, a common sense REPUBLIC, said States would be ruled by very inclusive electorates. Reasoning: It's much easier for me to keep my eyes on the head of a pin instead of on a requiem. Smaller the better!
Would it be feasible to have 50 common sense REPUBLICS than what we have now? (Disclaimer: This is nothing but a hypothetical question)
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 02/02/07:I don't think so. I am afraid we would end up with 50 different countries with a lot of bickering between them. This is the reason the founding fathers threw out the Articles of Confederation - the national government was too weak to accomplish much of anything (they did accomplish a few things - notably the Northwest Ordinance). We do, however, need to return those powers that were granted to the states BACK to the states. | | Question/Answer | tomder55 asked on 01/31/07 - Name that country part II
Yup it's "Palestine" . That wonderful creation of enlightened diplomacy and peacemaking that sucks more direct aid out of the world then any other nation .
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=238542004
And what returns we get for the investment !!!
Caroline Glick reports it this way :
In the State of Palestine 88 percent of the public feels insecure. Perhaps the other 12 percent are members of the multitude of regular and irregular militias. For in the State of Palestine the ratio of police/militiamen/men-under-arms to civilians is higher than in any other country on earth.
In the State of Palestine, two-year-olds are killed and no one cares. Children are woken up in the middle of the night and murdered in front of their parents. Worshipers in mosques are gunned down by terrorists who attend competing mosques. And no one cares. No international human rights groups publish reports calling for an end to the slaughter. No UN body condemns anyone or sends a fact-finding mission to investigate the murders.
In the State of Palestine, women are stripped naked and forced to march in the streets to humiliate their husbands. Ambulances are stopped on the way to hospitals and wounded are shot in cold blood. Terrorists enter operating rooms in hospitals and unplug patients from life-support machines.
In the State of Palestine, people are kidnapped from their homes in broad daylight and in front of the television cameras. This is the case because the kidnappers themselves are cameramen. Indeed, their commanders often run television stations. And because terror commanders run television stations in the State of Palestine, it should not be surprising that they bomb the competition's television stations.
So it was that last week, terrorists from this group or that group bombed Al Arabiya television station in Gaza. And so it is that Hamas attacks Fatah radio announcers and closes down their radio station claiming that they use their microphones to incite murder. Because indeed, they are inciting murder. What would one expect for terrorists to do when placed in charge of a radio station?
And so it is that in the State of Palestine, journalists - whether members of terror groups or not - are part of the 88 percent of their public who are afraid. Sunday they protested outside the offices of one terror faction or another that controls the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, reporter Ala Masharawi explained, "No one goes outside, no one moves without thinking twice. Gaza's streets have become terrible streets, especially at night. Gaza is a ghost town."
As the Post's Khaled Abu Toameh reported last week, in the State of Palestine, Christians are persecuted, robbed and beaten in what can only be viewed as a systematic campaign to end the Christian presence in places like Bethlehem. As Samir Qumsiyeh, owner of the Beit Sahur-based private Al-Mahd (Nativity) TV station lamented, "I believe that 15 years from now there will be no Christians left in Bethlehem. Then you will need a torch to find a Christian here."
Wrechard at Belmont Club sums it up this way in a stinging rebuke:
The collateral damage inflicted upon the people of the Third World by the Left in pursuit of their fantasies will someday rank with the Slave Trade and the Holocaust in the annals of historical outrage. It is the last form of imperialism. And the worst.
Don't mince words Wrechard .....tell us how you really feel !!
captainoutrageous answered on 02/01/07:Sounds like the next vacation hot spot. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 02/01/07 - I'm doing my bit, now how about you? Feeling totally vindicated, I will go on sequestrating Carbon but what are the rest of you going to do?
No time for never-never solutions
Mike Archer
February 1, 2007
It was suggested recently that if everyone on the planet started gorging themselves on fatty foods, the amount of carbon sequestered could reverse global warming as long as no one did a stitch of exercise other than to produce more butterball humans. It's a tasteless idea, but it does raise some important themes that bear thinking about as scientists gather for the latest diagnosis of the state of the Earth's climate.
It seems pretty clear that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will tell us the patient is far worse than we thought and that her condition is deteriorating far faster than we thought when it releases its latest report tomorrow.
Naysayers and sceptics can argue all they like about how much of this change is "natural" and how much is the result of human activity: the bottom line, in terms of treating the patient, is that the hotter she gets the less time we have to fix her up. Likewise, our options become more and more limited the longer we stand around like stunned mullets. We need to take action, now.
The trouble is that most of the major solutions being suggested to Australians are of the never-never kind. Whatever the relative merits of carbon sequestration and nuclear energy, for example, they will take decades to develop and decades more to have any serious impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Worse still, these prescriptions carry an in-built assumption that we have the luxury of time in which to administer them. We don't.
More disturbingly, we now have plenty of evidence to suggest that swings in the global climate can happen faster than we previously believed. Much faster.
The US National Academy of Sciences' 2002 report Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises noted, for example, that although general global warming and a glacial meltdown began about 15,000 years ago, the process came to an abrupt halt about 3000 years later in the span of a couple of decades.
Known as the Younger Dryas event, it featured a rapid, steep drop in global temperature and an abrupt return to full-on glacial conditions for about 500 years. It ended even more abruptly than it began, with a return to global warming that took perhaps as little as one decade.
The Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow began with a climatologist lecturing thick-headed US politicians about the vital message of the Younger Dryas event that abrupt climate change could happen again just as quickly, with awesome consequences.
For example, if the Greenland and Antarctica icesheets melt (which they are doing in spectacular fashion), sea levels could rise, as they have done many times in the past, by 100 metres. If that were to happen, forget the metre-in-a-century mantra, and forget half of Sydney, along with most of the world's coastal populations. Why climates swing so violently is less relevant than the consequences when they do.
As a palaeontologist and geologist who has studied the history of climate change and its effects on life, it's clear to me from Earth's fossil record that major swings in climate have had massive consequences for living things. Extinctions are the most common outcome.
In short, if we don't want these consequences, we don't have the luxury of time to dither. We must respond now.
I don't have all the answers, but I remind everyone of the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change, put together by an eminent group of scientists from four international global change research programs. It pointed out that the dynamics of global systems "are characterised by critical thresholds and abrupt changes" and that "human activities could inadvertently trigger such changes with severe consequences for Earth's environment and inhabitants". Those changes could be irreversible and will be far less hospitable to human life.
The broader message here is that we shouldn't focus on climate change as the only threat looming on the horizon. We need to look as well to the other ways humans are increasingly modifying the planet for their own purposes and question whether we're at risk of crossing other thresholds that may lead, faster than expected, to ugly outcomes.
As the Amsterdam declaration noted, the planet behaves as a single, self-regulating system, with complex interactions and feedback between its component parts.
Humans are influencing environments in many ways, not just the atmosphere but the oceans, fresh water, biological systems and so on. All the signals coming back are that the way we live as a species is not sustainable.
While some might take comfort in the thought that "ugly" will not happen in their lifetime, new studies of thresholds and accelerating rates of change suggest these are problems that will challenge all generations now living on the planet.
The Prime Minister has rightly acknowledged that our way of managing the Murray-Darling Basin has passed its use-by date. That's a step in the right direction. Next, we all have to acknowledge that the same is true of our overall environmental management. We must invest now in environmentally friendly technologies, such as solar hydrogen to produce energy that won't cost the world.
Sooner or later, we're all going to have to cease our collective state of denial and accept that business and technology as usual is not an option. We simply can't keep gorging ourselves on the world's resources (even if 6 billion obese, inactive humans would sequester a lot of carbon). Civilisations exist by the grace of Earth, subject to change without notice. Let's hope we all realise that in time.
Mike Archer is dean of science at the University of NSW.
captainoutrageous answered on 02/01/07:Mr Archer presents some scary and sobering scenarios. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/31/07 - Name that country. For more than sixty years it has been the recipient of aid from the United Nations, Europe and the United States. In fact, "the highest per capita aid transfer in the history of foreign aid anywhere." Statesmen all over the world have paid homage to it. It's leadership has been praised and defended by former American Presidents and world leaders . Charities have been established to support it. Fund raising in its name takes place every day. It has been provided with security training and weaponry by the International Community. If any country deserves to be called the proud creation of enlightened diplomacy and peacemaking, this is is it. captainoutrageous answered on 01/31/07:Israel? | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 01/29/07 - one more post on waste contributing to pollution over the past half century many mechanics and so forth have invented cars that last forever (Tucker). Carboraters that will triple your gas mileage (the ones they have at Advanced Auto and so forth are inferior compared to the ones they don't want us to know about).
And back in the fifties and sixties (even since) several people have invented alternative fuels. My ex's grandfather invented a clean clear corn fuel in the fifties. But what happens to these inventions? NOBODY hears about them because the government pays them off to NOT market them. WHY? Because big business would suffer since people would not have to buy cars and gas as often.
This really applies to everything. If you notice the insulation in stoves and refridgeraters nowadays it is nothing compared to the old. I use to be able to buy brooms that lasted years, now the bristles start falling out within months or the handle swivels off and
taping or gluing it doesn't work.
captainoutrageous answered on 01/30/07:Unfortunately, we have become the disposable society. Quality workmanship seems to have fallen sharply over the years. Because the quality is not there, we don't try to fix it anymore - we just throw it away and buy another. My students' are perfect examples of this philosophy. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/28/07 - National Geographic Find An archeological team, digging in Washington DC, has uncovered 10,000-year-old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Politician .
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Although the team is not 100% certain, based on the the few clues that have been uncovered thus far combined with the physical positioning of the skeletal remains, all indications point to the fact that this assumption is valid.
captainoutrageous answered on 01/29/07:Talk about having your head up your arse. | | Question/Answer | Dark_Crow asked on 01/27/07 - Is it true that a penny saved is a penny earned?
My personal opinion is that it is not true literally, or figuratively. In fact I think the idiom is foolish in the context of economics, and goes to the heart of the difference between right thinking and wrong thinking because it excludes the concept of creating wealth and new sources of growth; that is, the difference between Nation Building i.e. development to foster social harmony and economic growth- and stagnation- the result of cutting and running in Iraq.
Comments?
captainoutrageous answered on 01/27/07:No, but it is a penny that you earned that you didn't spend. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 01/26/07 - laugh on limbaugh A lady just called in and said the Republicans theme song should be
stuck in the middle---clowns on the left jokers on the right.
Limbaugh said no that makes it sound like Republicans are middle of the road. She said she thought of it more like Depublicans surrounded by Democrats. Limbaugh still didn't like the idea. captainoutrageous answered on 01/27/07:He plays to people's emotions. This time he missed the perfect opportunity. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 01/25/07 - State of the Union Address ".....I thought of Willy Loman as I watched George Bush deliver his State of the Union address. Here was a man like Willy who was absolutely confident of his own charm, a personality man who had nothing of substance to sell; a man who brings ruin to all around him as he clings to his fantasies of success. Only unlike Willy, George Bush is our Salesman of Death. He stood there delivering his tired spiel, unpacking his tawdry goods; the misbegotten war, while peddling terror and no taxes as if they were shiny new stock. He dragged out all the initiatives that he should have considered six years ago, which now seemed shopworn, threadbare, and counterfeit in his hands, new sources of energy, health care, and his disastrous No Child Left Behind and its destruction of our educational system. Never has America had a leader who is so incorruptible, because there is nothing in George Bush that could be corrupted. To corrupt someone implies that they begin with some virtue, and it was difficult to think of any virtue known to man possessed by this President.
George W. Bush had death to sell to the Congress and the American people, the death of our young soldiers to be sacrificed to his desperate need for another chance, another big score, all part of his fantasy of success, and his dread of failure. As even the Democrats in Congress bobbed up and down in response to his lies and banalities, I was a bit confused, and annoyed; then I realized that nobody was paying close attention to his words, this sign of deference may have been an effort to stay awake, like the snoozing John McCain, or the jumping up and down of Nancy Pelosi to keep her foot from falling asleep. I expected Laura, like the loyal Linda Loman, to shout out from the balcony, "Attention must be paid," but instead she was playing a game of three card Monte, undoubtedly taught to her by Rove himself, exploiting the heroism of an African American working man, one who never enjoyed any of the benefits of Bush's America, to distract from her husband's failures and lend George some of this hero's aura. Perhaps the real Linda Loman was Condi Rice whose face was a mask of tragedy. Medea or Medusa, take your pick, it was awful to behold in its desperation for Condi like Laura and the Cheneys the tragedy wasn't what they had done to America, but what they had lost for themselves, power, respect, and honor. Perhaps the material profits of war are not enough for some people. Sadly, one knows that George W. will never have a moment when he understands how he went wrong, and what a disaster he has brought down on the American family. The big difference between that great play and this President is that you could weep for Willy Loman but never for this salesman of death."
Part of an excellent blog by Sherman Yellen.
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I was specially touched by his reference to the twisted, angonized face of Condi Rice when she was captured on camera. Her face told it all about the Bush years, the Bush failures...most specially the failure of the Iraqi War. captainoutrageous answered on 01/26/07:I always find the State of the Union address a scary affair - just about everybody who is anybody in the US government is there - I certainly hope that monumental security is in place each year for this event. | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 01/25/07 - why are the republican radio talk show hosts still talking about Valerie not being covert? That is such old news and they are beating it to death. captainoutrageous answered on 01/26/07:It all sounds that a supreme waste of taxpaper money (and the time of the accused). | | Question/Answer | | Dark_Crow asked on 01/25/07 - Given that all human activity springs from two sources, which is the greater in man’-impulse or de . captainoutrageous answered on 01/26/07:I was going to mention Maslow's hierarchy, but Mathatmacoat beat me to it. Following is a link to a website discussing the hierarchy:
www.pateo.com/article6.html | | Question/Answer | | tropicalstorm asked on 01/25/07 - why do people dread jury duty? Replies for IF people dread jury duty and really don't want to do it.
A. I stick to my own race, I wouldn't know
B. I am all for profiling
C. I am for the little guy, companies have their racket.
D. Let the criminal rot in jail; at least send them all to their own island.
E. No I am not KKK, but I can't relate to anything outside my own problems
captainoutrageous answered on 01/25/07:While I certainly don't joyfully anticipate their arrival (I've received 3 in the past 10 years), I do view jury duty as my civic duty. How else can one expect to be guaranteed a fair trial if we are not willing to serve? | | Question/Answer | paraclete asked on 01/24/07 - An development of this weapon will just stop at this???
Ray gun makes targets feel as if they are on fire
POSTED: 5:34 p.m. EST, January 24, 2007
Story Highlights
• Ray gun so hot it makes enemies drop their weapons
• Technology is supposed to be harmless
• Officials say it could save the lives
• System uses millimeter waves to barely penetrate skin
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Georgia (AP) -- The military's new weapon is a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they will catch fire.
The technology is supposed to be harmless -- a non-lethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons.
Military officials say it could save the lives of civilians and service members in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The weapon is not expected to go into production until at least 2010, but all branches of the military have expressed interest in it, officials said.
During the first media demonstration of the weapon Wednesday, airmen fired beams from a large dish antenna mounted atop a Humvee at people pretending to be rioters and acting out other scenarios U.S. troops might encounter.
The crew fired beams from more than 500 yards (455 meters) away, nearly 17 times the range of existing non-lethal weapons, such as rubber bullets.
While the sudden, 130-degree Fahrenheit (54.44 Celsius) heat was not painful, it was intense enough to make participants think their clothes were about to ignite.
"This is one of the key technologies for the future," said Marine Col. Kirk Hymes, director of the non-lethal weapons program that helped develop the weapon. "Non-lethal weapons are important for the escalation of force, especially in the environments our forces are operating in."
The system uses millimeter waves, which can penetrate only 1/64th of an inch of skin, just enough to cause discomfort. By comparison, common kitchen microwaves penetrate several inches of skin.
The millimeter waves cannot go through walls, but they can penetrate most clothing, officials said. They refused to comment on whether the waves can go through glass.
Two airmen and 10 reporters volunteered to be shot with the beams, which easily penetrated various layers of winter clothing.
The system was developed by the military, but the two devices being evaluated were built by defense contractor Raytheon.
Airman Blaine Pernell, 22, said he could have used the system during his four tours in Iraq, where he manned watchtowers around a base near Kirkuk. He said Iraqis often pulled up and faked car problems so they could scout U.S. forces.
"All we could do is watch them," he said. But if they had the ray gun, troops "could have dispersed them."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press
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Pull the other one. We are expected to believe the military want "non-lethal" weapons? captainoutrageous answered on 01/25/07:I can definitely see why such a weapon is desirable by the military, but is this the first step toward the ray gun of science fiction which disintegrates the target? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/22/07 - I think I just found the dumbest person in the world. Some idiot brought the domain name "ImpeachBush.com" or $25,200 on EBay . Think they will get a return on their investment in the 2 years remaining of the Bush Presidency ? captainoutrageous answered on 01/23/07:I noticed there were 51 total bids - probably the same two idiots bidding back and forth and the biggest idiot "won." | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/23/07 - Third Millenium thinking? YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played Solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile.
: )
12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't#9 on this list
AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.
Go on, forward this to your friends. You know you want to.
captainoutrageous answered on 01/23/07:Well, at least 7 of these fit me. See, you can teach a dinosaur new tricks. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/23/07 - The Universal Politician is recognised everywhere? A Queensland drover was grazing his herd on the long paddock along a remote pasture in outback Queensland when suddenly a brand-new Range Rover Discovery emerged from a dust cloud towards him.
The driver, a young man in an Armani suit, Gucci shoes, Bolle sunglasses and Yves St Laurent silk tie, leans out the window and asks the drover, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"
The drover looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then
looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook
computer, connects it to his Nokia cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.
The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe
Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg Germany.
Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot
that the image has been processed and the data stored.
He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC
connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.
Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the drover and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."
"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my
calves," says the drover.
He watches the young man select one of the animals and
looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.
Then the drover says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"
The young man thinks about it for a second and then says,
"Okay, why not?"
"You're a Parliamentarian from Canberra," says the drover.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie," but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the drover. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows.................
Now give me back my blue cattle dog."
captainoutrageous answered on 01/23/07:Awesome! Though the farmer probably meant his blue heeler. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/19/07 - WE could use some star wars technology about now. The NY Slimes is reporting today that China successfully carried out its first test of an antisatellite weapon last week .
Accordng to the Slimes ,Arms control experts called the test, in which the weapon destroyed an aging Chinese weather satellite, a troubling development that could foreshadow an antisatellite arms race.
Back in the 1980s ,Ted Kennedy and the rest of the appeasorcrats mocked Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative as "Star Wars" . Due to that ,the technology was not advanced at the pace Reagan desired ;Nor did Bush I or Clinton emphasis it. A 20 year advantage was squandered .
The world thus is less safe not because the US vigorously persued the technology but instead because we did not .
The Times notes that President Bush has picked up the mantle that was dropped by the 2 previous administrations .
The Bush administration has conducted research that critics say could produce a powerful ground-based laser weapon that would be used against enemy satellites.
The largely secret project, parts of which were made public through Air Force budget documents submitted to Congress last year, appears to be part of a wide-ranging administration effort to develop space weapons, both defensive and offensive.
The administration’s laser research is far more ambitious than a previous effort by the Clinton administration to develop an antisatellite laser, though the administration denies that it is an attempt to build a laser weapon.
The current research takes advantage of an optical technique that uses sensors, computers and flexible mirrors to counteract the atmospheric turbulence that seems to make stars twinkle. The weapon would essentially reverse that process, shooting focused beams of light upward with great clarity and force.
The Aussies are understandably upset about the Chinese test ;you know ..... falling debris and all that .
captainoutrageous answered on 01/19/07:Readiness is an area in which we have sadly lost ground. Unfortunately, it can be a fine line between readiness and an arms race. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/18/07 - Hillary attacks Obama's backround.
Taken from Insight Magazine :
Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?
This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.
An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check, which has not yet been released, said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.
"He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. "His opponents within the Democrats hope this will become a major issue in the campaign."
When contacted by Insight, Mr. Obama’s press secretary said he would consult with “his boss” and call back. He did not.
Sources said the background check, conducted by researchers connected to Senator Clinton, disclosed details of Mr. Obama's Muslim past. The sources said the Clinton camp concluded the Illinois Democrat concealed his prior Muslim faith and education.
"The background investigation will provide major ammunition to his opponents," the source said. "The idea is to show Obama as deceptive."
In two best-selling autobiographies—"The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"—Mr. Obama, born in Honolulu where his parents met, mentions but does not expand on his Muslim background, alluding only to his attendance at a "predominantly Muslim school."
The sources said the young Obama was given the name Hussein by his Muslim father, which the Illinois Democrat rarely uses in public.
His father was black and came from Kenya. Mr. Obama’s mother, the daughter of a farmer, came from Wichita, Kansas. Mr. Obama's parents divorced when he was two years old. His father returned to Kenya.
Later, Mr. Obama's mother married an Indonesian student and the family moved to Jakarta. Mr. Obama returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his maternal grandparents.
The sources said the background check concerned Mr. Obama's years in Jakarta. In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.
Although the background check has not confirmed that the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended was espousing Wahhabism, the sources said his Democratic opponents believe this to be the case—and are seeking to prove it. The sources said the opponents are searching for evidence that Mr. Obama is still a Muslim or has ties to Islam.
Mr. Obama attends services at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago’s South Side. However, he is not known to be a regular parishioner.
"Obama's education began a life-long relationship with Islam as a faith and Muslims as a community," the source said. "This has been a relationship that contains numerous question marks."
The sources said Mr. Obama spent at least four years in a Muslim school in Indonesia. They said when Mr. Obama was 10, his mother and her second husband separated. She and her son returned to Hawaii.
"Then the official biography begins," the source said. "Obama never returned to Kenya to see relatives or family until it became politically expedient."
In both of his autobiographies, Mr. Obama characterizes himself as a Christian—although he describes his upbringing as mostly secular.
In “The Audacity of Hope,” Mr. Obama says, "I was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother as secular, but says she had copies of the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita in their home.
Mr. Obama says his father was "raised a Muslim, but by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist...." Mr. Obama also describes his father as largely absent from his life. He says his Indonesian stepfather was "skeptical" about religion and "saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one's way in the world ...."
In the book, Mr. Obama briefly addresses his education in Indonesia. "During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school and then to a predominantly Muslim school; in both cases, my mother was less concerned with me learning the catechism or puzzling out the meaning of the muezzin's call to evening prayer than she was with whether I was properly learning my multiplication tables."
Mr. Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School; he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. He later settled in Chicago, joined a law firm and began attending and helping local churches.
Mr. Obama is married to Michelle Robinson and they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. In 1996, he was elected to the Illinois state Senate. Eight years later, he became a U.S. senator from Illinois.
The sources said Ms. Clinton regards Mr. Obama as her most formidable opponent and the biggest obstacle to the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nomination. They said Ms. Clinton has been angered by Mr. Obama's efforts to tap her supporters for donations.
In late 2006, when the Illinois senator demonstrated his intention to run for president, the Clinton campaign ordered a background check on Mr. Obama, the sources said. Earlier this week, Mr. Obama established an exploratory committee, the first step toward a formal race.
..............................
I love it when they feat on their own !
captainoutrageous answered on 01/19/07:Although I am sure Hillary's camp dredging up this information may anger some, there are others who wouldn't be caught dead supporting someone they even suspected of having Muslim ties (no matter how remote). Ah, don't you just love political campaigning? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/17/07 - What will we do? Once again we're in an environmental dilemma, this time over cremation. What should we do, encourage cremation as being "more eco-friendly, since land is not used for burial," or should we discourage it because of "toxic emissions, especially mercury fumes from incinerating dental fillings?" Perhaps all of those aging baby boomers should have their silver fillings replaced so they can't wreck the environment when they're dead and gone?
Steve captainoutrageous answered on 01/18/07:I have indicated that I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered over the Chesapeake Bay. I've feasted on blue crabs often and wish to return something to the little critters. Just will have to advise my relatives to remove the silver. What about gold fillings?
I like tomder's suggestion about vertical burial - we could use the old pine box routine - it should decompose rather quickly. "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out . . ." | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/17/07 - Now tell me this? Tell me why this religion of hate shouldn't be outlawed and wiped from the planet?
Use children as troops, says cleric
By Luke McIlveen
January 18, 2007 01:00am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
SYDNEY'S most influential radical Muslim cleric has been caught on film calling Jews pigs and urging children to die for Allah.
Firebrand Sheik Feiz Mohammed, head of the Global Islamic Youth Centre in Liverpool, delivered the hateful rants on a collection of DVDs called the Death Series being sold in Australia and overseas.
"Today many parents, they prevent their children from attending lessons. Why? They fear that they might create a place in the their hearts, the love, just a bit of the love, of sacrificing their lives for Allah," Sheik Feiz says in the video.
"We want to have children and offer them as soldiers defending Islam. Teach them this: There is nothing more beloved to me than wanting to die as a mujahid (holy warrior). Put in their soft, tender hearts the zeal of jihad and a love of martyrdom."
An Australian citizen born in Sydney who has spent the past year living in Lebanon, Sheik Feiz was exposed this week in a British documentary Undercover Mosque.
Investigators found Sheik Feiz's DVDs being sold by children in the carpark of the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham and other Islamic bookshops. The entire set can be bought online for $150.
"The peak, the pinnacle, the crest, the highest point, the pivot, the summit of Islam is jihad," he declares in the film, before denouncing "kaffirs" (non-Muslims).
"Kaffir is the worst word ever written, a sign of infidelity, disbelief, filth, a sign of dirt."
In an excerpt from a video lecture series called Signs of the Hour, Sheik Feiz then ridicules Jews as pigs.
Sheik Feiz - who just two weeks ago said he felt like an "alien" in his own country - leads about 4000 followers through his Global Islamic Youth Centre in Sydney's southwest.
He also accused Australian authorities of being over-zealous in their approach to clerics like him.
"There are no sheiks preaching chaos there. No one is telling people to raise arms against the Australian community," he said.
Sheik Feiz left for Lebanon just before the arrest of 23 men in Sydney and Melbourne in November 2005. captainoutrageous answered on 01/18/07:Perhaps the Sheik would like to demonstrate how to sacrifice one's (his) life for Allah. Anyone have a gas can available? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/16/07 - What exactly is... ...a "fact finding mission" anyway? And why are so many potential presidential candidates running around all over the globe? What business do they have injecting themselves in US foregin policy?
NM governor Bill Richardson has recently supposedly negotiated a ceasefire in the Sudan and met with the Norks over their nukes. Hillary is on a "fact-finding" mission to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling for more troops to head off a "big spring offensive" by the Taliban and al Qaeda. Where will Obama go? Do any of these solo missions help further US interests? captainoutrageous answered on 01/17/07:Well, we've had Jesse Jackson running around for years promoting peace and negotiating the release of captives and POWs. Who knows maybe they'll come back with something to put on their resume as well. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 01/16/07 - Cab wars Subject: Muslim cab wars in Dhimmiapolis - er, I mean, Minneapolis January 11, 2007
Muslim cab wars in Dhimmiapolis - er, I mean, Minneapolis January 11, 2007
By Greg Strange
By now you've probably heard about the Muslim cab wars in Minneapolis. If not, here's a quick synopsis. Seventy-five percent of the cab drivers servicing the Minneapolis International Airport are Somali Muslims and most of them have been refusing service to infidel passengers who engage in behaviors that aren't up to snuff when it comes to Islam.
For instance, let's say you're an average godless and contemptible infidel who just bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon at the duty-free shop and
then you try to hail a cab with that devil's concoction in your possession. You're committing a grave sin against the Religion of Peace and can't
possibly expect an observant Muslim to be complicit in your sin, not to mention defile his taxi by transporting you and your iniquitous liquid.
So what are you supposed to do? Well, apparently you're supposed to show your multicultural tolerance by acquiescing to the primitive customs of the
Islamic cabbies and finding some other means of transportation that won't involve giving offense to a person of another culture or faith.
As another example, let's say you're an unsighted person who gets around with the help of a seeing-eye dog. Yep, that's right. Don't expect to defile
the purity of a Muslim taxi with your filthy beast. Refusing service in that kind of situation is a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), but so far Islam trumps such infidel legislation.
Amazing, isn't it? In a world of political correctness gone mad, who could possibly mistreat the unsighted and get away with it? Muslims, that's who!
But imagine that the cab drivers, rather than being Muslims, were instead bible-thumping Christian fundamentalists who were refusing fares for the
exact same reasons. How long do you think they would get away with it before the ACLU would be all over them like white on rice and before Frank Rich,
New York times columnist extraordinaire, would write his umpteenth column about the Christian fundamentalist takeover of America? Half a day, maybe?
But for whatever unfathomable reason, the entire Western world, in its wretched multicultural misguidedness, seems to believe that it has to bend
over backwards to accommodate the primitive beliefs of Islamic religious fanatics. The question of our time, of the age, is, why? Why would self-proclaimed secular Western societies do this? Why, why, why?
It all stems from the cult of multiculturalism which basically says that any culture is as good as any other, so therefore all cultures must be
tolerated. Anything less would be intolerant and intolerance is evil. And since Islamic culture is just another culture that is as good as any other,
it must be tolerated in the name of multicultural tolerance, even if it is itself supremely intolerant and could eventually supplant the preexisting
culture of tolerance, which would, in effect, spell the end of all that cherished toleration.
It could be the ultimate paradox. The West commits cultural suicide in the name of tolerance and in so doing, leaves the world in the hands of its most
intolerant people. Brilliant!
Volumes are currently being filled with examples from all over the Western world of its groveling obsequiousness before Islam, all in the name of
extreme multiculturalism. It's everything from removing pork from hospital menus for fear of offending Muslims to banning the English national flag
from English prisons because it displays the cross of St. George, which was used by the Crusaders and is therefore deemed offensive by imprisoned Muslim criminals.
If you stop and think about it, given that Islamic law's top ten list of things to avoid includes not only alcohol and dogs, but infidels themselves,
it would seem that for observant Muslims there can only be one final and ultimate solution if there is ever to be a world that is pure. It's enough
to send a shiver down an infidel's back.
In the meantime, there may be a tiny smidgen of hope in Minnesota, at least for the moment, where it is still theoretically possible that Minneapolis
won't become Dhimmiapolis. The Metropolitan Airport Commission, which oversees policy at Minneapolis
International Airport, is going to conduct hearings to decide on a proposal that states that all cab drivers at the airport will be expected to carry
all passengers with alcohol and seeing-eye dogs. If there is any sanity left in the Western world, that proposal will pass.
That would no doubt upset the Somali cab drivers, but here's something for them to think about. If Islam was such a great thing, they could just get jobs at Mogadishu International instead of having to slink off to some infidel country to find a decent life. But Mogadishu International is almost never open for business because Somalia is a failed, war-torn Islamic state, and like so many other basket-case Islamic states, the only thing to be found there is misery, violence and hard times.
So Somalis, as well as other denizens of other failed Islamic states, fan out all over the globe seeking economic opportunity in non-Islamic countries, and in particular, Western countries since they tend to be the most prosperous. The amazing thing is that so many of them never seem to be able to put two and two together to figure out that if going to a non-Islamic country is the only way to get a decent life, then maybe Islam's not all it's cracked up to be.
So instead of adapting to their new environments, they continue right on with their primitive and irrational customs while their Western hosts, who
would never tolerate such nonsense from their own Christian populations, mouth vapid platitudes about tolerance and the splendor of diversity.
Maybe Minneapolis will draw the line at the mistreatment of blind people byIslamic primitives. On the other hand, Minneapolis was the chosen site of
the flying imams' mini-airport jihad, not to mention having just sent the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress. I guess you could say all bets are off
and there could still be a Dhimmiapolis in the future.
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So how far off is this author? captainoutrageous answered on 01/17/07:This is absolute madness. I believe in tolerance, but I am extremely intolerant of intolerant people. Most cities control licensing of cab companies and drivers. Looks like Minneapolis needs to revoke a few. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/16/07 - The madness of King George perhaps relecting the problems of his eighteenth century counterpart has king George finally lost it?
January 13, 2007
It’s One Thing to Flirt With Madness, but When Madness Starts Flirting Back?
— Eric Martin @ 6:28 am
“I call it the madman theory, Bob. I want the North Vietnamese to believe that I’ve reached the point that I might do anything to stop the war. We’ll just slip the word to them that, ‘for God’s sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about communism. We can’t restrain him when he’s angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button’ — and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace.”
Richard Nixon to H.R. Haldeman, 1969 (via TCR)
It’s long been my contention that the vast majority of the Iran/Syria related bellicosity emanating from the White House over the past three years has been hollow saber rattling of one form or another. Roughly a year into the invasion of Iraq it became apparent to most observers (even in the White House) that our military options vis-a-vis Iran (and Syria to a lesser extent) were severely limited.
For one, our sizable and enduring military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan have limited our ability to take similar action against Iran/Syria. Not to mention the fact that Iran has a wide range of retaliatory options available - a menu made broader by the convenient proximity of so many American personnel right next door in Iraq (as well as a largely sympathetic Shiite faction in a hegemonic position in Iraq). Taking action against Syria, though perhaps less problematic than with respect to Iran, would nevertheless open a pandora’s box of potential regional destabilizations that we might not be able to contain (the usurpers of Assad, for example, would be far more hostile to our interests).
With those limitations in mind, the repeated threats (both veiled and overt), and consistent maintenance of a generally hostile posture, can mostly be interpreted in two ways (with various power nodes within the administration probably pursuing varying strategies in this regard):
First, the bluster can be seen as an attempt to augment the perception in Iranian/Syrian eyes that we still have a military capability to be reckoned with. This would be useful in order to compel Iran/Syria to offer better terms and concessions at the negotiating table. The problem with this reading is that those in favor of opening talks with Iran/Syria have thus far been unable to convince the President of the wisdom of this course. So to the extent that some Bush administration officials have been seeking to bolster our hand in negotiations by assuming a - somewhat hollow - threatening posture, the next step in this two-part strategy remains elusive. This renders phase one utterly counterproductive.
Second, there are elements (prominent ones, supported by forces like Cheney) that actually want military confrontation with Iran/Syria. So some of the heated rhetoric and associated provocations are indicative of a legitimate strategy to spark a war. Still, despite these belligerent intentions, Bush has thus far resisted commencing the final countdown, so to speak. At the end of the day, most high ranking military officials (including new Defense Secretary Gates) counseling Bush are most likely reminding him, repeatedly, that such an widening of the conflict could lead to an unprecedented catastrophe.
Due to the simultaneous pursuit of these diverging strategies, all we have been left with is an incoherent and muddled policy that juts out in various directions in fits and spurts: full of hostile rhetoric and provocation, yet without any discernible means or will to follow either course to fruition or productive resolution. All bad cop, no good cop. All preparation, no realization.
That being said, the flirtation with madness has taken on some truly ominous shades as of late. This is either the result of masterful subterfuge undertaken as a prelude to negotiations (now, from a position of perceived strength), the actual build up to war or, in the alternative, still more outward manifestations of the near-paralytic internal divisions in the White House’s policy making apparatus.
Steve Clemons yesterday offered a chilling bit of information:
Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the CIA to launch military operations against Syria and Iran.
The President may have started a new secret, informal war against Syria and Iran without the consent of Congress or any broad discussion with the country.
That rather bold prediction comes in the context of several other actions, warnings and rhetorical escalations that seem to lend support to the most dire reading of events. There was the seizure of Iranian officials in Southern Iraq weeks ago, the storming of the Iranian consulate (lesser diplomatic outpost?) and capture of five Iranian citizens in Kurdistan, an inflammatory speech by President Bush on Wednesday, the appointment of a Navy man (well versed in the use of air power) to head CENTCOM, and some other military moves that would normally complement the preparation for war. Steve Clemons, again, this time quoting Flynt Leverett:
The deployment of a second carrier strike group to the theater — confirmed in the speech — is clearly directed against Iran. Since, in contrast to previous U.S. air campaigns in the Gulf, military planners developing contingencies for striking target sets in Iran must assume that the United States would not be able to use land-based air assets in theater (because of political opposition in the region), they are surely positing a force posture of at least two, and possible three carrier strike groups to provide the necessary numbers and variety of tactical aircraft.
Similarly, the President’s announcement that additional Patriot batteries would go to the Gulf is clearly directed against Iran. We have previously deployed Patriot batteries to the region to deal with the Iraqi SCUD threat. Today, the only missile threat in the region for the Patriot to address is posed, at least theoretically, by Iran’s Shihab-3.
On top of that, Garanace Franke-Ruta passes along some unsettling rumors that argue that the extra troops in Iraq resulting from the surge will be tasked with the mission of protecting the vulnerable military supply lines that stretch through southern Iraq that would be targeted pursuant an eventual strike on Iran. More preparations for war?
I readily admit that at least part of my assessment of the situation, and conclusion that confrontation with Iran/Syria is not in the cards, is born out of hope and necessity: the results from such a widening of the conflict could be near-cataclysmic. As such, I have put faith in the notion that even President Bush must appreciate this fact and thus avoid launching such attacks - even if, at times, his state of indecisiveness and desire to confront Syria and Iran lead to a schizophrenic translation into policy.
Still, I am growing increasingly worried that Bush might just be foolish and desperate enough to do the unthinkable. There are certainly enough committed zealots in his inner circle that would counsel him to act so rashly. Or at the very least, blunder his way into a regional war.
Doing so under any circumstances, however, would truly signify the all out madness of King George.
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so sports fans, what do you think, will King George do the unthinkable? captainoutrageous answered on 01/16/07:Well, what the heck? Why don't we just go to war with the whole Middle East. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/15/07 - The race is over All those wannabe presidential candidates might as well stop and save their time and money, Ebony magazine has already declared a winner for 2008:
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Will America elect a smoker? At least he admitted he DID inhale. captainoutrageous answered on 01/15/07:All righty then. guess that saves me a trip to the polls. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/14/07 - The meaning of life The Lone Ranger and Tonto are camping in the desert. They have set up their tent and are asleep. Some hours later, the Lone Ranger wakes his faithful friend. "Tonto, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." Tonto replies, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?" ask the Lone Ranger. Tonto ponders for a minute. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Kemo Sabi?"
The Lone Ranger is silent for a moment, and then speaks. "Tonto, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent." captainoutrageous answered on 01/14/07:Great! Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 01/14/07 - More News with Views. What do you think of this one?
http://www.newswithviews.com/Wooldridge/frosty221.htm
captainoutrageous answered on 01/14/07:"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
But keep the crooks in their native country!! | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/14/07 - Remarkable insights into the mind of a muslim? The sheik meant bent like Beckham
Aaron Timms
January 15, 2007
Once again, Sheik Taj el-din al-Hilaly has spoken the truth and been taken severely out of context. Once again, it falls to this column to clear things up.
We'll take a quick look at three of the comments he made last week on Egyptian TV, then provide explanations.
"[In the West] we have a third gender, of 'in between', people who are not male or female."David Beckham's recently announced transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy has been a talking point for many Australians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, over the past few days. The sheik is no different. He exfoliates. He cares. For him to describe a third gender category, as he has here, is merely his way of agitating for Beckham's unique chromosome configuration to be formally recognised in law.
"Anglo-Saxons came to Australia in chains, while we paid our way and came in freedom. We are more Australian than them."The sheik's logic is irresistible in its clarity: the more expensive the trip to a country, the better the claim of the traveller to that country's sovereign territory. Few would disagree that the Australian business-class traveller to Los Angeles, for instance, has a greater claim to California than the San Jose Okie who lives in a trailer home and is descended from some bunch of high-hair Puritans who caught a ride across the Atlantic in the early 17th century because they couldn't make any friends back in Europe. In drawing attention to the convicts' shameful exploitation of the early welfare state, the sheik has exposed the Pilgrim Fathers for what they really were: Pilgrim Bludgers.
"A young man can meet a woman, smile, arrange a meeting, and then end up in jail for 65 years."Here, the sheik outlines some of the employment opportunities that exist for those who pay their way to Australia. In grammatical terms, that "can" should be understand as a dynamic verb of opportunity, not as the bleak stative that many have assumed it to be. A better gloss might be: "Hey, kids, come to Australia! You can buy a boat, drive fast cars, smile, arrange a meeting with a woman and end up in jail for 65 years." At a time when Tourism Australia is in such an obvious shambles, forced to rely on a Test cricketer's potty-mouthed girlfriend for publicity, the whole of Australia should be sinking to its knees in gratitude for the fine promotional work the sheik is doing on behalf of our country.
Insensitive? The sheik? With a beard like that? The idea is ridiculous. captainoutrageous answered on 01/14/07:With friends like him, who needs enemies? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/14/07 - Catch me if you can? This should make a good plot for a Di Caprio sequel.
people on three continents should breath a sigh of relief that the finally have this one.
Foster nabbed in Vanuatu raid
By Simon Kearney and Tracy Ong
January 15, 2007 12:13am
Article from: The Australian
INTERNATIONAL conman Peter Foster has been arrested in Vanuatu after allegedly being smuggled there from Fiji on a former Australian navy minesweeper last week.
Foster was woken just after 5am local time yesterday when 14 officers from the Vanuatu police's elite mobile force stormed the house where he was hiding in the upmarket Port Vila community of Malapoa.
Foster was taken into custody at Port Vila's main police station, where he was questioned throughout the day.
Last night he was taken to hospital for a check-up but Inspector Allan Bani of Vanuatu police told The Australian that Foster would probably appear in court this morning.
"He'll be charged under immigration law with illegally entering the country without documents," he said. "We also arrested the people who were harbouring him. They were arrested on charges of harbouring an illegal immigrant."
Foster initially tried to run from police but was cornered by the officers who had surrounded the luxury home of the expatriate Australian couple allegedly helping him.
It was the end of a Pacific-wide manhunt for the conman, who has spent time in prison in Australia, Britain and the US.
Inspector Bani said the former Australian navy vessel Retriever 1, which Vanuatu authorities seized on Tuesday, was suspected of being the vessel that spirited Foster into the country, and investigations into the ship were continuing.
The Australian understands the Australian Federal Police helped find Foster by tracking the satellite phone he had been using in an attempt to convince people he was really in Fiji.
As late as Saturday night, Foster said that he was meeting his Fiji lawyer and planning to appear in Suva's Magistrates Court this week to continue fighting three immigration and forgery charges.
A bench warrant was issued for his arrest last Monday when he did not appear in the same case. The manhunt intensified when AFP intelligence discovered he was attempting to secure passage on a vessel leaving Fiji.
Foster's mother, Louise, who is still in Fiji, said she received a phone call from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday morning informing her that her son was all right.
Ms Foster had been assuring people that her son was still in Fiji, but yesterday she admitted that she knew details of how he had arrived in Vanuatu.
He had been rowed ashore in a dinghy and was seen by a gardener "who couldn't keep his mouth shut", she said.
Foster had been in Suva under house arrest while awaiting his trial when military commander Frank Bainimarama overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase on December 5 last year. He then turned on his former friends in the ousted SDL Party and became a mole for the military regime, secretly recording conversations with SDL officials allegedly admitting corruption.
For this he was given military protection and allowed to return to his villa in the resort compound of Denarau on the western edge of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, near the city of Nadi.
But his relationship with the military soured at some point, forcing the conman to flee.
Foster told The Australian he was afraid for his life.
Ms Foster said the Fijian officer who was charged with looking after him was badly beaten and dumped at her house on Friday by several soldiers. They delivered a message for her son with a reference to the deep gash he had sustained at the hands of Fijian police when he was captured in November.
"They said that if he thought the police had given him a hard time, wait until we get hold of him," she said.
The three Australian men facing charges for smuggling Foster into Vanuatu have been released on bail for a second time. A special sitting of the Vanuatu Supreme Court on Saturday heard that the ship's master, Kell Walker, was conman Kelvin Noel Walker, who served time inprison in the 1990s for defrauding Queensland WorkCover for $380,000.
In an interview from his jail cell on Friday night, Mr Walker insisted it was a case of mistaken identity, despite using the same name and having an identical birthdate, but not year.
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One can only hope they used gentle techniques for the day long questioning? captainoutrageous answered on 01/14/07:He may claim mistaken identity, but I'm sure fingerprints and DNA will say otherwise. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/13/07 - Interesting child custody battle A seven year old boy was at the centre of a courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.
The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree
possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.
When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.
After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the British Test Cricket Team, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone. captainoutrageous answered on 01/14/07:Is this for real? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/12/07 - Chinese facing shortage of wives China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women by 2020, making it difficult for them to find wives, according to a national report.
The gender imbalance could lead to social instability, the report by the State Population and Family Planning Commission warned.
It found that around 118 boys were born to every 100 girls in 2005.
A traditional preference for boys, in a country with a one-child policy, is the root of the problem, the report says.
Abortions on female foetuses are believed to be widespread as couples, particularly in rural areas, hope for a son who will look after them in their old age.
There is also suspected under-reporting of female births.
'Embrace girls'
The report said the 118 to 100 ratio of newborn boys to girls had jumped from 110 to 100 recorded in 2000.
In some areas of southern China, such as Guangdong and Hainan, the figure was 130 boys to 100 girls in 2005.
map
China fears bachelor future
Nationwide this means there will be 30 million more men than women by 2020, making it difficult for those particularly with low income or little education to find a wife, the report said.
"The increasing difficulties men face finding wives may lead to social instability," the report said.
The report went on: "We need to develop a 'movement to embrace girls'... and effectively contain the trend towards greater gender imbalances..."
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Tell me, who didn't see that coming? If Americans were to embrace gender-selection techniques, or gay marriage on a large scale would we eventually face similar problems? captainoutrageous answered on 01/13/07:Giving women a more equal status in Chinese society would help alleviate the problem. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/12/07 - The Mahdi -Hatters travel intinary Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmamadjihad leaves tomorrow for a tour of Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Among other things he will meet with newly elected Marxist President of Nicaragua ,Daniel Ortega ;who spent his first day in office signing trade pacts with fellow commies Hugo Chavez ,Evo Morales of Bolivia and Ramon Machado Ventura of Cuba .
There is solid evidence that the Mahdi-hatter was involved in the 1979 seizing of the American Embassy in Tehran and has not been held accountable for his actions .
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Anyone opposed to extraordinary rendition ? captainoutrageous answered on 01/13/07:Brave, arrogant fellow, isn't he? Go for it! | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/12/07 - Hungry Mexicans, U.S. to blame Everything's our fault isn't it?
Mexico leader in tortilla pledge
Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has pledged to intervene to tackle the soaring price of tortillas, the flat corn bread which is a local staple.
The price of tortillas, the main source of calories for many of Mexico's poor, rose by more than 10% last year.
Mr Calderon said the government would clamp down on speculators and search for cheaper providers of corn.
But he ruled out imposing subsidies or price controls, which were lifted in the late 1990s.
"We will take all the measures within reach of the federal government to avoid escalating prices," Mr Calderon said.
In the meantime Mr Calderon has told his agriculture secretary to import corn to ease the problem.
"I don't care if it's brought from thousands of kilometres away, the most important thing is that this [shortage] is not used as an excuse to raise prices," he said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, angry housewives heckled Mr Calderon at his public appearances, pleading with him to bring tortilla prices down.
"When there isn't enough money to buy meat, you do without," one woman in Mexico City, Bonifacia Ysidro, told the Associated press. "Tortillas you can't do without."
Ms Ysidro said she paid 25 pesos - about a sixth of her family's daily income - for enough tortillas to feed her family of six.
On Thursday, government officials from the Federal Competition Commission said that they were investigating claims that tortilla companies around the country were manipulating prices and restricting supplies to boost profits.
"If we detect monopolistic practices, we could impose fines of up to 70m pesos [$6.4m]," commission director Eduardo Perez Motta said in a statement.
Under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico used to get cheap corn imports from the US, but Mexico's Economy Minister Eduardo Sojo said that with more US corn being diverted into ethanol production, supply was dwindling.
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As a huge fan of tortillas I can certainly sympathize with how Mexicans are now paying a premium for tortillas, so what shall we do to help out?
We're kind of between a rock and a hard place here aren't we? If we curtail ethanol production so we can send more cheap corn to Mexico we'll be back to depending more on fossil fuels and a greater contribution to global warming. If we clamp down on illegal immigration there won't be enough money going back home to Mexico to buy tortillas. What can we do???
Btw, I prefer flour tortillas in most cases, heated on an open burner and slathered with butter. Sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar or spread with a little honey. captainoutrageous answered on 01/13/07:True, Hank. The article says nothing about flour tortillas. Why can't they be substituted - or are they not as nutritious? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/11/07 - Kelo reconsidered At least it could be if SCOTUS agrees to hear and extortion case that will be submitted Friday.
Yes ,extortion ;that is the only way to read into what is happening in Port Chester, N.Y.
Bart Didden and his business partner, Domenick Bologna owned a piece of property in downtown Port Chester. They bought it, paid off the mortgage, paid their taxes, and in 2003, they decided to lease that property for the construction of a CVS retail pharmacy. Unfortunately for them, their property fell within the village's redevelopment district, and so the village's chosen developer ,G&S Port Chester ,dropped by for a friendly chat.
Since G&S had been guaranteed full use of the village's powers of eminent domain in developing downtown Port Chester, it made Didden and Bologna 'an offer they can't refuse ': give G&S $800,000 or a 50% stake in the CVS pharmacy or G&S will have the village condemn the property.Didden and Bologna said no , and the next day their property was condemned. Adding insult to injury, G&S announced plans to build on the .76 acre plot a Walgreen's pharmacy.
Friday the two will ask SCOTUS to review the case . If the court does then I am almost certain they will at the least put restrictions on how eminent domain can be utilized by local governments .
Of course if the idiots in the NY State Legislature would get off their asses and put restrictions on eminent domain like 34 States have already enacted since Kelo ........... never mind . This is NY we are talking about.
captainoutrageous answered on 01/12/07:The fifth amendment was added to the US Constitution to protect property rights, ie. that the government cannot take private property without paying a fair price for it. Unfortunately, over the years the provision of the Constitution has been interpreted many times in a manner totally contrary to the wishes of our Founding Fathers. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/11/07 - Darn that global warming again Governor Directs State Government to Prepare for Extremely Cold Temperatures
By: Office of the Governor
Published: Jan 11, 2007 at 08:38
In anticipation of unusually cold temperatures forecast throughout much of California in the coming days, Gov. Schwarzenegger directed state agencies to activate the extreme temperature protocols established last year to assist the most vulnerable populations in the state and asked local governments and the people of California to take common sense precautions in the unseasonably cold weather.
"Northern and Central California will see night time temperatures drop into the teens and low 20s," said Gov. Schwarzenegger. "Because of the extreme cold, I have directed state government to spring into action to protect our most vulnerable communities. The state has made 11 National Guard armories available and will make additional facilities available, such as fairgrounds, should local governments deem it necessary."
Among the steps the state is taking are:
* Protecting Seniors and the Disabled: The Department of Health Services is making contact with its licensed facilities and local health departments to ensure that they are aware of the cold weather event and to inform them of protocols to protect the health and safety of the vulnerable populations in their care given the extreme weather. Additionally, the Department of Social Services is making contact with County Welfare Directors to ensure that they are aware of the cold weather event and ensure that In Home Supportive Service (IHSS) workers are aware of the event and the protocols to protect the health and safety of the vulnerable populations in their care given the extreme weather.
* Warming Centers: The California National Guard and the California Department of Food and Agriculture are working with local government officials to make armories and fair grounds available to supplement their sheltering needs. Currently, there are 11 California National Guard armories that have been opened as shelters from the cold in Gilroy, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Merced, Sylmar, Ventura, Los Angeles (Federal Ave), Culver City, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Glendale. They are opened daily from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Below is a list with addresses to the facilities. An additional 16 locations in parts of the state expected to be hardest hit by the cold weather have been identified and put on standby should local governments request the assistance.
National Weather Service has reported to OES that temperatures will drop into the 20s and 30s Wednesday night into Thursday, followed by daytime temperatures in the mid 40s in most areas. On Friday and into the weekend, temperatures will drop further, reaching the high teens to low 20s in most areas at night, and continued daytime lows in the mid 40s.
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You'd think all those grenhouse gases in California would keep those record lows away, wouldn't you? By the way, we're expecting a high of 20 here in the high plains of Texas on Monday, so all you people enjoying the record warmth think of us poor, cold Texans, Californians, and snow-packed Coloradoans this weekend. captainoutrageous answered on 01/12/07:20's - sounds like a heat wave. Tonight here will be around -4. Most days for the next week are expected to be highs in the single digits and teens. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 01/11/07 - FIRST POLL RESULTS ARE IN "Americans broadly reject President Bush's plan for a surge of U.S. forces into Iraq, with substantial majorities dismissing his arguments that it'll end the war more quickly and increase the odds of victory, an ABC News/Washington Post poll finds.
Indeed, rather than Bush bolstering public confidence, the national survey, conducted after his address to the nation on his new Iraq strategy, finds that a new high -- 57 percent -- think the United States is losing the war. Just 29 percent think it's winning."
CBS:
"Fifty percent of those who saw the speech said they disapprove of the president's proposals, while 37 percent said they approve. Just one-third of those surveyed said they support Mr. Bush's call to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.
Following the speech, 68 percent of Americans -- the same number as prior to the speech -- said they were uneasy about the president's ability to make decisions about Iraq."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bush made no inroads into his failing public opinion about his ability to conduct his War of Adventurism in Iraq after his speech last night. There is no rescuing the low opinion of his Presidency by this move to add 20,000 more troops to the Baghdad area.
The Bush Presidency is sooooo over; a complete failure in almost all areas despite having a rubberstamp Congress until a few days ago.
I guess he will just have to up his psychiatric drug intake over the next two years. captainoutrageous answered on 01/12/07:"President Bush had his physical a couple days ago, and doctors say that President Bush is likely our most fit President in the history of the United States. That means if anything happens to Cheney, he can jump in and take over." --DAVID LETTERMAN
| | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/11/07 - Polls, schmolls... Speaking of polls, the left has begun an all out assault on Bush's plan for Iraq and fully intend on pushing the polls in their favor. On that front the Democrats have furnished a "PartyBuilder Letters to Editors tool," complete with a form letter for you to personalize, additional talking points and a distribution service to the papers of your choice.
The letter:
*Subject: Won't work
*Message: Last night, after much delay, President Bush announced his new strategy for the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, this so-called strategy is actually more of the same thing - only it commits more U.S. troops to a region being devoured by a civil war. It is unconscionable that more American soldiers will lose their lives in a last ditch effort that Bush knows won't work. There is no good reason to escalate the war, unless you're a President whose poll numbers are sagging. Bush needs to explain to the American people how his latest plan differs from his previous stay-the-course policies - all of which have failed. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of Democratic leaders to move towards bringing troops home, and giving responsibility to the Iraqi people for their future."
Talking points:
# President Bush’s escalation plan is nothing but “stay the course” with more troops.
# The President’s escalation plan has failed over and over. It is opposed by top military leaders, the Iraq Study Group, foreign policy experts, and the American people.
# President Bush has ignored the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which recommended we begin the phased redeployment of American troops and end our open-ended commitment to Iraq.
# Congress should continue to exercise its Constitutional authority to hold the president accountable for a change of course that allows for our troops to come home.
So much for the new bipartisanship. I'm sorry - no I'm not - this is just plain BS, and I'm sick and #$@*&! tired of the left ramming this crap down our throats. They have no plan, other than to surrender and place every one of our lives at risk. This is what you democrat voters voted for, to throw the United States of America under the bus - and for all of you who've bemoaned the loss of Iraqi civilians - as the president said, the result for the Iraqi would be "mass killings on an unimaginable scale."
So go ahead, turn your backs on the Iraqis, turn your backs on America, turn your backs on your own safety and send those letters.
Stevecaptainoutrageous answered on 01/12/07:I'm afraid you're sounding a bit like those individuals who wanted to duke it out in Vietnam and prophesied that the US would fall to communism if we pulled out. It didn't happen then and I don't believe our winning the war on terror is going to be much affected if we direct our energies elsewhere. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 01/11/07 - BUSH ISSUES FATWA ON SYRIA AND IRAN "I truly believed that President George W. Bush was at least going to announce that Condi Rice was going on a shoe-buying tour of Tehran and Damascus, and I was also fully confident such a "diplomatic" trip would have been just another Karen Hughes-type PR campaign. If Bush were a sane person he would have taken the simple Karl Rovian step of an opening of negotiations, heeded that one tiny piece of the Baker-Hamilton study, and taken a little wind out of the war opposition's sails.(The mainstream media would have given him great press for it.)
Instead, Bush issued a fatwa against Iran and Syria. He is sending in an armed-to-the-teeth carrier group into the Persian Gulf and he is escalating the war in Iraq. Bush is pursuing Richard Nixon's Cambodia strategy: escalate and expand the war and try to "win" it. He'll probably ratchet up the air war too just as Nixon did.
The net-roots organization, the "World Can't Wait" (worldcantwait.org), which has been calling for Bush's removal from office for years, just got a shot in the arm with Bush's bellicose and insane speech tonight. Bush must be removed from office before he ignites a global catastrophe.
If Bush sparks a "Gulf of Tonkin incident" in the Persian Gulf, and gets us into a shooting war with Iran, or launches air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities, he could easily create the conditions for the outbreak of a regional war, or even something we might call World War III.
Bush's speech tonight showed that he is a Neo-Con, right-wing Christian fundamentalist. He has not a clue about what is going on in Baghdad. He spoke of "neighborhoods" being secured and U.S. "check points" being set up. He talked of an attempt to block arms and other supplies coming from Iran. He will follow not one of his "Uncle Jim" Baker's suggestions; he's still rebelling against his daddy. Bush was speaking about Al-Maliki as if he is really going to move against the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr. A thousands times, Bush showed in this speech tonight that he is completely out of touch with reality. Bush has drunk the Kool-Aid, there is no turning back. His messianic fantasies about the Middle East were on display for the all world to see.
Kudos to Keith Olberman for latching on to Bush's statements about the U.S. stance toward Iran and Syria; that was the most important revelation of the speech tonight: Bush appears to be threatening a regional war. Arianna Huffington deserves our gratitude for a clear and forceful performance on Joe Scarborough's show. And even Chris Matthews did an adequate job following Olberman's lead on the Iran and Syria issue. The Democrats in Congress must stop this madness before Bush leads the United States and the world into an even bigger bloodbath in the Middle East, one that could make Baghdad look like -- to quote neo-con Kenneth Adelman -- a "cake walk."" Joseph A. Palermo, Blogging
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So.... captainoutrageous answered on 01/11/07:Shades of "Rolling Thunder" - and what a fat lot of good that did. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/11/07 - The mouth from the south has struck again Australia 'a convict nation of liars'
By Paul Carter
January 11, 2007 09:33pm
Article from: AAP
AUSTRALIA'S controversial mufti Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilali has landed himself in hot water again, this time by saying Australian Muslims are more entitled to the country than those with a convict heritage.
Prime Minister John Howard said today he expected the mufti's comments to amuse Australians, however one Muslim leader was quick to apologise for the sheik.
Speaking in Arabic on Egyptian television Sheik al-Hilali said, according to a Seven Network translation, that white Australians arrived in the country shackled as convicts.
"We (Muslims) came as free people. We bought our own tickets. We are entitled to Australia more than they are,'' he said.
The mufti was on the Egyptian chat show explaining the controversy last year over his comments likening immodestly-dressed women to uncovered meat.
But according to the translation, he said the controversy was a white conspiracy aimed at terrorising Australian Muslims.
Mr Howard laughed off the spiritual leader's convict comments.
"I think it will bring a wry smile to the face of Australians who don't actually feel the least bit offended that many of our ancestors came here as convicts,'' Mr Howard said.
"It's almost a badge of honour for many Australians.''
But while the convict jibes might be forgiven by some, as they are when levelled by English cricket fans, the sheik's comments are expected to cause outrage in some quarters - especially the claim that white Australians "are the biggest liars''.
The mufti told Egytpian television that outrage over his controversial meat sermon was "a calculated conspiracy'', that started with him, "in order to bring the Islamic community to its knees''.
He also said "Australian law guarantees freedoms up to a crazy level'', when reportedly referring to anti-Muslim courts and the harsh sentencing of a Muslim gang rapist in Sydney.
Islamic Friendship Association president Keysar Trad today criticised and defended his close friend, saying some of his comments were "ill-advised''.
"I believe his intention was to indicate that we choose to be in Australia because we love Australia, because his Egyptian interviewers were asking him why he stays and puts up with the controversy here,'' Mr Trad said.
"He was defending Australia, but saying sometimes democracy fails, and the reaction to his comments put a lie to the democratic principle of free speech.
"But I, as a Muslim Australian, do feel the need to apologise for anyone who is offended by these comments.''
Mr Trad also questioned the accuracy of the translation, saying the mufti's opponents were waiting with malicious intent to misrepresent his comments.
"It's evident by the controversy that has erupted again that there are people out there watching every comment he makes,'' Mr Trad said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As a sixth generation Australia who's Irish forebares came to this country as free settlers in 1822. I am deeply offended by this upstart's comments. My people did the hard yards in this country and my grandfather lies in Ypres, France, he fell in the first world war defending freedom.
He's just pig meat. What I say is it is time for him to leave. What do you say? captainoutrageous answered on 01/11/07:The man is a nut case and it's a shame that some people actually give his ideas credence. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/10/07 - Terrorists strike West Texas ***Breaking news***
By Karen Smith Welch
A tail-flicking terrorist cell knocked out power to Texas and New Mexico Xcel Energy customers 616 times in 2006.
Most were suicide missions.
"As far as I know, no squirrel ever survived the encounter with a power line," Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves said.
Amarillo customers found themselves the victims of 211 of those strikes last year.
Animalistic attacks on the power grid continued Tuesday when a suicide squirrel took out electric service to 4,564 customers in southwest Amarillo.
"The squirrel did not make it - one fatality," Reeves said.
This time, the perpetrator hit Xcel's Southwest 34th Avenue substation, shorting out the system and causing a 26-minute outage for neighborhoods within a mile in all directions, Reeves said.
"I'm always blaming my problems on a squirrel," he said. "It's kind of a utility spokesman's ongoing joke."
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Gotcha. captainoutrageous answered on 01/11/07:Are we so busy chasing squirrels that we can't find the real terrorists? I think we must have a similar problem with the little beasts in my neighborhood - the power is always going out. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/11/07 - Blow up the politicians - That's the Islamc way Parliament 'target of rockets'
Email Print Normal font Large font January 10, 2007
A terror suspect who allegedly bought five stolen army rocket launchers said he would use them to blow up "the nuclear place" and Parliament House, a Sydney court has been told.
It is alleged the man, Mohammad Ali Elomar, was later seen near Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, where an access lock for a gate to a nearby reservoir had recently been cut.
The claims were contained in a police statement tendered to Central Local Court, where Taha Abdul Rahman - the man accused of selling the rocket launchers - was today refused bail.
Abdul Rahman, 28, from Leumeah, in Sydney's south-west, faces 17 charges related to the possession and supply of seven rocket launchers allegedly stolen from the Australian Defence Force.
The statement did not detail how Abdul Rahman allegedly acquired the weapons.
But according to the statement, he sold five rocket launchers to Elomar through an associate, Adnan Darwiche, who was last year jailed for life for double murder.
Elomar, 41, of Bankstown, is one of nine Sydney men charged in late 2005 with conspiring to make explosives in preparation for a terrorist attack.
Abdul Rahman allegedly sold Darwiche a rocket launcher on September 30, 2003 for $15,000, and on October 9 sold him six more for $70,000.
Darwiche said Elomar had given him most of the $70,000 to buy five rocket launchers on his behalf, the statement said.
Prior to the purchase, Elomar allegedly commented: "Look what is happening overseas. It is a war against Muslims. We should do something about it over here."
According to the police statement, a source claimed Elomar was "elated he had received the rocket launchers".
"Elomar first joked that he would use them to blow up Parliament House and later more seriously said, `I am going to blow up the nuclear place'," the statement alleged.
On December 28, 2004, Elomar and two co-accused were allegedly seen near the Lucas Heights reactor, each later giving differing versions of their activities to police.
Elomar and the eight other terror suspects are still before the courts.
Darwiche was one of three men convicted of shooting dead two people at a Greenacre home in October 2003, during a feud with another family.
The court was told the killers dismissed using the rocket launcher on that occasion, as they believed the warhead could pass through the fibro house without exploding.
Abdul Rahman was arrested last week following a lengthy investigation by Strike Force Ridgecrop, established by NSW and federal police to probe the possession and supply of rocket launchers.
The police statement alleges that from 2001, he was involved in the supply of illegal handguns, explosives and rocket launchers to the criminal element in NSW.
Abdul Rahman allegedly said he made just $1,000 profit on each rocket launcher sold. Only one has so far been recovered.
Abdul Rahman's wife, Belinda Rahman, gave evidence at his bail hearing after defence barrister William Brewer argued his client needed to care for his two young daughters at home.
As the accused looked on via videolink, Mr Brewer urged that bail considerations not be "lost in a bit of hysteria" over the rocket launchers.
But prosecutor Wendy Abraham QC opposed bail, telling the court that five of the rocket launchers introduced into the community by Abdul Rahman "ended up with someone who is currently charged with terrorism offences".
"The bottom line is these are extremely powerful weapons designed to penetrate armour and concrete," she said.
Magistrate Allan Moore refused bail, remanding Abdul Rahman in custody "for the protection of the community at large".
He faces two counts of dishonestly receiving stolen property, seven counts of unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon, seven counts of unauthorised supply of a prohibited weapon, and one count of possession of ammunition.
He will return to court on March 21.
AAP
captainoutrageous answered on 01/11/07:Although there are times I think I might want to blow up certain politicians, I don't believe that is the solution. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 01/11/07 - FOI - the truth is - unavailable The truth is out there: in Wellington not Canberra
When New Zealand passed the Official Information Act in 1983 it was greeted with hails of dismay by public service unions, lawyers and academics. Cartoonists depicted the act as a useless halfway compromise with the Official Secrets Act. The then prime minister Robert Muldoon described it as a 'nine day wonder'.
The Australian FoI Act was passed at the same time but was greeted with far greater enthusiasm. Then prime minister Bob Hawke boldly stated: ''Information about government operations is not, after all, some kind of 'favour' to be bestowed by a benevolent government or to be extorted from a reluctant bureaucracy. It is, quite simply, a public right.''
What a difference 23 years and some very different attitudes of our political masters can make.
In Canberra, where we were promised a new democratic right, we now have public officials who will fight all the way to the High Court to deny access to old policy documents.
We have a Canberra public service that appears, by actions and words, nervous about any level of transparency, and a cabinet that insists it needs to keep every bit of advice and discussion completely under wraps in order to function.
Like modern day Jeremiahs they preach of the harm that will befall Australian democracy and the Westminster system if journalists or others get their hands on policy documents. Peter Costello summed up the Government view in August last year, warning: ''We do have candid and fearless moments in the cabinet. This may surprise you but it does happen. We would be far less fearless and candid in the cabinet if we knew that the minutes were going to be released under FoI. That protection is very, very important to us.''
But look at New Zealand where the Official Information Act was treated as a joke. Their act grants access to so much cabinet Information that there are guidelines published on the internet on releasing it.
The New Zealand Cabinet Manual states: "There is no blanket exemption for any class of papers under the Official Information Act 1982. Cabinet and Cabinet committee records are therefore covered by the Official Information Act in the usual way, and every request for Cabinet records must be considered on its merits against the criteria in the Act."
It's impossible to imagine any senior Australian public servant adopting the advice of Marie Shroff, the New Zealand's secretary of cabinet and clerk of the Executive Council for 15 years, and now the Privacy Commissioner, who said:
"If I, as a civil servant, write a Cabinet paper which I expect to be sought for public release I am going to be extraordinarily careful to get my facts right, to avoid trespassing into politics, to give comprehensive reasons for and against a proposal, and to think very carefully about my recommendations. My advice will therefore be balanced, accurate and comprehensive."
It's just as inconceivable the Commonwealth Treasury would issue the following press statement put out by their New Zealand counterpart on June 1:
"In previous years the Treasury has received numerous requests under the Official Information Act for Budget related information. Last year, in anticipation of such requests we released a number of Budget 2005 documents onto our website shortly after Budget day.
"Following the success of the 2005 release, we have made available the following Budget 2006 documents, which are among the most frequently requested."
The site includes copies of cabinet papers, the budget strategy, briefing papers and other documents relating to the 2006 New Zealand budget.
According to the secretaries of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Treasury in Australia, and testimony accepted by the High Court in last year's landmark FoI decision in the McKinnon case, releasing this type of information would bring government to a standstill.
There are numerous examples of the New Zealand government publishing documents on the net that would have Australian ministers and senior public servants reaching for the smelling salts. From climate change to the economy to immigration, New Zealand routinely publishes material Australian bureaucrats would fight to the death to keep secret. And somehow, their government keeps functioning, and no one complains government suffers when the public gets to see more than the press release.
See examples of what's available in New Zealand here:
http://www.climatechange.govt.nz/resources/cabinet/index.html
http://www.treasury.govt.nz/iarfs/cbc05-276/default.asp
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/organisms/law-changes/commission/cabinet-paper1.pdf
http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentTOC____22462.aspx
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/4B5AEDE8-0D6A-46A8-8CA2-531EC33299DF/0/EDC0419010.doc http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Legislative-Reviews-Local-Government-Act-Review-Local-Government-Cabinet-Papers?OpenDocument
- Rick Snell
SMH FoI Editor Matthew Moore is on leave.
Rick Snell lectures in law at the University of Tasmania where he specialises in FoI.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"If I, as a civil servant, write a Cabinet paper which I expect to be sought for public release I am going to be extraordinarily careful to get my facts right,
Now wouldn't it have been nice if this attitude permiated all political processes in the "Free" World? captainoutrageous answered on 01/11/07:Ah, New Zealand is a breath of fresh air. It is amazing what goes behind closed doors (previously called smoke-filled rooms) in the free world. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 01/09/07 - Bull story A cocky Department of Agriculture representative stopped at a farm
and talked with the old farmer; "I need to inspect your farm."
The old farmer said "You better not go in that field."
The Ag representative said in a "wise " tone "I have the authority of the
U. S. Government with me. See this card, I am allowed to
go wherever I wish on agricultural land."
So the old farmer went about his farm chores. Later, the farmer heard
loud screams and saw the Department of Agriculture rep running for the
fence, close behind was the farmer's prize bull. The bull was
madder than a nest full of hornets and the bull was gaining at every
step.
The Old farmer called out: "Show him your card!"
captainoutrageous answered on 01/10/07:Love it!. Thanks! | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 01/09/07 - A Brief Story About Boxers JPost.com
January 8, 2007; 6:58:37 AM
Israel Stories: The holy underwear
Posted by JEREMY CARDASH |
Tsfat, city of mysticism, home to some of the most famous minds in Jewish history. A city surrounded by the graves of the greatest halachic authorities from the time of the mishna to the present. And of course, the city with the most alternative English spellings in all the land of Israel.
Our hotel, just outside Sfat (yes I know I spelled it differently), which shall remain nameless, is one of the area's better hotels. It is known for its almost utopian atmosphere; no kids, good food and a spa.
So with great excitement we started unpacking. I pulled open a drawer ready to pile in my clothes and jumped back, for there staring at me was a large pair of red knickers. The sort of knickers that make men lie when their wives ask ‘does my bum look big in these’ only to be answered by ‘no dear’ while thinking ‘even a hippo would lose herself in those, or ‘maybe we could rent a marquee for our upcoming simcha’ or ‘stand at the end of the garden so I can see all of you’. I could go on all night and alienate myself from all female-kind, but whoever owned those knickers was married to a good liar.
A call was made to housekeeping. “We have a large pair of red knickers in our room”.
“That’s very nice sir, how can we help?”
“They don’t belong to us can you get someone to remove them.”
“Just leave them outside the door and the maid will take them”.
“No, you send the maid to get them; there is no way I am leaving these outside our room!”
“Someone will be along soon."
Thought – wasn’t there a book called The Red Tent?
Ten minutes went passed and nothing. I decided to march to reception.
“Excuse me; there is a large pair of red knickers living in one of our drawers”.
“That’s very nice sir, how can we help?”
“Can someone come now and remove them.”
Muffled voices came from behind the desk, then arguments.
“Look I very rarely get to stay in Safed (yeh, yeh) and I would like this dealt with before the end of the Shabbat.”
Suddenly, and as if from nowhere, a maid appeared.
“You know, Zfat is very holy place,” said the maid as we walked back to my room, “red wards off evil eye.”
Well what can you say to that?
The following week I was at the Kotel (Wailing Wall), where I was approached by a bearded man offering red strings in return for charity.
“Wear this and it will bring you luck and ward off the evil eye”.
My wife looked at me with that "don’t say anything" look in her eye.
But who could resist?
“Sorry,” I said, “I prefer boxers.”
--------------------
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 01/10/07:I simply can't understand why you wouldn't want a pair of red knickers outside your hotel room (lol). | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 01/09/07 - I just got thos from a Republican friend........ I'm a Democrat and I must agree with some of it.
What is your reaction to it????
<><><>
The Democrats Now Promise "A New Direction For America."
The stock market is at a new all-time high, and Americas 401Ks are back.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Unemployment is at 25-year lows.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Taxes are at 20-year lows.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs.
A new direction from there means -- what?
The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Home valuations are up 200% over the past 3.5 years.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Inflation is in check, hovering at 20-year lows.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Not a single terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11/01.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not
surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's
top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with U.S. Intel.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British
Intel, including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets'
being exploded in mid-air over major US. cities in order to
celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks.
A new direction from there means -- what?
Now, let me see -- do I have this right? I can expect:
The economy to go South
Illegals to go North
Taxes to go Up
Employment to go Down
Terrorism to come In
Tax breaks to go Out
Social Security to go Away
Health Care to go the same way gas prices have gone
But, what the heck!
I can gain comfort by knowing that Nancy P, Hillary C, John K,
Edward K, Howard D, Harry R, and Obama have worked hard to create
a comprehensive National Security Plan, Health Care Plan, Immigration Reform Plan, Gay Rights Plan, Same Sex Marriage Plan, Abortion On Demand Plan, Tolerance of Everyone and Everything Plan, How to Return all Troops to the U.S. in The Next Six Months Plan, A Get Tough Plan, adapted from the French Plan by the same name, and a How Everyone Can
Become as Wealthy as We Are Plan.
I forgot the No More Katrina Storm Plan.
Now I know why I feel good after the elections. I am going to be able to sleep so much better at nights knowing these dedicated politicians are thinking of me and my welfare.
Please pass this good news along to all of your friends so that they can feel better, also.
And, Happy New Year
Scott Scottson captainoutrageous answered on 01/10/07:The failures in Iraq are hurting our economy, our country and our ability to fight the war on terror. We are spending $8 billion a month in Iraq — that’s $267 million a day. Consider that for what we spend in three weeks in Iraq, we could make needed improvements to secure our public transportation system; for what we spend in five days we could double the COPS program, and put more police on the streets to keep our neighborhoods safe, or we could put radiation detectors at all our ports. - paraphrased from wordpress.com
Also, I don't know about your neighborhood, but houses prices have dropped across most all of Colorado and Arizona. Additionally, houses are staying on the market much longer.
| | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/09/07 - And you thought LA was bad... Iran smog 'kills 3,600 in month'
Air pollution is estimated to have killed nearly 10,000 people in Tehran over a one-year period, including 3,600 in a month, Iranian officials say.
Most of the deaths were caused by heart attacks and respiratory illnesses brought on by smog, they said.
The scale of the problem led one senior official to say living in the Iranian capital was like "collective suicide".
Cheap fuel encourages car use in Iran, correspondents say, and many vehicles do not meet global emissions standards.
"It is a very serious and lethal crisis, a collective suicide," the director of Tehran's clean air committee, Mohammad Hadi Heydarzadeh, told an Iranian newspaper.
"A real revolution is needed to resolve this problem."
He said air quality had worsened and was linked to some 3,600 deaths in October. Many of the deaths were caused by heart attacks brought on by the air pollution.
New figures showed a sharp rise in pollution-related deaths in Iran, where 9,900 people died of pollution in the previous Iranian year (March 2005 to March 2006).
The latest assessments were based on World Bank figures which extrapolate mortality rates according to certain levels of pollution.
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Everyone ready to “bow down to the greatness of the Iranian nation?” Maybe the Mahdi Hatter will buddy up with alGore to fix this? Come to think of it, the two of them do kind of resemble each other...
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![]() captainoutrageous answered on 01/09/07:We sometimes call Commerce City, CO "stinky city." I believe Tehran just usurped their title. | | Question/Answer | | Dark_Crow asked on 01/08/07 - a record $100 billion. ...................... “Since the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Congress has approved about $500 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and other terrorism-fighting efforts.
The White House is working on its largest-ever appeal for more war funds - a record $100 billion. It will be submitted along with Mr Bush's February 5th budget.”
ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0108/breaking4.htm
Here is what I suppose: Suppose that if all this money had been spent to alleviate hunger and suffering in, say sub-Africa. Would we still have Terrorism against the U.S. or, would friends of the Terrorist rise up against them?
captainoutrageous answered on 01/09/07:I don't believe that spending that $100 billion in sub-Saharan Africa is going to stop terrorists. Neither do I believe the ill-conceived war in Iraq is going to solve the problem either. Most terrorist groups fail to achieve their long-range political goals. Governments fight terrorism by refusing to accept terrorist demands, by increasing security at airports and other likely targets, and by carefully monitoring suspected terrorist individuals and groups. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 01/08/07 - LEGAL DEFINITION OF LIBEL:
Since POLITICS is a touchy subject with many people, I thought it best to post the following:
"Libel is a method of defamation expressed by print, writing, pictures or signs. In its most general sense, any publication that is injurious to the reputation of another."
Source: "Black's Law Dictionary" - Fifth Edition
I don't think it's a good idea to attack the personalities and beliefs of our Experts in clarifications and/or elsewhere!
HANK
(Paralegal)
captainoutrageous answered on 01/08/07:The comments made on this site may or may not constitute libel, however, there are often examples of biting and malicious statements made toward individuals who do not agree with another expert's opinion. I personally think that is a shame. I have, on occasion, decided not to answer a question posed by some "expert" because I knew I was going to get lambasted for failing to agree with them. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 01/07/07 - PELOSI:
Pelosi just said on the radio that there may not be any funding for our troops if Bush sends 20,000 to 30,000 troops to Iraq. I guess she wants our guys and gals to go over there and fight with scraps. All she's doing is trying to please the public without thinking about the safety of those doing the fighting. DAMN -- I HATE POLITICIANS! Those idiots in Washington are just like the idiots in Hollywood. They're out of touch with REALITY! A better means to an end -- a cardinal rule needed to defeat competition on all levels.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 01/08/07:Do you think Pelosi's comments were a threat or perhaps a statement of the facts (ie. where are the money and the troops gonna come from)? | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 01/07/07 - DEMOCRACY:
I'm beginning to wonder if a Democracy is the best form of government. Too much 'hurray for me and to hell with you' going on. Our Constitution was set up to have State and Local governments take care of 95% of our business, leaving the federal government with 5%. I wonder what would happen if we didn't have the Bill of Rights.
What's your take on this?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 01/08/07:Don't know where you came up with the 95/5. The US Constitution established a federalist style government wherein the national and state governments share power. Certain powers are delegated to the National government, some are reserved to the states and some are concurrent. Unfortunately, the lines have become blurred with the federal government stepping into traditionally state domains (ie. No Child Left Behind). | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 01/07/07 - "greenwashing" OIL LIARS ARE FINISHED!!!! Web Exclusive
By Jerry Adler
Newsweek
Updated: 6:10 p.m. CT Jan 4, 2007
Jan. 4, 2007 - For more than three decades, the tobacco industry carried on a campaign of disinformation intended to mislead Americans about the health risks of smoking—a strategy that has been dubbed “manufacturing uncertainty” in the minds of consumers. And ever since global warming emerged as an environmental threat, there has been a well-funded public campaign to cast doubt on the scientific consensus about the danger of global warming and its source in fossil-fuel combustion. A report this week by the Union of Concerned Scientists finds a parallel between the efforts to whitewash tobacco and “greenwash” oil—and points the finger of responsibility at the world’s largest corporation, ExxonMobil.
Under its former chairman and CEO, Lee Raymond, who retired in 2005 as one of the best-paid corporate executives in history, ExxonMobil was well known for its hostility to government regulations on emissions of carbon dioxide. But, according to the report, the op-eds and position papers were only the visible tip of Exxon’s effort to fund a small group of researchers and an overlapping network of think tanks that could be relied on to spread the message that global warming was nothing to worry about—or at least, nothing the government could or should do anything about. Their frequently repeated call for “sound science” on global warming echoes the tobacco industry’s endless demand for more research on whether cigarettes really, truly, unquestionably cause cancer.
Of course, cigarette companies weren’t concerned just about future sales, but the billions of dollars in compensation they eventually had to … umm … cough up. ExxonMobil’s motivation, presumably, is to protect a fantastically lucrative market: its 2005 profits of $36 billion made it the most profitable corporation in history. But that very wealth puts them in a position both to shape and eventually dominate the postcarbon energy world, if they choose to do so. Ironically, as the report points out, the company and its shareholders will suffer if it gets left behind in the transition to less polluting forms of energy.
For its part, ExxonMobil—after promulgating, and then withdrawing 20 minutes later, a statement that called the report an “attempt to smear our name and confuse the discussion”—wants you to know that it now accepts some responsibility for global warming. Specifically, and in boldface, it admitted that “It is clear today that greenhouse gas emissions are one of the factors that contribute to climate change, and that the use of fossil fuels is a major source of these emissions.” That would seem, on the face of it, to contradict the assertions of some of its favored researchers in the ever-shrinking coterie of global-warming skeptics. The question, of course, is what specific policies ExxonMobil is willing to accept to curb those emissions. With a new Congress taking office, climate change is likely to be a much more salient issue this year than it has been for the last six—so ExxonMobil will have the chance to show if it means what it’s saying now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 01/08/07:To prevent a full-scale energy shortage, scientists are experimenting with artificial forms of oil and with other sources of fuel. But even if new energy sources appear quickly, people will have to rely on petroleum for many years. Conservation of oil has thus become urgent for every country. People now need to be just as inventive in finding ways to conserve petroleum as they have been in finding ways to use it. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 01/08/07 - CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS LOOMS by Paul Begala:
"On October 19 I debated Bob Novak at Emory University. The topic was "Civil Liberties in a Time of War." I kicked his ass, but that's not why I mention it. In the debate I predicted that, after the Democrats captured the Congress, Pres. Bush would provoke a Constitutional crisis by refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas.
Pres. Bush, I predicted, will effectively tell Speaker Pelosi, "You send the Capitol Police to enforce your subpoena. I'll send the 82d Airborne to resist them. Let's meet on the Mall and see who wins."
Novak said I was crazy. It's beginning to look like I was right.
The only reason George W. Bush would turn loose of White House Counsel Harriett Miers - who gazes upon our president with an adoration and veneration bordering on idolatry - is because he wants a war-time consigliere.
In a way that might make Harry F. Byrd proud, our president is about to embark on a policy of massive resistance. He will instruct his lawyers to delay, deny and refuse to comply with any effort by Congress to get to the bottom of official corruption - especially as the billions squandered or stolen in Mr. Bush's war. He'll try to run out the clock, then take his chances with his hand-picked right-wing judiciary. (Keep in mind the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, through which this dispute would flow, includes such Bush appointees as Brett Kavanaugh, a Ken Starr protégé whose work in the Bush White House was described by Henry Waxman as promoting "an imperial presidency." And the Supreme Court has such presidential suck-ups as John Roberts and Sam Alito.)
Thank God the American people - and Nancy Pelosi -- have given the responsibility of oversight we have constitutional heroes like Waxman and John Dingell. They are fair and tough. But even in their combined 83 years experience in Congress they have not seen a crowd that has more contempt for the Constitution than the Bush-Cheney team. I would not be surprised to learn that, in anticipation of receiving congressional subpoenas, the Bushies were having shredding parties that would make Ollie North and Fawn Hall blush.
Let's all watch to see who Bush appoints to replace Ms. Miers. If he chooses someone like David Addington, Vice President Cheney's chief counsel, we'll know Mr. Bush intends to shred yet another Article of the Constitution."
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Do you think that the Constitutional Crisis that looms on the horizon will take place or will Bush cooperate with the investigations of his malfeasance? captainoutrageous answered on 01/08/07:I'm afraid a contitutional crisis may very well lay ahead. Bush has not demonstrated much desire to back down or attempt any sort of cooperation with the opposition during his tenure. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 01/05/07 - Pizza for Progressives The Kossacks have apparently anointed John Edwards as their candidate for 2008 and have thus begun a "Pizza for Progressives: the Edwards Edition" fundraiser. This is where you are asked to forego your pizza/espresso/beer and hot dog for the week and donate the amount it would cost instead. I know everyone has their own idea of what a pizza should be but I gotta ask, would it be too hard to pass up a pizza that looks like this?
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Looks to me like Kos' dog relieved himself on the pizza. So forgetting the fundraiser, how about a pizza war? This is more along the lines of my taste in pizza:
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California Pizza Kitchen's 'Sicilian'
"A spicy marinara sauce with sweet Italian sausage, spicy Capicola ham, julienne salami, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Topped with fresh oregano and basil."
A wonderful light, thin, crispy crust and flavors that send my taste buds to heaven. Something I imagine Reagan might have liked. And you? Come on you New Yorkers, I know this is a sensitive issue to you guys. captainoutrageous answered on 01/06/07:Damn, now you've gone and made me hungry. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 12/22/06 - MITT ROMNEY TO ANNOUNCE - "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is making plans for his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in two phases early next month, a top adviser told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Massachusetts chief executive is expected to file paperwork as early as Jan. 2 with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a presidential campaign committee and permitting himself to begin raising money for his race on the first business day of the new year. Romney will leave office on Jan. 4.
As soon as the week of Jan. 8, Romney will hold a ceremony to officially declare his candidacy, said the adviser, a top aide who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the official filing".
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Can the Mormon Church(and operatives) contribute unlimited amounts of money to support his run for president? captainoutrageous answered on 12/23/06:The FECA places limits on contributions by individuals and groups to candidates, party committees and PACs. The chart below shows how the limits apply to the various participants in federal elections. The legal limits have since been superseded by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Election_Campaign_Act#Contribution_Limits | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 12/23/06 - PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS WASHINGTON (AP) -- "President Bush issued 16 pardons Thursday and commuted the sentence of an Iowa man convicted of drug charges.
Six of the federal offenses were drug crimes, while others included bank fraud, mail fraud, the acceptance of a kickback, a false statement on a loan application and conspiracy to defraud the government over taxes.
Seven of the 16 received no prison or jail time, instead getting probation or a reduction in their military pensions.
The longest sentence was nine years, for aiding cocaine distribution, followed by a six-year term for conspiracy to possess marijuana.
With this batch, Bush has issued 113 pardons and commuted three sentences in his nearly six years in the White House, according to spokesman Tony Fratto.
A pardon amounts to federal forgiveness for one's crime, while a commutation cuts short an existing prison term.
On the pardons list were:
# Charles James Allen of Winchester, Virginia, conspiracy to defraud the United States. A former federal employee, Allen was convicted in 1979 for approving payments to James Hilles Associates Inc., a Virginia firm, for office supplies that were never delivered. In return, Allen received car parts, a radio, a freezer and other gifts from the firm. He was sentenced to a year of custody to be served by 30 days in jail, 90 days in a work-release program, and the remaining period on parole.
# William Sidney Baldwin Sr. of Green Pond, South Carolina, conspiracy to possess marijuana. Sentenced October 27, 1981, to six years' imprisonment.
# Timothy Evans Barfield of Cary, North Carolina, aiding and abetting false statements on a Small Business Administration loan application. Sentenced July 17, 1989, to three years' probation, including 96 hours of community service.
# Clyde Philip Boudreaux of Thibodaux, Louisiana, borrowing money from enlisted men, accepting a non-interest-bearing loan from a government contractor and signing and swearing to a false affidavit. Sentenced December 2, 1975, to a Navy reprimand, loss of numbers on the promotion list and a $1,000 fine.
# Marie Georgette Ginette Briere of Gatineau, Quebec, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Sentenced July 9, 1982, to three years' imprisonment and three years' special parole.
# Dale C. Critz Jr., Savannah, Georgia, making a false statement. Sentenced July 13, 1989, to three years' probation.
# Mark Alan Eberwine of San Antonio, Texas, conspiracy to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing and obstructing the assessment of taxes by the Internal Revenue Service and making false declarations to the grand jury. Sentenced February 1, 1985, as amended April 23, 1986, to two years' imprisonment.
# Colin Earl Francis of Naugatuck, Connecticut, accepting a kickback. Sentenced May 7, 1993, to two years' probation and a $2,500 fine.
# George Thomas Harley of Albuquerque, New Mexico, aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine. Sentenced November 30, 1984, to nine years' imprisonment and five years' special parole.
# Patricia Ann Hultman, of Kane, Pennsylvania, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and other controlled substances. Sentenced October 28, 1985, to one year of imprisonment.
# Eric William Olson of Ojai, California, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute, possession, and use of hashish. Sentenced February 21, 1984, by an Army general court-martial to confinement at hard labor for one year, reduction in pay grade, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a bad conduct discharge.
# Thomas R. Reece of Cumming, Georgia, violating the Internal Revenue Code pertaining to alcohol. Sentenced May 2, 1969, to one year of imprisonment.
# Larry Gene Ross of Indio, California, making false statements in a bank loan application. Sentenced August 15, 1989, to four years' probation and $7,654.20 in restitution.
# Jearld David Swanner of Lexington, Oklahoma, making false statements in a bank loan application. Sentenced December 6, 1991, to three years' probation.
# James Walter Taylor of McCrory, Arkansas, bank fraud. Sentenced October 18, 1991, to 90 days in jail, followed by two years and nine months' probation.
# Janet Theone Upton of Salinas, California, mail fraud. Sentenced May 23, 1975, to two years' unsupervised probation.
Bush also commuted the sentence of Phillip Anthony Emmert of Washington, Iowa, whose case involved conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Emmert was sentenced December 23, 1992, to 262 months' imprisonment (reduced on February 21, 1996) and five years' supervised release.
Bush directed that Emmert's sentence expire on this coming January 20, but left the supervised release intact.
Pardons are an end-of-the-year presidential tradition, and Bush was not expected to issue any more this year. He last issued pardons in August.
"Requests for executive clemency receive intense individualized consideration based upon an established set of objective criteria," spokesman Fratto said.
He said that after investigation by the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Justice Department, most weight is given to these factors:
# the seriousness of the crime;
# how long ago it was committed;
# the acceptance of responsibility and showing remorse;
# post-conviction conduct and contributions to society;
# any specific compelling need for relief;
# official recommendations, including from the sentencing judge, the probation officer and the federal prosecutor.
The list did not include former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, charged in the CIA leak case with perjury and obstruction.
Libby, whose trial is scheduled to begin in January, is accused of lying to investigators about his conversations with reporters regarding outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, the wife of an Iraq war critic.
Bush remains among the stingiest of postwar presidents on pardons.
President Clinton issued 457 in eight years in office. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, issued 77 in four years. President Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and President Carter issued 563 in four years.
Since World War II, the largest number of pardon and commutations -- 2,031 -- came from President Truman, who served 82 days short of eight years.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
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Does a President really need these powers?? captainoutrageous answered on 12/23/06:Whether we like it or not, the president's power to pardon is part of our system of checks and balances. In this case, a presidential check on the judicial branch. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 12/18/06 - I love science ...and reporters. In the most ridiculous item of the day:
Scientists Study Human Olfactory Ability
By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- By studying blindfolded college students who crawled through grass to sniff out a chocolate-scented trail, scientists say they've found evidence of a human smelling ability that experts thought was impossible.
The study indicates the human brain compares information it gets from each nostril to get clues about where a smell is coming from. And it suggests dogs, mice and other mammals do the same thing, contrary to what most scientists have thought.
People compare signals from each ear to locate the source of a noise. But the prevailing notion has been that mammals can't follow the same strategy for smells, because their nostrils are too close together to get distinct signals.
"We debunked that," said Noam Sobel of the University of California, Berkeley, who reported the new results Sunday with graduate student Jess Porter and others on the Web site of the journal Nature Neuroscience. The work will appear in the journal's January issue.
The report isn't the first to suggest the two-nostril idea. But Sobel and colleagues have now "opened the doors for full consideration of it," said an expert familiar with the work, neuroscientist Charles Wysocki of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.
The new paper reports five experiments. One tracked tiny particles used in theatrical fog to show that each human nostril really does sample a distinct region in space.
But most of the paper focuses on what a group of undergraduate psychology students could do on a patch of lawn on the Berkeley campus.
One outdoor experiment was designed to see if people could use just their noses to follow a 30-foot-long trail of chocolate scent, which traced a dogleg course through the grass.
The trail was created with scented twine. But the 32 participants were blindfolded and equipped with thick gloves, kneepads and elbow pads to make sure they couldn't see or feel it. They also wore earmuffs.
Before they began, they were shown a video of proper scent-tracking form, which requires putting the nose on the ground. "People don't really want to do that," Porter said.
Two-thirds of the participants succeeded in following the scent. But when they tried it again with their noses plugged, nobody could do it.
Another experiment found that people got better with practice. Yet another experiment, with 14 participants, found that the volunteers did better if they used two nostrils than if one nostril was taped shut. They succeeded 66 percent of the time with two nostrils, versus 36 percent with one nostril.
But did that really mean their brains were benefiting from two independent signals? Maybe both signals are the same, but the olfactory system just works better if it gets input from both nostrils. Or maybe the real explanation is that people take in less odor with one nostril than with two, giving a weaker signal.
To sort that out, researchers retested four of the participants who'd gone through the practice sessions. This time, the subjects wore devices over their nostrils that controlled the airflow into their noses.
One version of the device was basically an extension of a normal nose, with two holes to sniff through, each supplying air to one nostril. The other version had only one hole. It took in the same amount of air as the first version, but simulated the effect of having only one big nostril.
The participants were less successful and slower when they had the equivalent of one nostril. That supports the idea that people benefit from having two, researchers said.
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Bwaaaahaahaaaaa! So it took an experiment to determine that humans can follow a scent - unless their nose is plugged - and two working nostrils are better than one. I wonder how much government grant money went into that one?
Here's some research of my own at no cost to anyone else to debunk "the prevailing notion...that mammals can't follow the same strategy for smells, because their nostrils are too close together to get distinct signals."
The nose of a 13-year-old male Caucasian human:
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The nose of an explosive detecting German Shepherd:
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Gee, they look roughly the same distance apart. And as for whether or not humans can sniff out a trail, I suppose researchers have missed stories like this. And they wonder why some of us don't jump on their global warming, evolution and when is a child a child bandwagons? captainoutrageous answered on 12/20/06:And what did this remarkable (lol) study cost? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 12/19/06 - Quick quiz What nation is this?
7,100,000 cell phone subscribers - up from 1,400,000 only two years ago. This nation's leading cell phone company took in $333,000,000 in 2005, and is on track to take in $520,000,000 in 2006.
34,000 registered companies in the chamber of commerce - up from 8,000 two years ago.
GDP growth in 2005 was 17%, in 2006 13%. (We get jazzed when our GDP is 3-4%.)
$41,000,000,000 in oil revenues in 2006.
Salaries have risen more than 100% since 2003.
Income taxes have been reduced from 45% to 15%.
Real Estate prices have risen several hundred percent in the last two years, indicating a red hot real estate market.
Gasoline is .14 cents a liter.
And this list is just the tip of the iceberg.
captainoutrageous answered on 12/20/06:I'm going to guess one of the Scandinavian countries. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 12/16/06 - Jogging with Bill
Bill Clinton started jogging near his new home in Chappaqua.But on each run he happened to jog past a hooker standing on the same street corner, day after day.
With some apprehension he would brace himself as he approached her for what was most certinly to follow. "Fifty dollars!" she would cry out from the curb.
"No, Five dollars!" fired back Clinton .
This ritual between Bill and the hooker continued for days.He'd run by and she'd yell, "Fifty dollars!"
And he'd yell back, "Five dollars!"
One day however,Hillary decided that she wanted to accompany her husband on his jog!
As the jogging couple neared the problematic street corner, Bill realized the "pro" would bark her $50 offer and Hillary would wonder what he'd really been doing on all his past outings.
He realized he should have a darn good explanation for the junior Senator.
As they jogged into the turn that would take them past the corner, Bill became even more apprehensive than usual.
Sure enough, there was the hooker!
Bill tried to avoid the prostitute's eyes as she watched the pair jog past.
Then, from the sidewalk, the hooker yelled...
See what you get for five bucks!?"
captainoutrageous answered on 12/16/06:Cute. I'll have to share this with my colleagues. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 12/15/06 - PC police at it again Carolers told to stop singing at event
RIVERSIDE: After Sasha Cohen ice skates, a city staff member has a choir halted midsong.
12:17 AM PST on Thursday, December 14, 2006
By ROBERT P. MAYER and MARLENE TOSCANO
The Press-Enterprise
While an Olympic-medal-winning ice skater smiled and listened to Christmas carols, a Riverside city staff member silenced the singing group because she was afraid the skater would be offended because she is Jewish.
Sasha Cohen, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist and 2006 U.S. National Champion, had just finished her performance at the Riverside Outdoor Ice Skating Rink on the downtown pedestrian mall and had begun to sign autographs when the Rubidoux High School Madrigals began to sing a Christmas carol.
The choir had barely launched into "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" when a police officer and Michelle Baldwin, a city special-events employee, approached choir director Staci Della-Rocco and told her to stop the choir's performance.
Baldwin had contracted with the choir for the event.
Della-Rocco said she complied with the request "because a policeman told me to stop. I didn't want to have a big old huge scene in front of my kids," she said. "I figured I would deal with it later. I would give it some thought and deal with it later."
Amber Eyerly, with the New York-based PR firm that helped promote the event, said that Cohen didn't make the request.
Baldwin could not be reached for comment. City officials referred questions to Development Director Belinda J. Graham, who confirmed the incident.
"This request was simply made by a staff member who was attempting to be sensitive to the celebrity guest, without considering the wider implications...or consulting with her supervisor for guidance," Graham said in an e-mail.
Mayor Ron Loveridge said he was troubled by the incident.
"You kind of wish people do a little checking first. You certainly have my apology," he said, referring to the choir members. "It is unfortunate."
Steve Frasher, spokesman with the Riverside Police Department, said no report of the incident had been filed and that he could neither confirm nor deny that any officer was involved.
"I felt so bad for my kids and that whole situation," Della-Rocco said. "I mean, what kind of a lesson was that? A police officer and a city official telling my kids they can't sing Christmas music?"
Della-Rocco said the students were devastated.
"I just thought it was really rude," said Samantha Moore, a student in the choir. "Everyone basically thought it was really stupid."
Eyerly said she accompanied Cohen through most of the night and that the skater appeared to enjoy the carolers.
"The comical thing is that Sasha wished everyone a Merry Christmas," Eyerly said.
Reach Robert Mayer at 951-368-9455 or rmayer@PE.com
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We now have city officials - and by some reports police - crashing Christmas programs to prevent someone from being offended by those nasty Christians. Now isn't that special?
I thought we were supposed to celebrating the different cultures in this society - all but the Christian culture? Is that how it works? captainoutrageous answered on 12/16/06:Another case of society being tyrannized by martinets. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 12/13/06 - What? No golf course?
HOUSTON (MarketWatch) -- Jeffrey Skilling reported Wednesday to a low-security prison in Waseca, Minnesota, where he could be spending the first of many Christmases for his crimes as a top executive of Enron Corp. (End of quote)
Skilling has access to a basketball court and a ping pong table. Ain't that a hoot? The prison grounds used to be a college campus.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 12/14/06:If you haven't seen it already, you might want to watch the film: "Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room." Yet another case of screw everyone to get ahead. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 12/12/06 - Incoming House Intelligence Chief Botches Easy Intel Quiz WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite.
"That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics.
Reyes could also not answer questions put by Stein about Hezbollah, a Shiite group on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations that is based in Southern Lebanon.
In an interview with CNN, Stein said he was "amazed" by Reyes' lack of what he considers basic information about two of the major terrorists organizations.
"If you're the baseball commissioner and you don't know the difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you don't know baseball," Stein said. "You're not going to have the respect of the people you work with."
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I wonder if he even knows if they're Muslims ????
The interview went like this :
Al Qaeda is what, I asked, Sunni or Shia?
Al Qaeda, they have both, Reyes said. Youre talking about predominately?
Sure, I said, not knowing what else to say.
Predominantly probably Shiite, he ventured.
He couldnt have been more wrong.
Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shiite showed up at an al Qaeda club house, theyd slice off his head and use it for a soccer ball.
Thats because the extremist Sunnis who make up a l Qaeda consider all Shiites to be heretics.
Al Qaedas Sunni roots account for its very existence. Osama bin Laden and his followers believe the Saudi Royal family besmirched the true faith through their corruption and alliance with the United States, particularly allowing U.S. troops on Saudi soil.
Its been five years since these Muslim extremists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center.
Is it too much to ask that our intelligence overseers know who they are?
Civil War
And Hezbollah? I asked him. What are they?
Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah...
He laughed again, shifting in his seat.
Why do you ask me these questions at five oclock? Can I answer in Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?
Pocito, I saida little.
Pocito?! He laughed again.
Go ahead, I said, talk to me about Sunnis and Shia in Spanish.
Reyes: Well, I, uh....
I apologized for putting him on the spot a little. But I reminded him that the people who have killed thousands of Americans on U.S. soil and in the Middle East have been front page news for a long time now.
Its been 23 years since a Hezbollah suicide bomber killed over 200 U.S. military personnel in Beirut, mostly Marines.
Hezbollah, a creature of Iran, is close to taking over in Lebanon. Reports say they are helping train Iraqi Shiites to kill Sunnis in the spiralling civil war.
Yeah, Reyes said, rightly observing, but . . . its not like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Its a heck of a lot more complex.
And I agree with you we ought to expend some effort into understanding them. But speaking only for myself, its hard to keep things in perspective and in the categories.
So let me get this straight . Nancy Pelosi gets into a cat fight with the mildly non-partisan moderate Jane Harman ,who knows more about intel then any other demoncrat in the house and spitefully dismisses her from being Chairman . Now we get Silvestre Reyes who laughingly does not know the difference between Sunni and Shiite.Maybe after he gets out of terrorism 101 he can advance to 102 where he will learn about Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf .
Pelosi is looking more incompetent all the time.Next up on her docket ;William Jefferson to run the House Ethics Panel.
The next dem. I want to pass this quiz is the traitorous Jay Rockefeller who will now be handed the Senate Intelligence Committee next month .
captainoutrageous answered on 12/14/06:It just goes to show there are dingbats in both parties. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 12/12/06 - DISGUSTING QUESTION:
I heard on the news this a.m. that 60 Iraqi laborers were killed and 220 were injured by a suicide bomber. That did it for me! Tell me this:
Before we went into Iraq, did anyone conduct an in depth study re: the mentality and religion of the Muslims? I'll have some comments after you answer this question! I'm damn mad!
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 12/14/06:Unfortunately, people have been killing other people supposedly in the name of God for centuries. When is the human race going to get it together? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 12/11/06 - And another sign America is rolling downhill... 4-year-old suspended after hugging teacher's aide
Associated Press
WACO, Texas School administrators gave a 4-year-old student an in-school suspension for inappropriately touching a teacher's aide after the pre-kindergartner hugged the woman.
A letter from La Vega school district administrators to the student's parents said that the boy was involved in "inappropriate physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment" after he hugged the woman and he "rubbed his face in the chest of (the) female employee" on Nov. 10.
DaMarcus Blackwell, the father of the boy who attends La Vega Primary School, said he filed a complaint with the district. He said that his son doesn't understand why he was punished.
"When I got that letter, my world flipped," Blackwell said in a story in Sunday's editions of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
La Vega school district officials said student privacy laws prevented them from commenting.
After Blackwell filed a complaint, a subsequent letter from the district said the offense had been changed to "inappropriate physical contact" and removed references of sexual contact or sexual harassment from the boy's file.
Administrators said the district's student handbook contains no specific guidelines referring to contact between teachers and students but does state that inappropriate physical contact will result in a discipline referral.
The La Vega school district, which has five schools, covers about 30 miles around Waco.
Hmmm, either we now have 4 year old sexual perverts, we have a teacher's aide that is overly sensitive, or sexual harassment laws and rules have gotten way out of hand - or all three?
I say either the kid is innocent or he's a biproduct of Planned Parenthood's "comprehensive sex education" for preschoolers. What do you say? captainoutrageous answered on 12/11/06:The 4 year old is a perv, the aide is a nympho, and we are all out of control. Must be something in the water. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 12/11/06 - Will they ever get it right? Seems I've heard this before...
Agriculture is major factor in causing global warming
A recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options, warns of the dire environmental consequences of the world's growing meat and dairy production.
According to the report, animal agriculture uses 30% of the Earth's land surface for pasture and feed crop production. It is the driving force in worldwide deforestation and wildlife habitat destruction, with 70% of the irreplaceable Amazon rain forest turned into pasture.
Eventually, pastures are degraded into desert through overgrazing, compaction and erosion. Animal agriculture contributes more pollution to our waterways than all other human activities combined.
Principal sources are animal wastes, as well as soil particles, minerals, organic debris, fertilizers, and pesticides from feed cropland. Most of the world's water supplies are used for irrigating animal feed crops.
Animal agriculture is also a key source of manmade greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
Sixty-five percent of nitrous oxide, the most damaging of these, is emitted by animal waste, according to the FAO report, and 37% of methane comes from cattle's digestive process. Operation of farm machinery and transport trucks account for 9% of carbon-dioxide emissions.
We don't have to wait for Earth Day to help save our planet. We can start with the next trip to the grocery store.
Ok, before I get to the problem I have to question this:
Animal agriculture is also a key source of manmade greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
So cow patties are now manmade?
Well, the solutions are obvious, and when I say "we" I mean Americans.
First we must enact an immediate ban on bovine intercourse and eat more beef to drive down the supply.
Second, once the beef supply has dwindled to a trickle all dairy products will be moved to the controlled substance list. Any remaining nonessential cows will be sent to predominantly Hindu countries.
Third, we must all then take a vow of poverty as the growth in meat and dairy product consumption is due to increased prosperity.
Fourth, rodeos will be restricted to using mechanical bulls and stick horses.
Fifth, the World Cow Chip Throwing Contest will switch from using cow chips to more environmentally friendly tofu patties.
Sixth, an extensive cow chip harvesting campaign will be enacted with cow chip collection centers being set up all across the nation. The collected cow chips will then be used as fuel for the UN building. The benefit of using them here is obvious - there is a ready supply of BS once the cow chip inventory is exhausted.
Oh, and this Texas ranch must be an example of how "pastures are degraded into desert."
![]() captainoutrageous answered on 12/11/06:And what about human poop? | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 12/10/06 - IT'S GLOBAL TERRORISM, STUPID! "When the Iraq Study Group's report was unveiled this week, it was like the opening of a blockbuster movie, with reporters counting down the minutes until it was released. But now that all the hoopla has subsided, all we are left with is a Washington inside job: a report written by Washington insiders, for Washington insiders, who share the same mindset that led us into the misguided war in Iraq.
The Iraq Study Group essentially sees Iraq the same way that most of official Washington does - as the be-all and end-all of our foreign and national security policy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any decisions about our Iraq policy must be guided by our top national security priority: defeating the global terrorist networks operating in countries around the world. We cannot look at Iraq in isolation; we need to also be looking at Somalia and Afghanistan and the many other places around the world where we face grave and growing threats.
The report has some good recommendations, including its call for the U.S. to step up diplomatic efforts with countries like Iran and Syria. But many of its recommendations perpetuate the Iraq-centric policies that have failed so miserably. They fail to correct the course that the American people rejected at the polls in November.
The recommendation that we embed our best troops in the Iraqi army, for example, might seem like a good idea in isolation, but what about our critical effort to fight a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, the country that was the staging ground for the 9/11 attack? Our ongoing efforts in Iraq are straining our military and limiting our capacity to effectively pursue the fight against terrorist networks around the world.
By redeploying our troops from Iraq, we can pursue a new national security strategy that will make our country safer. We can finish the job in Afghanistan. We can scrap the "transformational diplomacy" this Administration has used to offend, push away, and ultimately alienate so many of our friends and allies, and replace it with an aggressive, multilateral approach that would leverage the strength of our friends to defeat our common enemies.
And we can repair and infuse new capabilities and strength into our armed forces. By freeing up our Special Forces assets and redeploying our military power from Iraq, we will be better positioned to handle global threats and future contingencies. Our current state of readiness is unacceptable and must be repaired. Our National Guard, too, must be capable of responding to natural disasters and future contingencies.
The way to win a war against global terrorist networks is not to keep over 140,000 American troops in Iraq indefinitely. We will weaken, not strengthen, our national security by continuing to pour a disproportionate level of our military and intelligence and fiscal resources into Iraq.
Unfortunately, while the Iraq Study Group's report recognizes that the Administration's policy is not working, it doesn't correct the myopic focus on Iraq that has so dangerously weakened our national security. In the end, this report is a regrettable example of 'official Washington' missing the point. The growing threats we face in places like Afghanistan and Somalia are every bit as important to our national security as Iraq. Until Congress and the Administration recognize that, we will only perpetuate the deeply misguided policies that got us into Iraq in the first place." Senator Russ Feingold, [D. Wisc.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 12/11/06:I'm afraid this issue is going to be dogging us through the 2008 elections. Whoever wins the Presidency is going to have this mess dropped squarely in his or her lap. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 12/08/06 - Is Rice the next victim of failure in Iraq? Dueling Views Pit Baker Against Rice
By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: December 8, 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 Many of the blistering critiques of the Bush administration contained in the Iraq Study Groups report boil down to this: the differing worldviews of Baker versus Rice.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III was the architect of the new diplomatic offensive in the Middle East that the commission recommended Wednesday as one of its main prescriptions for extracting the country from the mess in Iraq. Ever since, he has been talking on television, to Congress and to Iraqis and foreign diplomats about how he would conduct American foreign policy differently. Very differently.
At a midday meeting with reporters on Thursday, Mr. Baker insisted that the study group had rejected looking backward. But he then proceeded to make a passionate argument for a course of action he believed Condoleezza Rice, the current secretary of state, should be pursuing while carefully never mentioning Ms. Rice by name.
The United States should engage Iran, Mr. Baker contended, if only to reveal its rejectionist attitude; it should try to flip the Syrians; and it should begin a renewed quest for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that, he maintained, would help convince Arab moderates that America was not all about invasions and regime change.
Meanwhile, Ms. Rice remained publicly silent, sitting across town in the office that Mr. Baker gave up 14 years ago. She has yet to say anything about the public tutorial being conducted by the man who first knew her when she was a mid-level Soviet expert on the National Security Council. She has not responded to Mr. Bakers argument, delivered in a tone that drips with isnt-this-obvious, that America has to be willing to talk to its adversaries (a premise Ms. Rice has questioned if the conditions are not right), or his dismissal of the administrations early argument that the way to peace in the Middle East was through quick, decisive victory in Baghdad.
Aides to the 52-year-old Ms. Rice say she is acutely aware that there is little percentage in getting into a public argument with Mr. Baker, the 76-year-old architect of the first Bush administrations Middle East policy. But Thursday, as President Bush gently pushed back against some of Mr. Bakers recommendations, Ms. Rices aides and allies were offering a private defense, saying that she already has a coherent, effective strategy for the region.
She has advocated deepening the isolation of Syria, because she believes much of the rest of the Arab world condemns its efforts to topple Lebanons government, they said; and in seeking to isolate Iran, they said, she hopes to capitalize on the fears of nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan that Iran seeks to dominate the region, with the option of wielding a nuclear weapon.
Ms. Rice makes no apology for the premium she has placed on promoting democracy in the Middle East, even though that is an idea that Mr. Baker and his commission conspicuously ignored in spelling out their recommendations. I dont think that the road to democracy in Iraq is at all utopian, she said in April.
It is plenty utopian to Mr. Baker, who has made clear his view that the quest is entirely ill-suited to the realities of striking a political deal that may keep Sunnis and Shiites from killing each other, and that may extract American forces from Iraq.
Mr. Baker said nothing on Thursday about looking for Jeffersonian democrats in Iraq; he would be happy with few good Iraqi nationalists who can keep the country from splintering apart.
They start from completely different places, said Dennis Ross, the Middle East negotiator who worked for Mr. Baker years ago and left the State Department early in the Bush administration. Baker approaches everything with a negotiators mindset. That doesnt mean every negotiation leads to a deal, but you engage your adversaries and use your leverage to change their behavior. This administration has never had a negotiators mind-set. It divides the world into friends and foes, and the foes are incorrigible and not redeemable. There has been more of an instinct toward regime change than to changing regime behavior.
To some degree, the Bush administration has softened that approach in its second term, and Ms. Rices aides contend that much of what is recommended in the Baker report, including a regional group to support the country, is already under way.
Mr. Bush himself seems uncertain how to handle his always-uncomfortable relationship with his fathers friend. It was Mr. Baker who in 2000 ran the strategy for winning the Florida recount, but he has also made little secret in private that he regards the administration as a bunch of diplomatic go-cart racers, more interested in speed than strategy and prone to ruinous crashes.
The administration has sent out word that it regards Mr. Bakers recommendations as more than a little anachronistic, better suited to the Middle East of 1991 than to the one they are confronting and to some degree have created in 2006 three years after the Iraq invasion. It is a criticism that angers Mr. Baker, members of the study group say.
Iran and Syria illustrate the differing approaches of Mr. Baker and Ms. Rice. If you can flip the Syrians you will cure Israels Hezbollah problem, Mr. Baker said Thursday, noting that Syria is the transit point for arms shipments to Hezbollah. He said Syrian officials told him that they do have the ability to convince Hamas to acknowledge Israels right to exist, and added, If we accomplish that, that would give the Ehud Olmert a negotiating partner.
Ms. Rices allies argue that if it were all that simple, the Syrian problem would have been solved long ago. Stephen J. Hadley, national security adviser and Ms. Rices former deputy, said recently that the problem isnt one of communication, its one of cooperation. Now that Mr. Baker has taken his differences public, the mystery is this: is he speaking for Mr. Bushs father? We never figured that out, said one fellow member of the panel. There was always this implication that there was a tremendous amount of frustration from the old man about what was happening. But Jim was always very careful.
The elder Mr. Bush was careful, too. Asked if he wanted to offer his insights to the panel, he declined. captainoutrageous answered on 12/10/06:I don't see Rice hitting the pavement. She's just too chummy with Bush and Co. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 12/09/06 - WHO ARE THE HUMBUGS: Writing for WIRED NEWS: David Hambling: 02:00 AM Dec, 05, 2006
"The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running. To your surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is completely empty.
You've just been hit with a new nonlethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen effects.
According to documents obtained for Wired News under federal sunshine laws, the Air Force's Active Denial System, or ADS, has been certified safe after lengthy tests by military scientists in the lab and in war games.
The ADS shoots a beam of millimeters waves, which are longer in wavelength than x-rays but shorter than microwaves -- 94 GHz (= 3 mm wavelength) compared to 2.45 GHz (= 12 cm wavelength) in a standard microwave oven.
The longer waves are thought to limit the effects of the radiation. If used properly, ADS will produce no lasting adverse affects, the military argues.
Documents acquired for Wired News using the Freedom of Information Act claim that most of the radiation (83 percent) is instantly absorbed by the top layer of the skin, heating it rapidly.
The beam produces what experimenters call the "Goodbye effect," or "prompt and highly motivated escape behavior." In human tests, most subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.
"It will repel you," one test subject said. "If hit by the beam, you will move out of it -- reflexively and quickly. You for sure will not be eager to experience it again."
But while subjects may feel like they have sustained serious burns, the documents claim effects are not long-lasting. At most, "some volunteers who tolerate the heat may experience prolonged redness or even small blisters," the Air Force experiments concluded.
The reports describe an elaborate series of investigations involving human subjects.
The volunteers were military personnel: active, reserve or retired, who volunteered for the tests. They were unpaid, but the subjects would "benefit from direct knowledge that an effective nonlethal weapon system could soon be in the inventory," said one report. The tests ranged from simple exposure in the laboratory to elaborate war games involving hundreds of participants.
The military simulated crowd control situations, rescuing helicopter crews in a Black Hawk Down setting and urban assaults. More unusual tests involved alcohol, attack dogs and maze-like obstacle courses.
In more than 10,000 exposures, there were six cases of blistering and one instance of second-degree burns in a laboratory accident, the documents claim.
The ADS was developed in complete secrecy for 10 years at a cost of $40 million. Its existence was revealed in 2001 by news reports, but most details of ADS human testing remain classified. There has been no independent checking of the military's claims.
The ADS technology is ready to deploy, and the Army requested ADS-armed Strykers for Iraq last year. But the military is well aware that any adverse publicity could finish the program, and it does not want to risk distressed victims wailing about evil new weapons on CNN.
This may mean yet more rounds of testing for the ADS."
Could this weapon end the war in Iraq? Who are THE persons saying "NO" to this strategy NOW?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 12/10/06:Fo information and pictures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_denial_system | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 12/09/06 - Look out America, Pauline is coming
Please explain, US tells Pauline
By Edmund Burke
December 10, 2006 12:00am
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
PAULINE Hanson is furious with immigration policy again - but this time she's on the outside looking in.
The former One Nation leader is battling US red tape as she seeks to become a refugee from the hot Australian Christmas.
"I had planned a holiday in Manhattan but because of the time I spent in prison there is a problem with the visa," she said.
"I have to go down to Sydney to the American consulate to show them documents that show the case was quashed.
"I was furious when I found out - absolutely furious. I might even have to have my fingerprints taken before they will let me in," she said.
Ms Hanson was looking forward to a white Christmas. "I want to enjoy that real Christmas feeling, you don't really get it in Australia."
Ms Hanson was jailed in 2003 for electoral fraud and spent 73 days in prison before her conviction was overturned on 6 November, 2006.
She attempted a comeback in Sydney in 2004, standing as an independent for the Senate, but failed.
But last week the former fish shop owner, who has just finished writing her memoirs, again signalled a possible comeback to politics.
"My book is out in March and I will probably make a final decision on my future in February," she said at her 60ha farm west of Ipswich.
If she ran it would be as a Queensland independent but "you never know, a wonderful man could come and take me away from all this".
Ms Hanson, 52, is in a long-term relationship with Irish construction worker Seamus Doheny, 49.
"He hates the limelight, but at the end of the day he lives in Sydney and I live up here and if that doesn't change I am not going to put my life on hold for him," she said.
The former federal MP for Oxley said she started thinking about a comeback when Sydney radio station poll showed that 99 per cent of respondents wanted her to return.
North Queensland MP Bob Katter said he would not rule out taking Ms Hanson into his alliance of Independent MPs.
"But she has said that she wants to be her own boss and the last thing I want to do is pick a fight with Pauline Hanson."
captainoutrageous answered on 12/10/06:Spunky devil, ain't she? | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 12/06/06 - Cowboys and Indians:
Why don't our soldiers in Iraq take a lesson from the Indians who roamed the plains during the old Wild West days? They surrounded wagon trains. No escape was possible. Why don't our soldiers use the same stategy in Iraq. Surround Baghdad, synchronize their watches and then start moving towards the center of that hell hole? The old squeeze play. Our planes and choppers could protect their 'backs' and take care of any trouble that may arise north, south, east and west. Since Bush is sending 30,000 more troops to the area, I think this strategy might work.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 12/07/06:I don't think Hank, though I wish it would. You'd have to wipe everything and everyone there and then what would you do with the rest of the country? | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 12/06/06 - Report of Iraq Study Group "The Iraq Study Group called the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating" Wednesday and recommended a radically different approach from President Bush's current policy, including the withdrawal of most U.S. combat troops by early 2008.
In delivering its report to Bush and Congress, the bipartisan panel listed 79 recommendations for change in Iraq strategy, including direct talks with Iran and Syria as part of a "diplomatic offensive."
All 10 members of the panel, chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican, and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana, met with Bush at the White House to present the bound report. (View the complete report -- PDF)
The Bush administration has repeatedly rejected calls to seek help from Iran and Syria.
But the report states that "Iraq's neighbors and key states in and outside the region should form a support group" to help Iraq achieve long-term security and political reconciliation -- "neither of which it can sustain on its own."
"If we don't talk to them, we don't see much progress being made," Hamilton said. "You can't look at this part of the world and pick and choose which countries you're going to deal with."
The panel, which was chartered by Congress, warns of dire consequences, both at home and abroad, if the U.S. fails to take action.
"If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe. A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe," the report says.
"Neighboring countries could intervene. Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al Qaeda could win a propaganda victory and expand its base of operations. The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized."
On the military front, the report suggests, "By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq."
It adds: "At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams and in training, equipping, advising, force protection and search and rescue."
The co-chairs said they took "a pragmatic approach" to determining the best course for Iraq and determined the solution was not a military, political or economic one, but rather a combination of the three.
"We no longer can afford to stay the course," Baker said. "If we do what we recommend in this report, it will certainly improve our chances for success."
Hamilton echoed his colleague's sentiments, saying the Iraqi people are "suffering great hardship" and their lives must be improved....."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 12/07/06:I don't know that we can expect much from Syria and Iran, but the current state of affairs is abysmal. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 12/04/06 - WOW!
Was the Russian spy who died of radiation poisoning a Muslim? Was he embalmed?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 12/06/06:Another site with information on this interesting conversion:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C12%5C05%5Cstory_5-12-2006_pg4_9 | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/28/06 - follow up on the bogus "Capt. Jamil Hussein"
( see my post below about the origin of this story )
Turns out this phony source has been used by AP since at least April . Below are some of the bylines filed by AP Iraqi writer Qais al-Bashir that used the fictional Capt. Jamil Hussein as the main source (I wonder if Qais al-Bashir is real ) :
April 27, 2006 AP article, southwest Bahgdad:
In southwest Baghdad, police received a tip that two men were traveling in the area with explosives hidden beneath their clothes, said police Capt. Jamil Hussein. After a brief gunbattle, the explosives detonated, killing both men, he said.
April 30, 2006 Dora Neighborhood, Baghdad:
In yesterday's worst violence, the bodies of six handcuffed, blindfolded and tortured men were found in the Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, said police Capt. Jamil Hussein.
May 27, 2006, Southern Baghdad:
Gunmen in three speeding cars also ambushed a patrol in western Baghdad, wounding 10 people, including six policemen, and two other policemen were injured in drive-by shootings in a nearby neighbourhood, police Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
June 1, 2006 and the al-Bayaa neighborhood:
Three gunmen shot to death two mechanics at their workshop in an industrial area in the al-Bayaa neighborhood in western Baghdad, police Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
June 19, 2006, Southern Baghdad:
Two explosions struck an Interior Ministry patrol and a market in the Baghdad area on Monday evening, killing at least seven people and wounding 16, police said. The first attack was a car bomb that struck an Interior Ministry patrol in western Baghdad, killing four commandos and wounding six, Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
July 8, 2006 from the Ghazaliya neighborhood:
Gunmen in two speeding cars opened fire on a Sunni mosque in west Baghdad's Ghazaliya neighborhood. Mosque guards returned fire and the attackers fled, police Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
July 10, 2006, Predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Amariyah in Western Baghdad:
Gunmen also ambushed a bus in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Amariyah in western Baghdad, killing six passengers, including a woman, and the driver, police Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
September 20, 2006, Western Baghdad:
The truck bomb attack in the southern Baghdad neighbourhood of Dora came at 07:45 as policemen were coming on duty and the blast razed the building, said captain Jamil Hussein. He said the number of casualties was expected to rise.
November 24, 2006, in the once-mixed Hurriyah neighborhood:
Revenge-seeking Shi'ite militiamen grabbed six Sunnis as they left Friday worship services, doused them with kerosene and burned them alive near an Iraqi army post. The soldiers did not intervene, police Capt. Jamil Hussein said.
November 25, 2006, more from the neighborhood of Hurriyah:Iraqi soldiers at a nearby army post failed to intervene in the assault by suspected members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia or subsequent attacks that killed a total of 25 Sunnis, including women and children, said police Capt. Jamil Hussein.
Bloggers all over the net have discovered this story and are doing the leg work to unveil this fraud and deception by the MSM .My speculation : this is an insurgent telling the AP what it wants to hear .
captainoutrageous answered on 11/29/06:November 27, 2006
Capt. Jamil Hussein Gets Around - UPDATED
UPDATE - ASSOCIATED PRESS SOURCE EXPOSED AS FRAUD
More at Flopping Aces this morning: "Centcom has confirmed this Capt. Jamil Hussein is NOT a Police Officer nor is he employed by the Ministry of Interior:
Dear Associated Press:
On Nov. 24, 2006, your organization published an article by Qais Al-Bashir about six Sunnis being burned alive in the presence of Iraqi Police officers. This news item, which is below, received an enormous amount of coverage internationally.
We at Multi-National Corps - Iraq made it known through MNC-I Press Release Number 20061125-09 and our conversations with your reporters that neither we nor Baghdad Police had any reports of such an incident after investigating it and could find no one to corroborate the story. A couple of hours ago, we learned something else very important. We can tell you definitively that the primary source of this story, police Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee. We verified this fact with the MOI through the Coalition Police Assistance Training Team.
Also, we definitely know, as we told you several weeks ago through the MNC-I Media Relations cell, that another AP-popular IP spokesman, Lt. Maithem Abdul Razzaq, supposedly of the citys Yarmouk police station, does not work at that police station and is also not authorized to speak on behalf of the IP. The MOI has supposedly issued a warrant for his questioning.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/005040.html | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/28/06 - Are you prepared for a cold bath? Antarctic ice shelf 'might break off'
November 29, 2006 - 7:44AM
The Ross Ice Shelf, a massive piece of ice the size of France, could break off without warning causing a dramatic rise in sea levels, warn New Zealand scientists working in Antarctica.
A New Zealand-led ice drilling team has recovered three million years of climate history from samples which gives clues as to what may happen in the future.
Initial analysis of sea-floor cores near Scott Base suggest the Ross Ice Shelf had collapsed in the past and had probably done so suddenly.
The team's co-chief scientist, Tim Naish, told The Press newspaper the sediment record was important because it provided crucial evidence about how the Ross Ice Shelf would react to climate change, with potential to dramatically increase sea levels.
"If the past is any indication of the future, then the ice shelf will collapse," he said.
"If the ice shelf goes, then what about the West Antarctic Ice Sheet? What we've learnt from the Antarctic Peninsula is when once buttressing ice sheets go, the glaciers feeding them move faster and that's the thing that isn't so cheery."
Antarctica stores 90 per cent of the world's fresh water, with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet holding an estimated 30 million cubic kilometres.
In January, British Antarctic Survey researchers predicted that its collapse would make sea levels rise by at least 5 metres, with other estimates predicting a rise of up to 17 metres.
Dr Naish, a sedimentologist with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, said one day the drilling team retrieved a core of 83 metres, far greater than expected, which contained climate records spanning about 500,000 years.
"We're really getting everything we've dreamed of. What we're getting is a pretty detailed history of the ice shelf," he said.
"You go from full glacial conditions to open ocean conditions very abruptly. It doesn't surprise us that much that the transition was dramatic."
Scientists knew from the collapse of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 that expanses of ice could collapse "extremely quickly".
Once dating of the sample was completed, researchers would be able to look at what the ice shelf was doing during periods when scientists knew from other evidence that it was 2 to 4 degrees celsius warmer than today, Dr Naish said.
2006 AAP captainoutrageous answered on 11/29/06:Sounds a bit like Edgar Cayce. With the shifting of the earth's magnetic poles that began in 1998 will come a gradual melting of the polar ice caps and eventually cause inundations of many coastal regions resulting in a drop in the landmass of about 30 feet. In 1941, Cayce elaborated on this effect:
"As to conditions in the geography of the world, of the country -- changes here are gradually coming about ... For, many portions of the east coast will be disturbed, as well as many portions of the west coast, as well as the central portion of the U.S. In the next few years land will appear in the Atlantic as well as in the Pacific. And what is the coast line now of many a land will be the bed of the ocean. Even many battle fields of the present will be ocean, will be the seas, the bays, the lands over which The New World Order will carry on their trade as one with another."
| | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 11/26/06 - Question for Tom and Elliot Excerpted from the transcript of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it a civil war in Iraq right now?
KING ABDULLAH: Well, George, the difficulty that we're tackling with here is, we're juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region, whether it's the (1.)Palestinians, that of (2.)Lebanon or of (3.)Iraq...
... And we could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands. And therefore, it is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear, and I see could possibly happen in 2007.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a serious question based on this quote.
Was it one of the goals of the Bush Administration and the NeoCons to have the Middle East go up for grabs, as it were? A secondary alternative to the naive quest to install "Democracy" in Iraq and watch it flower and spread to their neighbors?
Choux
PS-I'm not altogether sure my work is done here in view of the situation in the middle east. captainoutrageous answered on 11/26/06:Welcome back, Choux. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/24/06 - Even the troops say it is wrong and all smoke and mirrors?
Iraq a moral blunder: war hero
By Patrick Walters
November 25, 2006 12:00am
Article from: The Australian
THE former SAS officer who devised and executed the Iraq war plan for Australia's special forces says that the nation's involvement has been a strategic and moral blunder.
Peter Tinley, who was decorated for his military service in Afghanistan and Iraq, has broken ranks to condemn the Howard Government over its handling of the war and has called for an immediate withdrawal of Australian troops.
"It was a cynical use of the Australian Defence Force by the Government," the ex-SAS operations officer told The Weekend Australian yesterday.
"This war duped the Australian Defence Force and the Australian people in terms of thinking it was in some way legitimate."
As the lead tactical planner for Australia's special forces in the US in late 2002, Mr Tinley was in a unique position to observe intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program and the coalition's military preparations in the lead-up to the war.
Mr Tinley, 44, who retired from the army last year after a distinguished 25-year career, said the US-led coalition had been naive in its thinking about what it could achieve after a quick military invasion of Iraq.
"They never had enough troops to fully lock down the major centres and infrastructure or the borders," he said.
In Iraq in 2003, Mr Tinley served as deputy commander for the 550-strong joint special forces task group that took control of western Iraq.
Part of his command was 1 SAS Squadron, which was awarded a US Meritorious Unit citation for its "sustained gallantry", contributing to a comprehensive success for coalition forces in Iraq.
He served 17 years with the elite SAS regiment, leaving the army as a major last year. In 2003 he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "dynamic leadership and consistent professional excellence".
His comments came as Baghdad experienced its deadliest day of sectarian violence since the coalition's March 2003 invasion, with 160 killed and 250 injured by five powerful car bombs in the Shia district of Sadr City.
In recent weeks, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has conceded Iraq has become a "disaster", while the Iraq quagmire contributed to the swing against US President George W.Bush in this month's congressional elections.
Britain has set a tentative timetable this week for withdrawing some of its troops, while the US and coalition forces consider options to end the conflict, which could include a short-term lift in troop numbers.
John Howard said yesterday that despite all Iraq's problems, he still believed he had made the right decision to take Australia to war in 2003.
"Everybody back in 2003, including Kim Beazley and particularly Kevin Rudd and even (French President) Jacques Chirac, were all saying Iraq had weapons of mass destruction," the Prime Minister said.
He said Australia had not agreed to take on any new responsibilities in Iraq and any changes to Australia's 750-strong military presence would depend on a possible withdrawal of British forces.
During war planning with US and British special forces at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2002, Mr Tinley says he never saw any hard intelligence that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction.
"When I pressed them (US intelligence) for more specific imagery or information regarding locations or likely locations of WMD they confessed, off the record, that there had not been any tangible sighting of any WMD or WMD enabling equipment for some years," he said.
"It was all shadows and inferenced conversations between Iraqis. There was an overwhelming desire for all of the planning staff to simply believe that the Iraqis had learned how to conceal their WMD assets away from the US (surveillance) assets."
Coalition special forces troops were charged with hunting down Scud missiles and Saddam's suspected WMD arsenals, operating from just west of Baghdad all the way through to the Jordanian border, and between the Syrian and Saudi frontiers.
After the initial invasion, the search for WMD became something of a "standing joke" with neither coalition troops nor the Iraq Survey Group turning up anything of consequence.
"The notion that pre-emption is a legitimate strategy in the face of such unconvincing intelligence is a betrayal of the Australian way," he said.
Mr Tinley told The Weekend Australian he was now speaking out having expected people "far more capable and more senior than me" to have expressed serious reservations about Australia's involvement in Iraq.
"During our preparations for this war I remember hearing (ex-defence chief) General Peter Gration's misgivings and assumed he did not possess all the information that our Prime Minister did," he said.
"I now reflect on his commentary with a completely different view and am saddened that other prominent people in our society didn't speak louder at the time and aren't continuing to speak out in light of what we now know."
He said the Government had broken a moral contract with its defence force in sending it to an "immoral war".
The Government's stance on Iraq and later on issues such as the Tampa had gradually allowed fear to become a motivating factor in the electorate, he said.
Mr Tinley said the Howard Government had failed to be honest with Australians about Iraq and "you can't separate the sentiment of the defence force from that of the people".
He advocates an immediate pullout of Australia's 500-strong task force in southern Iraq but accepts that security forces must be kept to guard the embassy in Baghdad. "Our 500 troops are in the south-west of Iraq under British tactical command while our US partners are doing all the heavy lifting in the remainder of the country," he said.
A more meaningful contribution could be through providing defence and security force training in a safer neighbouring country, such as Kuwait. "This is no slur on our soldiers. (Brigadier) Mick Moon and his men have been doing a fantastic job."
captainoutrageous answered on 11/25/06:This war has been an ill=conceived blunder from the beginning. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/23/06 - A case of thanksgiving as you give thanks you are not fighting terrorism at home, are you giving thanks for this, the consequence of carrying that fight to foreign shores?
Worst Iraq blast since war
Iraqis walk past the site of a car bomb explosion in the Sadr City district of Baghdad.
Iraqis walk past the site of a car bomb explosion in the Sadr City district of Baghdad.
Photo: AP
November 24, 2006 - 7:09AM
In the worst attack on Baghdad since the war to unseat Saddam Hussein, insurgents killed at least 152 people and wounded 236 in a series of car bombings in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City, security and medical sources said.
The attacks prompted the interior ministry to announce an indefinite curfew in the capital, effective from 8pm today (0400 AEDT Friday) .
Wounded clogged the hospitals of Sadr City, with dozens lying bleeding in the corridors as overworked staff struggled to tend to the casualties.
"Of those killed, 88 bodies are in the Imam Ali hospital and 55 in Sadr City hospital," a medic said, saying many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.
A police official said other bodies were taken to hospitals outside the district.
Hospital security forces kept at bay hundreds of relatives struggling to see the dead and wounded.
The bloodiest bomb exploded in a crowded market in the Hay neighbourhood, targeting stores selling religious CDs, as well as electronics outlets selling mobile phones.
In the increasingly bitter sectarian war gripping the capital, crowded markets in Shi'ite neighbourhoods and villages have been popular targets for the bombers of the Sunni-led insurgency.
In the market, the twisted frame of a car carrying the explosives sat amid the wreckage of the shops, while everywhere the ground was littered with pools of blood and debris from the stores.
As ambulances rushed to attend to the wounded, pillars of black smoke billowed over the stricken neighbourhood and inhabitants collected the bits of flesh left by the dead.
Interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf told state television Al-Iraqiya that police believe a total of eight bombs were planted in Sadr City.
"Four of them exploded, one we have located and also arrested the driver of the car, but three are still to be detected," Khalaf said, without elaborating.
He also said 10 rounds slammed into Sadr City after the bombings and were expected to have caused casualties.
Minutes before the blasts about 100 masked gunmen attacked the Shi'ite-controlled health ministry clashing with guards and Iraqi soldiers, Deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili said.
"First a series of mortars were fired at the building from the nearby Al-Fadhel neighbourhood, and then about 100 masked gunmen holding machine guns attacked the building," said Zamili.
"About 2,000 employees are trapped in the building. I am also in the building," he added. "The gunmen came in civilian cars and pick-up trucks and started shooting at the building and wounded a number of employees."
The attack was eventually dispersed, and only five people were wounded, he added.
On Sunday, gunmen kidnapped Deputy Health minister Ammar al-Assafar from his home in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district. Zamili himself escaped an assassination bid on Monday, but two of his guards were killed in the ambush.
The attack on the ministry mirrors a November 14 raid on the Sunni-controlled ministry of higher education, in which at least 150 people were kidnapped.
In the aftermath of the attacks in Sadr City and on the ministry, some 13 mortar rounds rained down on Adhamiyah, a Sunni neighbourhood, wounding 10 people.
Explosions continued to reverberate through Baghdad well into the night.
Sadr City, the impoverished district of followers loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was also the site of an early morning incident involving American soldiers.
"US troops fired on a minibus carrying workers and killed a number of them in Al-Falah street at 6am," Imam Abdel Zahra al-Suwaidi from the Sadr movement said.
A medic at the Sadr City hospital said four people were killed and eight wounded, including two women.
But the US military said Iraqi forces fired on the vehicle during a raid to detain the leader of a kidnapping cell.
"A vehicle displaying hostile intent was identified as an immediate threat to Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces fired on the vehicle to neutralise the threat," the military said without mentioning civilian casualties.
US forces have regularly raided Sadr City to hunt for leaders of kidnapping cells alleged to be militiamen loyal to Sadr.
On Wednesday, a UN report said Iraq's sectarian conflict killed at least 3,709 people in October, the highest monthly death toll since the 2003 US-led invasion.
The figures, from data provided by the health ministry and morgues, compared with a previous high of 3,590 in July, which the United Nations at the time called "unprecedented."
The report came as US President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki prepared to meet in Jordan next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the US military said three more soldiers were killed in Iraq, bringing its losses since the invasion to 2,866, according to Pentagon figures.
Police also recovered eight bodies near the central city of Diwaniyah, while 12 people were reported killed in the city of Baquba.
US Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey arrived in Baghdad today to visit troops on the Thanksgiving holiday, a military spokeswoman said.
AFP
captainoutrageous answered on 11/23/06:Yes, those of us on the shores of America have a lot to be thankful for when one watches the news from places like Iraq, Darfur, Syria, etc. May you have a peaceful day. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/22/06 - A case of national importance ... ...was decided Monday in the Westchester NY Village of Mamaroneck.It is a decision that could impact how a local municipality deals with "day laborers" (illegal aliens ) nationwide.Fed. Judge Colleen McMahon [Nominated by Clinton on May 21, 1998,]ruled that the village essentially could not have the police force patrol in an area of the village where day laborers gather to get picked up by employers who violate the law by hiring them .
The village had recently refurbished Columbus Park by the commuter rail station but village residents were not using it because of the day laborers congregating there. Mayor Philip J. Trifiletti, and the police chief, Edward E. Flynn, both testified that the workers urinated and defecated in the open, as well as encouraged criminal activity .So the village made a decision to routinely have a police presence there . This of course discourged contractors from picking up the illegals .
Six of the illegals , all identified as John Doe ,"for fear of retaliation by police or immigration authorities ", sought an injunction against what they called harassment, selective law enforcement and ethnic discrimination. They said the village violated their right to equal protection.(ah yes ;those constitutional guarantees to people who are here illegally ) .The judge agreed :
"The fact that the day laborers were Latinos, and not whites, was, at least in part, a motivating factor in defendants' actions."
Mamaroneck will have to pay the laborers' attorney fees, which are estimated at more than $1 million; McMahon also called upon the parties to offer solutions ,while admitting that no legal rule could compel the village to reopen the Columbus Park hiring site. She gave them 10 days to comply.The judge gave a stinging rebuke to the village about racism and discrimination ,completely ignoring the legal issues involved.
"We truly believe that we really didn't do anything wrong and we disagree with the conclusions," Trifiletti said. "We think that this judge has taken a strained approach to finding an equal-protection violation," Village Attorney Kevin Plunkett said. He said the quality of life for residents of Mamaroneck - not race - was the chief concern of village officials.
This sends a very clear message to local governments all over this country that day laborers have rights and that municipal governments that ignore those rights will be held responsible, said Cesar A. Perales, president of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a Manhattan-based advocacy group that represented the workers.
Oh it sends a message alright. It says that municiple governments around the nation have no rights to enforce their laws. Last week Freehold, N.J. was slapped down with a simular ruling and also this year Redondo Beach, Calif. had a simular decision go against it . The city of Hazleton Pa. hashad an ongoing battle with the Federal Courts over enforcing ordinances targeting illegal immigrants.
Again ,it will be the courts that dictate public policy and not the will of the people .
Wish excon were here as I'm sure he would have an interesting counterpoint but management deemed it necessary to suspend him again ;no doubt on the flimsiest of prextext.
captainoutrageous answered on 11/22/06:What a crock of crap. Send the buggers home. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/21/06 - This just in from Atlantic Monthly The 100 most influential Americans ever . I am just posting the list without commentary at this time (except to say that Madison deserves a top 10 position ).
1 Abraham Lincoln
He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over Americas second founding.
2 George Washington
He made the United States possiblenot only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.
3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: All men are created equal.
4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, and then he proved it.
5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nations transformation into an industrial power.
6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.
7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.
8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.
9 Thomas Edison
It wasnt just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.
10 Woodrow Wilson
He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.
11 John D. Rockefeller
The man behind Standard Oil set the mold for our tycoonsfirst by making money, then by giving it away.
12 Ulysses S. Grant
He was a poor president, but he was the general Lincoln needed; he also wrote the greatest political memoir in American history.
13 James Madison
He fathered the Constitution and wrote the Bill of Rights.
14 Henry Ford
He gave us the assembly line and the Model T, and sparked Americas love affair with the automobile.
15 Theodore Roosevelt
Whether busting trusts or building canals, he embodied the strenuous life and blazed a trail for twentieth-century America.
16 Mark Twain
Author of our national epic, he was the most unsentimental observer of our national life.
17 Ronald Reagan
The amiable architect of both the conservative realignment and the Cold Wars end.
18 Andrew Jackson
The first great populist: he found America a republic and left it a democracy.
19 Thomas Paine
The voice of the American Revolution, and our first great radical.
20 Andrew Carnegie
The original self-made man forged Americas industrial might and became one of the nations greatest philanthropists.
21 Harry Truman
An accidental president, this machine politician ushered in the Atomic Age and then the Cold War.
22 Walt Whitman
He sang of America and shaped the countrys conception of itself.
23 Wright Brothers
They got us all off the ground.
24 Alexander Graham Bell
By inventing the telephone, he opened the age of telecommunications and shrank the world.
25 John Adams
His leadership made the American Revolution possible; his devotion to republicanism made it succeed.
26 Walt Disney
The quintessential entertainer-entrepreneur, he wielded unmatched influence over our childhood.
27 Eli Whitney
His gin made cotton king and sustained an empire for slavery.
28 Dwight Eisenhower
He won a war and two elections, and made everybody like Ike.
29 Earl Warren
His Supreme Court transformed American society and bequeathed to us the culture wars.
30 Elizabeth Cady Stanton
One of the first great American feminists, she fought for social reform and womens right to vote.
31 Henry Clay
One of Americas greatest legislators and orators, he forged compromises that held off civil war for decades.
32 Albert Einstein
His greatest scientific work was done in Europe, but his humanity earned him undying fame in America.
33 Ralph Waldo Emerson
The bard of individualism, he relied on himselfand told us all to do the same.
34 Jonas Salk
His vaccine for polio eradicated one of the worlds worst plagues.
35 Jackie Robinson
He broke baseballs color barrier and embodied integrations promise.
36 William Jennings Bryan
The Great Commoner lost three presidential elections, but his populism transformed the country.
37 J. P. Morgan
The great financier and banker was the prototype for all the Wall Street barons who followed.
38 Susan B. Anthony
She was the countrys most eloquent voice for womens equality under the law.
39 Rachel Carson
The author of Silent Spring was godmother to the environmental movement.
40 John Dewey
He sought to make the public school a training ground for democratic life.
41 Harriet Beecher Stowe
Her Uncle Toms Cabin inspired a generation of abolitionists and set the stage for civil war.
42 Eleanor Roosevelt
She used the first ladys office and the mass media to become first lady of the world.
43 W. E. B. DuBois
One of Americas great intellectuals, he made the problem of the color line his lifes work.
44 Lyndon Baines Johnson
His brilliance gave us civil-rights laws; his stubbornness gave us Vietnam.
45 Samuel F. B. Morse
Before the Internet, there was Morse code.
46 William Lloyd Garrison
Through his newspaper, The Liberator, he became the voice of abolition.
47 Frederick Douglass
After escaping from slavery, he pricked the nations conscience with an eloquent accounting of its crimes.
48 Robert Oppenheimer
The father of the atomic bomb and the regretful midwife of the nuclear era.
49 Frederick Law Olmsted
The genius behind New Yorks Central Park, he inspired the greening of Americas cities.
50 James K. Polk
This one-term presidents Mexican War landgrab gave us California, Texas, and the Southwest.
51 Margaret Sanger
The ardent champion of birth controland of the sexual freedom that came with it.
52 Joseph Smith
The founder of Mormonism, Americas most famous homegrown faith.
53 Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Known as The Great Dissenter, he wrote Supreme Court opinions that continue to shape American jurisprudence.
54 Bill Gates
The Rockefeller of the Information Age, in business and philanthropy alike.
55 John Quincy Adams
The Monroe Doctrines real author, he set nineteenth-century Americas diplomatic course.
56 Horace Mann
His tireless advocacy of universal public schooling earned him the title The Father of American Education.
57 Robert E. Lee
He was a good general but a better symbol, embodying conciliation in defeat.
58 John C. Calhoun
The voice of the antebellum South, he was slaverys most ardent defender.
59 Louis Sullivan
The father of architectural modernism, he shaped the defining American building: the skyscraper.
60 William Faulkner
The most gifted chronicler of Americas tormented and fascinating South.
61 Samuel Gompers
The countrys greatest labor organizer, he made the golden age of unions possible.
62 William James
The mind behind Pragmatism, Americas most important philosophical school.
63 George Marshall
As a general, he organized the American effort in World War II; as a statesman, he rebuilt Western Europe.
64 Jane Addams
The founder of Hull House, she became the secular saint of social work.
65 Henry David Thoreau
The original American dropout, he has inspired seekers of authenticity for 150 years.
66 Elvis Presley
The king of rock and roll. Enough said.
67 P. T. Barnum
The circus impresarios taste for spectacle paved the way for blockbuster movies and reality TV.
68 James D. Watson
He codiscovered DNAs double helix, revealing the code of life to scientists and entrepreneurs alike.
69 James Gordon Bennett
As the founding publisher of The New York Herald, he invented the modern American newspaper.
70 Lewis and Clark
They went west to explore, and millions followed in their wake.
71 Noah Webster
He didnt create American English, but his dictionary defined it.
72 Sam Walton
He promised us Every Day Low Prices, and we took him up on the offer.
73 Cyrus McCormick
His mechanical reaper spelled the end of traditional farming, and the beginning of industrial agriculture.
74 Brigham Young
What Joseph Smith founded, Young preserved, leading the Mormons to their promised land.
75 George Herman Babe Ruth
He saved the national pastime in the wake of the Black Sox scandaland permanently linked sports and celebrity.
76 Frank Lloyd Wright
Americas most significant architect, he was the archetype of the visionary artist at odds with capitalism.
77 Betty Friedan
She spoke to the discontent of housewives everywhereand inspired a revolution in gender roles.
78 John Brown
Whether a hero, a fanatic, or both, he provided the spark for the Civil War.
79 Louis Armstrong
His talent and charisma took jazz from the cathouses of Storyville to Broadway, television, and beyond.
80 William Randolph Hearst
The press baron who perfected yellow journalism and helped start the Spanish-American War.
81 Margaret Mead
With Coming of Age in Samoa, she made anthropology relevantand controversial.
82 George Gallup
He asked Americans what they thought, and the politicians listened.
83 James Fenimore Cooper
The novels are unreadable, but he was the first great mythologizer of the frontier.
84 Thurgood Marshall
As a lawyer and a Supreme Court justice, he was the legal architect of the civil-rights revolution.
85 Ernest Hemingway
His spare style defined American modernism, and his life made machismo a clich.
86 Mary Baker Eddy
She got off her sickbed and founded Christian Science, which promised spiritual healing to all.
87 Benjamin Spock
With a single bookand a singular approachhe changed American parenting.
88 Enrico Fermi
A giant of physics, he helped develop quantum theory and was instrumental in building the atomic bomb.
89 Walter Lippmann
The last man who could swing an election with a newspaper column.
90 Jonathan Edwards
Forget the fire and brimstone: his subtle eloquence made him the countrys most influential theologian.
91 Lyman Beecher
Harriet Beecher Stowes clergyman father earned fame as an abolitionist and an evangelist.
92 John Steinbeck
As the creator of Tom Joad, he chronicled Depression-era misery.
93 Nat Turner
He was the most successful rebel slave; his specter would stalk the white South for a century.
94 George Eastman
The founder of Kodak democratized photography with his handy rolls of film.
95 Sam Goldwyn
A producer for forty years, he was the first great Hollywood mogul.
96 Ralph Nader
He made the cars we drive safer; thirty years later, he made George W. Bush the president.
97 Stephen Foster
Americas first great songwriter, he brought us O! Susanna and My Old Kentucky Home.
98 Booker T. Washington
As an educator and a champion of self-help, he tried to lead black America up from slavery.
99 Richard Nixon
He broke the New Deal majority, and then broke his presidency on a scandal that still haunts America.
100 Herman Melville
Moby Dick was a flop at the time, but Melville is remembered as the American Shakespeare.
..........................................
captainoutrageous answered on 11/22/06:Good list, but might we add:
John Kennedy - U.S. President who led first successful effort by humans to travel to another "planet"
Henry Clay - "Although his multiple attempts at the presidency were unsuccessful, he to a large extent defined the issues of the Second Party System. He was known as the Great Compromiser because of his success in brokering compromises on the slavery issue, especially in 1820 and 1850. In 1957 a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy, named Clay as one of the five greatest Senators in American history. - wikipedia
| | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 11/21/06 - Neologisms and other humor The new business vocabulary:
404: Someone who is clueless. From the World Wide Web error message ̚ Not Found" meaning that the requested document could not be located. Example: "Don't bother asking him, he's 404, man."
Adminisphere: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decdisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrellevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
assmosis: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss. You will all be measured on this at some point in your career.
blamestorming: Sitting around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed and who was responsible. This one will be particularly valuable to those of you who have projects going right now.
chainsaw consultant: An outside expert bought in to reduce the employee head count, leaving the brass with clean hands.
clm: Short lingo for "career limiting move". Used among miroserfs to describe ill-advised activity. Trashing your boss while she is within earshot is a serious clm. (Related to clb, "career limiting behavior")
dilberted: to be exploited and oppressed by your boss. Derived from the experiences of Dilbert, the geek-in-hell comic strip character. Example: "I've been dilberted again. The old man revised the specs for the fourth time this week."
flight risk: Used to describe employees who are suspected of planning to leave the company or department soon.
ohnosecond: The infinitesimal amount of time it takes to realize that you've just made a big mistake. (See also clm.)
percussive maintenance: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it working again. (Sometime use on people as well.)
salmon day: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to die in the end. We've had these before--- and will again.
seagull manager: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, poops all over everything then leaves. Another word for consultant.
The Lost Balloonist
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below says,"Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 41 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 59 degrees W. longitude."
"You must be an engineer" says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below says "You must be a manager."
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going to. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."
And here are some funny signs:
On an electricians truck: Let us remove your shorts.
On a Maternity Room door: Push. Push. Push.
At an Optometrists Office: If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.
At a road-side rest stop: Eat here, get gas.
Enjoy your day.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 11/22/06:Turdbird: A Sea Gull manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
Seagull Sphere: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
Asthma: What you do if dad says no
Committee: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
Disk Crash: A typical computer response to any critical deadline
| | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/21/06 - I find this imcomprehensible, what about you? Low food security is the new hunger
November 21, 2006 - 10:56AM
The US government has tweaked its terminology in referring to the nearly 11 million Americans who face a constant struggle with hunger to refer to them as people with "very low food security".
According to a report released this month by the US Department of Agriculture, roughly 35 million Americans had difficulty feeding themselves in 2005 and of those some 10.8 million went hungry.
But unlike last year's report on hunger in America, which labelled families who don't get enough to eat as having "food insecurity with hunger", this year's report referred to them as having "very low food security".
The change in terminology has angered groups that fight hunger who say it is aimed at hiding a stark reality.
"There is very widespread feeling that it was a mistake to water down the language," Jim Weill, director of the Washington-based Food Research and Action Centre, a non-profit organisation, said.
"There are 35 million people in this country who are struggling with hunger, no matter what you call it," he added. "And there is no way ultimately to obscure the fact that we're an incredibly wealthy country with 35 million people who are struggling with hunger."
US officials have defended the change, saying it is based on a recommendation from the National Academies, which advises the government on science and medical issues.
AFP
captainoutrageous answered on 11/21/06:I read this article a few days ago and found it rather ridiculous. I guess they figure if they play games with semantics the problem will go away. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/20/06 - WARNING!..WARNING! MAD Scientist loose? NASA looks at plan to blot out Sun
November 20, 2006
THE idea seems like something out of a Superman comic: a machine or missile shoots tonnes of particles into the atmosphere that would block the Sun's rays, cool down the overheated Earth, and reverse global warming.
But at the weekend scientists gathered in a closed session organised by NASA and Stanford University to discuss researching such a strategy. The idea is called geo-engineering: using technology to tinker with the Earth's delicate climate balance.
Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University, said his modelling showed the idea worked. "We found that if you blocked 20 per cent of the sunlight over the Arctic Ocean it would be enough to restore sea ice," he said.
The Boston Globe
captainoutrageous answered on 11/20/06:I find the possibility pretty scary. What if they screw up? The end of life as we know it? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/20/06 - A European Utopia is just a car ride away. or : Fun fun fun on the autoban goes urban .
From der Spiegel European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs
"We reject every form of legislation," the Russian aristocrat and "father of anarchism" Mikhail Bakunin once thundered. The czar banished him to Siberia. But now it seems his ideas are being rediscovered.
European traffic planners are dreaming of streets free of rules and directives. They want drivers and pedestrians to interact in a free and humane way, as brethren -- by means of friendly gestures, nods of the head and eye contact, without the harassment of prohibitions, restrictions and warning signs.
A project implemented by the European Union is currently seeing seven cities and regions clear-cutting their forest of traffic signs. Ejby, in Denmark, is participating in the experiment, as are Ipswich in England and the Belgian town of Ostende.
The utopia has already become a reality in Makkinga, in the Dutch province of Western Frisia. A sign by the entrance to the small town (population 1,000) reads "Verkeersbordvrij" -- "free of traffic signs." Cars bumble unhurriedly over precision-trimmed granite cobblestones. Stop signs and direction signs are nowhere to be seen. There are neither parking meters nor stopping restrictions. There aren't even any lines painted on the streets.
"The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior," says Dutch traffic guru Hans Monderman, one of the project's co-founders. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."
Monderman could be on to something. Germany has 648 valid traffic symbols. The inner cities are crowded with a colorful thicket of metal signs. Don't park over here, watch out for passing deer over there, make sure you don't skid. The forest of signs is growing ever denser. Some 20 million traffic signs have already been set up all over the country.
Psychologists have long revealed the senselessness of such exaggerated regulation. About 70 percent of traffic signs are ignored by drivers. What's more, the glut of prohibitions is tantamount to treating the driver like a child and it also foments resentment. He may stop in front of the crosswalk, but that only makes him feel justified in preventing pedestrians from crossing the street on every other occasion. Every traffic light baits him with the promise of making it over the crossing while the light is still yellow.
The result is that drivers find themselves enclosed by a corset of prescriptions, so that they develop a kind of tunnel vision: They're constantly in search of their own advantage, and their good manners go out the window.
The new traffic model's advocates believe the only way out of this vicious circle is to give drivers more liberty and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves. They demand streets like those during the Middle Ages, when horse-drawn chariots, handcarts and people scurried about in a completely unregulated fashion. The new model's proponents envision today's drivers and pedestrians blending into a colorful and peaceful traffic stream.
It may sound like chaos, but it's only the lesson drawn from one of the insights of traffic psychology: Drivers will force the accelerator down ruthlessly only in situations where everything has been fully regulated. Where the situation is unclear, they're forced to drive more carefully and cautiously.
Indeed, "Unsafe is safe" was the motto of a conference where proponents of the new roadside philosophy met in Frankfurt in mid-October.
True, many of them aren't convinced of the new approach. "German drivers are used to rules," says Michael Schreckenberg of Duisburg University. If clear directives are abandoned, domestic rush-hour traffic will turn into an Oriental-style bazaar, he warns. He believes the new vision of drivers and pedestrians interacting in a cozy, relaxed way will work, at best, only for small towns.
But one German borough is already daring to take the step into lawlessness. The town of Bohmte in Lower Saxony has 13,500 inhabitants. It's traversed by a country road and a main road. Cars approach speedily, delivery trucks stop to unload their cargo and pedestrians scurry by on elevated sidewalks.
The road will be re-furbished in early 2007, using EU funds. "The sidewalks are going to go, and the asphalt too. Everything will be covered in cobblestones," Klaus Goedejohann, the mayor, explains. "We're getting rid of the division between cars and pedestrians."
The plans derive inspiration and motivation from a large-scale experiment in the town of Drachten in the Netherlands, which has 45,000 inhabitants. There, cars have already been driving over red natural stone for years. Cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn, and drivers communicate by hand signs, nods and waving.
"More than half of our signs have already been scrapped," says traffic planner Koop Kerkstra. "Only two out of our original 18 traffic light crossings are left, and we've converted them to roundabouts." Now traffic is regulated by only two rules in Drachten: "Yield to the right" and "Get in someone's way and you'll be towed."
Strange as it may seem, the number of accidents has declined dramatically. Experts from Argentina and the United States have visited Drachten. Even London has expressed an interest in this new example of automobile anarchy. And the model is being tested in the British capital's Kensington neighborhood.
traffic rules ? we don't need no stinkin rules !
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captainoutrageous answered on 11/20/06:Yeah, I'd like to see this work in New York City, Miami, Detroit, etc. Sounds like a nightmare. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/19/06 - Daily Kos Where do the moonbats go when they are looking for funding (specifically for the " rise of a professional netroots activist class." ..whatever that means )
Yup ....Big Oil ......lol.
Getting back to the concept of a "professional netroots activist class." Won't they just be paid lobbiests beholden to corporate America for their financing and by extention compromised ? What's new about that ? captainoutrageous answered on 11/19/06:Interesting. Maybe they're thinking they are robbing the rich to give to the poor. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 11/17/06 - ONE vs THE OTHER:
What's the REAL difference between the President of a Nation and a Dictator of a Nation? (Remember the line-item veto comes into play)
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 11/17/06:The term dictator originated in ancient Rome. The Roman Senate often appointed individuals as temporary "dictators" who could handle national emergencies without the approval of the people or the Senate. In this sense, the US President might fit the role of temporary dictator during times of turmoil or crisis. But the Roman dictator (nor does our President) did not have the absolute power of modern dictators. And, of course, there are dictators who take the title President. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/16/06 - Global Warming Happens According to a study by the Denis Avery and Fred Singer, adjunct scholars with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA*), human activities have little to do with the Earth's current warming trend.Warming and cooling seem to be part of a 1,500-year cycle of moderate temperature swings.
"The evidence supporting a 1,500- year cycle is too great to dismiss," said Singer, professor emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia and president of the Science and Environment Policy Project. "Evidence from every continent and ocean confirms the 1,500-year cycle," added Avery, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute .
According to Avery and Singer, within the 90,000-year Ice Age cycles, the Earth also experiences 1,500-year warming-cooling cycles. The current warming began about 1850 and will possibly continue for another 500 years. Their findings are drawn from physical evidence of past climate cycles that have been documented by researchers around the world from tree rings and ice cores, stalagmites and dust plumes, prehistoric villages and collapsed cultures, fossilized pollen and algae skeletons, titanium profiles and niobium ions, and other sources.
According to the authors:
An ice core from the Antarctic's Vostok Glacier showed the same 1,500-year cycle through its 400,000-year length.
The ice-core findings correlated with known glacier advances and retreats in northern Europe.
Independent data in a seabed sediment core from the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland, showed nine of the 1,500-year cycles in the last 12,000 years.
Considered collectively, the author's findings are clear and convincing evidence of a 1,500-year climate cycle. And if the current warming trend is part of a natural cycle, then actions to prevent further warming would be futile, could impose substantial costs upon the global economy and lessen the ability of the world's peoples to adapt to the impacts of climate change. You can read their findings in detail in their book 'Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1500 Years '
More information here
[*The NCPA is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D.C.] captainoutrageous answered on 11/16/06:Yes, there is a certain amount of truth within the article, however, we are not helping climatic cycles through our continued pollution of the environment. | | Question/Answer | | Mathatmacoat asked on 11/16/06 - Towards unbiased reporting on climate change since a recent post indicated a highly biased position, those with interest in this subject might like to visit
www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org
where evidence is portrayed giving you the opportunity to make up your own mind captainoutrageous answered on 11/16/06:An interesting site. I don't think I am an alarmist, but I do believe this is a very real problem and too many are sticking their heads in the sand. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 11/13/06 - Have you seen the movie "United 93"? This guy, no ... Subject: Pilot's blog Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 16:31:32 +0000
This is the response from a retired Delta pilot in response to questions about whether he was planning to see "United 93."
I haven't seen the movie, yet, but I intend to when I get the chance. Retirement has made me busier than ever, and I haven't had the chance to see many movies lately.
As a Delta B-767 captain myself at the time of the attacks on 9/11 I was in crew rest in Orlando that morning. I had just turned on the TV in my hotel room only to see the World Trade Center tower on fire, and then saw the second airplane hit the other tower. My immediate reaction was
"Terrorists...we're at war", followed by the realization that we airline crew-members had all dodged a bullet; it could have bee any one of us flying those planes. As soon as the news stations flashed the first pictures of the terrorists I knew just how close and personal the bullet I dodged was. There, on the screen for all to see, was a man who had sat in my jump seat the previous July. His name was Mohammad Atta, the leader of the terrorist hijackers.
Atta had boarded my flight from Baltimore to Atlanta on July 26, 2001 wearing an American Airlines first officer uniform. He had he corresponding AA company ID identifying him as a pilot, not to mention the required FAA pilot license and medical certificate that he was required to how me as proof of his aircrew status for access to my jump seat.
An airline pilot riding a cockpit jump seat is a long established protocol among the airlines of the world, a courtesy extended by the management and captains of one airline to pilots and flight attendants of other airlines in recognition of their aircrew status. My admission of Mohammad Atta to my cockpit jumpseat that day was merely a routine exercise of this protocol.
Something seemed a bit different about this jumpseat rider, though, because in my usual course of conversation with him as we reached cruise altitude he avoided all my questions about his personal life and focused very intently upon the cockpit instruments and our operation of the aircraft. I asked him what he flew at American and he said, "These", but he asked incessant questions about how we did this or why we did that. I said, "This is a 767. They all operate the same way." But he said, "No, we operate them differently at American." That seemed very strange, because I knew better. I asked him about his background, and he admitted he was from Saudi Arabia. I asked him when he came over to this country and he said "A couple of years ago." to which I asked, "Are you a US citizen? He said no.
I also found that very strange because I know that in order to have an Airline Transport Pilot rating, the rating required to be an airline captain, one has to be a US citizen, and knowing the US airlines and their hiring processes as I do, I found it hard to believe that American Airlines would hire a non-US citizen who couldn't upgrade to captain when the time came. He said, "The rules have changed." which I also knew to be untrue. Besides, he was just, shall I say, "Creepy"? My copilot and I were both glad to get rid of this guy when we got to Atlanta.
There was nothing to indicate, though, that he was anything other than who or what he said he was, because he had the documentation to prove who he was. In retrospect, we now know his uniform was stolen and his documents were forged. Information later came to light as to how this was done.
It seems that Mohammad Atta and his cronies had possibly stolen pilot uniforms and credentials from hotel rooms during the previous year.
We had many security alerts at the airline to watch out for our personal items in hotel rooms because these were mysteriously disappearing, but nobody knew why. Atta and his men used these to make dry runs prior to their actual hijackings on 9/11. How do I know? I called the FBI as soon as I saw his face on the TV that day, and the agent on the other end of the line took my information and told me I'd hear back from them when all the dust settled. A few weeks later I got a letter from the Bureau saying that my call was one of at least half a dozen calls that day from other pilots who had had the same experience. Flights were being selected at random to make test runs for accessing the cockpit. It seems we had all dodged bullets.
Over the years my attitude towards the War Against Terrorism and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been known to be on the red neck, warmongering, rah-rah-shoot-em-up side of things. I've been known to lose my patience with those who say the war in Iraq or anywhere else in the Muslim world is wrong, or who say we shouldn't become involved in that area of the world for political correctness reasons. Maybe it's because I dodged the bullet so closely back in 2001 that I feel this way. I have very little patience for political rhetoric or debate against this war because for a couple of hours back in July 2001, when I was engaged in conversation with a major perpetrator in this war, I came so close to being one of its victims that I can think in no other terms.
I don't mind admitting that one of the reasons I retired early from Delta last May, other than to protect my disappearing company retirement, was because it became harder and harder for me to go to work every day knowing that the war wasn't being taken seriously by the general public.
The worst offenders were the Liberal detractors to the present administration, and right or wrong, this administration is at least taking the bull by the horns and fighting our enemies, which is something concrete that I can appreciate. Nobody was taking this war seriously, and it seems everyone found fault with the US government rather than with those who attacked us. I found that ncomprehensible.
I also found myself being scrutinized by TSA screeners more and more every day when I went to work, and suffered the humiliating indignity of being identified about half the time for body searches in front of the general flying public who looked at the entire process as being ludicrous. "They don't even trust their own pilots!" accompanied by an unbelieving snicker was the usual response. Here I was, a retired USAF officer who had been entrusted to fly nuclear weapons around the world, who had been granted a Top Secret clearance and had been on missions over the course of 21 years in the military that I still can't talk about without fear of prosecution by the DoD, who was being scanned by a flunky TSA screener looking for any sign of a pen knife or nail file on my person.
It wasn't until six months after my retirement when my wife and I flew to Key West, FL last November that I was finally able to rid myself of the visage of Mohammad Atta sitting behind me on my jumpseat, watching my every action in the cockpit and willing to slit my throat at the slightest provocation. I missed being a headline by a mere 47 days, and could very well have been among the aircrew casualties on 9/11 had one of my flights on my monthly schedule been a transcontinental flight from Boston or New York to the west coast on the 11th of September. Very few people know that, while only four airliners crashed that day, four more were targeted, and two of them were Delta flights. The only reason these four weren't involved is because they either had minor maintenance problems which delayed them at the gate or they were scheduled to depart after the FAA decided to ground all flights. Theirs are the pilots and flight attendants who REALLY dodged the bullet that day, and my faith in a higher power is restored as a result.
I will see United 93 when I get the chance, and I will probably enjoy the movie for its realness and historical significance, but forgive me if I do not embrace the Muslim world for the rest of my life. The Islamic world is no friend of the West, and although we may be able to get along with their governments in the future, the stated goal of Islam is world conquest through Jihad and it is the extremist Jihadists, backed and funded by "friendly" Muslim governments, whom we have to fear the most. We must have a presence in the Middle East, and we must have friends in the Middle East, even if we have to fight wars to get them. Only someone who has dodged a bullet can fully appreciate that fact.
Best to all, Pat Gilmore
Editor's Note: For some reason which is beyond me, some people do not want to believe this. Perhaps they do not want to believe that Jihadist terrorism actually exists, because it someone doesn't believe it yet, they never will. Capt. Gilmore himself posted this comment, in our comments below, but I will put it here for all to see:
I assure you this letter is true. As to the fact that I wrote that a holder of an Airline Transport Pi lot&nb sp;rating (ATP) must be a US citizen, I admit that I was mistaken here. I had always assumed so, because that's what I had heard, so I looked up the requirements for an ATP just now.
There is nothing that says that US citizenship is required. Okay, I'll bite the bullet on that one. I received my ATP back in 1975 and now that I think of it I do not remember having to prove my citizenship.
However, the rest of the story is true. As for my airline career, I worked for Western Airlines (who merged with Delta in 1987), Jet America Airlines (who was bought by Alaska Airlines in 1988), and Delta Airlines, as well as a few "fly by night" cargo airlines during my furlough period from Western from 1981 - 1985. I also flew in Vietnam as a transport pilot and retired from the USAF Reserve in 1991 after the Gulf War. I have 21,500+ flight hours in T-41, T-37, T-38, C-141/L-300, CE-500, CV-440, MD-80/82, B-727, B-737, B-757, and B-767 aircraft, all logged between 1970 and 2005 when I retired from Delta.
Trust me, folks, this was real. I must admit I am quite surprised that my letter made it this far on the internet. The letter was nothing more than an innocent reply to a group of friends, one of whom sent me a similar letter from another Delta pilot who had been flying the morning of 9/11 and who had experienced the flying that day for himself. His letter had detailed his thoughts as he viewed the movie "United 93", and he also told in detail how he had been diverted to Knoxville when the FAA shut down the airspace. My friend had asked me if I had known of any other similar experiences, so I wrote him what I had encountered myself a few months before. This was my letter to him.
Another retired Delta captain contacted me yesterday after reading this blog and related an experience his wife had on a flight from Portland, OR to Atlanta in August 2001, just a week or so after my experience with Atta. She was riding on a company pass and seated in First Class. A person of Middle Eastern" descent had sought permission to sit on the cockpit jumpseat, but was denied access by the captain because he did not have an FAA Medical certificate. She said he ranted and raved because he couldn't ride the cockpit jump seat, even though there were three empty seats in First Class, which the captain offered him. What pilot in his right mind would refuse a Fir st Class seat over a cramped cockpit jump seat? He stormed off the aircraft and they left him at the gate. You see, mine wasn't the only experience leading up to 9/11.
Delta Airlines Corporate Security even contacted me a few days ago to ask if I had, indeed written this letter. I wrote them back that I had.
They were worried that someone was using my name without my knowledge. I assured them I was the author.
Keep the faith, and don't let the bastards get you down.
Pat Gilmore captainoutrageous answered on 11/14/06:You might want to read the following viewpoint on United 93. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 11/10/06 - What a coward! v
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(in other words, see previous question on board) captainoutrageous answered on 11/11/06:I'm sorry to see her go. It makes for interesting reading when we have so many contrasting viewpoints about the state of the nation/world. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 11/08/06 - QUACK.....QUACK? If it QUACKS like a DUCK?
If it WADDLES like a DUCK?
If it LOOKS like a DUCK?
It just might be a DUCK, ya Think?
Unless of course it's George Bush
The greatest DUCK of all time! captainoutrageous answered on 11/08/06:Yup, he's gonna be a lame duck long before the 2008 elections. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 11/08/06 - Is this another step in the Muslims taking over? MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- In a political first, a Muslim has been elected to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Keith Ellison, a Minnesota state legislator and lawyer, reached the political milestone by defeating two other candidates in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which covers the Minneapolis area.
His victory was part of the Democratic wave that seized control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans.
Ellison won 56 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Alan Fine and the Independence Party's Tammy Lee, both of whom garnered 21 percent of the vote. A Green Party candidate received 2 percent.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Ellison received 135,519 votes, Fine 51,896, and Lee, 51,250.
Ellison is also the first African-American from Minnesota to be elected to the U.S. House. He ran on the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ticket in a district that is heavily liberal.
Members of that party, a uniquely Minnesotan movement, describe the DFL as the state chapter of the Democratic Party.
Ellison's winning platform
Ellison's views reflect Democratic ideals and discontent. He is opposed to the war in Iraq and on his Web site, he has called "for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq."
"I opposed the war before it began. I was against this war once it started and I am the only candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops."
His religious message is one of inclusiveness.
Regarding his Muslim faith, he said, "people draw strength and moral courage from a variety of religious traditions."
"Mine have come from both Catholicism and Islam. I was raised Catholic and later became a Muslim while attending Wayne State University. I am inspired by the Quran's message of an encompassing divine love, and a deep faith guides my life every day."
Ellison's position on the Israeli-Palestinian issue is supportive of the two-state solution and the road map to peace process. He has been critical of the Hamas movement.
"Peace is necessary for both Israeli and Palestinian people, and I wholeheartedly support peace movements in Israel and throughout the region," he said in a statement on his Web site.
He was endorsed by the Twin Cities newspaper, the American Jewish World, which said, "In Ellison, we have a moderate Muslim who extends his hand in friendship to the Jewish community and supports the security of the State of Israel."
Ellison is pro-choice and pro-labor, and supports "universal single payer health care" -- long popular stances among liberals.
The seat Ellison won had been held by Rep. Martin Olav Sabo, the longtime Democratic incumbent, whose retirement sparked a wide-open race. Sabo won 70 percent of the vote for the House seat in 2004. captainoutrageous answered on 11/08/06:We have to judge the man by his deeds, not his religion. Assuming that because he is a Muslim he is an America hater, is rather like all the people who wouldn't vote for Kennedy because they were afraid the Pope would control the White House. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 11/08/06 - Bwa ha ha ha -VICTORY
Hello outsiders:
I tol ya.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 11/08/06:The two Senate races are still too close to call (7 am), but the Dems definitely took the House. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 11/02/06 - Brand new book about the rescue dogs of 9/11 -- I just cataloged:
Dog heroes of September 11th: a tribute to America's search and rescue dogs
by Nona Kilgore Bauer, The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
List Price: $29.95
Hardcover: 232 pages
Publisher: Kennel Club Books
ISBN: 1593789998
It's a "coffee table" type book with lots of beautiful photos of the rescue dogs plus text about each dog's role and efforts during the rescue efforts - a terrific Christmas gift for an animal lover. captainoutrageous answered on 11/05/06:Amazon has it for $18.87
http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Heroes-September-11th-Americas/dp/1593789998 | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 11/04/06 - US Soldiers Committing Suicide in Iraq Follow-Up:
"The US army has sent mental health specialists to Iraq to determine why so many soldiers are committing suicide there, a US media report said.
Eleven US soldiers and three Marines have killed themselves in the past seven months in Iraq, an annualised rate of 17 suicides per 100,000 soldiers.
The usual rate of army suicides is 13 per 100,000 soldiers, the report in the USA Today newspaper said.
A dozen other army deaths being investigated in Iraq could include suicides, and the US Navy is also investigating one possible suicide, it said.
"The number of suicides has caused the army to be concerned," said Lieutenant Colonel Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, an army psychiatrist helping investigate the deaths.
"Is there something different going on in Iraq that we really need to pay attention to?"
Most of the suicides have occurred since May 1, when major combat operations were declared over.
Depression, harsh and dangerous living conditions, a long deployment and the accessibility of weapons could contribute to the problem, experts said.
The army has sent 478 soldiers home from Iraq for mental-health reasons, the daily said."
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The much publicized story of the suicide of the female soldier can be viewed by a simple web search. captainoutrageous answered on 11/04/06:Part of the reason for the higher suicide rate is the issue of legimatimacy - that is the difficult and legal circumstances surrounding US involvement in Iraq. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 11/04/06 - HURRAY-HURRAY:
Voting Time:
"While walking down the street one day, a U.S. senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.
His soul arrives in Heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in."
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down.
The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy. He has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
"Now it's time to visit Heaven."
So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well, then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now, choose your eternity."
The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers.
"Well, I would never have said it before. I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I
would be better off in Hell."
So, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell.
The doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags, as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.
"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday, I was here and there was a golf course and a clubhouse and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, danced and had a great time. Now, it's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened"?
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday, we were campaigning. Today, you voted."
Source: In an e-mail I received today.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 11/04/06:That was great. I'll have to share it Monday with my colleagues. | | Question/Answer | | Choux... asked on 11/04/06 - WORST POLITICAL ENVIRON. FOR REPUBLICANS SINCE WATERGATE It's the worst political environment for Republican candidates since Watergate," said Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster working in many of the top races this year.
Joe Gaylord, who was the political lieutenant to Newt Gingrich when Mr. Gingrich led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, said that based on polling he had seen in recent weeks, he expected his party to lose from 25 seats to 30 seats Tuesday. That general assessment was repeatedly echoed in interviews by Republicans close to the White House and the Republican National Committee.
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It will be an interesting election night Tuesday seeing if the Republican bums bet thrown out. captainoutrageous answered on 11/04/06:Yes, it definitely looks like there will be a major power shift in Congress. One of the more recent projections I heard shows a gain of 6 Democrats in the Senate and 18 in the House. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 11/01/06 - 9/11
Hello:
Did 9/11 scare you personally? Do you fear for your safety, or your family's safety?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 11/01/06:Yes, it was scary as hell and horribly sad. As for me personally, I feel relatively safe in my day-to-day life. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 11/01/06 - Rastlin
Hello:
Lets say you wrestle on a tag team.
After he knocked the first opponent down, your partner went to the corner and kicked the other guy in the nuts. After he went down, your partner started parading around the ring yelling, mission accomplished.
Well, the other two guys recovered and pounced on your partner. Theyre beating the livin daylights out of him. In between punches, he manages to look in your direction, and your eyes meet. Slowly, as hes being beaten, he mouths the question, whats your plan?.
Me? I'd keep following his lead. You?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 11/01/06:What? You mean we are supposed a plan?! | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 11/01/06 - Stem cells A couple of Brit scientist were able to clone some human livers using stem cells. What ? You did not see this potential life saving break-through on the front pages of the NY Slimes ? You probably needed to read the London Times to find out about it .Fact is that if you did a Google Search on this story the first page of headlines do not come from the US Press. Hmmmmmm ...wonder why ? Could it be that this breakthrough did not happen with embryonic stem cells but with the more promising umbilical cord blood stem cells ? Guess they couldn't preface the story with a paragraph or two about Bush blocking stem cell research or a mention about Michael J Fox and the Missouri Senate race. captainoutrageous answered on 11/01/06:This is very interesting news. As much as I hate to admit it, I really haven't paid a lot of attention to the arguments regarding this issue. Not all media is liberal - why aren't the more moderate and conservative papers, stations, etc. working harder to get this information out? | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 10/31/06 - Is there any GOOD news about progress in Iraq? Watch this video.
http://www.glennbeck.com/realstory/iraq-video.shtml captainoutrageous answered on 10/31/06:Isn't this video compiled of mostly old footage (taken right after the "war ended?" | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/30/06 - Why the Democrats cannot be trusted to run our foreigh policy The Democrats are loaded with people who have no clue about foreign policy .There are leaders of the party like Jack Murky Murtha who's brilliant plan for Iraq is to redeploy to Okinawa where our troops will be supposedly in a position to rapidly respond to events in the M.E.
Can he or someone like Harold Ford Jr really be trusted to make foreign policy decisions ? Harold Ford Jr. ;why single him out ?
Well because recent comments he has made have proven to me that he is unqualified to be a Senator .(the Aussies on the board will love this one )
Australia 'a nuclear threat'
By Geoff Elliott October 28, 2006 12:00am Article from: The Australian
Harold Ford, a handsome 36-year-old from Tennessee, has become one of the sensations of the mid-term elections in the US and a reason why Democrats are a good chance of winning back control of the US Congress for the first time in 12 years. But if Mr Ford, already a US congressman, wins his bid to become a more powerful senator, Australia had better watch out. Because according to Mr Ford, Australia has an interest in nuclear weapons and is part of the broader nuclear threat to the US.
He was speaking of the risk of nuclear proliferation which as we know has grown in the last decade. The article continues :
Yesterday he stumbled into gaffes on the North Korean nuclear tests and then mentioned Australia in the same breath as rogue nations wanting to go nuclear.......On North Korea, he claimed Pyongyang had conducted two nuclear tests, the first of which he said occurred on July 4. This confuses the ballistic tests Pyongyang carried out on that date with the single nuclear test earlier this month.
[He also erroneuosly mentions South Africa as desiring nukes .That was true during the apartheid regime but not since majority rule. He may be suprised to learn that they voluntarily gave up their program ;as did Australia ]
When the Aussie reporter attempted to get clarification Ford's handlers refused to allow it.
"You don't win us any votes," said his spokeswoman. And she might have added that it also means he is insulated from pesky questions probing his limitations on enunciating a foreign policy involving a trusted ally.
Now if asked ,Paraclete and Mathmacoat will tell you that Australia is and has been more than capable to build a nuke since the 1950s .Following World War II, Australian defence policy initiated joint nuclear weapons development with the United Kingdom. Australia provided uranium, land for weapons and rocket tests, and scientific and engineering expertise. Canberra was also heavily involved in the Blue Streak ballistic missile program. In 1955, a contract was signed with a British company to build the Hi-Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR). HIFAR was considered the first step toward the construction of larger reactors capable of producing substantial volumes of plutonium for nuclear weapons. However, Australia's nuclear ambitions were abandoned by the 1960s, and the country signed the NPT in 1970 (ratified in 1973).
Australia has 30% of the world known uranium deposits and one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world .I would shudder to ever think of them as a security threat to the US or a rogue nation.
Fortunately for us ,Australia is one of our best allies and someone who aspires to be a Senator of the United States should know that.Australians know that Australia since attaining independence in 1901 has always been America's absolute loyal ally .If I was an Australian I would not look kindly to an American who has aspirations of leadership placing an equivalency between them and a dispicable criminal rouge State run by Kim Jong Il . Australia is in fact the only nation post WWII that has actively supported the US in every major military initiative . It even sent troops to Vietnam (England never did ).Post 9-11 John Howard declared ""This is no time to be an 80% ally!" and he has backed up his words .It was Australia and India that assisted us in the Tsunami relief effort that rushed to the scene long before the UN managed to get boots on the ground . I guess that in Ford Jr's mind Australia is just another Bush poodle.
Certainly he should know before he speaks that Australia abandoned it's nuclear program long before it became fashionable to do so. Australia today does not even have a nuclear-power generating capacity. It has just one nuclear reactor, which is used exclusively for scientific research. (There is a growing debate in the country however over the need to build nukes for power generation .)
Certainly a gaffe such as what came out of the Senate-wanna be is something that the national press should've been quick to point out .They certainly would've seized the opportunity if President Bush had said something simular Did you see it on 'ABC World News' or 'Meet the Press 'or did Ford Jr. the 'dumbest man alive " during the Keith Olberman countdown ? I didn't.
captainoutrageous answered on 10/30/06:Oh my gosh, the Aussies are coming. And I'm sure the Canadians and British will right behind. Man the torpedoes, full steam ahead, Mr. Ford!?! | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/30/06 - Putting an end to a saga of hate and multiculturism? Sheik falls on his sword
Peter Hartcher, Phillip Coorey and David Braithwaite
October 31, 2006
PETER COSTELLO accused Australia's Muslims of tolerating a message of hate by Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly for a decade too long as the leading cleric stood down yesterday from preaching duties at Lakemba Mosque.
The Treasurer said tolerating Sheik Hilaly's speeches against women, Jews and the West had allowed him to influence behaviour in Australia, and could have contributed to the Cronulla riots and crimes such as the gang rapes led by Bilal and Mohammed Skaf.
"These kinds of attitudes have actually influenced people," Mr Costello said in an interview with the Herald. "So you wonder whether a kid like Bilal Skaf had grown up hearing these kind of attitudes and you wonder whether kids rioting down at Cronulla have heard these sort of attitudes."
Sheik Hilaly collapsed and was taken to hospital yesterday, then announced he was going on "indefinite leave" - the strongest indication that he will step down since he provoked controversy with his remarks on rape victims. Women invited rape by parading as uncovered "meat", he said.
Mr Costello said: "These views have been preached by Hilaly for a decade - he hasn't just had a bad day. I'm pleased that the Muslim community is finally dealing with this. I wish it had happened 10 years ago, frankly."
Under siege from some members of his community, Sheik Hilaly collapsed with chest pains during a meeting with the Lebanese Muslim Association to discuss his future at Lakemba mosque. Last night, he was in a stable condition in Canterbury Hospital, where he could be held for three days.
Outside the hospital the association's president, Tom Zreika, issued a statement from Sheik Hilaly - written before he was admitted to hospital - saying: "In due course I will take the necessary decision that shall lift the pressures that have been placed on our Australian Muslim community and that which will benefit all Australians."
He described women as "the cherished pearls, the dearest thing in the world" and said his likening of immodestly dressed women to uncovered meat was "inappropriate and unacceptable for the Australian society and the western society in general". He said this analogy was meant for the Muslims who attended the sermon and "not the general public and particularly not the general women of our Australian society".
The Prime Minister, John Howard, continued his condemnation of Sheik Hilaly, and Labor's deputy leader, Jenny Macklin, asked the Government to investigate whether he had breached terrorism laws by endorsing jihadists in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine during a recent radio interview.
The Australian Federal Police said they were monitoring the sheik but it was understood his comments about jihadists did not amount to incitement under the new sedition laws.
Mr Costello said the former prime minister Paul Keating should not have intervened to keep Sheik Hilaly in Australia when he was due to have been deported. "Keating wanted his votes, not just for the election but probably for branch-staking purposes."
Mr Keating refused to answer questions about the sheik yesterday, saying he would not be harassed by journalists.
Mr Costello added: "This sermon, it was preached to 5000 people, wasn't it? No-one seemed to complain when it was preached. It took a long time for it to come out. No people stood up in the middle of the sermon and said, 'This is unacceptable."'
Mr Zreika said Sheik Hilaly of last week "was not the person I saw this morning". "He was really, really tired and under the weather. He looked as though he was under intense pressure." captainoutrageous answered on 10/30/06:Makes you wonder how long the bugger would have continued preaching his doctrine of hate had it not been exposed by the media. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 10/29/06 - Osama joke to round out your weekend When Osama bin Laden died, he was met at the Pearly Gates by George Washington, who slapped him across the face and yelled, "How dare you try to destroy the nation I helped conceive!"
Patrick Henry approached, punched him in the nose and shouted, "You wanted to end our liberties but you failed."
James Madison followed, kicked him in the groin and said, "This is why I allowed our government to provide for the common defense!"
Thomas Jefferson was next, beat Osama with a long cane and snarled, "It was evil men like you who inspired me to write the Declaration of Independence."
The beatings and thrashings continued as George Mason, James Monroe and 66 other early Americans unleashed their anger on the terrorist leader.
As Osama lay bleeding and in pain, an angel appeared. Bin Laden wept and said, "This is not what you promised me."
The angel replied, "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you in Heaven. What did you think I said?" captainoutrageous answered on 10/30/06:Ah, a fitting reward. | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/28/06 - AMERICA ON COURSE TO ECONOMIC DISASTER "David M. Walker sure talks like he's running for office. "This is about the future of our country, our kids and grandkids," the comptroller general of the United States warns a packed hall at Austin's historic Driskill Hotel. "We the people have to rise up to make sure things get changed."
But Walker doesn't want, or need, your vote this November. He already has a job as head of the
Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress that audits and evaluates the performance of the federal government.
Basically, that makes Walker the nation's accountant-in-chief. And the accountant-in-chief's professional opinion is that the American public needs to tell Washington it's time to steer the nation off the path to financial ruin.
From the hustings and the airwaves this campaign season, America's political class can be heard debating Capitol Hill sex scandals, the wisdom of the war in
Iraq and which party is tougher on terror. Democrats and Republicans talk of cutting taxes to make life easier for the American people.
What they don't talk about is a dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows, or at least should. The vast majority of economists and budget analysts agree: The ship of state is on a disastrous course, and will founder on the reefs of economic disaster if nothing is done to correct it.
There's a good reason politicians don't like to talk about the nation's long-term fiscal prospects. The subject is short on political theatrics and long on complicated economics, scary graphs and very big numbers. It reveals serious problems and offers no easy solutions. Anybody who wanted to deal with it seriously would have to talk about raising taxes and cutting benefits, nasty nostrums that might doom any candidate who prescribed them.
"There's no sexiness to it," laments Leita Hart-Fanta, an accountant who has just heard Walker's pitch. She suggests recruiting a trusted celebrity maybe Oprah to sell fiscal responsibility to the American people.
Walker doesn't want to make balancing the federal government's books sexy he just wants to make it politically palatable. He has committed to touring the nation through the 2008 elections, talking to anybody who will listen about the fiscal black hole Washington has dug itself, the "demographic tsunami" that will come when the baby boom generation begins retiring and the recklessness of borrowing money from foreign lenders to pay for the operation of the U.S. government.
"He can speak forthrightly and independently because his job is not in jeopardy if he tells the truth," said Isabel V. Sawhill, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution.
Walker can talk in public about the nation's impending fiscal crisis because he has one of the most secure jobs in Washington. As comptroller general of the United States basically, the government's chief accountant he is serving a 15-year term that runs through 2013.
This year Walker has spoken to the Union League Club of Chicago and the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Sons of the American Revolution and the World Future Society. But the backbone of his campaign has been the Fiscal Wake-up Tour, a traveling roadshow of economists and budget analysts who share Walker's concern for the nation's budgetary future.
"You can't solve a problem until the majority of the people believe you have a problem that needs to be solved," Walker says.
Polls suggest that Americans have only a vague sense of their government's long-term fiscal prospects. When pollsters ask Americans to name the most important problem facing America today as a CBS News/New York Times poll of 1,131 Americans did in September issues such as the war in Iraq, terrorism, jobs and the economy are most frequently mentioned. The deficit doesn't even crack the top 10.
Yet on the rare occasions that pollsters ask directly about the deficit, at least some people appear to recognize it as a problem. In a survey of 807 Americans last year by the Pew Center for the People and the Press, 42 percent of respondents said reducing the deficit should be a top priority; another 38 percent said it was important but a lower priority.
So the majority of the public appears to agree with Walker that the deficit is a serious problem, but only when they're made to think about it. Walker's challenge is to get people not just to think about it, but to pressure politicians to make the hard choices that are needed to keep the situation from spiraling out of control.
To show that the looming fiscal crisis is not a partisan issue, he brings along economists and budget analysts from across the political spectrum. In Austin, he's accompanied by Diane Lim Rogers, a liberal economist from the Brookings Institution, and Alison Acosta Fraser, director of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"We all agree on what the choices are and what the numbers are," Fraser says.
Their basic message is this: If the United States government conducts business as usual over the next few decades, a national debt that is already $8.5 trillion could reach $46 trillion or more, adjusted for inflation. That's almost as much as the total net worth of every person in America
Bill Gates,
Warren Buffett and those Google guys included.
A hole that big could paralyze the U.S. economy; according to some projections, just the interest payments on a debt that big would be as much as all the taxes the government collects today.
And every year that nothing is done about it, Walker says, the problem grows by $2 trillion to $3 trillion.
People who remember
Ross Perot's rants in the 1992 presidential election may think of the federal debt as a problem of the past. But it never really went away after Perot made it an issue, it only took a breather. The federal government actually produced a surplus for a few years during the 1990s, thanks to a booming economy and fiscal restraint imposed by laws that were passed early in the decade. And though the federal debt has grown in dollar terms since 2001, it hasn't grown dramatically relative to the size of the economy.
But that's about to change, thanks to the country's three big entitlement programs
Social Security, Medicaid and especially Medicare. Medicaid and Medicare have grown progressively more expensive as the cost of health care has dramatically outpaced inflation over the past 30 years, a trend that is expected to continue for at least another decade or two.
And with the first baby boomers becoming eligible for Social Security in 2008 and for Medicare in 2011, the expenses of those two programs are about to increase dramatically due to demographic pressures. People are also living longer, which makes any program that provides benefits to retirees more expensive.
Medicare already costs four times as much as it did in 1970, measured as a percentage of the nation's gross domestic product. It currently comprises 13 percent of federal spending; by 2030, the
Congressional Budget Office projects it will consume nearly a quarter of the budget.
Economists Jagadeesh Gokhale of the American Enterprise Institute and Kent Smetters of the University of Pennsylvania have an even scarier way of looking at Medicare. Their method calculates the program's long-term fiscal shortfall the annual difference between its dedicated revenues and costs over time.
By 2030 they calculate Medicare will be about $5 trillion in the hole, measured in 2004 dollars. By 2080, the fiscal imbalance will have risen to $25 trillion. And when you project the gap out to an infinite time horizon, it reaches $60 trillion.
Medicare so dominates the nation's fiscal future that some economists believe health care reform, rather than budget measures, is the best way to attack the problem.
"Obviously health care is a mess," says Dean Baker, a liberal economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a Washington think tank. "No one's been willing to touch it, but that's what I see as front and center."
Social Security is a much less serious problem. The program currently pays for itself with a 12.4 percent payroll tax, and even produces a surplus that the government raids every year to pay other bills. But Social Security will begin to run deficits during the next century, and ultimately would need an infusion of $8 trillion if the government planned to keep its promises to every beneficiary.
Calculations by Boston University economist Lawrence Kotlikoff indicate that closing those gaps $8 trillion for Social Security, many times that for Medicare and paying off the existing deficit would require either an immediate doubling of personal and corporate income taxes, a two-thirds cut in Social Security and Medicare benefits, or some combination of the two.
Why is America so fiscally unprepared for the next century? Like many of its citizens, the United States has spent the last few years racking up debt instead of saving for the future. Foreign lenders primarily the central banks of China, Japan and other big U.S. trading partners have been eager to lend the government money at low interest rates, making the current $8.5-trillion deficit about as painful as a big balance on a zero-percent credit card.
In her part of the fiscal wake-up tour presentation, Rogers tries to explain why that's a bad thing. For one thing, even when rates are low a bigger deficit means a greater portion of each tax dollar goes to interest payments rather than useful programs. And because foreigners now hold so much of the federal government's debt, those interest payments increasingly go overseas rather than to U.S. investors.
More serious is the possibility that foreign lenders might lose their enthusiasm for lending money to the United States. Because treasury bills are sold at auction, that would mean paying higher interest rates in the future. And it wouldn't just be the government's problem. All interest rates would rise, making mortgages, car payments and student loans costlier, too.
A modest rise in interest rates wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, Rogers said. America's consumers have as much of a borrowing problem as their government does, so higher rates could moderate overconsumption and encourage consumer saving. But a big jump in interest rates could cause economic catastrophe. Some economists even predict the government would resort to printing money to pay off its debt, a risky strategy that could lead to runaway inflation.
Macroeconomic meltdown is probably preventable, says Anjan Thakor, a professor of finance at Washington University in St. Louis. But to keep it at bay, he said, the government is essentially going to have to renegotiate some of the promises it has made to its citizens, probably by some combination of tax increases and benefit cuts.
But there's no way to avoid what Rogers considers the worst result of racking up a big deficit the outrage of making our children and grandchildren repay the debts of their elders.
"It's an unfair burden for future generations," she says.
You'd think young people would be riled up over this issue, since they're the ones who will foot the bill when they're out in the working world. But students take more interest in issues like the Iraq war and gay marriage than the federal government's finances, says Emma Vernon, a member of the University of Texas Young Democrats.
"It's not something that can fire people up," she says.
The current political climate doesn't help. Washington tends to keep its fiscal house in better order when one party controls Congress and the other is in the White House, says Sawhill.
"It's kind of a paradoxical result. Your commonsense logic would tell you if one party is in control of everything they should be able to take action," Sawhill says.
But the last six years of Republican rule have produced tax cuts, record spending increases and a Medicare prescription drug plan that has been widely criticized as fiscally unsound. When
President Clinton faced a Republican Congress during the 1990s, spending limits and other legislative tools helped produce a surplus.
So maybe a solution is at hand.
"We're likely to have at least partially divided government again," Sawhill said, referring to predictions that the Democrats will capture the House, and possibly the Senate, in next month's elections.
But Walker isn't optimistic that the government will be able to tackle its fiscal challenges so soon.
"Realistically what we hope to accomplish through the fiscal wake-up tour is ensure that any serious candidate for the presidency in 2008 will be forced to deal with the issue," he says. "The best we're going to get in the next couple of years is to slow the bleeding."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! captainoutrageous answered on 10/29/06:Economics has always been a hard sell. Thanks for sharing an interesting viewpoint. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/28/06 - Country Club - Gitmo
Hello wrongwingers:
I'm sorry. I was wrong. They've installed a swimming pool for the inmates at Gitmo. Because we're so nice, after the've taken a "dunk", they're more than willing to tell us anything we want to know.
Bush is soooo wonderful... I really love it when he tells us the truth, like he just did. We don't torture. I believe it now - specially after news about the pool.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/28/06:Of course Cheney was referring to waterboarding.
"Waterboarding is a type of coercive interrogation. The modern form of the practice simulates drowning and produces a severe gag reflex, making the subject believe his or her death is imminent while ideally not causing permanent physical damage.
The practice garnered renewed attention and notoriety in October 2006 when reports charged that the Bush administration had authorized its use in the interrogations of U.S. War on Terrorism detainees.[1] Though the Bush administration has never formally acknowledged its use, Vice President Dick Cheney implied that he did not believe waterboarding to be a form of torture but rather a "very important tool" for use in interrogations, including that of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. [2]
The physical effects of poorly executed waterboarding can be extreme pain and damage to the lungs, brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation and sometimes broken bones because of the restraints applied to the struggling victim. The psychological effects can be long lasting. Waterboarding can also result in death.
Dr. Allen Keller, the director of the Bellevue/N.Y.U. Program for Survivors of Torture, has treated "a number of people" who had been subjected to forms of near-asphyxiation, including waterboarding. An interview for The New Yorker states:
[Dr. Keller] argued that it was indeed torture. Some victims were still traumatized years later, he said. One patient couldn't take showers, and panicked when it rained. "The fear of being killed is a terrifying experience," he said.[5][6]
A Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, was tried in 1947 for carrying out a form of torture waterboarding on a U.S. civilian during World War II, and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. The charges against Asano included other abuses of prisoners.
On the issue of waterboarding, the United States charged Yukio Asano, a Japanese officer on May 1 to 28, 1947, with war crimes. The offenses were recounted by John Henry Burton, a civilian victim: After taking me down into the hallway they laid me out on a stretcher and strapped me on. The stretcher was then stood on end with my head almost touching the floor and my feet in the air. They then began pouring water over my face and at times it was impossible for me to breathe without sucking in water. The torture continued and continued. Yukio Asano was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor." wikipedia.org
See also:
http://www.davidcorn.com/archives/2006/09/this_is_what_wa.php | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/26/06 - Women responsible for fornication? Seeking to distance himself from his remarks and the furore they have created in Australia, a muslim mufti has made the situation even worse by stating that women are responsible for fornication 90% of the time. Tell me, do you think he is right, are women the problem in modern society?
Sheik fights critics from sickbed
Apology Sheik Hilaly in his bed yesterday.
Tom Allard and Alan Macarenhas
October 27, 2006
A LEADING Islamic cleric's explanation for his suggestion that women who were raped had their immodest dress to blame has been deemed unsatisfactory by the Federal Government.
The Lakemba-based imam Taj el-Din al Hilaly - said to be ill and depressed - issued a statement from his bed late yesterday saying he was shocked about how his remarks last month had been interpreted.
He was responding to a storm of protest, including widespread calls for his resignation, after he told a gathering that women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men and calling for Muslim women to cover their bodies.
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?" he said. "The uncovered meat is the problem if she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."
Sheik Hilaly said the comments were made in the context of premarital fornication, which he said was caused by women ජ per cent" of the time.
"I condemn rape," he said in the statement yesterday. "I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments. I had only intended to protect women's honour."
The parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, Andrew Robb, rejected the explanation from Sheik Hilaly. "We wouldn't have this problem if Sheik Hilaly spoke in English. He has been here 30 years."
The Prime Minister, John Howard, described the remarks as "appalling and reprehensible", a sentiment echoed by the Labor leader, Kim Beazley.
Sheik Hilaly calls himself the Mufti of Australia, an honour given to him 17 years ago by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, but many Muslims do not recognise this status and have called for him to relinquish it.
But the federation's past president, Ameer Ali, backed Sheik Hilaly, saying he had used "over the top language" but remained "still the most knowledgeable cleric in Australia".
The Lebanese Muslim Association, which allows him to preach at its mosque in Lakemba, is considering its position. captainoutrageous answered on 10/27/06:Unfortunately, this is a problem all over the world. The tendency by some to take the criminal blame away from the rapist and shift it to the victim is more prevalent than many would like to admit. Offending individuals need to be held accountable and our young need to be educated in human respect and decency. I, for one, think castration of rapists isn't such a bad idea.
A couple of articles that might be of interest:
http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/006432.php
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51424 | | Question/Answer | | Mathatmacoat asked on 10/26/06 - You can seperate religion and State But does the constitutional " the goverment shall make no law governing the conduct of any religion"
extend to the cowardly comments of the Muslim Mufti of Australia
Muslims brace for rape blame fury
October 26, 2006 01:30pm
MUSLIMS say they are bracing for a backlash after comments from Australia's mufti that immodestly dressed women invited sex attacks.
Waleed Aly of the Islamic Council of Victoria said he was outraged at Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilaly's comments, made last month in a Ramadan sermon and that a backlash was inevitable.
In his speech Sheik Hilaly likened women who wore makeup and dressed immodestly to meat that attracted cats.
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?" the sheik said.
Mr Aly said the comments were repugnant and ordinary Muslims would bear the brunt of anger.
"I am expecting a deluge of hate mail. I am expecting people to get abused in the street and get abused at work," Mr Aly said.
"There is always a backlash. You come to expect that it will come. It is not people like Hilaly that will suffer, it is normal kids whose friends' parents might pick on them," he said.
Mr Aly said the vast majority of Australian Muslims would condemn the comments.
NSW Community Relations Commission chairman Stepan Kerkyasharian said that the comments could damage Islam's position in Australian society and disrupt social harmony.
Mr Kerkyasharian said he had written to Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilaly, asking him to retract in writing his comments quoted in The Australian newspaper today.
"They denigrate all women regardless of their religion and choice of profession. Nothing justifies rape," Mr Kerkyasharian wrote.
Comments 'taken out of context'
Amid a storm of criticism Islamic community leaders quickly moved to distance themselves from the comments, reported in The Australian newspaper today but which were made during a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney last month.
President of the Islamic Friendship Council of Australia, Keysar Trad, said the sheik's comments had been misrepresented, although he admitted his analogies could have been better.
"From what I understand, he was talking about the context of encouraging people to abstinence before getting married," Mr Trad said.
"His references to exposed meat etc was a very poor example that was meant to be a reference to both men and women, he wasn't talking about Islamic dress, he wasn't talking about rape."
However a former member of the Federal Government's Muslim Advisory board, Iktimal Hage-Ali, said she had listened to a recording of Sheik Hilaly's speech and believed he should be stripped of his position.
"I was just flabbergasted," she said on ABC radio.
The Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria said Sheik Hilaly's views were at odds with most mainstream Australian Muslims.
"These unacceptable comments ... do not reflect the values of ethnic communities or of many mainstream Australian Muslims," said council chairman Phong Nguyen said.
Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward believes the comments are an incitement to crime.
"Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man ... their leader in court," she said on Channel 9.
"It's time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It is time the Islamic community did more then say they were horrified. I think it is time he left," Ms Goward said.
Politicians condemn comments
Senior members of government were also scathing.
"Certainly I think if a religious leader in the Catholic Church or the Anglican Church or in Judaism was to make these sorts of statements, they would be getting a very severe rap over the knuckles, at the very least," Health Minister Tony Abbott said on Nine.
"He's wrong. He should be reprimanded and it's up to ordinary, decent Australians to make it clear that he is wrong."
Treasurer Peter Costello urged other Muslims to pull the sheik into line.
"I hope that the moderate Muslim leaders will speak out today and condemn these comments," he said on Channel 7.
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said the sheik's comments were offensive and should be corrected by the Islamic community.
The NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, said that the mufti's comments on women were 'outrageous'.
"He doesn't have a flash record as far as these sorts of statements and what's in the paper this morning is offensive and outrageous and ought to be condemned," Mr Iemma said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now I think the way to show this Lebanese Idiot he is wrong, and in the wrong place, the wrong century even, is to riot outside his Mosque. Hey, why leave it there, we should riot outside every mosque, break a few heads, hell, it's the Muslim way, the only language they understand. captainoutrageous answered on 10/26/06:The man is an ass, but, unfortunately, I have heard many an individual in the US make similar comments about scantily dressed females (that doesn't make it right here either). | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/25/06 - Early Happy Halloween Got a Blue Mountain e-card in the mail . Thought you would enjoy it .
The Flasher captainoutrageous answered on 10/25/06:I don't have a lot against the woman, but the card was cute. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 10/24/06 - Zogby In the latest Zogby poll, 10/10-10/16 (post-Foleygate):
Missouri Senate - Talent* (R) 50% McCaskill (D) 47%
Virginia Senate - Allen* (R) 50% Webb (D) 47%
(on 9/5 Webb led 50% to 43% for Allen)
Pennsylvania Senate - Santorum* (R) 44% Casey Jr. (D) 52%
Ohio Senate - Brown (D) 49% DeWine* (R) 45%
(DeWine was down 45% to 37% in July)
New Jersey Senate - Kean Jr. (R) 47% Menendez* (D) 45%
(Kean has climbed 10 points since 9/5)
*Incumbent
Still close, but the GOP is in the lead in 3 of John Kerry's 4 must-win senate races, DeWine is narrowing and Kean is ahead of the Democrat incumbent. And oh yeah, Lieberman is still ahead of Lamont. captainoutrageous answered on 10/25/06:I guess we will just have to wait until November 7th. As the saying goes, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings." | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 10/24/06 - Is this why we're in Iraq? A good reason?
or, if the link doesn't work --
http://alternet.org/story/43045/
captainoutrageous answered on 10/24/06:Rather like the spheres of influence in China in the 19th century (and Open Door Policy in the first half of the 20th)? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/23/06 - How much is too much? Howard's Pacific demands
The Prime Minister, John Howard, is in the South Pacific talking tough: if the region's impoverished countries want Australian aid their governments must govern better and stamp out corruption.
The main targets of Mr Howard's barbs are the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea both are at odds with Canberra over the Julian Moti affair.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, is angry that his country's police commissioner, Shane Castles, (who was loaned by the Australian Federal Police) ordered a police raid on his office on Friday.
The raid was meant to find evidence that could link Mr Sogavare to Mr Moti's flight to Honiara on a PNG Defence Force aircraft this month.
By flying out of PNG secretly Mr Moti escaped proceedings in Port Moresby that could have seen him extradited to Australia to face child sex allegations.
Mr Sogavare who has already expelled Australia's high commissioner has labelled the raid as provocative. And there are rumblings that the Honiara governnment might pull the plug on the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands.
Critics say that while Australia's aid is welcomed, it should show more respect for Solomons' sovereignty.
Others, though, fear the island nation will again descend into chaos if RAMSI goes.
Another scenario suggests that if Australian aid is pulled from parts of the region, countries such as China and Taiwan will step in with fast bucks to buy diplomatic support for their rival causes. But do they have genuine regard for the long-term development of the problem-ridden islands?
Is Mr Howard right to lay down strict conditions on Australian aid? Or, as some Pacific leaders suggest, is he being too heavy-handed? captainoutrageous answered on 10/23/06:I don't necessarily condone the raid of Sogavare's office when he was not present. I do, however, feel Australia is very justified in attaching some conditions to the aid that it provides the Islands. If Australia declines to continue aid, it is questionable how much the Islands would receive from China. They recognize the ROC (Taiwan) as the legitimate government of all of China. Additionally, in April, there were riots against the Chinese business community in Honiara and China had to evacuate hundreds of Chinese who were fleeing the riots. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 10/23/06 - WHAT REPUBLICANS WILL BE VOTING FOR ON 11-7 "We have heard endless commentary from main line pundits about how the Democratic Party lacks a coherent program going into the 2006-midterm elections. This criticism may be valid, but Democratic promises are not any more worthy of attention than the actual governing record of the Republican Party. Republicans who plan to go to the polls and sheepishly cast their votes for their party's standard bearers on November 7th should ask themselves: What are we voting for?
Here are some possible answers:
The "Fiscally Conservative" Republicans will be voting for record budget deficits and a national debt of some $8 trillion.
The "Libertarian" Republicans will be voting for run away government power over individual rights in the form of NSA wiretaps, secret prisons, and the suspension of habeas corpus.
The "Small Government" Republicans will be voting in favor of a greatly expanded federal bureaucracy. (The 2003 changes in Medicare alone will add over $720 billion in government spending; and the "No Child Left Behind" law has infused the federal government into areas that had been previously left to the states.)
The "Ross Perot" Republicans -- who warned us about the "great sucking sound" that "free trade" agreements would create by vacuuming up good American jobs and exporting them to Mexico or China -- will be voting in favor of tax credits to corporations to encourage such outsourcing.
The "Law and Order" Republicans will be endorsing disgraced GOP officials such as "Duke" Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, Ralph Reed, David Safavian, Michael Scanlon, Curt Weldon, and many others.
The "Strong on National Defense" Republicans will be voting for a party that dragged us into a nearly four-year occupation of Iraq that has weakened the Army and the Reserves, cost the lives of 2,800 American soldiers, (with 20,000 wounded), and has tied down U.S. forces while other crises are developing in the Middle East and Northeast Asia.
The "Personal Responsibility" Republicans will be giving a vote of confidence to an administration and a party that refuse to accept any responsibility for their many missteps or to hold anyone accountable.
The "Family Values" Republicans will be voting for the political party that allowed a pedophile, Representative Mark Foley of Florida, to prey freely on underage male Congressional pages for over a decade.
The "Private Sector" Republicans who seek to bring business "efficiency" to government will be supporting one of the most inefficient and wasteful administrations in U.S. history, illustrated by its dismal response to Hurricane Katrina.
The "Log Cabin" Republicans will be endorsing a party that has consistently singled out gays and lesbians for open attacks on their civil rights.
The "Soccer Mom" Republicans who value education will be voting for under-funded, dilapidated schools. And the "Nascar Dad" Republicans will be voting for a more polluted environment for their hunting and fishing.
Finally, the Republicans who honor decency and fairness in our political discourse will be voting in favor of Karl Rove's smear tactics, and his underhanded techniques to fool voters and suppress their democratic right to vote".
Joseph A. Palermo, Blogging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 10/23/06:Ok, just to fair, what are the Democrats going to be voting for on Nov. 7? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/22/06 - what are they afraid of? well so much for an FTA, the Americans are so afraid of Australian inguenity that they have banned an Aistralian food
There's no accounting for taste
October 21, 2006 12:00am
Article from: The Sunday Times
THE US has banned Vegemite, even to the point of searching Australians for jars of the spread when they enter the country.
The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite has been deemed illegal under US food laws.
The great Aussie icon - faithfully carried around the world by travellers from downunder - contains folate, which under a technicality, America allows to be added only to breads and cereals.
Australian expatriates in the US said enforcement of the ban had been gradually stepped up and was now ruining lifelong traditions of Vegemite on toast for breakfast.
Kraft spokeswoman Joanna Scott said: "The (US) Food and Drug Administration doesn't allow the import of Vegemite simply because the recipe does have the addition of folic acid.''
The US was "a minor market'' for Vegemite, she said.
captainoutrageous answered on 10/22/06:This ban is certainly a crock of crap. Folic acid and folate are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. They occur naturally in food and can also be taken as supplements. What is vegemite gonna do - make us too healthy? | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 10/22/06 - TONY BLAIR: In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the anti-American
Sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's Prime
Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by
One of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he
Said:
"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many
want in... and how many want out." Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 10/22/06:What a great quote! Now if we could get the non-western countries to feel that way. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/19/06 - Rules vs People
Hello:
I finally figured out WHY people join one party or the other. I get, that all of us want pretty much the same thing.
However, Republicans think the problems are caused because we havent written the rules exactly right, and the Democrats think the problems arent the rules, but whether people will obey them.
Thats why people like the Wolverine who, even though he disagrees with a law, will obey it absolutely, because its written. Then there are guys like me, who question the morality of the law, and make decisions to obey or not, based on that.
Neither position works for us as a country.
I had a business partner who was designing a job for an underling. As designed, the job had no redeeming qualities, and couldnt produce any satisfaction for the worker. I said, if the job isnt satisfying, well have trouble filling it. My partner said, whats that got to do with it? Heres the job. Heres the pay. Do it. He's a Republican.
Republicans think that all they have to do is write a law, and their work is done. People WILL obey, because they wrote it. Democrats worry so much about how a law will be perceived that they dont write laws that matter.
Maybe the solution is, that we have enough laws right now, and they should take a vacation.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/21/06:Very interesting analogy. I like it. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 10/20/06 - If you're in New York... ...why bother with Iraq for Sale when you've got the theatre? I heard about the Bush Bashing Festival now playing:
Bush Wars
Told through 16 musical parodies and dozens of costume changes, 'Bush Wars' sinks its talons into everything from Dick Cheney literally in bed with the oil companies to the Supreme Court's "right hand turn" and from "Republican training school" to George W. in a soft shoe number with his bosom buddy, Jesus! The new material includes a hilarious take on the immigration guest workers' program, wire tapping, the re-writing of the Constitution and voter fraud! No one is spared during the ninety minutes of non-stop music and comedy. The musical takes a funny but insightful look at how America's current government has undermined the Geneva Convention, science (evolution and the environment), Social Security, personal security, religious freedom, personal freedom, pretzels, government secrets, the courts, the brain dead and yes, Democracy itself! TheaterSource
Bush is Bad: Impeachment Edition
'Bush is Bad: Impeachment Edition' is a new edition of the hilarious, cathartic and unabashedly partisan musical revue by Joshua Rosenblum. 'Bush is Bad,' described as a cross between 'Forbidden Broadway' and 'The Daily Show,' offers catchy tunes, wickedly funny lyrics and scathing impersonations of the president and his dissembling gang of conspirators. TheaterSource
And the 5 star, Dumbya's Rapture
A political satire that dramatizes the real and true history of the U.S. from 2001 to 2006, 'Dumbya's Rapture' tells the uproarious tale of one president, two wars and thousands of dead around the world. TheaterSource
Can't those libs make up their minds? One day thousands of dead around the world is a Bush war crime, the next it's "uproarious."
Steve
P.S. I think I'll stick to football this weekend.captainoutrageous answered on 10/21/06:I don't care much for football. Guess I'll grade papers. Now isn't that exciting? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/20/06 - Climate change good news for camels? All right for some: the deserts that have taken our rain
As the sun emerges after a day of rain, Michael McIlvenny sends a weather balloon up from the Giles meteorological station on the edge of the Gibson Desert.
James Woodford
October 21, 2006
IF THE rain is not falling in Sydney's catchments and throughout southern Australia, where has it gone?
The answer, says the acting head of the Bureau of Meteorology's National Climate Centre, David Jones, is north-west and Central Australia, where residents are finding climate change may have a wetter flipside.
Most dramatic is the desert outpost of Giles, which sits on the edge of the Tanami Desert near the junction of South Australia, Western Australian and the Northern Territory. In 50 years the remote weather station, home to five people, has seen its rainfall double - from a yearly average of about 150 millimetres to around 300.
If current trends continue, ecological changes will begin to follow - greener for the desert and the Kimberley, but browner for southern Australia.
Because Giles is one of the driest spots in the continent, a doubling of rainfall has not yet had a visible impact, says the officer in charge of the weather station there, Michael McIlvenny.
But Dr Peter Kendrick, Pilbara-based regional ecologist with the West Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, said doubling rainfall has a "huge impact" in such an ecosystem, given that desert fauna and flora are tuned to respond rapidly to episodic rainfall.
Dr Jones says he already believes the extra rainfall in some other less arid areas has given agriculture and grazing a valuable buffer against degradation.
But in southern Australia, the colour of climate change seems to be brown.
Dr Michael Raupach, a scientist with the CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, and chairman of the Global Carbon Project, has recently made some frightening observations from satellite photography.
He and his team have discovered large swathes of the continent are becoming visibly less green. "Depending on the area, we are finding parts of the continent that are more than 50 per cent less green," he said. "This means a browning of the continent. The trend started in the late 1990s and since then has been going on in a ratchet fashion, with jumps in browning occurring in drought years."
What makes this finding so alarming is that if the drought does not ease then the logical conclusion of the current trend is a massive death of vegetation, huge bushfires and the release of vast volumes of carbon, further feeding climate change.
Normally, Dr Raupach said, forests have the chance to recover through flooding rains between droughts, but the low-rainfall conditions of the past decade have been relentless.
While sporadic recovery of greenness occurred in places, nowhere has vegetation climbed back to what it normally would be between droughts. Worst affected seem to be south-west Western Australia and almost the entire Murray-Darling Basin, ecosystems, already fragile because of land degradation.
"It's almost literally true that it keeps me awake at night," Dr Raupach said.
The weather bureau's Dr Jones says "superficially, the rainfall shift to the north-west of the continent doesn't make a lot of sense". This is because theoretically the entire nation has been in the grip of El Nino for much of the last decade.
Perhaps the huge release of aerosols into the atmosphere by Asian nations could be a factor in the increased rain, he said.
One thing that is certain is that the Australian climate has shifted dramatically in the past half century. In a vast band of the continent between the Nullarbor coast and the Kimberley there has been an average annual increase in rainfall of between 100 and 200 millimetres.
"Around Broome and Wyndham, rainfall has increased by 300 millimetres particularly in summer and autumn," Dr Jones said.
On the other hand, Sydney's annual rainfall has decreased by between 100 and 200 millimetres a year and in Mackay by as much as 300 millimetres a year compared to the 1950s.
Weather systems known as north-west cloud bands used to travel across the continent from monsoonal troughs in the Kimberley, bringing the kind of rain to southern Australia which filled dams and caused floods.
"In the last few years to a decade these north-west cloud bands have almost disappeared. The linkage to the tropics has broken down," Dr Jones said.
"Since 1950, since global temperatures have increased along with aerosols and ozone, all of a sudden we have seen rainfall trends that are very distinct.
"One would be naive to put these trends down to natural variations. They're very large and a number are consistent with what we see from climate change computer models."
The drying of southern Australia has attracted the most attention until now, he said.
"What we are seeing in the rest of Australia is just as dramatic, it's just that it's positive. People don't seem to notice climate change when it's beneficial to humans."
Dr Kendrick said with greater rainfall, vegetation would increase in arid areas. There would be changes in fauna. The desert mouse had extended its range from the central deserts to the west Pilbara, and camel numbers were increasing. captainoutrageous answered on 10/21/06:If we don't take care of the Earth, where are we going to live? | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/20/06 - INSIDER RUMORS ABOUT IRAQ Insider information from an army general is that Bush is getting ready to overthrow the elected government of Iraq and put in a new government.
Comments... captainoutrageous answered on 10/21/06:Iraq's government is too weak to deal with the issues there, but I highly doubt Bush has any plans to replace it. | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/19/06 - REPUBLICANS MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR INCOMPETENCE "The Iraq war is one of the greatest blunders in American history. The American people already know that the human and financial cost of the war has been far too great. Nearly 2,800 Americans have been killed and we are spending nearly $250 million on each day on the war in Iraq.
Robert Greenwald's new film, Iraq for Sale, shows how the Bush Administration has been outsourcing this war to corporate America - and how that effort has been mismanaged. His film is a convincing indictment of the Administration's decision to give multi-billion dollar sweetheart deals that have lined contractor's pockets while failing to meet the basic needs of our soldiers. All Americans should be asking how the Bush Administration could have allowed contractors to fail to provide our soldiers with safe food and drinking water.
Greenwald's film adds further evidence of the Bush administration's incompetence from the start of this war and continuing to this day. We now know that they misled the American people about the pre-war intelligence and ignored the warnings from the State Department and others that Iraq was not the threat they claimed it to be. There was no smoking gun to link Iraq to the attacks on September 11th, no convincing link to Al Qaeda, and no compelling evidence that Iraq was close to building a nuclear bomb.
The American people know that the Bush Administration has been dangerously incompetent in the conduct of the war. They sent far too few troops into Iraq, contrary to the recommendations of key military leaders, and spread them far too thin. Without sufficient troops, we were unable to stop the looting or protect the stores of enemy munitions.
They sent the troops into battle year after year without adequate armor to protect them against roadside bombs made from the same explosives that we failed to protect, which have been the leading cause of death of our brave soldiers. They disbanded the Iraqi military, and then waited a year to begin training a new security force.
Sadly, the Republicans in Congress have been complicit in this incompetence and mismanagement. They have failed to exercise their oversight responsibilities and demand better for our men and women in uniform. The Republicans must be held accountable for their incompetence. But in November, the American people have a chance to make a change and put an end to these back-room deals. Greenwald's film is a poignant reminder of why this election is so important and why America needs a new course and a new direction in Iraq". Senator Ted Kennedy DMass
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 10/20/06:I would definitely like to see this film. Unfortunately, it is probably not going to get the screenings it deserves. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 10/19/06 - Help For NY's Bravest, Finest and Best Hello all,
As of you know, many of the cops, firefighters, rescue workers and construction crews who worked their hearts out to save lives on 9-11 and in the days that followed are now suffering from various ailments. You may also know that the city and state governments are giving these brave people, who stepped up under fire and under the most stressful conditions, nothing but trouble in getting medical benefits. They are letting down these brave men and women who put it all on the line for us.
This is, in my opinion, the worst kind of betrayal that the government can commit. Turning their backs on our men and women in and out of uniform who gave their lives to those in need is disgusting. And worse, it will mean that next time a disaster hits, those who might have stepped up to help will think twice. Honor and duty drive men and women into uniform, but keeping faith with each other and having the government keep faith with them is what KEEPS them in uniform and what keeps them going when the crap hits the fan. Now the government is breaking that faith, and the result is going to be disasterous.
So here's my idea: if the government won't keep faith with these brave men and women, then it is up to US to do so. On Monday, this nation's 300,000,000th citizen was born (there's an argument as to which of 3 babies in NY was the milestone-setter). My idea is that if each American citizen were to place $1 into a fund for these brave men and women, we could gather $300,000,000 to help those suffering from post-911 ailments. Imagine that... just $1 per person could cover all the medical expenses for all those who stepped up when America was in need. These guys stepped up for us, it's time that we step up for THEM. In this way, at little cost to ourselves, we can properly take care of and keep faith with our 9-11 heroes who are in need today. They were there for us, now its time for us to step up for them.
I have absolutely no idea how to start a not-for-profit fund of this type. But I would propose that 100% of all money collected be used for benefits, and any overhead associated with this endevour should be covered separately.
Could this work? How would we go about it? We need to keep faith with those who kept the faith for us when we were in need. Anything less is a complete failure of the moral fiber of this great nation.
If anyone has another idea, please feel free to share it.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 10/19/06:Elliot,
It's a great idea. Unfortunately, launching such an endeavor and being successful would be difficult, especially because of all the scammers out there trying to profit from the misery of others by pretending to have similar programs in place. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/19/06 - The Darkest of day's are upon us.
Hello rightless people:
To continue regarding our discussion about your rights that were stolen from you like, a thief in the night. Unbelievably, Im the only one who noticed.
You say that the recent tribunal law only applies to aliens, that it DOESNT apply to Americans. To that, I say, BUNK!
As it stands now, the president or his secretary of defense or their designates, can declare YOU to be an enemy combatant, and wisk you off to some CIA prison in Budapest.
Yes, you are an American held illegally. But, without the right to challenge your imprisonment (habeas corpus), who are you gonna complain to?
As it stands NOW, we are at the mercy of the president. I know, I know, you say we can trust him. To that, I say BUNK!
Previous to the dark day that just passed, we didnt HAVE to trust him. We didnt remain free because hes a benevolent guy. We remained free because we HAD rights. Now we dont!
Tell me Im wrong. But I am NOT.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/19/06:It's scary isn't it. The following excerpt reiterates your points:
The important point is that the Constitution doesn't apply to Americans, it doesn't apply to citizens, it doesn't even apply to "people." It applies to the federal government. The body of the Constitution tells the federal government what it is allowed to do, and in some places it explains how to do it (election procedures and such). The Bill of Rights tells the federal government what it is not allowed to do . . .
Make no law abridging freedom of speech, press, religion, or assembly,
Do not infringe on the right to keep and bear arms.
Don't quarter soldiers in peacetime.
Don't conduct unreasonable searches and seizures.
Don't commit double jeopardy or force people to testify against themselves.
Don't deny an accused a speedy trial.
Don't deny an accused a trial by jury.
Do not impose excessive bail.
Just because certain rights of the people aren't mentioned in this Constitution doesn't mean you're allowed to usurp them.
Don't exercise any power not authorized in this Constitution.
Where exceptions were meant to apply, they are specifically stated. And there are no exceptions stated for any type of guns, for any type of speech, for any specific crimes, or for crimes where non-citizens are involved.
My overriding point in the article was that, until a suspected "terrorist" gets a fair and impartial trial, you don't know whether he is a terrorist. So even if you think non-citizen terrorists have no rights, how do you even know for sure that they are terrorists or that they are non-citizens until every facet of due process has been applied.
The Bush administration is trying to establish procedures whereby it can lock up a suspect for life without giving him access to an attorney, without any judicial process, without even letting him tell his family where he is. If this should apply only to non-citizens, consider this scenario:
Some men in flak jackets intercept you on your way home from work one day. They spirit you away to an Air Force base, where you're put on a plane and taken to Egypt. You are tortured daily for weeks, until you confess to being a Syrian terrorist and you give your oppressors information about terrorist cells information you invent in order to get them to stop torturing you.
When you ask them why they think you're a foreign terrorist, they tell you that a neighbor earned a reward for informing on you. When you ask them when you'll be released, they tell you that you'll probably be confined (without trial) for the rest of your life, because the War on Terrorism will never end and terrorists are too dangerous to let loose.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, human rights groups complain that the government is imprisoning and torturing American citizens in violation of the Bill of Rights. But the President tells the press and public not to worry that only non-Americans are being imprisoned and only terrorists with vital information are being tortured.
You can't prove that you're neither a foreigner nor a terrorist, because there has been no impartial judicial hearing in which you have the benefit of an attorney, the right to confront your accusers and cross-examine them, and the judgment of a jury of your peers.
But then, you shouldn't have those rights because law-enforcement agencies have information that you're a foreign terrorist.
But don't worry; this isn't really happening. All those people confined in Guantanamo, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in other countries to which the U.S. government has transferred people? They're certainly guilty and they're certainly foreign or our government would never have put them in prisons.
So go back to sleep. Your government will protect you.
| | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/18/06 - Why is the Mahdi-hatter smiling ? Why did the North Koreans detonate a nuclear weapon now? Who benefits from a clear defiance of the United Nations Security Council? What possible gain could North Korea's utilitarian despot achieve by humiliating his protector, Beijing, by baiting his enabler, Seoul, and by threatening his adversary, America, in defense of its ally Japan?
Answer this question and you can begin to answer the scale of the threat posed by the North Korean test. Answer this question and you begin to see that the Bush administration faces an enemy that is well prepared to beggar commerce, wreck security, and blackmail the Security Council unless it gets what it wants. Answer this question and you will see that the hands on the nuke weapons test are not Korean but Persian.
Recall three months ago, when North Korea raised an intercontinental ballistic missile on the launch pad and taunted Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo for weeks before firing the weapon into the Japan Sea. At the time, Washington was accused of provoking North Korea by refusing to negotiate face-to-face and by spurning North Korea's demand for an American guarantee not to attack. Madeleine Albright recently called President Bush's foreign policy a "mess" and said he should have used Bill Clinton as a special negotiator with Pyongyang to defuse the confrontation. Horsefeathers. On July 4, North Korea launched at least seven missiles within a short time span, one of which was a Taepodong-2 missile capable of carrying a miniaturized nuclear warhead, not because Mr. Bush wouldn't telephone Kim Jong Il's bunker but because the test was paid for by, and staged for, Tehran.
It has since been confirmed repeatedly not only that several officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards rocket forces were present at the missile launches, but also that the missile test was a complete success. The first wave of media reports and remember that in war, the first three reports are wrong declared the Taepodong-2 missile test was a failure because it fell into the Sea of Japan after only 42 seconds. The first media reports also declared that the other smaller missiles, single-stage, short-range Scud types, were fired to mask the Taepodong-2 error. Wrong on all counts. The Iranians paid for the test and intended it to demonstrate a counter strike after an American first strike. North Korean rocket forces were dispersed beforehand in warlike conditions, without communications among the units, exactly as if America had just scored a first-round decapitation. Each rocket brigade then launched one short-range theater missile to accompany the strategic weapon, the Taepodong-2, in order to simulate the mass firing of the arsenal. The missiles all landed within observation of prepositioned trawlers.
The Iranians were delighted. Their agents, the North Koreans, from whom Tehran has bought its missile systems and its nuclear weapons systems, had demonstrated that in the event of the expected American bombing, Tehran would be able to launch weapons in all directions. Tehran also knew that American signals-intelligence watched everything and understood the message.
The remaining component was the nuclear warhead itself. It is logical, and now confirmed, that Iranian agents were present at the test site, since they both ordered and paid for the test. It is logical, though not confirmed, that the agents were the same mix that was present at the July 4 missile exercise, either Pasdaran officers or Iranian Nuclear Energy Agency ops or Iranian intelligence ops, or all of the above. It is logical, though not confirmed, that the same device that was detonated is the miniaturized warhead that Iran needs to mount atop its rebuilt Taepodong-2 missile, a version of which Tehran calls the Shahab-3. It is logical, though not confirmed, that Iran wanted the American national security apparatus to see that the two critical elements in a mutually assured destruction scenario are now in place: a launch-on-warning missile offensive and a nuclear warhead for the outgoing strike.
The U.N. Security Council warned the North Koreans not to fire the nuke or else. The U.N. Security Council warned the Iranians that it must cease enrichment of uranium or else.
The else clock is running. The six-party talks in East Asia to contain Pyongyang are a sham. The European Union talks in Geneva to contain Tehran are a sham. The U.N. Security Council talks in New York to contain the nuclear weapons proliferators are a sham. The only confab to wait out is the Congressional elections. After that, and regardless of how much noise the appeasers make in the House of Representatives, the fleet sails to defend America and enforce civilization.
John Batchelor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So why is the Mahdi-hatter smiling ? For one nuclear non-proliferation is dead . North Koreas test comes at a time when several other nations are pushing for nuclear programs, including South Africa, Egypt, Venezuela, and, of course, Iran .Perhaps it was inevidible that the technology would spread and that it is a credit that nonproliferation efforts lasted as long as they have. But when nations like N.Korea and Iran have them ,their neighbors cannot feel safe and will act in kind .
Another reason is that The United Nations is as impotent as ever. The Mahdi-hatter called their bluff and so has the chia pet-headed Kim. The UN has placed sanctions but Stratfor argues convincingly that both Russia and China are comfortable with North Korea possessing nuclear weapons, only because the benefits outweigh the problems. If the UN will not take a stand with a nation like the NORKS then it certainly will not when a nation that could in the short term put a hit on the world economy crosses the line. As has been clearly demonstrated ,if there is to be a strong response to either nation it will have to come from the US and whichever allies we can muster .Given the choice the US will probably let the NORK gambit pass ,gambling that we do not lose too much influence in the region ;and instead will let the fleet sail to the ME ;which again serves the Mahdi-hatter if his messianic rhetoric is to be believed .He believes that any catastrophes that his aggressiveness provokes will only hasten the advent of the Islamic messiah and the global ascendancy of his faith.And As I have said ,you have to take him at his word.
captainoutrageous answered on 10/18/06:Score another hit for the lunatic megalomaniacs of the world. It appears that no nation is either willing or able to curtail such actions. I, for one, with a son studying in Japan this year, find the whole scenario frightening. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/17/06 - Enemy Combatant
Hello Fascists:
How long do you think it will take Bush to declare drug users enemy combatants? I say less than 2 years.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/18/06:As I have said before, I am no fan of Bush, but all this name calling back and forth between the left and right is getting a bit old. Can't we state our views without being snotty about it? | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/17/06 - CHENEY-Iraq Going Remarkably Well "Rush Limbaugh interviewed Vice President Cheney on his show today. At one point, Limbaugh asked Cheney to respond to growing frustration over U.S. efforts in Iraq.
Cheney acknowledged there is a natural level of concern out there because fighting didnt end instantaneously. (Next month, the war will have lasted longer than U.S. fighting in World War II.) Cheney then pointed to various news items to paint a positive picture of conditions in Iraq and concluded, If you look at the general overall situation, theyre doing **remarkably well**.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Captain of Hindenberg" to mooring staff, "Things are going **remarkably well**"!!
Napoleon at Waterloo, "Things are going "remarkably well"!!
Nixon to Pat while walking to the helicopter, "Things are going **remarkably well**"!!!
How are things going in your life?? :D captainoutrageous answered on 10/17/06:Absolutely, positively, remarkably well. | | Question/Answer | tomder55 asked on 10/17/06 - Cindy Sheehad...
...is on a list of Nobel Peace Prize nominees(self proclaimed ..I don't know if she is or not ...but she says she is and is actively campaigning for the prize ). Want to help her ? Sign this petition .
When considering her qualifications I'm sure this passage from her book 'Peace Mom' will be the slam dunk that pushes here nomination over the top :
I often contemplate the "baby Hitler scenario" when I think of George Bush. It's the time-machine fantasy. If I had a time-machine (it always looks like H.G. Wells's invention), and if I rode in it back to the time George Bush was a baby, could I kill him .....
She can join the ranks of previous prize winners like Yassar Arafat .
captainoutrageous answered on 10/17/06:I'll pass. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/14/06 - I'm a criminal, all right!!
Hello Law Abiding Citizens:
I'm not one. I'm a felonious poker player. Should I be ashamed??? Maybe if I killed somebody.... but for placing a bet???? Nahhh. There must be something wrong with me..
Maybe that's why people kill other people a lot more now, than they ever did. Making stupid laws demean the not so stupid laws....
excon (forever)
captainoutrageous answered on 10/14/06:I wouldn't be ashamed unless you are out of control and losing the family's milk money. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/14/06 - To poker - or NOT
Hello legal begals:
One of the sites I played on, Partypoker has quit. The other, Fulltiltpoker is raging on.
Why? Since play is now (wasn't it before?) illegal, who's gonna get prosecuted? Me, my bank or the casino (they're overseas)?
Hep me - hep me. I don't want to break the law.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/14/06:"In November 2004, the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda won a World Trade Organization ruling that United States legislation criminalizing online betting violates global laws. In April 2005, the WTO Appellate Body affirmed the principal conclusions involved.
September 2006, the Congress passed legislation that makes it a crime for a bank or financial institution to transfer money to an online gambling site. The bill that was passed did not include language about the Wire Act that was in previous versions. The bill does not appear to address playing online in any way.
So, as long as online poker players do not participate in owning a share of the house rake; as long as players only wager against each other; as long as players participate in the skill game of poker and do not bet sports; as long as players obey state laws... draw your own conclusions."
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/online/poker/legal/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_gambling#United_States | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/13/06 - It's not so much a war on terror as a war on culture? Howard's warriors sweep all before them
Peter Hartcher
October 14, 2006
THE leading Muslim cleric Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly was on the TV news a couple of weeks ago speaking about how important it is for immigrants to Australia to learn English. He was speaking in Arabic.
After living in the country for nearly 20 years, the voice of Islam in Australia was unable to speak in English. It was being relayed to the audience by a translator.
"It was really remarkable," says Murray Goot, a professor of political science at Macquarie University, who was watching it on TV at home. "Some people in the audience were laughing and even he was looking a little bit embarrassed."
For Goot it was a telling sign. "I followed Pauline Hanson quite closely and I was struck by the fact that, despite everything else she said, she never said that migrants should be speaking English.
"Yet we have now moved into this thing about migrants speaking English" - with the Federal Government mooting a tougher English citizenship test - "in a way that even Hanson didn't do."
This is not so much a critique of the sheik's linguistic skills as it is a marker in the progress of the so-called culture wars.
The idea that immigrants need to speak English, always strong in Australian society, has acquired an irresistibility. In 1995, the last year of the Keating imperium and while Hanson was still serving fish and chips, speaking English was the fourth-most important qualification to be considered "truly Australian", according to the Australian Social Attitudes Survey.
The top three? To "feel Australian", to respect Australia's political institutions and laws and to have Australian citizenship. By 2003, speaking English trumped everything; the percentage of people nominating it had moved from 86 per cent to 92 per cent. It is so irresistible that even an important Muslim leader who had not managed to do it himself felt obliged to prescribe it for others.
Australia has been reassessing its values with new intensity, and, says Greg Lindsay, the head of the libertarian Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US are a key reason: "In a period where the values which we're renowned for have come under challenge - especially from Islam - people are starting to ask the question, who are we?"
And, with new intensity, John Howard is providing the answers.
The culture wars predate the 2001 attacks, but the Islamist affront gives fresh energy and new purpose to the Howard Government's campaign to push back the boundaries of 1970s leftism and the remaining institutions of Labor power, to reshape Australia in Howard's ideological image.
Indeed, one of Howard's cabinet ministers, Tony Abbott, ranks this as the very highest priority in politics. "I have always regarded that fighting the good fight in the culture war to be the most important contribution one can make in public life," Abbott said yesterday.
Note that this comes from the Minister for Health and the manager of the Government's legislative program in the House of Representatives, onerous responsibilities yet ones that Abbott plainly considers to be second order.
Howard's speech to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the conservative magazine Quadrant on October 3 was much-remarked because of its ideological stridency. But much else is under way in the culture wars. There are two striking developments in recent months.
One is the sharp new cutting edge, not just rhetoric, that the culture wars agenda is assuming for the Government. In the year to the election it will bite especially hard in education and immigration policy.
There is a proliferation of Government ministers fighting the culture wars. Abbott has always been a warrior, together with the commander, Howard himself, and his other lieutenants: Alexander Downer, Peter Costello and Nick Minchin.
Yet we now see other ministers taking up parts of the agenda in an aggressive and public way. Julie Bishop's speech on schools reform, three days after Howard's Quadrant performance, was notable for its ideological edge: "Students should not be forced to interpret Shakespeare from a feminist or Marxist perspective." And the line in the text that she omitted to say: "Some of the themes emerging in school curriculum are straight from Chairman Mao." She chose not to deliver the Mao line, she says, because "after reading the room I decided to move on".
But Bishop, the Minister for Education, Science and Training and one of the brightest rising stars of the Government, will give a real-world edge to the rhetoric when she negotiates with the states next year a new four-year funding deal - the Commonwealth supplies 27 per cent of school finance. It will be on the proviso that they agree to a new national curriculum or, as she put it: "We need to take schools curriculum out of the hands of the ideologues in the state and territory education bureaucracies and give it to a national board of studies comprising the sensible centre of educators."
The states and teachers unions will resist ferociously. But, as with many elements of the culture wars, the Liberal Party has done its polling homework and Bishop knows she is on the right side of a popular cause.
"I know the Prime Minister has history wars and culture wars going, but this is about raising standards. I don't accept that we can be complacent with an international study showing that 35 per cent of Australian 15-year-olds don't have the literacy and numeracy skills they need."
The potency of this issue, however, is that while it is indeed a matter of educational standards, it is also a highly political agenda that will confront some of Labor's main power centres: the state governments and the teachers unions. And Bishop herself has made it part of the culture wars by posing it as, in part, an ideological challenge.
And what of universities, also in Bishop's portfolio? Howard said in the Quadrant speech that "we should not underestimate the degree to which the soft left still holds sway, even dominance, especially in Australia's universities, by virtue of its long march through the institutions." We can expect to hear from Bishop on the need for reform of the university sector before too long.
Together, the reform agenda for schools and universities will make Bishop one of the country's most important cultural warriors.
Another rising star of the Howard Government, Andrew Robb, the parliamentary secretary for immigration and former federal director of the Liberal Party, has also become a warrior with his discussion paper on citizenship. The mild-mannered Mal Brough has brought the warrior's chariot to the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio. Even the maladroit Joe Hockey, in a bumbling sort of way, sought to join the war this week by attacking the lack of work ethic among the unemployed.
The second striking development is Labor's attempt to do battle with the Government on values. Labor, long a bystander to Howard's victorious parade down the avenue of cultural conquest, has sought to enter the fray.
There were two notable Labor initiatives. One was Kim Beazley's effort to outflank Howard on the right. On the matter of citizenship tests, Beazley demanded that even tourists should be required to sign a form committing them to Australian values.
But Beazley was ridiculed, even within his own party. The reason? The electorate has long known that Howard is a conservative who has stuck by conservative ideals even when they were unpopular. When he speaks about values, he is seen as speaking his mind.
When Beazley tries to match him, it sounds like either me-tooism, or insincerity. Either way, Labor loses. This is fundamentally why it is impossible for Beazley to beat Howard in the culture wars as long as he seeks to fight on Howard's terms.
The other Labor event was Kevin Rudd's essay in The Monthly magazine, in which he sought to remind the churches and the Labor Party that the Government did not have a monopoly on the support of Christians in Australia.
Rudd yesterday gave this analysis of the culture wars: "The central rationale of John Howard's culture wars is to effectively mask the real battle of ideas for Australia's future: a battle between Hayek's ideology of me, myself and I, versus an idea that says rewarding hard work, achievement and success is entirely compatible with the idea of a decent society."
In short, while the Government is talking about Mao in the classroom or the laziness of the unemployed or the problems of Islam, it is not talking about its unpopular Work Choices laws. The culture wars can be debated as and when required as a tremendous subject-changing device.
Often, analysis of Australian politics requires the Zen principle: what is not being said can be even more instructive than what is being said.
But what to do about it, Kevin? "Part of Labor's challenge is to hang a lantern on the problem by exposing John Howard's culture wars for what they are: a masking device which distracts from the debates he doesn't want to have," Rudd says.
"The other part of the challenge is to continually define the real battle lines in the debate for Australia's future: between John Howard's rampant individualism as opposed to our view that in Australia we are still capable of achieving a balance between individual reward and social responsibility."
That will require Labor to seize the initiative. And that's something the Government, fighting the culture wars in rhetoric but also in policy, is determined to prevent. In any language.
Peter Hartcher is the Herald'spolitical editor. Alan Ramsey is on leave. captainoutrageous answered on 10/14/06:Personally, I feel if you move to another country to take up residencs, it is your responsibly to learn the language of your adopted country. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 10/13/06 - NATIONAL DEBT ANSWER:
Collapse the multiple exchange rate into three rates. Institute a 'crawling peg' system of four monthly devaluations, different in each segment to achieve exchange rate unification.
(I couldn't make a clarification to the Board. So, I had to answer it this way)
captainoutrageous answered on 10/13/06:It is important to consider the national debt in relation to the nation's total economic strength. One way of doing this is to compare the national debt to the gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP is the total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year. For example, the United States national debt rose from about $259 billion in 1945 to about $5 1/2 trillion in 2000. But the 1945 debt amounted to 122 percent of that year's GDP, while the 2000 debt was only about 62 percent of the 2000 GDP.
Some people argue that, just as in a family or business, federal government spending should be kept equal to or below its income. Others declare that this comparison is misleading. They point out that, except for the small portion of the debt held by people in other countries, the debt's size is not as important as the effects that increasing or reducing the debt might have on the economy. Both groups usually agree that taxes in prosperous times should be high enough to cover government spending and to reduce the debt.
Those who call for a balanced budget would not favor measures that would increase the national debt if a recession occurred or threatened to occur. But members of the second group would urge government borrowing to pay for public improvements as a sound way to prevent or end recession. They believe it is the government's responsibility to take such action to stimulate business activity, thereby creating more jobs to reduce unemployment. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 10/10/06 - Prepare for War Order A prepare for war order was issued to the commanders of the various vessels now chugging to the Staits of Hormuz, and it is reported that these commanders are concerned because Congress has not issued a Declaration of War on Iran.
Is a War on Iran Rove's October surprise? captainoutrageous answered on 10/13/06:Could be, but I hope he's not that stupid. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 10/11/06 - HERE OR THERE:
President Bush made a statement at his news conference this a.m. that went something like this:
If we don't beat them (Muslims/insurgents) over there, we'll have to beat them here (United States).
I agree 100%. How about you?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 10/13/06:Unfortunately, the only way to beat them "over there" is to blow up half the world. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/13/06 - al qaeda has an unexpected ally? Canada troops battle 10-foot Afghan marijuana plants
POSTED: 5:12 p.m. EDT, October 12, 2006
Adjust font size:
OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of marijuana plants 10 feet tall.
General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana.
"The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices. ... And as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa, Canada.
"We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those [forests] did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hiller said dryly.
One soldier told him later: "Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I'd say 'That damn marijuana'."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Call me a simple soul but I would have thought the solution was simple, use the Vietnam solution, and spray the country with Agent Orange, after all, there can't be any people there in such a barren place, can there, well friendly ones any way? captainoutrageous answered on 10/13/06:On the surface, an exfoliant seems like a logical answer, however, I don't think it's worth the risks. From wikipedia:
Studies of populations highly exposed to dioxin indicate increased risk of various types of cancer and genetic mistakes; the effect of long term low level exposure has not been established. Since the 1980s, several lawsuits have been filed against the companies who produced Agent Orange, among them being Dow Chemical and Monsanto. U.S. veterans obtained $180 million in compensation in 1984, while Australian, Canadian and New Zealand veterans also obtained compensation in an out-of-court settlement the same year. In 1999, 20,000 South Koreans filed a lawsuit in Korea; in January 2006, the Korean Appeal Court ordered Monsanto and Dow to pay $62 million in compensation to about 6,800 people. However, no Vietnamese have obtained compensation, and on March 10, 2005 Judge Jack Weinstein of Brooklyn Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against the chemical companies that produced the defoliants/herbicides.
| | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 10/11/06 - NATIONAL DEBT:
Can our national debt be satisfied by printing $$$ et al at our Denver mint and/or elsewhere?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 10/12/06:Since the Denver mint only produces coins that could be a problem - above and beyond the fact that printing more money to cover the debt would lead to massive inflation. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/11/06 - This just in First picture from the NORK nuke test is released
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As a bonus the picture of the July 4th missle test is also released :
![]() captainoutrageous answered on 10/11/06:It's not showing up on my computer. Can you provide a link? | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 10/09/06 - WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT N KOREA..BUSH Why should I care about North Korea?
In "State of Denial"(new book), Bob Woodward recounts a conversation between then-Gov. George W. Bush and then-Saudi ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar, in which Bush wonders why he should care about North Korea. I get these briefings on all parts of the world, Bush said, and everybody is talking to me about North Korea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why indeed?? captainoutrageous answered on 10/10/06:"Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing it's idiot." | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/10/06 - How would Reagan defeat N.Korea without firing a shot President Reagan entered office in 1981 with a clear vision of allying with Prime Minister Thatcher of Great Britain and Pope John Paul II to defeat the Soviet Empire. Without firing a shot, they worked to strengthen the Solidarity trade union in Poland, increase the resources available to the Polish people and undermine the effectiveness of the Communist dictatorship. Within 11 years of Reagan's inauguration, the Soviet Union disappeared. The Cold War was over. We had won.
North Korea is a vicious dictatorship in the middle of a famine. Its policies have shrunk the height of the average North Korean by more than three inches over the last generation through malnutrition..(note the size of the dwarf with the chia pet hair doo running the place ). There are more than 200,000 North Koreans imprisoned in concentration camps. It is an evil regime grinding down the lives of its people.
A Reaganite strategy would funnel every penny of help and every bit of food aid through a system of private activity consciously designed to undermine the dictatorship.
A Reaganite strategy would isolate the government while helping the people. It would seek every angle to get humanitarian aid to the people. Food might be parachuted into the country, delivered from submarines and small boats by clandestine services, shipped in from China and Russia through anti-regime middlemen and delivered in every way possible to divert energy and authority away from the government and toward an alternative organizing system of individuals dedicated to a better, more prosperous life. Just as in Eastern Europe, we would rapidly discover a lot of people willing to subvert the regime for better lives for their families, and we would find the regime beginning to splinter and fragment in the face of opportunities for food, goods and prosperity.
He would also announce an agreement with our allies in the region like S.Korea ,Japan ,and Taiwan to arm them with the medium range tactical nuclear missiles and the latest in missile defense technology .He would sell the cruisers armed with AEGIS Combat Systems. And since we are retiring our F-14s anyway,why not sell them at a good price to our allies ? It is still the best fighter in the sky save the new F-A18 ?
captainoutrageous answered on 10/10/06:Sounds like a plan. Now why didn't Bushie think of that? | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 10/09/06 - Bush failed!! - Bush failed!! - Bush failed!!!
Hello Bushies:
In the final analsys, North Korea is the biggest failure in an administration that knows nothing else BUT failure. The Koreans DO have WMD's!!!!!!!
It's a failure that endangers the lives of your family and our country. What does that say for family values?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 10/09/06:Do you really think that Bush had much of any control over what the North Koreans did? | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 10/09/06 - THE END OF THE REPUBLICAN REVOLUTION Time Magazine's cover story is about how the Foley scandal marks the end of the Republican Revolution that started with Ronald Reagan. (Full story there)
The End of a Revolution
Sex, lies and power games are just the latest symptoms of a Republican Party that has strayed from its ideals
By KAREN TUMULTY
"
We no ability to fight back and get our message out."
That quiet admission may have been the most damning one yet in the unfolding scandal surrounding Florida Congressman Mark Foley: holding on to power has become not just the means but also the end for the onetime reformers who in 1994 unseated a calcified and corrupted Democratic majority. Washington scandals, it seems, have been following a Moore's law of their own, coming at a faster clip every time there is a shift in control. It took 40 years for the House Democrats to exhaust their goodwill. It may take only 12 years for the Republicans to get there.
1994-2006 Republican Revolution RIP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 10/09/06:I am not a Bush fan, but I still don't think that the misbehaviors of one individual should taint an entire political party. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 10/08/06 - Please!!!! Save the kittens!!!!!................... Save a kitten captainoutrageous answered on 10/08/06:Cute! | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 10/08/06 - Animated map - shows the history of the Middle East in 90 seconds:
MapsOfConquest captainoutrageous answered on 10/08/06:That is awesome. I can use it with my students so that they can get a grasp of what has and is happening in the Middle East. Thank you!!! | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/08/06 - Good job Tigers outstanding perfomance by Detroit . You would think Kenny Rogers was suddenly Sandy Kofax .
I have a feeling that Joe Torre is going to lose his job as manager of the Yanks after their pathetic showing in the playoffs this year.
I am rooting for the Tigers to win it all this year . They show the enthusiasm for the game that was clearly lacking in the Yankee "professionals".They played the game the way it is supposed to be played . captainoutrageous answered on 10/08/06:Did I miss something here? I thought this was the politics board. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 10/07/06 - I Just Voted Absentee Ballot I thought this would be interesting for the Politics Board...I just voted Absentee Ballot for Illinois, DuPage County, Downers Grove 058, and the following Proposition appeared on the ballot....and surprised me totally:
"Shall the United States Government immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, begining with the National Guard and reserves?"
I'd like to add that I live in one of the most heavily Republican Counties in the country. Many Republican candidated run unopposed.
Again, I was surprised. I wonder if anyone knows if something like this will appear on your ballot? captainoutrageous answered on 10/07/06:Interesting proposition to have on a local ballot. Even if it passes, it is not likely to have any effect on the scheme of things. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 10/06/06 - Anyone remember this? Democratic Delegates Boo The Boy Scouts of America. - - Same Group Spit On Cops' Color Guard in NY
Culture/Society News
Source: THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Author: By Valerie Richardson
Posted on 08/18/2000 02:25:30 PDT by MindBender26
LOS ANGELES When Gloria Johnson learned that a group of Eagle Scouts was about to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention, she immediately went into action.
She and other California delegates grabbed poster board and markers and made signs that read, "We Support Gay Boy Scouts." As the uniformed Scouts took part in the opening ceremony, the delegates, seated in the front of the hall, waved their signs and booed.
Under normal circumstances, jeering at children is the sort of behavior that might get a delegate sanctioned, if not booted from the convention altogether. But anyone who expected the Democratic leadership to scold the Boy Scouts of America bashers is attending the wrong convention.
Support for homosexual rights has become an integral part of the Democratic orthodoxy, as unassailable as the party's pro-choice or civil rights planks. Since the Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts can ban homosexual leaders, the Democrats have sided squarely with homosexuals in condemning the decision.
Indeed, Democratic National Committee spokesman Rick Hess was careful to avoid criticizing either the Boy Scouts or the delegates, instead stressing that the party is staunchly committed to homosexual rights.
Most Democrats support the work the Boy Scouts do," said Mr. Hess. "At the same time, we want to see gays and lesbians treated with respect. Democrats across the board support equal rights for gays and lesbians and we want to make sure they're not discriminated against."
The Boy Scouts, meanwhile, were shocked by the negative reception. The Los Angeles Council of Boy Scouts sent a half-dozen Eagle Scouts and an adult leader to the event at the request of Democratic organizers, said council spokesman Joey Robinson.
"I think whatever the national policy is, the kids don't set the policy. When you boo the policy, you're booing the kids," said Mr. Robinson.
Fortunately, he said, the Staples Center was so noisy during the Tuesday night ceremony that none of the boys heard the booing, although the adult leader did.
Delegates who participated in protesting the Boy Scouts yesterday said they had nothing against the boys, but wanted to send a message to the Democratic Party for inviting the Scouts.
"Of course, we're not against the kids it isn't about them," said California delegate Craig Christensen. "But there were groups that could have been picked that haven't been so blatantly discriminatory. . . . It was a thoughtless thing to do."
Alex Mallonee, a California delegate who didn't participate in the demonstration, said he sympathized with the homosexual delegates.
"I think it was odd that they had the Boy Scouts up there, given the situation," he said. "It was pretty insensitive."
This year's convention has almost twice as many homosexual delegates as the 1996 gathering, thanks to recruiting efforts by the national party. Mr. Christensen said there are 212 openly homosexual delegates at this year's convention, up from 125 four years ago.
Delegates give credit to the DNC, which instructed state parties to work on making their delegations reflect their states' minority composition. For many states, that meant setting "targets," which are different from quotas, Democrats insisted.
When states submit their delegation plans, the DNC asks them to have their delegations look as much like their voters as possible," said Mr. Hess. "This is wholly different from quotas this is Colin Powell-type recruitment."
In California, that meant setting "targets" of 5 percent homosexual men and 5 percent homosexual women. The California delegation ended up with 34 openly homosexual delegates, the largest concentration of any state.
Delegate Jeri Dilno said the state party would have appointed homosexual delegates if the caucuses fell short of those goals. "A friend of mine was appointed that way the last time [in 1996]," she said.
The Georgia delegation also set a goal of 5 percent and met it by electing five openly homosexual delegates out of 105, said delegate Annette Hatton.
Wisconsin delegate Jane Fee, 73, who was born a man but has been taking female hormones and dressing like a woman for the past dozen years, said he "came as part of the female quota." But since he never had a sex-change operation, he acknowledged he fulfills the Democratic sex quotas all by himself.
"Actually, the diversity that we show in the Democratic Party, whether it's by quota or not, indicates that we really are interested in having all of America represented by the party," said Mr. Fee, a father and grandfather who used to be known as James.
As for the Boy Scouts, Miss Hatton added that she never heard any booing during the ceremony, although other delegates and news accounts reported booing.
Michael Perez, chairman of the National Stonewall Democratic Federation, called the protesters "very supportive of the kids."
"We're 100 percent behind the kids," said Mr. Perez. "We don't agree with what their establishment came up with. There are gay Boy Scouts out there, and we want them to know we support them."
Rep. Jennifer Dunn, Washington Republican, didn't see it that way. "The Boy Scouts are revered by most people," she said. "It's the kind of thing that reflects badly on the Democratic Party."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why were they booed? It wasn't about the kids they say, and it wasn't - it was about 'discriminating' against "openly gay Scout leaders."
See, the Democrats support ALL homosexuals they say, even protesting the Boy Scouts of America's policy against gay troop leaders taking young boys camping. That's right, damn the Boy Scouts for not allowing grown gay men to take pre-teens on camping trips. Maybe if Foley had just taking them camping he wouldn't be in any trouble with the left now...he'd just be following their agenda.
Steve captainoutrageous answered on 10/07/06:Just because someone is a homosexual does not make them a pedaphile. I do disapprove of the childish behavior of the delegates, however. You can be in favor of rights for a group without booing at kids. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 10/06/06 - IF I WAS PRESIDENT ...
1. I'd bring all of our guys and gals home from Iraq no later than December 1st. (As of this evening, some 2,737 of our troops have been killed in a war that's going nowhere. This does NOT include Afghanistan)
2. I'd bring almost all of our guys and gals home from Afghanistan no later than December 1st.
3. I'd suggest to all private citizens to vote out all the trash in Congress on November 7th.
4. I'd send ALL illegals back to where they came from.
5. I'd commend Wal-Mart for taking the lead in making prescription drugs (generic) affordable for all citizens. (I sure wish Sam was still with us!)
6. I'd author a Constitution of Morality for ALL local, State and Federal employees. This applies to all Congressman as well.
7. I'd increase the minimum wage to at least $9.40 an hour.
8. I'd tell Iran to go to Hell.
9. I'd tell North Korea to go to Hell.
10. I'd consider isolation for our Country after all of the above materialized.
That's it! I'm mad as hell about many things that are going on at this time in our small World. If I'm not making any sense, tell me! Even the homeless need a program to get back on their feet. That can be #11.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 10/07/06:Most of these sound about as good as anything the current crop of politicians has to offer. I have a problem with #5 because I'm tired of subsidizing their employees because they don't pay a living wage (rather goes against your idea #9, doesn't it). | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/05/06 - When ideology rules education Move over Chairman Mao, Johnny's on your case. Should governments dictate school cirriculum?
Canberra launches class action
By Justine Ferrari
October 06, 2006 08:12am
Article from: The Australian
A NATIONAL board of studies with control of a uniform school curriculum is being proposed by the Howard Government in an attempt to wrestle back control of schools from "ideologues" in state and territory education departments.
In a speech to the History Teachers Association of Australia today, Education Minister Julie Bishop will attack state education bureaucrats and accuse them of hijacking school curriculums, distorting them with "Chairman Mao" type ideologies.
"Some of the themes emerging in school curriculum are straight from Chairman Mao. We are talking serious ideology here," she will say.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called Ms Bishop's comments ill-informed and insulting, with AEU Victorian secretary Mary Blewett saying that the Minister's comments were "far from reality".
"Teachers are not ideologues or fad followers. They are educated, committed and caring professionals," said Ms Blewett.
And Victorian Education Minister Lynne Kosky has said that there were already similarities in state curricula as well as initiatives in place to develop national literacy and numeracy tests.
"But I really don't think that Canberra, by dictating what is essential in terms of learning, will actually make a difference to our students and indeed will not be beneficial for our students," said Ms Kosky.
In her speech, Ms Bishop continues to say: "Ideologues have hijacked school curriculum and are experimenting with the education of our young people from a comfortable position of unaccountability.
"We need to take school curriculum out of the hands of the ideologues in the state and territory education bureaucracies and give it to a national board of studies, comprising the sensible centre of educators."
Ms Bishop's attack comes after The Australian highlighted education bureaucrats who have failed to effectively monitor curriculums and the quality of education and who have become captive to teachers' unions.
Last month The Australian published the views of professor Ken Wiltshire, Australia's representative on the executive of the UN education body UNESCO and the architect of the Queensland curriculum under the Goss Labor government.
Professor Wiltshire argued that state Labor governments had relinquished control of any system that effectively measured the standard of what was taught in schools and teacher performance.
"Our school curriculums have strayed far from being knowledge-based," he said.
"Indeed, knowledge has been replaced by information. It is little wonder that the Howard Government's attempted reforms of schooling have gained traction with the Australian public."
In April, The Australian reported how literary study in Australia had been declared "dead" by Harold Bloom, one of the world's leading authorities on the works of William Shakespeare. After learning that a prestigious Sydney girls school had asked students to apply Marxist, feminist and racial analysis to the play Othello, the internationally renowned critic said: "I find the question sublimely stupid."
"It is another indication that literary study has died in Australia," the Sterling professor of humanities at Yale and Berg professor of English at New York University told The Australian.
Ms Bishop is calling for a national debate on the need for a common national school curriculum, saying there is widespread community concern about the content being taught in schools.
In her speech today, she will say that the commonwealth has to take the lead in fighting for a "back-to-basics approach" across curriculums and that parents are rightly concerned by educational standards.
"How is that we have gone from teaching Latin in year 12 to teaching remedial English in first year university?" she says.
"The community is demanding an end to fads and wants a return to a commonsense curriculum, with agreed core subjects, like Australian history, and a renewed focus on literacy and numeracy.
"The curriculum must be challenging, aiming for high standards, and not accepting the lowest common denominator.
"It seems we are lowering the educational bar to make sure everyone gets over it, not raising it to aspire to excellence."
A spokesman for Labor education spokeswoman Jenny Macklin accused Ms Bishop of contradicting herself.
"Julie Bishop has contradicted both the Prime Minister and the former education minister Brendan Nelson in her attempt to impose mediocrity on our school system," the spokesman said.
Ms Bishop says a national curriculum would be subject to greater public scrutiny and so would be more accountable to the community.
This would also remove removing the duplication of effort and resources currently spent by states developing individual curriculum.
She says the states and territories collectively spend more than $180 million running their boards of studies and curriculum councils to develop very similar curriculum in identical subjects.
"There are currently nine different year 12 certificates across Australia, each backed by separate curriculum developed by eight different education authorities," she says.
"Is it necessary for each state to develop a separate curriculum?
"Do we need to have a physics curriculum developed for Queensland, and another, almost identical physics curriculum for Western Australia?
"My comments are not directed at teachers. Our teachers are a precious national resource.
"Rather, I am critical of the social engineers working away in state government education authorities." captainoutrageous answered on 10/06/06:Bishop sure like that "ideologue" terminology, doesn't she? | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/05/06 - "The Daily Show" is substantive news... "Jon Stewart may joke about how his lead-in is puppets, but anyone who has ever watched "The Daily Show" knows it's a misnomer to call it fake news: It may be a fake newscast, but the news it reports and comments upon night after night is all too real. And now it's official: A study by the University of Indiana has found that "The Daily Show" is as substantive as network news.
This, as said above, is not news to anyone who watches the show; on the contrary, its viewers are highly educted and the quality roster of guests (John McCain, Helen Thomas, Thomas Ricks, Ken Mehlman, Pervez Musharraf and, okay, Samuel L. Jackson) makes it compelling viewing for news junkies as well. Indeed, in addition to covering the latest news, they often seize on less-reported news, with the added bonus of providing context to ongoing issues (nary a show goes by when Stewart does not make reference to the "Mess O'Potamia" in Iraq; also, they are all over the Foley scandal, obviously, but have frankly given more airtime this week to the recent rollback of detainee habeas corpus rights than I have seen elsewhere).
There's no question that the coverage is substantive (even, if as study-leader Professor Julia R. Fox cautions, both network news programs and "The Daily Show" are ratings-driven). But what the study does not mention is not only how the Daily Show now makes news (Stewart's Musharraf interview was picked up everywhere), but it often picks up news that has gone virtually unreported anywhere else, liike this shocking C-SPAN footage of House Judiciary Committee chair James Sensenbrenner cutting short a Congressional hearing on the Patriot Act in June 2005, actually turning off the microphone mid-sentence, gavelling out of the meeting and leaving the room. It was a stunning stunning abuse of power, and the MSM missed it (per Google, with a paltry234 hits). That's not only real news, it's real news that everyone else missed. :How's that for substance?
Eat the Press
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the best news show on TV. I like the description...it is a fake news show, but not fake news. That sums it up.
Do you enjoy this news show?
captainoutrageous answered on 10/06/06:It's clever satire to which no one appears to be immune. I do enjoy the show when I have the opportunity to watch. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 10/04/06 - Fat terrorists Rich diet making many Guantanamo detainees fat
By Michael Melia, Associated Press | October 4, 2006
SAN JUAN -- A high-calorie diet combined with life in the cell block -- almost around the clock in some cases is making detainees at Guantanamo Bay fat.
Meals totaling a whopping 4,200 calories per day are brought to their cells, well above the 2,000 to 3,000 calories recommended for weight maintenance by US government dietary guidelines. And some inmates are eating everything on the menu.
One detainee has almost doubled in weight, to 410 pounds, said Navy Commander Robert Durand, spokesman for the detention facilities at Guantanamo, a Navy base in southeast Cuba.
Human rights groups attribute the weight gain to lack of exercise. They cite accounts of released detainees who complained they were allowed to exercise fewer than three times a week outside their small cells.
But Durand said detainees are simply served a wide variety of food and are expected to choose what appeals to them.
``The detainees are advised that they are offered more food than necessary, to provide choice and variety, and that consuming all the food they are offered will result in weight gain," he said.
Most of the prisoners at Guantanamo were slightly underweight when they arrived. Since then, they've gained an average of 20 pounds, and most are now ``normal to mildly overweight or mildly obese," according to the most recent measurements, he said.
The meals include meats prepared according to Islamic guidelines, along with fresh bread, vegetables and yogurt.
With nearly all detainees fasting in the daytime during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, authorities have arranged for a post-sunset meal and a midnight meal. Traditional desserts and honey also are served during the Ramadan observances.
Even two detainees who have been on a hunger strike for more than a year are at ``100 percent ideal body weight," from nutrients fed through tubes inserted in their noses, Durand said.
The calorie intake at Guantanamo is well above the norm for federal inmates in the United States, who receive about 2,900 calories a day, said US Bureau of Prisons spokesman Michael Truman.
He said weight gain in the civilian system is not widespread and that most inmates ``keep themselves in pretty good shape."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instead of discussing the absurd, why human rights groups are concerned that Gitmo detainees are too well fed, I have some absurd observations as to why fat terrorists are a good thing - seeing as how the left is doing all they can to get these guys released.
Fat terrorists are a good thing because:
1) Fat terrorists can't outrun pursuit
2) Potential hostages can outrun fat terrorists
3) Fat terrorists can't squeeze in and out of their cave
4) Fat terrorists are easier to spot by drone and satellite
5) A fat suicide bomber might absorb more of the blast, leading to fewer casualties and less collateral damage
6) Fat terrorists can't crawl under a car to plant explosives
7) Fat terrorists are at risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea - things that slow them down and contribute to a shorter life span
8) Fat terrorists have to work harder to hide behind human shields
9) You can only get so many fat terrorists in a 1985 Toyota Tercel
10) It's easier to chase down a fat terrorist in the aisle of a 747
Any more? captainoutrageous answered on 10/05/06:Fat terrorists are more prone to sleep apnea, thus making them too sleepy to fly planes. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 10/03/06 - New Terror threat NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested today at JFK International
Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a
protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, the Attorney General said he believes the man
is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.
He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying
weapons of math instruction.
"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said. "They desire solutions by
means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.
They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of
the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.
captainoutrageous answered on 10/04/06:Very good. I'll have to share this with my math colleagues. | | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/02/06 - A COUPLE OF FOLY'S E-MAILS "In addition to explicit sexual language, former Congressman Mark Foley's Internet messages also include repeated efforts to get the underage recipient to rendezvous with him at night.
"I would drive a few miles for a hot stud like you," Foley said in one message obtained by ABC News.
The FBI says it has opened a "preliminary investigation" of Foley's e-mails. Federal law enforcement officials say attempts by Foley to meet in person could constitute the necessary evidence for a federal charge of "soliciting for sex" with a minor on the Internet.
In another message, Foley, using the screen name Maf54, appears to describe having been together with the teen in San Diego.
Maf54: I miss you lots since san diego.
Teen: ya I cant wait til dc
Maf54: :)
Teen: did you pick a night for dinner
Maf54: not yetbut likely Friday
Teen: okill plan for Friday then
Maf54: that will be fun
The messages also show the teen is, at times, uncomfortable with Foley's aggressive approach.
Maf54: I want to see you
Teen: Like I said not til febthen we will go to dinner
Maf54: and then what happens
Teen: we eatwe drinkwho knowshang outlate into the night
Maf54: and
Teen: I dunno
Maf54: dunno what
Teen: hmmm I have the feeling that you are fishing hereim not sure what I would be comfortable withwell see
Foley resigned Friday after ABC News questioned him about the Internet messages.
He says he has checked into a rehabilitation facility to deal with alcohol and behavioral issues."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, "The Family Values Party" covers up this vile Foley's advances to young men, this pedophile freak was on a committee to protect missing and abused children.
The whole country is watching. captainoutrageous answered on 10/02/06:oftentimes those who scream the loudest about protecting the innocent and how good and pure they themselves are, are the ones who err the most. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 09/30/06 - The Bush Boom From a NY Sun editorial :
The Dow Jones industrial average flirting with an all-time high is just one more signal of how healthy the Bush administration's tax cuts have been for the American economy. The stock market has withstood a war in Iraq, an untested new chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank who is filling the large shoes of Alan Greenspan, high oil prices, the Sarbanes-Oxley Full Employment for Accountants Act, and Eliot Spitzer's raid on the New York Stock Exchange and many of its brokerage houses. Yes, the stock market reached new highs in the Clinton years, but those valuations were unsustainable, driven partly by speculation in money-losing Internet companies. In this market, stock prices are backed by underlying earnings that is, actual profits that have been robust, driven by American ingenuity, freer global trade, and yes, the incentives unleashed by those Bush tax cuts. Experience shows that economic upturns don't last forever, but this one has been remarkably durable and long-lived, especially given the background conditions. It's something to celebrate.
.................
Larry Kudlow calls the Bush economy the greatest story NEVER told. I don't have to ask why the press isn't covering it . [They'd rather dig deep into George Allen's hereditary past ;or find unsubtantiated claims that he's a racist .Meanwhile his opponent allegedly drove through Watts with his buddies;pointing unloaded rifles at African-Americans while yelling vile names at them . ] But Bush and all the Republicans who want to win their Congressional races should be shouting it loud and often .The tax cuts worked !! Any Republican who chose to run away from Bush in this campaign is a fool. captainoutrageous answered on 10/02/06:The stock market was booming just before the crash of 1929. "From experience we know that investors may temporarily pull financial prices away from their long term trend level. Over-reactions may occur so that excessive optimism (euphoria) may drive prices unduly high or excessive pessimism may drive prices unduly low. New theoretical and empirical arguments have been put forward against the notion that financial markets are efficient." wikipedia.org
From the number of boarded up businesses and underemployed people I see daily, I question just how much an indication of our economy's health the stock market is.
| | Question/Answer | | MarySusan asked on 10/01/06 - FOLEY HITS ON HIGH SCHOOL BOY GOP COVERS UP.
"So maybe some of you are shocked by the growing scandal over the cyber-trolling by Representative Mark Foley and the fact that Representative Denny Hastert and NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds, among others, have been fully aware that this man was hitting on high school boys for the past year.
You shouldn't be.
This is, very simply, emblematic of the current state of the GOP, a once proud party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt that has devolved into an elected membership comprised of racists, criminals, self-haters and perverts. Am I exaggerating? I think not.
I'll leave the Neo-Confederates such as George Allen and the Abramoffers such as Bob Ney for another column. Let's just talk about the latter two categories. Former Representative Ed Schrock of Virginia, who sponsored anti-gay legislation in the House, was caught in 2004 making calls to a homosexual phone-sex operation. He then resigned without comment much like Foley. Hate yourself much Ed?
See Mayor Jim West of Spokane for a very similar story to the one currently bedeviling poor Mark Foley, who was still Chairing the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited children as of last week.
You want to find adultery among these miscreant moralizers? Why go no further then Pennsylvania Representative Don Sherwood, who thought it wasn't good enough to just cheat on his wife with a women in her 20s (he's in his 60s), but decided to try and choke her for extra credit. Or Representative Steve LaTourette of Ohio, who didn't only cheat on his wife of 28 years with an aide, but set her up with a nice little shop that lobbied a committee on which he sat (Transportation). The piles of money she made was helpful though, as it most likely helped pay his rent as she was living with him.
Divorce you say. Ok, well here's a math problem for you. What do you get when you add the divorces of Newt Gingrich + Rush Limbaugh + Bob Barr? A hint, you're almost in double digits.
Senate Republican Leader-to-be, Mitch McConnell, has no relationship with his first wife and daughters (he runs a helluva partisan machine in Kentucky and Washington, however). Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist? He dumped his fiancee for another woman on the eve of his marriage...."Cliff Schecter, blogging.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My favorite Republican sexualcapade is the homosexual prostitute who visited the White House over 600 times, was it. He also sat in on White House briefings getting in with a press pass.
Sounds like a Rove "pimp" on the press corps!
I wonder who needed a homosexual prostitute? captainoutrageous answered on 10/02/06:Sounds like many of these individuals need major overhauls of the scruples. Meanwhile, the voters need to get these sickos out of power. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 10/01/06 - Did the US stir up a hornets nest? Jihadists 'ready to go'
By Emma-Kate Symons in Manila
October 02, 2006 12:46am
Article from: The Australian
A NETWORK of homegrown converts to radical Islam has emerged as a major terrorist threat in South-East Asia, teaming up with higher-profile al-Qaeda offshoots Jemaah Islamiah and Abu Sayyaf to plot attacks on Western and local targets.
Manila's top anti-terrorism official has told The Australian that the group of former Christians known as Rajah Solaiman is highly educated and well-financed and lacked the profile of traditional Islamist terrorist groups, making it easier to evade detection.
His warning came as Indonesian and Australian mourners remembered the 20 people killed in JI's last major terror attacks, at Jimbaran Bay and Kuta in Bali a year ago yesterday.
Terrorist experts believe that while JI has suffered some significant setbacks in the past 12 months, its alliance with southern Philippines groups such as Rajah Solaiman mean it is still a potent force.
The Australian understands that Canberra is closely monitoring the pursuit of Rajah Solaiman, which shares JI's goal of a pan-Islamic state in Asia.
Rajah Solaiman has direct links to al-Qaeda's leadership and to JI's 2002 Bali bombers Umar Patek, who was killed last month, and Dulmatin, who is still on the run in the war-torn southern Philippines.
Philippines defence undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said Rajah Solaiman was hiding out in the country's impenetrable south, conducting joint training exercises and plotting terror attacks with its JI and Abu Sayyaf allies.
Mr Blancaflor said Rajah Solaiman was a "classic case of homegrown terrorism" that could be compared to Australia's problems with small extremist groups of Lebanese Muslim migrants.
"These homegrown terrorists are messengers of hate - hate of the West and of Christianity," he said.
"We have to understand that terrorism today goes way beyond al-Qa'ida, it has no boundaries and no geographical limits."
He called on Australia to support a UN blacklist of the new force, which is understood to have carried out JI's orders in executing the 2004 Philippines SuperFerry bombing that killed 116 people - the second-worst terrorist attack in South-East Asia after the 2002 Bali bombs.
Rajah Solaiman's name is taken from a 16th-century Filipino king, a Muslim, who was the last of the homegrown monarchs before the Spanish conquest. Australian authorities believe it poses a significant threat not only to Philippine interests, but also to Western interests abroad, including Australia's - from foreign embassies to shopping malls, passenger ferries and nightclubs popular with Western tourists.
Rajah Solaiman leader Ahmed Santos, captured late last year in Mindanao, even sheltered Patek and Dulmatin at his family farm in the southern Philippines, where JI, Rajah Solaiman and Abu Sayyaf operatives established a joint training camp, where bomb-making was taught.
Santos converted to Islam in the 1990s via the Islamic Studies Call and Guidance, a group linked by US intelligence to Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law Mohammed Jamal Khalifa.
Dulmatin and Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafy Janjalani and members of Rajah Solaiman have managed to evade capture despite the sustained US-backed Philippines military offensive in Mindanao and the Sulus. This has been under way since August 1, and has led to the deaths of at least 15 Philippines soldiers and dozens of militants.
The US has offered a $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin, the Malaysian explosives expert who is believed to have planned the 2002 Kuta attacks.
Last month, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US, a leaked Philippines intelligence report said two Rajah Solaiman explosives experts had arrived in Manila.
This followed arrests of three Muslim converts in May, suspected of planning to bomb malls and foreign embassies in Manila.
The Philippines military has been attacking southern rebels since August 1, with the support of the US, in an operation that has resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen Filipino soldiers and perhaps dozens of rebels.
"One of our aims is to make the southern Philippines as inhospitable for these guys as possible. So we have them on the run," Mr Blancaflor said. "And if we have them on the run we are going to catch them sooner or later."
He also called on Canberra and Manila to go further with a military pact currently before the Philippines Senate, which would see Australian troops conducting training exercises in the country's south.
"The agreement needs to go beyond the military," Mr Blancaflor said. "The defence agreement is the usual stuff - guns, boats and armaments. But the agreement should also have non-military stuff - like desktop computers and communications equipment.
In Jakarta, a former senior JI member warned that more attacks by terror leader Noordin Top could not be ruled out, as police admitted they still had no idea where Indonesia's most wanted man was hiding.
Nasir Abas, a Malaysian whose sister Farida is married to death-row Bali bomber Ali Ghufron, warned that while Top's ability to conduct large attacks had been diminished as the police net around him tightened, he remained in control of an unknown number of small cells that could still launch effective strikes.
"Noordin's potential to conduct a major bombing is quite small, since Azahari's gone, as has Jabir, so that the number of people he could use (in an operation) is diminished," Mr Abas said.
"However I would also point out that his intention is to murder people - and that doesn't have to be a big operation. His ability has been reduced but his desire to kill has never diminished."
Mr Abas has been a key source of information on JI since his defection from the organisation after being arrested in 2003.
Mr Abas cast some doubt on a recent leaked US intelligence report suggesting JI was acquiring the ability to spread further across the archipelago and possibly launch attacks against US allies including Australia.
"Well, that's according to them," Mr Abas said, pointing out that the active terror elements in JI were now more focused on small cells operating independently of each other under Top's direction. "Just as with the second Bali bombing, they continue to be directly organised by Noordin," he said. "He is the big boss, with (Abu Bakar) Bashir continuing to be revered as a leader of the movement."
These cells, if they are indeed planning attacks, are doing so under the radar of national and international intelligence agencies, who admit they have no indication there is a strike being planned for the current so-called "bombing season".
However, it was precisely one such cell, answering directly to Noordin, that carried out the triple suicide bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran exactly a year ago, much to the surprise of those whose job it was to anticipate such things. captainoutrageous answered on 10/02/06:And they keep growing . . . and growing . . . and growing . . . | | Question/Answer | | Judgment_Day asked on 10/01/06 - Just a notice..... Now, these are the senators who voted to give illegal aliens Social Security benefits. Regardless of political party, these politicians need to be defeated in 2006, 2008 or 2010, whenever they come up for office. They are grouped by
home state. If a state is not listed, there was no voting representative.
Alaska: Stevens (R)
Arizona: McCain (R)
Arkansas: Lincoln (D) Pryor (D)
California: Boxer (D) Feinstein (D)
Colorado: Salazar (D)
Connecticut: Dodd (D) Lieberman (D)
Delaware: Biden (D) Carper (D)
Florida: Martinez (R)
Hawaii: Akaka (D) Inouye (D)
Illinois: Durbin (D) Obama (D)
Indiana: Bayh (D) Lugar (R)
Iowa: Harkin (D)
Kansas: Brownback (R)
Louisiana: Landrieu (D)
Maryland: Mikulski (D) Sarbanes (D)
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D) Kerry (D)
Montana: Baucus (D)
Nebraska: Hagel (R)
Nevada: Reid (D)
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D) Menendez (D)
New Mexico: Bingaman (D)
New York: Clinton (D) Schumer (D)
North Dakota: Dorgan (D)
Ohio: DeWine (R) Voinovich(R)
Oregon: Wyden (D)
Pennsylvania: Specter (R)
Rhode Island: Chafee (R) Reed (D)
South Carolina: Graham (R)
South Dakota: Johnson (D)
Vermont: Jeffords (I) Leahy (D)
Washington: Cantwell (D) Murray(D)
West Virginia: Rockefeller (D), by Not Voting
Wisconsin: Feingold (D) Kohl (D)
captainoutrageous answered on 10/02/06:Very interesting information of which I was unaware in many cases. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 09/29/06 - Yesterday WORSE than 9/11
Hello:
I always thought our rights were what made us different. And, WE are different (to those of us who see America as a beacon of light). To those of you who see us as no different than the rest of the world (and that's YOU Republicans), you're wrong.
I just don't understand. If you see Johnny hit Bill, and you say so at trial, then Johnny will be convicted. If you didn't see Johnny hit Bill (and nobody else did either), then Johnny won't be convicted.
The above has nothing to do with rights. It has everything to do with proof.
You wrongwingers think, that if you don't have enough proof, then instead of getting some, you think taking away rights will do the same thing.
It won't. As a matter of fact, it's going to be the downfall of America.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 09/29/06:Yes, America is still the best place to be. BUT, we need to be ever vigilant in guarding our liberties against the encroachment of megalomanics. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 09/29/06 - 2nd try - Newsweek cover for all but the U.S. (Sorry - had forgotten to remove the quote marks in the tagging)
Newsweek Cover Stories
captainoutrageous answered on 09/29/06:The extremist Muslims are like roaches, the more you kill the more there are. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/26/06 - I'm just quaking in my boots So an Islamist shouts and we are all supposed to be afraid, well I not afraid, I say why waste the expense of bringing him here just get the job done now. Out of his own words he has condemned himself?
Shooting suspect warns Australia over extradition
Sarah Smiles, and Ed O'Loughlin in Beirut
September 26, 2006
AN AL-QAEDA supporter about to be extradited from Lebanon has warned that Australia "will suffer" if he is deported.
Speaking from a jail in Beirut, Saleh Jamal, who professes admiration for Osama bin Laden, said Australia was an illegitimate state that should be ruled by Muslims. He is wanted in NSW after Lakemba police station was shot up in 1998.
NSW police officers had been preparing to collect him from Beirut - where he had served a jail sentence for a terrorism-related offence - in July when Israeli military aircraft bombed Beirut's international airport.
With the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict over and the airport open, NSW police say they will go ahead with the extradition.
It is understood Jamal will be handed to Australian police at the prison where he is held and taken to the airport. He will be put on a flight to Dubai, from where he will be flown to Australia.
The Lebanese prosecutor's office said that "in principle" he would be deported within 10 days, once Australian security officials arrived to collect him from Roumieh prison, near Beirut.
Other Lebanese security sources said Jamal could be extradited as soon as today.
Interviewed in prison this month, Jamal railed against the Australian Government and said the country would "suffer the consequences" if he was extradited. "I wouldn't mind going back to Australia. They're the ones that will suffer the consequences, not me."
But he conceded: "I've got 125 years probably waiting for me."
Surrounded by six armed guards, Jamal expressed bitterness that he had been left behind in jail during the war.
"I heard on the news that 25,000 Australians [in Lebanon] were contacted to be evacuated. They never came to see me. At least they could have asked if I needed a bullet-proof jacket."
Jamal, from Sydney, fled from Australia to Lebanon on a false passport in early 2004, while awaiting trial over the Lakemba police station shooting. He was arrested in Beirut soon after, and was convicted in Beirut's Military Court of planning subversive attacks against the state.
Beirut's Supreme Military Court cut his sentence in April but the authorities kept him detained at Australia's request, a Lebanese military court official said. There is no extradition treaty between Lebanon and Australia, but a spokeswoman for NSW police said it had received "formal written advice" from Lebanese authorities approving his extradition.
Lebanese authorities accused Jamal of being linked to a bombing in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2004. He was also recorded as having visited the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian camp in south Lebanon, a stronghold of Sunni Muslim extremists.
The Jordanian-born Jamal denied any involvement in the Damascus bombing and said he visited Ain el-Helweh to get forged Palestinian refugee travel documents so that he could escape to Europe. He denied involvement in the Lakemba attack.
captainoutrageous answered on 09/26/06:Just another waste of taxpayer money. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 09/25/06 - Enjoy tonight's football game ..... after all ......you paid for it . yup ,It cost $185 million to restore the infamous SuperDome .According to USA Today ,the NFL kicked in a whole $15 million for the project . The N.O. Saints and Tulane U. ;the principle users of the facility contibuted zippo.
The remaining $170 million was from the public-assistance program from FEMA on insurance disasters to cover state property.
But what a bang for the buck we got !!! Besides restoring it to it's original form these enhanced features were added :
For about $42 million ,you get :
A New Scoreboard system
Two larger (41% bigger) video boards (27 by 48 feet) in the end zones, with high definition quality.
Four LED ribbon boards, or video halo boards (3 feet, 6 inches by 193 feet).
Four color scoreboards (8 feet by 44 feet) replace a black-and-white system. Located in four corners in the 400 level.
Concessions
All 38 concession stands and three kitchens modernized with stainless steel.
80% will be open for the first game.
Stadium seats
8,000 club-level seats and 4,000 box suite seats replaced with leatherette seats.
Future renovations (September 2006-August 2007)
Four club lounges, each 19,000 square feet (in design) in each of the four corners.
137 suites remodeled and refurbished.
All paid for by the vast majority of the US citizenry who do not reside in the State of Lousiana or the City of New Orleans ;most of whom will never go to a Saints game or could care less where the Saints play .The primary beneficiaries are the teams that profit from the use of the stadium.
Proof positive that Public Choice works ! Like most 'ear-mark' programs ,this picks the pockets of the many for the special interest of the few . Examples like this should be shouted out whenever a rational is given to the concept of less taxation ,less spending and smaller goverment.
captainoutrageous answered on 09/26/06:It just goes to show you where the priorities of our society lie. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 09/25/06 - I am probably stepping over the PC line here... but this is too good to pass up.
The Hebrew word for "monkey" is "kof".
The Hebrew word for "cloud" is "anan"
Does that make Kofi Anan "The Monkey of the Clouds"?
Hey, I didn't make up the language. Don't shoot the messenger.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 09/26/06:Probably not. You can find words in one language that if spoken in another would cause great offense. The word for "choir" in Russian is pronounced "whore." | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 09/23/06 - AMAZING:
* "A huge network of military tunnels has been discovered
in China. The network is the biggest found so far in China,
covering 300 square kilometres. The tunnels were
discovered in Hebei province 100 kilometers south of
Beijing. They consist of passageways linking large halls
capable of sheltering groups of warriors. (China Daily)
* Sahara, Africa: No less than 230 visible tunnels at least
ten feet high and twelve feet wide, have been discovered
between Sebha, the modern capital of the Fezzon, and the
oasis of Ghat on the Algerian border. They run an average
length of three miles a total of 700 miles not counting
those that are unknown. In places they run less than 20 feet
apart.
Considering the 100,000 graves found in the wadi, the
region must have been populous, which presupposes an
adequate and regular rainfall in the Sahara when the
tunnels were built several millennia ago.(James Welland,
Lost Worlds in Africa, Book 3)"
Source: archaeologyanswers.com
I wonder what's 'under the sands' of Iraq and Iran.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 09/24/06:When you consider that they were one of the cradles of civilization, I am sure there are plenty of undiscovered secrets beneath their sands. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/24/06 - After Afganistan there was Iraq, and now there is Lebanon? Have you aksed yourself why it is these tinpot little islamic states give rise to terrorist movements and ultimastely to direct confrontation with the world?
I think I can tell you, it's called the United Nations which allows itself to be dictated to
Half a million rally in support of Hezbollah
September 24, 2006
HEZBOLLAH leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah rejected international calls to disarm his Lebanese guerillas and told 500,000 supporters at a "victory" rally they still had more than 20,000 rockets after a month of war with Israel.
Speaking to a sea of followers at a "divine victory" rally in south Beirut on Friday, Nasrallah said Hezbollah had emerged stronger from a conflict in which Israel declared it had destroyed most of the Shiite Muslim group's arsenal.
In his first public appearance since the war broke out in July, Nasrallah told hundreds of thousands of cheering supporters that Hezbollah had "more than 20,000 rockets" and that it had "recovered all its organisational and military capabilities . . . it is stronger than it was before July 12".
Nasrallah's estimate of Hezbollah's retained arsenal is five times greater than the total number it fired into Israel during the war, and higher than any previous figure he has given.
He also warned the United Nations peacekeepers not to seek confrontation with Hezbollah.
"Your mission is not to spy on Hezbollah or to disarm the resistance," he told a crowd packed into the Shiite Muslim suburbs which were heavily bombed in the 34-day war.
He said measures to stop Hezbollah rearming, including international forces patrolling the Lebanese coast and tighter security on the border with Lebanon, would have little impact.
The huge turnout in a country of 4 million was a gesture of defiance to Israel but also marked a challenge to the US-backed Lebanese Government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Nasrallah called for a change of government in Lebanon and slammed Arab leaders for failing to defend the Lebanese people.
"The building of an able, just and strong state starts first with the establishment of a national unity government. This is our new project that we will work for with all our force in the coming stage."
The rally had been expected to coincide with the final withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south, but Israel's army chief said on Wednesday the pullout might take a few more days.
Israeli forces have been gradually leaving territory they captured in fighting that began after Hezbollah guerillas seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.
Israel and Hezbollah have both declared themselves victors in the war which killed nearly 1200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
Thousands had walked to the rally from Shiite villages in south Lebanon battered by Israel's bombardment and invasion.
The Beirut crowds carried pictures of Nasrallah and yellow Hezbollah flags bearing the message "Here we are Nasrallah".
Many wore yellow T-shirts and chanted pro-Hezbollah slogans. Some said they were there not only to celebrate but also simply to see the charismatic Nasrallah.
Associated Press captainoutrageous answered on 09/24/06:Yet another example of the current impotence of the UN. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 09/24/06 - Terrorisim....
Hello again, wrongwingers:
Our intelligence services say the war in Iraq is causing terrorisim to SPREAD, instead of DECLINE!
What's up with that? Don't those guys watch FOX news?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 09/24/06:I wouldn't doubt it. Our presence in the Middle East has certainly inspired increased animosity among those who see us as the "evil empire." | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/21/06 - Well that's alright then Let's all bow down before the great Sir Richard. (I think I'll just go over to the corner and eat worms)
Branson urges Australia to sign Kyoto
September 22, 2006 - 8:29AM
British Businessman Sir Richard Branson says he will pressure the Australian government to sign the Kyoto agreement.
Sir Richard's Virgin Group has made a 10-year, $US3 billion ($A3.9 billion) commitment to renewable energy initiatives.
In an announcement in New York, Sir Richard committed Virgin to a green future, pledging that future dividends and proceeds from the sale of assets, including shares from Virgin's airline and train operations, would be invested in renewable energy initiatives.
These initiatives would be within Virgin's business and also involve further investments in new biofuel research and development production, distribution and other projects to tackle emissions related to global warming.
The tycoon told ABC radio the Australian government was dragging the chain on global warming.
He said he would move to make sure that next time around Australia would "get its act together" and sign the environmental agreement.
"The world has a very serious problem - it's ill and it's going to get iller unless we do something radical," Sir Richard said.
"I have got children and one day they will have grandchildren and I want to make sure the grow up in a similar world to the world that my parents and grandparents bequeathed myself and the rest of us."
Sir Richard said the Virgin group was effectively taking on the oil and coal companies though this pledge.
"We need everybody to join in to do their bit to tackle global warming," he said.
"People can do it at their homes by turning off their airconditioning units, they can try to get smaller cars, they can try to get hybrid cars they can try to persuade their local petrol station to supply ethanol ... there's so much that the individual can do, if we can get a global movement going then I think we can reverse this problem.
"What we have effectively got is a fire burning around the world which is getting stronger and stronger every year, and we have go to put that fire out," he said.
Sir Richard said he would make sure not a penny of the money was wasted.
"I think if you happen to be lucky enough in your lifetime to become a successful entrepreneur, extreme wealth goes with it and therefore extreme responsibility goes with it," he said.
"Capitalism has it's faults and one of it's faults is that a lot of wealth ends up in the hands of very few people, and those people have the responsibility to use that wealth constructively and for the benefit of society."
2006 AAP
Somehow I don't think Richard gets out of his air conditioned office at 30,000 feet very often or perhaps he has used his rocket plane to take up a commanding position in geostationary orbit above the Earth from which lofty eminence he pulls the strings of his puppets here on Earth. Don't you just love meglomaniacs? captainoutrageous answered on 09/22/06:Noblesse oblige? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/21/06 - Diplomacy, the american way or? Pakistan: U.S. threatened to bomb us back to Stone Age
POSTED: 7:44 p.m. EDT, September 21, 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan says the United States threatened to bomb his country back to the Stone Age after the 9/11 attacks if he did not help America's war on terror.
Musharraf says the threat was delivered by Richard Armitage, then the deputy secretary of state, to Musharraf's intelligence director, the Pakistani leader told CBS-TV's Minutes."
"The intelligence director told me that (Armitage) said, 'Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age,' " Musharraf said in the interview to be shown Sunday on the CBS television network.
It was insulting, Musharraf said. "I think it was a very rude remark," he told reporter Steve Kroft.
But, Musharraf said he reacted responsibly. "One has to think and take actions in the interests of the nation and that is what I did," he said.
The White House and State Department declined to comment on the conversation.
Armitage told CNN on Thursday that he never threatened to bomb Pakistan, wouldn't say such a thing and didn't have the authority to do it. Armitage said he did have a tough message for Pakistan, saying the Muslim nation was either "with us or against us," according to CNN. Armitage said he didn't know how his message was recounted so differently to Musharraf.
In a speech in January 2002, four months after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Musharraf gave a speech in which he clearly came down on the side of reform at home and opposition to Islamic fundamentalism.
Pakistan to this day is considered an ally of the United States in the struggle with militant groups. Sometimes, however, Pakistan appears reluctant to go after the Taliban, which controlled neighboring Afghanistan until 2001 and has intensified its insurgency in the southern part of the country in recent months.
Musharraf is scheduled to meet on Friday at the White House with President Bush and then see Bush again next week in a three-way meeting with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.
Musharraf told Minutes" that Armitage's message was delivered with demands that he turn over Pakistan's border posts and bases for the U.S. military to use in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some demands were "ludicrous," such as a demand he suppress domestic expression of support for terrorism against the United States.
"If somebody is expressing views, we cannot curb the expression of views," Musharraf said.
captainoutrageous answered on 09/22/06:Is this an example of "Speak softly and carry a big bomb?" | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 09/20/06 - Truth, Justice... and the comics. From Malard Filmore over the past two days:
9/19/06
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And 9/20/06
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Can you think of anything more funny than the truth? These two cartoons capture the essence of the two greatest problems in international relations today.
Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 09/20/06:Love 'em. Thanks for sharing them with us. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/18/06 - Yeh like that's likely? Having shown it's true colours, Islam is on a collision course with the west
vow to 'conquer Rome' in Pope backlash
From correspondents in Basra, Iraq
September 19, 2006 03:25am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
POPE Benedict XVI's apology for remarks seen as critical of Islam failed to quell anger in the Muslim world overnight as Iraqis burned him in effigy and al-Qaeda in Iraq vowed to "smash the cross".
Despite appeals for calm from Islamic and Western leaders, protests were held from Indonesia to Iraq over the Pope's citing of a medieval text last week that criticised some teachings of the Prophet Mohammed as evil and inhuman.
The leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics yesterday said he was deeply sorry for the offence caused by his remarks and the Vatican launched a diplomatic offensive to explain to Muslim countries his position on Islam.
A handful of Muslim groups welcomed the 79-year-old Pope's apology but it failed to stem the tide of anger in many Muslim nations.
Mohammed Habib of Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood said they considered the apology a retraction of the Pope's statement, but some Egyptian lawmakers demanded diplomatic ties with the Vatican be suspended.
The powerful All India Muslim Personal Law Board based in the northern city of Lucknow called for an end to protests against the Vatican but demonstrations were held elsewhere.
In Jakarta, some 100 hardliners rallied outside the Holy See's mission in the Indonesian capital, waving a banner depicting the Vatican as an axis of Satan.
Some 150 protesters from a youth party marched through the Pakistani Kashmiri capital Muzaffarabad chanting Death to Pope and burned him in effigy.
The Pope was also burned in effigy in this southern Iraqi port city where hundreds of Iraqis staged a demonstration today and called for an apology.
The 500 protesters, followers of Ayatollah Mahmud al-Hassani, a mystical Shiite Muslim cleric, also burned German and American flags and called for the Pope to be tried in an international court.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq warned in an internet statement it would wage jihad, or holy war, until the West is defeated.
We say to the servant of the cross (the Pope): wait for defeat. We say to infidels and tyrants: wait for what will afflict you. We continue our jihad, said the statement attributed to the Mujahideen consultative council.
We will smash the cross, it added, and conquer Rome. captainoutrageous answered on 09/19/06:Current logic "Let's prove how kind and peaceful we are by blowing the @#$ out of the Roman Catholics." | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 09/19/06 - The Religion of Peace I have a few questions about the Islam, the so-called "religion of peace".
The Muslim world has been protesting for the past few days over the comments made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding Islam being a nation founded on violence. These protests have been extremely violent, and have resulted in a number of deaths, including the murders of Christians, destruction of churches, threats of global war and assassination of the Pope, burning of embassies, etc.
My questions are:
1) Doesn't this violent style of protest prove the Popes point about Islam being a violent religion?
2) I have heard several people say that violence and terrorism doesn't really represent all Muslims, and that nothing could ever represent all of Islam because there are so many differing oppinions within Islam. Yet, it has become clear to me that Islam shows great unity in its protests of the Pope. Whether the protests are violent or not, the Muslim world is pretty well united in condemning the Pope's remarks. So why are they unable to create the same unity to condemn terrorism?
3) Why is it that even when a few Muslim groups condemn violence, they do so with half-hearted condemnations, excuses, and with blame for others for causing the violence? Why can't they just issue a blanket condemnation of violence as a method of promoting Islam, without any caveats, excuses or blame? Something simple and straightforward like "We condemn violence by Muslims against anyone." No blaming America or Israel for the anger on the Muslim street that causes the terrorism. No excuses that they were offended by some offhand remark or ation. Just a blanket condemnation of violence by Muslims against anyone, no matter who.
4) In Israel, there is a strong and active "peace-now" movement. In the USA, the peace movement is quite vocal (perhaps too vocal). Australia's peace movement has been very active over the past several years. Europe seems to be made up of nothing but the peace movement. The UK opposition political parties seem to be part of the peace movement. But where is the Muslim peace movement? Why are Islamic countries the only ones that don't have an active peace movement agitating for world peace? Why is the so-called "religion of peace" so lacking in peace activists and peace-protestors? If violence is not supported by the majority of Muslims and doesn't represent the beliefs of the majority of Muslims, why aren't the majority of Muslims protesting in the streets (peacefully) against the terrorists and the rioters? Should we take their silence as tacit support of the violence, disinterest in the issues, or simply fear of reprecussions? And if it is fear of reprecussions, doesn't that mean that Islam has been hijacked by the jihadists, and really is no longer a religion of peace, but of violence and fear?
These are just a few questions based on my observations of the "religion of peace".
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 09/19/06:First off, the Pope's words were apparently misinterpreted. Secondly, if the Muslims wish to prove wrong what they "think he said," they certainly will not do so by killing nuns and others of the Christian faith. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 09/18/06 - This must be driving the Mahdi-Hatter nuts . Anousheh Ansari was born 9/12/1966 Ansari witnessed the Iranian Revolution in 1979 as a young teenager. She emigrated to the United States in 1984 with her parents . She received her Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science at George Mason University and her master's degree at George Washington University.
Ansari began work at MCI after graduation, where she met her husband, Hamid Ansari. In 1993, she persuaded her husband and her brother-in-law Amir Ansari to co-found Telecom Technologies, Inc. using their savings just as a wave of deregulation hit the telecom industry. The company was acquired by Sonus Networks, Inc. in 2000. Ansari was listed in Fortune magazine's ൰ under 40" list in 2001 and honored by Working Woman magazine as the winner of the 2000 National Entrepreneurial Excellence award.
Prodea, the new Ansari business has announced the formation of a partnership with Space Adventures, Ltd. and the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (FSA) to create a fleet of suborbital spaceflight vehicles (the Space Adventures Explorer) for global commercial use. Ansari is a member of the X Prize Foundations Vision Circle, as well as its Board of Trustees .
Ansari was in training as a backup for Daisuke Enomoto, a Japanese businessman for a Soyuz flight to the International Space Station. In August he was medically disqualified from flying the mission . Ansari was elevated to the prime crew.
Today she and the crew of the Soyez lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan .She became the first female space tourist, as well as the first female Muslim and the first Iranian in space. She has agreed to take part in several experiments for the European Space Agency ESA,even though she is technically only a space tourist .She will speak to students back on Earth. She has said that she hopes her trip will inspire Iranian girls to study science.
Ansari intended to wear the U.S. flag and the version of the Iranian flag that predated the 1979 Islamic Revolution, to honor the two countries that have contributed to her life But At the insistence of the Russian and U.S. governments, she is not wearing the Iranian flag.(she has told reporters that she will keep he flag stowed away in her gear). She was also asked, by Russian and US governments, not to make any political statements while on board the ISS. But her presence on the trip is statement enough .
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captainoutrageous answered on 09/19/06:You go girl! | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/13/06 - Lot's of talk, now action! Speak English 'or go home'
By Mark Dunn
September 14, 2006 01:00am
Article from: Herald-Sun
ALL new Australian citizens would have to pass English tests under a plan to be announced soon by the Howard Government within weeks.
Thousands of migrants are refusing to take part in taxpayer-funded English courses each year and those applying for citizenship only need to show they understand the questions they are asked for citizenship to be granted.
A decision on mandatory English tests for citizenship is to be announced soon by Andrew Robb, parliamentary secretary for immigration and multicultural affairs.
"If these people want to reside here and take citizenship, they should have a functional grasp of English, that is why I have been canvassing the idea of a compulsory citizenship test with an English test component," Mr Robb told the Herald Sun.
All new non-English speaking migrants would also be encouraged to have English lessons to help them integrate into Australian society.
"We already have a compulsory test for skilled migrants - this year nearly 100,000 skilled workers, around 70 per cent of all migrants - were required to sit such a test," Mr Robb said.
"For refugees and the families of skilled migrants, they have an entitlement to English lessons if they haven't got functional English."
Although optional for non-skilled arrivals who speak little or no English, as few as 62 per cent of those turn up for study.
Senior ministers, including Alexander Downer, have expressed support for making English skills essential for migrants.
The push comes after Prime Minister John Howard called on all Muslims to learn and speak English and make stronger attempts to integrate into Australian society.
"Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it," he said.
Mr Downer has also pressed for migrants to learn English.
"All migrants should speak English. If you come to Australia as a migrant and you can't speak English then you're going to be enormously disadvantaged," the Foreign Affairs Minister said.
"Migrants who come here and aren't able to learn the language are going to end up becoming alienated from the mainstream of society."
The number of migrants entering the English courses rose last year from 34,000 to 36,000. captainoutrageous answered on 09/15/06:Now, when are we going to push for a similar policy in the US? | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 09/14/06 - Tony Blair Going Out fighting If anyone thought that Tony Blair was going to quitely fade into the sunset ;his "poodle"tail tucked between his legs ,they are very much mistaken . Yesterday he hammered European Politicians and their "mad anti-Americanism" nonsense.
Blair said the world urgently needs the United States to help tackle the globe's most pressing problems.
"The danger is if they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved," Blair said, spelling out his political vision in a pamphlet published by The Foreign Policy Center think-tank.
"The strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in,"
This echoes the sentiment in a speech Blair made to the Aussie Parliment in March .
I love this guy ! He will surely be missed when he leaves office.
captainoutrageous answered on 09/15/06:He has hit the nail on the head. Everyone thinks we are a bunch of arrogant jerks until they find themselves in hot water and want us to bail them out. | | Question/Answer | | Mathatmacoat asked on 09/11/06 - hey, where is everybody? where have you all gone, are you all hiding in case he does it again? captainoutrageous answered on 09/11/06:I've been out of town for the past 5 days and have not had access to a computer (nor the time to use it if I did). | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 09/05/06 - Sailboats
Hello:
I bought a pool table for my boat. However, my balls dont stay still. How do I keep my balls from moving about?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 09/05/06:A steel cup perhaps? Or did I take this wrong? | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 09/03/06 - War's Converge!!!
Hello experts:
Afghanistans opium harvest this year has reached the highest levels ever recorded. The drug war and the war in Afghanistan have merged, and we're losing them both........
No???
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 09/03/06:It's not "stay the course," it's par for the course. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 09/03/06 - Convert, or else Sat Sep 2, 2006 9:06 PM BST
By Heba Kandil
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda called on U.S. President George W. Bush and non-Muslims especially in the United States to convert to Islam and abandon their 'misguided' ways or else suffer the consequences, according to a video posted on a Web site on Saturday.
The speaker was identified as Azzam the American, also known as Adam Yahiye Gadahn -- an Islamic convert from California wanted for questioning by the FBI and who U.S. authorities believe to be involved in a "propaganda" campaign for al Qaeda.
"If the Zionist crusader missionaries of hate and counter-Islam consultants like ... the crusader and chief George W. Bush were to abandon their unbelief and repent and enter into the light of Islam and turn their swords against the enemies of God, it would be accepted of them and they would be our brothers in Islam," Gadahn said in English.
"To Americans and the rest of Christendom we say, either repent (your) misguided ways and enter into the light of truth or keep your poison to yourself and suffer the consequences in this world and the next."
Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri made a brief statement at the start of the tape urging viewers to listen carefully to the message, entitled: "An Invitation to Islam".
"Our brother Azzam the American is speaking to you out of pity for the fate that awaits (unbelievers) and as someone who wants to lift his people out of darkness and into the light," Zawahri said.
Zawahri, like Osama bin Laden and other leaders of al Qaeda -- the group that masterminded the September 11 attacks on the United States -- is thought to be hiding in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Zawahri and Gadahn appeared to be speaking from different places, as Zawahri spoke in front of a black background.
The tape was dated September 2006 and appeared to have been recorded recently as Gadahn referred to Israel's war on Lebanon.
Gadahn appeared in the video dressed in a white turban and seated in front of a computer and books.
"But whatever you do don't attempt to spread your misery and misguidance to our lands," he said. The video carried Arabic subtitles of his English message.
FAITH AND JIHAD
Gadahn recited verses from the Muslim holy book the Koran in Arabic, then translated them into English and said Muslims needed to boost their faith to expel their countries' rulers.
"Muslims don't need democracy to rid themselves of their home grown despots and tyrants. What they do need is their Islamic faith, the sprit of jihad and the lifting of foreign troops and interference from their necks," he said, adding that God did not recognise a separation of religion and state.
"Those who think that democracy is synonymous with freedom are either people who haven't experienced life in America or Americans who haven't lived abroad."
Zawahri last appeared in a video in August in which he said that some leaders of Egypt's Gama'a Islamiya have joined al Qaeda. Gama'a Islamiya later denied his statement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He aslo reportedly said "Decide today, because today could be your last day."
Can anyone say "I told you so"? I can... captainoutrageous answered on 09/03/06:Ah, the one true way. Now where have we heard that before? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/02/06 - The CIVIL WAR that's not a civil war. and who do we have to thank for this, why none other than that erstwhile friend of the Saudi oil Sheiks, George W Bush?
Iraq on the brink: Pentagon
From correspondents in Washington
September 02, 2006 10:47am
Article from: Reuters
THE conflict in Iraq has all the makings of a civil war, which can nonetheless be avoided, according to a Pentagon report released overnight.
Violence between minority Sunnis, who controlled Iraq under former President Saddam Hussein, and the majority Shi'ites, who are asserting themselves after decades of oppression, now defines the conflict, it stated.
Sectarian violence is spreading north, outside of Baghdad into Diyala province and oil-rich Kirkuk, it said. Death squads, sometimes with "rogue elements" of US-trained Iraqi security forces, are heavily responsible for the sectarian violence, including execution-style killings, it said.
And some ordinary Iraqis now look to illegal militias to provide for their safety and sometimes for social needs and welfare, undermining Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, it said.
The 63-page report said the Sunni Arab insurgency remained "potent and viable," although its visibility has been overshadowed by the increasing sectarian violence.
The release of this fifth in a series of quarterly Pentagon assessments comes as President George W. Bush strives to bolster sagging US public support two months before US congressional elections while Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney assail war critics.
"Conditions that could lead to civil war exist in Iraq," the report stated.
"Nevertheless, the current violence is not a civil war, and movement toward a civil war can be prevented," it added. It called the security environment the most complex since the March 2003 US-led invasion.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the report showed speeches by Mr Bush, Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld "are increasingly disconnected from the facts on the ground in Iraq. Even the Pentagon acknowledges Iraq is tipping into civil war."
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy said the report "reaffirms what the American people already understand: the conditions of civil war exist, violence in Iraq is spiralling out of control and staying the course is not a viable option."
Since the last report in May, the core conflict in Iraq has changed into a struggle between Sunni and Shi'ite extremists vying to control key areas in Baghdad, protect sectarian enclaves, divert economic resources and impose their own political and religious agendas, the report stated.
Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, said, "The last quarter, as you know, has been rough, and the levels of violence are up. And the sectarian quality of the violence is particularly acute and disturbing."
The United States has boosted its Iraq force to 140,000, the most since January, with the 15,000 troops in Baghdad trying to halt the slide into all-out civil war.
Asked if Iraq already was in a low-grade civil war, Rear Adm. William Sullivan, a senior strategic planner for the military's Joint Staff, said, "It's hard to say," adding there is no "universally accepted definition" for civil war.
What I would really like to know is, IF! in the opinion of the Pentagon, a civil war can be avoided, when are they going to take action to avoid it? Ah, democracy don't you just love it, it enables someone to start a fire and then stand by and watch it become a firestorm, all the time saying this isn't happening, and it could have been avoided. Yes, George and Donald, it could have. Please don't play with matches children
captainoutrageous answered on 09/02/06:I agree, if all-out civil war can be avoided, isn't it time they take steps to do so? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 09/02/06 - The war on DRUGS? what I woud like to know in these days of increasing drig addiction, what happened to the war on drugs? George Bush has turned into the best thing that happen to the war on drugs
Afghan opium cultivation 'out of control'
September 2, 2006 - 7:28PM
Poppy cultivation will soar to a record level in Afghanistan this year and will yield 92 per cent of the world's supply of opium, the raw material for heroin, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODOC) said on Saturday.
Much of the sharp rise has occurred in southern provinces hit by a growing Taliban insurgency against the Western-backed government, jarring a US counter-narcotics program to wipe out opium in the country.
A report by the Vienna-based UNODOC said poppy cultivation would jump 59 per cent in 2006 and was expected to bring a harvest of 6100 tonnes of opium. That was good for 92 per cent of the world supply and exceeds global consumption by 30 per cent, it said.
In Helmand province, where Taliban militants have escalated attacks on Afghan and international forces, the area under poppy cultivation has risen by 162 per cent since 2005, the report said.
"These are very alarming numbers. Afghanistan is increasingly hooked on its own drug," UNODOC chief Antonio Maria Costa said after presenting the report to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the capital Kabul.
Costa said southern Afghanistan was showing the symptoms of collapse with widescale drug cultivation and trafficking, insurgency and terrorism, crime and corruption.
In other provinces, particularly in the northeast, opium production increases were driven mainly by weak governance, poverty and the sway of warlords, he said.
Only six of 34 Afghan provinces were now opium-free. Poppy growing has declined in eight other provinces, mainly in the north.
"Public opinion is increasingly frustrated by the fact that opium cultivation in Afghanistan is out of control. The political, military and economic investments by (US-led) coalition countries are not having much visible impact on drug cultivation," Costa said.
"As a result, Afghan opium is fuelling insurgency in western Asia, feeding international mafias and causing 100,000 deaths from overdoses every year."
He urged Karzai's government to crack down harder on corruption and arrest major drug traffickers and wealthy opium growers and seize their assets.
"We (multinational coalition forces present since the overthrow of Taliban in 2001) trained police and prosecutors, we constructed courthouses and detention centres," Costa said.
"Now the government has the responsibility to use the judicial system to impose the rule of law and re-establish confidence in Kabul. Significant arrests and convictions will set an example and serve as a deterrent."
The two-year-old US program has entailed destroying poppy fields, seizing opium shipments, funding inducements for farmers to grow cash crops such as nuts and fruit, and imposing strict penalties to deter poppy cultivation.
But experts say deep poverty, graft, persistent lawlessness and bloody insurgency makes counter-narcotics an uphill battle in Afghanistan, where a $US2.7 billion annual drug trade accounts for about a third of the economy.
Reuters captainoutrageous answered on 09/02/06:Unfortunately, the war on drugs is an uphill battle at any time because of the tremendous monetary rewards available. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 08/31/06 - It may not be politically correct? But Australias Muslims have just been given a message from above, Learn English says PM
By Richard Kerbaj
September 01, 2006 12:40am
Article from: The Australian
JOHN Howard has singled out Muslim migrants for refusing to embrace Australian values and urged them to fully integrate by treating women as equals and learning to speak English.
The call for a shift in attitude among some Muslims infuriated community leaders last night, and comes as The Australian can reveal the Prime Minister's own Islamic advisers have already accused Mr Howard and senior ministers of fuelling hatred and mistrust by using "inflammatory and derogatory" language.
Mr Howard said: "There is a section, a small section of the Islamic population, and I say a small section, which is very resistant to integration."
"Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it," the Prime Minister said during a radio talkback discussion.
"And it means understanding that in certain areas, such as the equality of men and women ... people who come from societies where women are treated in an inferior fashion have got to learn very quickly that that is not the case in Australia."
The comments prompted a fierce reaction from young female Islamic leader Iktimal Hage-Ali, a member of the Prime Minister's advisory group. She accused Mr Howard of threatening to further marginalise Muslims. "There's no value in pointing out the minority of the Muslim group," she said.
"There's a whole lot of other ethnic communities whose parents, whose grandparents don't speak the English language, and it's never a problem in the mainstream Australian community for them to go on living their everyday life without speaking language.
"Yet as soon as it's a person of a Arab descent or a Muslim person ... politicians feel like they need to bring it to mainstream attention as the only group, like marginalising us even more then we already feel marginalised today."
As Mr Howard's Muslim reference group prepares to hand over its long-awaited report on how to tackle extremism and other problems in the community, The Australian can also reveal that the Islamic leaders the Prime Minister asked to advise him were actually gagged when they raised concerns about Government remarks demeaning the community.
According to a draft of the final report of the Prime Minister's Muslim Reference Group - which will be handed to frontbencher Andrew Robb later this month - among the key problems identified by the community are isolation and radicalisation of converts and the treatment of women and young people.
But in the report, produced as part of the Government's $35 million Muslim strategy, the group criticises "government leaders" for public comments fanning conflict and says the issue has grown worse in the context of the Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon.
While the yet-to-be-released report does not identify the Government figures, The Australian has obtained a letter the reference group wanted to release in March attacking a speech by Peter Costello, in which he said many Australian Muslims had divided loyalties.
But the group, led by academic Ameer Ali and made up of clerics and community leaders, was stopped by the Government from publishing the letter.
The Australian understands the letter, which also refers to remarks made by Mr Howard, Philip Ruddock and backbenchers Bronwyn Bishop and Danna Vale, was sent to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs for release, but never went past Mr Robb's office.
The advisory group was furious about the Costello remarks and the furore that focused on Muslims when Ms Bishop called for traditional Muslim dress to be banned in schools and Ms Vale said Australia was in danger of aborting itself "almost out of existence" and becoming a Muslim nation.
They were also upset that Mr Howard singled out Muslims when he told The Australian in February: "You can't find any equivalent in Italian, or Greek, or Lebanese (Christian), or Chinese or Baltic immigration to Australia. There is no equivalent of raving on about jihad, but that is the major problem."
The gagged letter says Mr Howard and the other MPs were "just a few" politicians who have made remarks against "Islam and Muslims".
"All we ask is that when Mr Costello, or any parliamentarian, wishes to have the debate about the citizenship of Australia or the 'mushy, misguided multiculturalism' they do so with the engagement of all Australians, rather than alienating any one community group," it says.
Yasmin Khan, a member of the reference body's seven sub-groups, said last night she wrote the letter on behalf of the group and sent it to a Department of Immigration employee who said she would have to send it to Mr Robb's office.
"She said ... 'We've got to release it through his (Mr Robb's) office' ... so we left it at that and I waited and waited and waited."
A spokesman for Mr Robb last night told The Australian that the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, who is responsible for the reference board, had not received the letter. DIMA spokesman Sandi Logan said the department had received the letter and sent it back to members of the reference group.
Despite the dispute, the Federal Government - which through DIMA has worked closely with the reference group on the final report - has already agreed to a raft of proposals.
Under the $35 million strategy, the Government has agreed to a series of programs ranging from a university for imams to issuing police with a detailed booklet explaining Islam.
In a section titled "Addressing isolation and marginalisation", the group says society must be more inclusive to keep young Muslims away from radicalism.
"A more inclusive Australian society is a key issue in making rigid thinking and possible involvement in terrorism less attractive to those at risk," the 26-page report says.
Among other proposals from the group, set up in the wake of the London Tube bombings last year, research will be conducted by University of Western Australia and the West Australian Government into why young Muslims turn to militant Islam through extreme literature.
"The project aims to develop an understanding of the pathways whereby second and third-generation Muslim youth in Western liberal democracies move to a position of militant Islamic identity," the report says. captainoutrageous answered on 09/01/06:I think he's on the right track. I do, however, believe that integration should apply to all of foreign cultures who choose to make Australia )or America, etc.) their home. If I chose to live in the Middle East, I would learn Arabic and at least try to understand their culture. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/31/06 - US: Support for Britain, Canada and Israel Heard this on the way home...
WASHINGTON- Americans' support of Israel continues to be high despite, or perhaps even because of, the war in Lebanon, a new poll published Wednesday in the United States revealed.
From the results it emerges that Israel is ranked in third on the support scale, after Britain and Canada.
The Polling Institute of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut asked Americans to rank 15 countries, as well as the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations, on a scale of zero to 100. The results: Britain received 78.3 points out of 100, Canada, America's northern neighbor, received 71.7 points in second place, and after it, Israel in third place with 65.9 points. India was ranked fourth with 53.4 points, and after it, Mexico, with 51.4 points.
In contrast with the support of Israel, the Palestinians, Syrians, and Iranians lost points after the war in Lebanon. Among the last on the list, the Palestinians cash in with 22.8, with Syria trailing not far behind with 21.7 points. The very last on the list were North Korea with 15 points and Iran with only 13.9 points.
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As this article shows, support for Israel among Americans is on the rise.
My take? In spite of all the incoherent rhetoric from the pundits and the moonbats, Americans get it.
And you? captainoutrageous answered on 09/01/06:Frankly, I'm surprised that North Korea and Iran, among others, didn't score in the negative category. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 08/31/06 - It's 300 PM in Turtle Bay .... Iran and the mad mullahs are now officially in material breech of UNSC Resolution 1696 . Waiting for the UNSC to slap Iran upside the turban with chapter 7 sanctions ...................................
still waiting ...................................
captainoutrageous answered on 08/31/06:And waiting . . .
and waiting . . .
Rather like a reverse Energizer bunny. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/26/06 - Taxpayers paying for soldiers' breast, nose jobs Associated Press
Aug. 25, 2006 07:10 AM
CANBERRA, Australia - Australian soldiers are indulging in expensive cosmetic surgery - including breast enlargements, nose jobs and face lifts - at taxpayers' expense, according to media reports Friday.
Official Australian Defense Force policy states that personnel can undergo plastic surgery at public expense for medical or psychological reasons that threaten their ability to work.
An army cook underwent a nose reduction operation Wednesday, while female service personnel have had breast enlargements after claiming that depression and poor confidence were hurting their work, News Ltd. newspapers reported.
Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said Friday he has ordered an investigation.
Cosmetic surgery consultant Pamela Noon told the newspapers her business has performed surgeries on six military personnel in the past year.
"While a feature might affect somebody's self-confidence, I can't see how it would help their ability to protect the country," Noon was quoted as saying.
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Breast enlargements? Interesting way to beef up your body armor... captainoutrageous answered on 08/27/06:Well, I am personally sure that liposuction would enhance my self-esteem tremendously. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/26/06 - Chinese police end funeral striptease acts Performances meant to increase attendance in order to honour the deceased
Official hotline set up for 'funeral misdeeds'
Aug. 23, 2006. 12:04 PM
REUTERS
BEIJING Striptease send-offs at funerals may become a thing of the past in east China after five people were arrested for organising the intimate farewells, state media reported today.
Police swooped last week after two groups of strippers gave "obscene performances" at a farmer's funeral in Donghai County, Jiangsu province, Xinhua news agency said.
The disrobing served a higher purpose, the report noted.
"Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai's rural areas to allure viewers," it said. "Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honoured".
Wealthy families often employed two troupes of performers to attract a crowd. Two hundred showed up at last week's funeral.
Five strippers were detained and local officials "issued notices concerning funeral management", Xinhua said.
Now village officials must submit plans for funerals within 12 hours after a villager dies. And residents can report "funeral misdeeds" on a hotline, the report said.
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Now THAT'S a sendoff... captainoutrageous answered on 08/27/06:Guess it depends on how you look at it. How many women are going to be attracted to a funeral to watch other women undress? | | Question/Answer | | Bradd asked on 08/24/06 - John Birch Society Is this organization still influential within the right-wing now that Communism (at least the Soviet flavor) has collapsed?
Is it still anti-Communist?
I remember it claiming that Eisenhower was a "conscious member of the Communist conspiracy" and other odd notions, including what appeared to be a close association with the Christian fundamentalists.
I don't hear much about it these days. captainoutrageous answered on 08/26/06:"By . . . 1985, the Birch Society's membership and influence had dramatically declined, but the UN's role in the Gulf War and President George H. W. Bush's call for a 'New World Order' appeared to many JBS members to validate their claims about a "One World Government" conspiracy. Growing right-wing populism in the United States helped the JBS position itself for a comeback, and by 1995 its membership had grown somewhat to more than 55,000, though that number is unofficial as the Society does not disclose its membership statistics.
Two popular books promoted by the John Birch Society during and since the 1990s are:
The Shadows of Power by James Perloff, a book which pinpoints and describes both the conspiracy and its past actions, in addition to providing a roster as to the current members of the Council on Foreign relations.
The Creature from Jekyll Island written by G. Edward Griffin. It focuses mainly upon economic effects of government and how govenment affects the economy.
After that time period, the John Birch Society started a campaign to impeach President Bill Clinton for alleged connections with Chinese interests and on charges of treason and bribery.123 Within months of the Society's call for impeachment, news of the Monica Lewinsky affair broke, and the Society's charges were overshadowed by media coverage of Lewinsky and Clinton. The President was eventually impeached but on charges other than the Society had hoped to bring. Clinton, however, was not convicted by the Senate. Nevertheless, the impeachment campaign's relative success bolstered the Society and its membership, publication circulation and finances.
During the 1990s (with a brief pause to work on the Clinton impeachment campaign), and in the first decade of the 21st century, the Society has opposed free-trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and the newly proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). CAFTA won a two-vote victory in the House (217-215), but the Society predicts the FTAA will have an even more difficult time.
In recent years, the JBS has been just as critical of President George W. Bush as it has been of Democratic presidents, accusing the Bush administration of advocating and carrying out acts of torture against suspected terrorist leaders during the War on Terror.[citation needed] In a 2005 online poll, the organization's membership voted for President Bush's impeachment, citing issues such as the USA PATRIOT Act, the proposed sell out of US Seaports to Dubai Ports World, and recent allegations against the Bush administration concerning domestic telephone surveillance of suspected terrorists operating within the United States. These were cited as evidence of Bush's lack of regard for the Constitution. Such attitudes on the Society's part tend to surprise individuals who write off the Society and its members as unwavering supporters of the Republican Party.
The JBS continues to press for an end to U.S. membership in the United Nations. As evidence of the effectiveness of JBS efforts, the Society points to the Utah legislature's resolution calling for U.S. withdrawal, as well as the actions of several other states where the Society's membership has been active. The Birch Society generally opposes overseas warmaking, although it is strongly supportive of the American military. It has issued calls to "Bring Our Troops Home" in every conflict since its founding, including Vietnam. The Society also has a national speakers' committee, called American Opinion Speakers Bureau (AOSB), and an anti-tax committee called TRIM (Tax Reform IMmediately)." wikipedia.org
They also publish a bi-weekly newspaper called the New American.
| | Question/Answer | | Coup_de_Grace asked on 08/23/06 - French Annoy Violent Fascists....even today "Another thing that got on my nerves was the loathsome cult for France which the big press, even then, carried on. A man couldn't help feeling ashamed to be a German when he saw these saccharine hymns of praise to the 'great cultural nation.' This wretched licking of France's boots more than once made me throw down one of these 'world newspapers.' And on such occasions I sometimes picked up the Volksblatt, which, to be sure, seemed to me much smaller, but in these matters somewhat more appetizing. I was not in agreement with the sharp anti-Semitic tone, but from time to time I read arguments which gave me some food for thought.
At all events, these occasions slowly made me acquainted with the man and the movement, which in those days guided Vienna's destinies: Dr. Karl Lueger I and the Christian Social Party.
When I arrived in Vienna, I was hostile to both of them.
The man and the movement seemed 'reactionary' in my eyes.
My common sense of justice, however, forced me to change this judgment in proportion as I had occasion to become acquainted with the man and his work; and slowly my fair judgment turned to unconcealed admiration. Today, more than ever, I regard this man as the greatest German mayor of all times.
How many of my basic principles were upset by this change in my attitude toward the Christian Social movement!
My views with regard to anti-Semitism thus succumbed to the passage of time, and this was my greatest transformation of all.
(Volume I, Chapter 2)MEIN KAMPF by Adolph Hitler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 08/24/06:In response to Katiy's query, Hitler was not Jewish. There is some uncertainty surrounding his ancestry which arises from the fact that his grandfather, Alois, was registered as an illegitimate child. Alois'
mother worked for a wealthy Jewish family and there is some speculation that she had an affair with a member of that family. This, however, is unlikely according to most historical accounts.
The excerpt is interesting as it further explains Hitler's descent into madness. | | Question/Answer | | Coup_de_Grace asked on 08/21/06 - Mexican Plan to Annex American Southwest PAT BUCHANAN: "The nature and character of the invasion is far different than anything that used to happen. 58% of the Mexican people in one survey indicated they believed that the American Southwest belonged actually to Mexico. It was stolen from them. It belongs to them and I think that the Mexican government has a direct program basically to push its poor, unemployed, and uneducated into the United States for a variety of purposes. And one of them, in my judgment in which I believe I documented it in the book is an attempt at the reconquista they call it, the reannexation of the seven days states of the American Southwest, link linguistically, ethnically and culturally to become as much a part of Mexico is they are a part of America. And I think that is well underway.
Filed under: Immigration
Pat Buchanan on a radio talk show.
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Waddaya think? captainoutrageous answered on 08/21/06:In their dreams. It ain't likely to happen. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 08/21/06 - Maybe she wouldn't be so bad after all NO I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT HILLARY !!
I'm talking about Segolene Royal the Socialist candidate for the French Presidency . In a speech yesterday she took a swipe at at the Middle East policy of President Jacques Chirac, saying that France, "to win the respect of the world", should be prepared to act, not just talk.
"I make an appeal, here in Frangy, for the rallying together of all those who want change and want France to stand tall again," she said.
Vive le difference! (I hope )
captainoutrageous answered on 08/21/06:I agree that it is time for France to stand up and be counted. Enough of being a loud mouthed wimp. But, what are Royal's chances? | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 08/18/06 - A STATEMENT:
I live in America because I like my FREEDOM.
Why do you live in America ... if you do?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 08/18/06:I was born and raised here, plus my family, friends, and career are here. However, even if I had to make a conscious choice, I still believe that I would choose the US because of freedom and the quality of life. | | Question/Answer | | Coup_de_Grace asked on 08/18/06 - Gitmo Revamp has an Execution Chamber There is an execution chamber in the update of the Gitmo detention camp in Cuba.
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Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 08/18/06:Are they planning to dispose of the "evidence?" | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/18/06 - UK Panel Asks: Why Do They Hate Airplanes? by Scott Ott
(2006-08-10) The British Parliament, in a rapid response to a terror plot foiled by Scotland Yard yesterday, announced formation of a study panel today to determine why some Muslims hate airplanes.
Early reports indicate 21 men have been taken into custody in connection with a plan to take down an unknown number of U.S.-bound passenger jets originating in Great Britain.
The expert panel will examine various theories about why airplanes engender such hatred among devoted followers of a peaceful religion.
Is it the horrendous noise? The speed? The condensation trails? said one unnamed source close to the panel, listing some of the areas of inquiry the experts plan to pursue. Because if its any of those things, we can get to work on engineering changes to make airplanes more tolerable to our Muslim brothers. captainoutrageous answered on 08/18/06:Well, that's an interesting and novel (though grossly misguided) way to look at the issue. | | Question/Answer | | Coup_de_Grace asked on 08/17/06 - In a Nutshell From today's Judge in landmark court decision::
"The Presidential Oath of Office is set forth in the Constitution and requires him to swear or affirm that he "will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
The Government appears to argue here that, pursuant to the penumbra of Constitutional language in Article II, and particularly because the President is designated Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, he has been granted the inherent power to violate not only the laws of the Congress but the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution, itself.
We must first note that the Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the Constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all "inherent powers" must derive from that Constitution."
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There are no powers not created by the Constitution. captainoutrageous answered on 08/18/06:This is the whole reason that the founding fathers devised a system of checks and balances. This principle of separation of powers was set up as a safeguard for future generations. It is meant to protect the liberties of the people. When the president acts unilaterally, he is not in keeping with the original intent of the Supreme Law of the Land (Constitution). | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 08/15/06 - It chuckle time................................. A man walked into a very high-tech bar. As he sat down on a stool he noticed that the bartender was a robot. The robot clicked to attention and asked, "Sir, what will you have?" The man thought a moment then replied? "A martini please."
The robot clicked a couple of times and mixed the best martini the man had ever had. The robot then asked, "sir, what is your
IQ?" The man answered "oh, about 164."
The robot then proceeded to discuss the 'theory of relativity', inter-stellar space travel', 'the latest medical break-throughs, etc.......
The man was most impressed. He left the bar but thought he would try a different tact. He returned and took a seat. Again the robot clicked and asked what he would have? "A Martini please." Again it was superb? The robot again asked what is your IQ sir?" This time the man answered, "Oh about 100".
So the robot started discus sing NASCAR racing, the latest basketball scores, and what to expect the Dodgers to do this weekend.
The guy had to try it one more time. So he left, returned and took a stool.... Again a martini, and the question, "What is your IQ?"??
This time the man drawled out " Uh.....bout 50".
The robot clicked then leaned close and very slowly asked, "A-r-e? y-o-u-r? p-e-o-p-l-e??? g-o-i-n-g? t-o?? n-o-m-i-n-a-t-e?
H-i-l-l-a-r-y-??????
captainoutrageous answered on 08/16/06:A little levity is always welcome. | | Question/Answer | | aime-cinema asked on 08/15/06 - Jean Marie Le Pen If Jean-Marie Le Pen wins the May 2007 French election, what is he planning to do with France? captainoutrageous answered on 08/16/06:Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928) is a French politician, president of the far-right[1] [2] National Front party and perennial candidate for the presidential elections. He is known for advocating contentious viewpoints and policies: including the reinstatement of the death penalty (prohibited by European Union law), a revisionist approach to history (including Holocaust denial) [1], incentives to encourage women to stay at home and have children rather than work[2], strong restrictions on immigration to France from countries outside Europe, compulsory military service, strict censorship of the cinema and the arts as well as withdrawal or at least far greater independence from the European Union. Source: wikipedia.org | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/16/06 - "Facts don't justify wholesale murder" That was a comment on my answer to Elliot's previous question.
So, for those who need reminding again...
"Iraq is a terrifying place to live. People are in constant fear of being denounced as opponents of the
regime. They are encouraged to report on the activities of family and neighbours. The security services can strike at any time. Arbitrary arrests and killings are commonplace. Between three and four million Iraqis, about 15% of the population, have fled their homeland rather than live under Saddam Husseins regime.
These grave violations of human rights are not the work of a number of overzealous individuals but the deliberate policy of the regime. Fear is Saddams chosen method for staying in power."
That was the opening lines of "SADDAM HUSSEIN: crimes and human rights abuses", by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, 2002. Sources of this report:
Sources: US Committee for Refugees Report 2002, Human Rights Watch Country Report, International Alliance for Justice News Service 12/9/2002, Amnesty International Report Victims of Systematic Repression, British Governments own sources
Selections from the report:
"On 19 April 2002, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution drawing attention to the systematic, widespread and extremely grave violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law by the Government of Iraq, resulting in an all-pervasive repression and oppression sustained by broad-based discrimination and widespread terror.
"Torture is systematic in Iraq. The most senior figures in the regime are personally involved."
Udayy Saddam Hussein:
"Saddams elder son. He has been frequently accused of serial rape and murder of young women. He maintained a private torture chamber, known as al-Ghurfa al-Hamra (the Red Room), disguised as an electricity installation, in a building on the banks of the Tigris.
He personally executed dissidents in Basra during the uprising that followed the Gulf War in March 1991. In one infamous incident of mass torture, Udayy Hussein ordered the national football team to be caned on the soles of their feet after losing a World Cup qualifying match."
Qusayy Saddam Hussein:
"Saddams younger son. As head of the Iraqi internal security agencies, he has permitted and encouraged the endemic use of torture, including rape and the threat of rape, in Iraq."
"Under Saddam Husseins regime women lack even the basic right to life. A 1990 decree allows male relatives to kill a female relative in the name of honour without any punishment. Women have been tortured, ill-treated and in some cases summarily executed too, according to Amnesty International."
The Mahjar prison...normal occupancy of the Mahjar is 600-700 people. Thirty of the cells are underground and thirty other cells used to be dog kennels. Prisoners are beaten twice a day and the women regularly raped by their guards. They receive no medical treatment, but some prisoners have survived up to a year in the Mahjar. Two large oil storage tanks each with a capacity of 36,000 litres have been built close to the Mahjar. The tanks are full of petrol and are connected by pipes to the prison buildings in the Mahjar. The prison authorities have instructions to set light to the petrol and destroy the "Mahjar" in an emergency.
The Sijn Al-Tarbut (the casket prison)...in Baghdad. The prisoners here are kept in rows of rectangular steel boxes, as found in mortuaries, until they either confess to their crimes or die. There are around 100-150 boxes which are opened for half an hour a day to allow the prisoners some light and air. The prisoners receive only liquids.
The Qurtiyya (the can) prison...consists of 50-60 metal boxes the size of old tea chests in which detainees are locked under the same conditions as the Sijn Al-Tarbut. Each box has a tap for water and a floor made of mesh to allow the detainees to defecate."
Instructions for dealing with demonstrations:
1. All officers, deputies and NCOs to report to their bases with all their weapons immediately upon hearing of a demonstration, in order to receive instructions.
2. All of those responsible for the self defence of the directorate to remain at post without leaving their place of duty under the supervision of officer in charge.
3. In the event of a hostile demonstration, these groups will be contained by closing all access routes and by taking control of all high points overlooking them.
4. After taking the above measures and containing the hostile elements, armed force will be used in accordance with central instructions to kill 95% of them, and to leave 5% for interrogation.
5. If the force comes under hostile fire from other directions and it is possible that there are saboteur elements in the vicinity to protect the demonstration, the force will return fire intensively.
6. An emergency force will be prepared to reinforce the primary force and to defend sensitive sites.
7. The technical unit will, when authorised, use technical means as instructed under the supervision of the officer of the unit and the security representative Tahir Mahmud Ahmad.
(Editorial note: technical unit and technical means are euphemisms for chemical weapons.) (Steve's note...shooting fish in a barrel)
"In 1984, 4,000 political prisoners were executed at a single prison, the Abu Ghraib. An estimated 2,500 prisoners were executed between 1997 and 1999 in a further prison cleansing campaign. In February 2000, 64 male prisoners were executed at Abu Ghraib, followed in March by a further 58, all of whom had previously been held in solitary confinement. In October 2001, 23 political prisoners, mainly Shia Muslims, were executed at Abu Ghraib.
Between 1993 and 1998 around 3,000 prisoners from the Mahjar prison were executed in an execution area called the Hadiqa (garden) near to the prison."
"Documents captured by the Kurds during the Gulf War and handed over to the nongovernmental organisation Human Rights Watch provided much information about Saddams persecution of the Kurds. They detail the arrest and execution in 1983 of 8,000 Kurdish males aged 13 and upwards.
Amnesty International in 1985 drew attention to reports of hundreds more dead and missing, including the disappearance of 300 Kurdish children arrested in Sulaimaniya, of whom some were tortured and three died in custody.
In 1988, Iraqi government forces systematically razed Kurdish villages and killed civilians. Amnesty International estimates that over 100,000 Kurds were killed or disappeared during 1987-1988, in an operation known as the Anfal campaigns...The campaign included the use of chemical weapons. According to Human Rights Watch, a single attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja killed up to 5,000 civilians and injured some 10,000 more."
"The UN Special Rapporteur reports claims by Kurdish opposition sources that 94,000 individuals have been expelled from their homes since 1991."
"More than 100 Shia clerics have disappeared since the 1991 uprising...In early 1999, during a peaceful demonstration in response to the Iraqi regimes murder of the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, security forces fired into the crowd of protestors, killing hundreds of civilians, including women and children. Security forces were also involved in efforts to break-up Shia Friday prayers in Baghdad and other cities. Large numbers of Shia were rounded up, imprisoned without trial and tortured. In May 2001, two more Shia clerics were executed in Baghdad for publicly accusing the regime of the Grand Ayatollahs murder.
In response to attacks on government buildings and officials in southern Iraq during 1999, the Iraqi army and militia forces destroyed entire Shia villages in the south.
During the 1990s, Saddam pursued a policy of draining the marshes area of southern Iraq so forcing the population to relocate to urban areas where it was less able to offer assistance to antiregime elements and could be controlled more effectively by the regimes security forces. As an UN Environment Programme report put it The collapse of Marsh Arab society, a distinct indigenous people that has inhabited the marshlands for millennia, adds a human dimension to this environmental disaster. Around 40,000 of the estimated half-million Marsh Arabs are now living in refugee camps in Iran, while the rest are internally displaced within Iraq. A 5,000-year-old culture, heir to the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians, is in serious jeopardy of coming to an abrupt end."
Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Iraqi forces committed robbery, raped Kuwaitis and expatriates, and carried out summary executions. Amnesty International documented many other abuses during the occupation of Kuwait.
Iraq denied access to the Red Cross, which has a mandate to provide protection and assistance to
civilians affected by international armed conflict.
As Iraq tried to impose its own identity on the occupied territory, Kuwaiti civilians were arrested
for crimes such as wearing beards. People were dragged from their homes and held in improvised
detention centres. In findings based on a large number of interviews, Amnesty International listed 38 methods of torture used by the Iraqi occupiers, including beatings, breaking of limbs, extracting finger and toenails, inserting bottle necks into the rectum, and subjecting detainees to mock executions.
More than 600 Kuwaiti and third country nationals remain unaccounted for. The British Government believe some were still alive in 1998. Iraq refuses to comply with its UN obligation to account for the missing. It has failed to provide sufficient information to close more than three of the 600 or so files.
In an attempt to deter military action to expel it from Kuwait, the Iraqi regime took hostage several hundred foreign nationals (including children) in Iraq and Kuwait, and prevented thousands more from leaving. Worse still, hostages were held as human shields at a number of strategic military and civilian sites, many in inhumane conditions.
At the end of the Gulf War, the Iraqi army fleeing Kuwait set fire to some 1,160 Kuwaiti oil wells, with serious environmental consequences."
"The following methods of torture have all been reported to international human rights groups, such
as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, by the victims of torture or their families.
Eye gouging: Amnesty International reported the case of a Kurdish businessman in Baghdad who was executed in 1997. When his family retrieved his body, the eyes had been gouged out and the empty eye
sockets stuffed with paper.
Piercing of hands with electric drill: A common method of torture for political detainees. Amnesty International reported one victim who then had acid poured into his open wounds.
Suspension from the ceiling: Victims are blindfolded, stripped and suspended for hours by their wrists, often with their hands tied behind their backs. This causes dislocation of shoulders and tearing of muscles and ligaments.
Electric shock: A common torture method. Shocks are applied to various parts of the body, including the genitals, ears, tongue and fingers.
Sexual abuse: Victims, particularly women, have been raped and sexually abused, including reports of broken bottles being forced into the victims anus.
"Falaqa": Victims are forced to lie face down and are then beaten on the soles of their feet with a cable, often losing consciousness.
Other physical torture: Extinguishing cigarettes on various parts of the body, extraction of fingernails and toenails and beatings with canes, whips, hose pipes and metal rods are common.
Mock executions: Victims are told that they are to be executed by firing squad and a mock execution is staged. Victims are hooded and brought before a firing squad, who then fire blank rounds.
Acid baths: David Scheffer, US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, reported that photographic evidence showed that Iraq had used acid baths during the invasion of Kuwait. Victims were hung by their wrists and gradually lowered into the acid.
There's some facts for you...and this is one of the milder reports. But I guess if Saddam was no threat to us then why bother, right?
Stevecaptainoutrageous answered on 08/16/06:I don't think anyone here thinks anything other than that Saddam was a very nasty person and it is good riddance to him. However, there are many other despots around the world as bad or worse and yet, we are not invading their countries. Also, the reason the American people were given for invading Iraq was because of WMD, not to oust Saddam.
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5601334
http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_01-22-2006/Dictators | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 08/16/06 - Investigation of 77 TV Stations for using Fake News (AP) The Federal Communications Commission has mailed letters to the owners of 77 television stations inquiring about their use of video news releases, a type of programming critics refer to as "fake news."
Video news releases are packaged news stories that usually employ actors to portray reporters who are paid by commercial or government groups.
The letters were sparked by allegations that television stations have been airing the videos as part of their news programs without telling viewers who paid for them.
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said Tuesday the letters ask station managers for information regarding agreements between the stations and the creators of the news releases. The FCC also asked whether there was any "consideration" given to the stations in return for airing the material.
"You can't tell any more the difference between what's propaganda and what's news," Adelstein said."
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Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 08/16/06:As if there wasn't enough bad news - now they have to manufacture it? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/14/06 - Mel and ????? take two So Mel Gibson got drunk and made some inexcusably stupid, bigoted, anti-Semitic remarks. As I pointed out before, those nice folks on the left at places like the Huffington Post had a field day 'crucifying' Mel.
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and her New Black Panther entourage, whose father blamed her 2002 loss on those "J-E-W-S," the woman who has al-Jazeera as a fan, thus far gets a pass for the anti-Semitic hatred spewing from their bigoted mouths.
The Anti-Defamation League has condemned McKinney's entourage for anti-Semitic remarks during a scuffle with the media on Tuesday night, including blaming Zionists for the loss and telling a FOX News producer -- who happens to be Jewish -- to "put on your yarmulke and celebrate."
The ADL reports:
During the scuffle, another member of her entourage who wore a New Black Panther Party pin shouted expletives at the media, including calling them "crackers" --a derisive term for whites – and telling them, "You got what you damn wanted. You got your Uncle Tom, now go put your cameras on him," referring to Hank Johnson, the African American candidate who defeated Ms. McKinney. He continued to rant, "You ain't in Israel and this ain't no Lebanese people, so back up. Gonna get your Jewish [expletive]... (inaudible)..."
Following McKinney's concession speech, a reporter attempted to ask the Congresswoman why she thought she lost. The New Black Panther member interrupted, shouting, "Why do you think she lost? You wanna know what led to the loss? Israel. The Zionists. You. Put on your yarmulke and celebrate."
The only current articles on McKinney from Huffington's contributors?
McKinney Loses Primary Race...
McKinney Campaign Claiming Her Name Left Off Certain Ballots...
The left didn't seem to have any trouble blistering Gibson or sacrificing a standup guy in one of their own in Joe Leiberman, but McKinney and Co. get a pass?
Why is that?
Stevecaptainoutrageous answered on 08/14/06:I would assume primarily because of Gibson's much higher name recognition. I for one am very happy that McKinney was defeated. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 08/13/06 - Bush Caught Lying From the President's Radio Address, August 12, 2006:
This plot is further evidence that the terrorists we face are sophisticated, and constantly changing their tactics... We're dealing with a new enemy that uses **new means of attack** and new methods to communicate.
From the New York Times, Aug. 12, 2006:
In 1995, a plot to bomb 12 American jumbo jets over the Pacific with a liquid explosive was discovered when the bomb makers accidentally set fire to their laboratory in Manila.
From the New York Times editorial, Aug. 12, 2006 :
The most frightening thing about the foiled plot to use liquid explosives to blow up airplanes over the Atlantic is that both the government and the aviation industry have been aware of the liquid bomb threat for years but have done little to prepare for it.
From the Associated Press:
As the British terror plot was unfolding, the Bush administration quietly tried to take away $6 million that was supposed to be spent this year developing new explosives detection technology....Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn., who joined Republicans to block the administration's recent diversion of explosives detection money, said research and development is crucial to thwarting future attacks, and there is bipartisan agreement that Homeland Security has fallen short. ''They clearly have been given lots of resources that they haven't been using,'' Sabo said."
Lie in *****
Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 08/13/06:Personally I don't know why they don't have bomb sniffing dogs at security in every airport. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 08/13/06 - Iraq War is the Number One Issue "The war in Iraq is the No. 1 issue in the country today. Americans are no longer willing to accept the human suffering or the financial toll of a war that has lasted for 3 years with no end in sight.
The numbers speak for themselves. We've lost almost 2,600 Americans.
More than 19,000 have been wounded, 46 percent of them so badly they couldn't return to their units. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed in sectarian violence. The U.S. is spending $11 million every hour - $8 billion every month. Yet the administration refuses to budge from its open-ended, stay-the-course policy. I know it and the American people know it: We need to redeploy our troops to the periphery and refocus on the real war against terrorism. It's long past the time for us to change direction." Murtha
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Can't argue with this, can we Sen Loserman? captainoutrageous answered on 08/13/06:We shouldn't have become involved in the first place. It's time to lick our wounds and find a way out. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 08/13/06 - What Do You Make of This? LONDON - "NBC News has learned that U.S. and British authorities had a significant disagreement over when to move in on the suspects in the alleged plot to bring down trans-Atlantic airliners bound for the United States.
A senior British official knowledgeable about the case said British police were planning to continue to run surveillance for at least another week to try to obtain more evidence, while American officials pressured them to arrest the suspects sooner. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case.
In contrast to previous reports, the official suggested an attack was not imminent, saying the suspects had not yet purchased any airline tickets. In fact, some did not even have passports.
The source did say, however, that police believe one U.K.-based suspect was ready to conduct a "dry run." British authorities had wanted to let him go forward with part of the plan, but the Americans balked.
At the White House, a top aide to President Bush denied the account.
"There was unprecedented cooperation and coordination between the U.S., the U.K. and Pakistani officials throughout the case," said Frances Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, "and we worked together to protect our citizens from harm while ensuring that we gathered as much info as possible to bring the plotters to justice. There was no disagreement between U.S. and U.K. officials."
Another U.S. official, however, acknowledges there was disagreement over timing. Analysts say that in recent years, American security officials have become edgier than the British in such cases because of missed opportunities leading up to 9/11.
Aside from the timing issue, there was excellent cooperation between the British and the Americans, officials told NBC....."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 08/13/06:Because of all the news coverage it is safe to say that the suspects know that they've been found out. I don't think much would be gained by delaying their apprehension. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 08/11/06 - AMAZING GRACE:
It's very hard to look into the soul of a person but perhaps it's much easier to appraise the thinking of a barbarian. I just heard over the news that Israel has AGREED to the cease fire terms laid down by the United Nations. It's 5:40 p.m. 8/11/06 where I live. I'll predict that the Hezbollah will NOT agree to the cease fire and continue to do what they do best -- kill, kill kill. Tomorrow just might be a very hard day for our Israeli friends.
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 08/11/06:We can only hope that Hezbollah will prove us wrong. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 08/08/06 - August 21.... be afraid The date is prominent in Islam
It is on that date that Muhammad was carried on a flying horse with a human head, from Mecca to Jerusalem, where he ascended into heaven to meet the other prophets after he visited the Temple Mount with the angel Gabriel .While he was visiting heaven the night sky was lit up over Jerusalem . It is from this tale that Islam lays claim to Jerusalem.
August 22 of this year corresponds with the Islamic date of Rajab 28, the day Saladin conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders.
Rajab 28 is also the date the Imam Husayn (who started Shia Islam and who is revered as the precurser of the Hidden 12th Imam) started his journey to Karbala from Medina.
It is also the day before the Mahdi-hatter,Ahmadinejad , promises to have an appropriate reply to the UN's demand for accountability for Iran's nuclear program.
As the Shia legend goes ;Imam Mahdi will return at a time of great global chaos, oppression and bloodshed and usher in an era of Islamic justice.
Ahmadinejad sees himself as the instrument to pave the way for Imam Mahdi's return. Will he pave the way for the Mahdi's return by lighting up the Jerusalem sky ?
captainoutrageous answered on 08/11/06:Well, that information ought wake us up and make us say our prayers. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 08/10/06 - Sore Loserman An incumbent, well-liked Senator and Bush war supporter cannot even get re-nominated in his party's primary election, and the interest was so high in voting against the war by voting against Loserman, that the turnout was higher than previous turnouts for presidential-senatorial elections! Oh, oh.
Crucial election only 3 minths away. Oh, oh.
captainoutrageous answered on 08/10/06:With him running as an independent in the fall, it could make for a very interesting race in November. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 08/10/06 - Waddya think?
Hello:
I'm gonna start a new airline. It's gonna be called Naked Airlines. Our motto is gonna be: No clothes - No bombs.
I'm sellin stock. Any takers?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 08/10/06:If I got on your plane naked, everyone else would disembark. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 08/03/06 - Does Bush have an answer to this? Jihadis dispatched for global war
By Natalie O'Brien and Stephen Fitzpatrick
August 04, 2006 12:00am
Article from: The Australian
HUNDREDS of South-East Asian suicide bombers have been dispatched around the world with a mission to attack Jewish interests in countries that support Israel such as Britain, the US and possibly Australia.
The radical Jakarta-based Asian Muslim Youth Movement gave The Australian details of the plot yesterday, claiming it was being funded in part with cash donations from two unnamed Australian-Indonesian businessmen.
The leader of the AMYM, Islamist author Suaib Bidu, warned that thousands more jihadis were preparing to join the resistance against Israel and die as"martyrs".
Mr Bidu said a "passing-out" ceremony for more than 3000 jihadis would be held tomorrow in the Indonesian city of Pontianak on the large northern island of Kalimantan.
But only about 200 would be sent immediately to targets aboard, with the remainder being active supporters.
Mr Bidu warned that his group would "monitor" the position of Australia towards Israel's current military operation in southern Lebanon, and that it too could become a target for suicide attacks.
"We have a lot of support, including in Australia, from people who don't believe Israel's attack (on Hezbollah) is just," Mr Bidu said.
Terrorism experts have warned that the radical group had the motivation and the backing to organise such a campaign of terror. One of the foremost scholars in militant Islam, Zachary Abuza, described the group as a dangerous threat that deserved to be taken seriously.
"These people are willing to martyr themselves and that just feeds on itself," Dr Abuza told The Australian. "Events like this (the Lebanon conflict) are superb tools for recruiting and indoctrinating people."
He said the group had been active in South-East Asia before and said Israeli sites in the region could be targeted.
Dr Abuza said the move could also have far-reaching ramifications because it gave the South-East Asian militants the ability to network with jihadis in the Middle East.
Last night, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said there were fears a "new wave" of terrorists could be generated by the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
"Muslims are angry even in moderate Muslim countries," said Mr Abdullah, who hosted an emergency meeting of the 57 nations of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
And in Cairo, the leader of Egypt's extremist Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Mehdi Akef, said he was ready to send 10,000 fighters to Lebanon to battle Israel alongside Hezbollah.
But he admitted the chances were slim that any volunteers from Egypt would reach Lebanon.
"There are enough people but you would need Arab regimes to authorise their deployment or at least turn a blind eye on their departure," Mr Akef said.
The head of the International Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence Research's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Rohan Gunaratna, said the jihadis in South-East Asia could quickly develop the capability to carry out their plan in so-called third-country attacks.
Although he said the numbers of recruits were probably being exaggerated to "provoke fear and anxiety", the group should not be underestimated.
Dr Gunaratna said the AMYM had sent fighters to Iraq in the past, albeit in small numbers.
The group has already sent 217 suicide bombers, including 72 Indonesians as well as citizens of six other South-East Asian nations, to Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, Mr Bidu said.
They include seasoned mujaheddin fighters, some of whom had fought the Soviets in Afghanistan and then the Northern Alliance in the same country.
Mr Bidu said they were on a mission to infiltrate Israel and its allies "with the help of friendly networks".
"They will be charged with destroying infrastructure targets of Israel and its supporters, such as Britain and the US," he said.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second in charge, has already called for Sunni Muslims across the world to wage jihad against Israel.
The move comes as another group of fighters from a separate body known as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) announced it had 200,000 members ready to join the battlefield in southern Lebanon.
"When we apply for passports we say we are going to Singapore or to Mecca, so that we can fulfil our true aims," FPI spokesman Habib Hasan al-Jufrie said.
He said the FPI held military training courses "at secret locations" every two weeks. The FPI is thought to be involved in gangster activity and extortion and protection rackets in the Indonesian capital. It attracts most of its support through advocating jihad to the nation's Muslim majority.
The AMYM and FPI have been blatant in their past condemnation of the US and its Middle Eastern policies. The AMYM has allegedly previously threatened to attack US interests in Jakarta and has sent fighters to the conflicts in Bosnia and Chechnya.
About 40 per cent of the AMYM recruits have military experience in countries including Afghanistan, Thailand, The Philippines, Palestine and Iraq. Those with field experience have learned how to make suicide bombs.
Mr Bidu said the fighters from his movement would not travel to Lebanon "because we don't want to face Israel from the front; we prefer to do it from behind".
A spokesman for the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir, said the cleric "fully supports opposing through jihad". captainoutrageous answered on 08/05/06:The crazies are out in force. Would someone please tell them it is past their bedtime. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 08/04/06 - A terrific article. Jonathan Zimmerman: What would Lincoln do? -- Trading our liberties for security
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, July 29, 2006
NEW YORK
LIKE MOST of my friends and colleagues, I'm outraged by President Bush's assault on basic civil liberties in the so-called War on Terror. We invoke Thomas Jefferson on the rights of man, James Madison on checks and balances, and, most of all, Benjamin Franklin on the dangers of compromising these values: "Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security."
But here are two words that you'll never hear us say: Abraham Lincoln.
That's because Lincoln's wartime decisions raise the really tough issue that most Democrats continue to evade: When should we give up some liberties in the name of security? And unless we can frame an answer, we don't deserve to win Congress in November or the White House in 2008.
Consider Lincoln's predicament in April 1861, at the outset of the Civil War. Eleven slaveholding states had seceded; four "border states" -- Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware -- remained in the Union but all still practiced slavery.
To win the war, Lincoln had to make sure that these states did not also secede. Together, they would have added 45 percent to the white population of the Confederate States of America. Even more important, they would have nearly doubled the Confederacy's capacity to make guns, ammunition, and the other tools of war.
The most critical state was Maryland, of course, because it bounded the District of Columbia on three sides. On the fourth side lay Virginia, which had already left the Union. If Maryland seceded too, Lincoln would find his national capital surrounded by the enemy.
And he couldn't have that. There were clear pockets of secessionist sentiment in Maryland's biggest city, Baltimore, where many houses flew Confederate flags after the war began. So rather than risk losing the city -- and, quite possibly, the war -- Lincoln sent Army officials into Baltimore to arrest alleged secessionists and jail them at Fort McHenry. (The prisoners included a grandson of Francis Scott Key, who had written "The Star Spangled Banner" while the fort was under British fire, in 1814.)
A few months later, as the Maryland legislature was preparing to vote on secession, Lincoln had 31 of the lawmakers imprisoned on suspicion of Confederate sympathies. They stayed in jail until the next state election, to ensure that pro-Union candidates won.
No charges. No evidence. No trial.
Sound familiar?
Then, as now, the president's enemies mounted constitutional challenges to his actions. One of the people imprisoned in Baltimore, John Merryman, sued for his freedom in federal circuit court. The senior judge was none other than Chief Justice Roger Taney, a Marylander and author of the infamous Dred Scott decision. Taney ruled that Lincoln had no right to jail Merryman without cause, because the Constitution gave Congress -- not the president -- exclusive power to suspend basic liberties in times of war.
Lincoln's response? Go to hell. His primary job, he said, was to win the war, and he needed every possible weapon to do so. He refused to obey Taney's opinion, which would have freed hundreds of Confederate partisans. Who knows what they would have done if they'd been let loose?
That should sound familiar, too. Indeed, almost everything President Bush has done in the "War on Terror" echoes Lincoln's actions during the War Between the States. In the name of national security, the Bush administration has jailed suspected terrorists without showing cause. It has denied them the right to counsel and other basic liberties. It has conducted warrantless eavesdrops on phone calls and e-mails. And it has insisted that the White House -- not Congress -- has the right to do all of this, on its own.
As in the Civil War, meanwhile, the Supreme Court has sought to rein in the president. Most recently, it ruled that the White House could not establish secret military commissions without congressional authority. It's still not clear how the president -- or Congress -- will respond.
But here's what is clear: Benjamin Franklin was wrong. And Abraham Lincoln was right.
There are times when dangers are so immediate -- and so terrifying -- that we do need to sacrifice some freedoms to stop them. And the Civil War was one of those times.
Is the "War on Terror" another? Not yet. Whatever the threat of Islamic terrorism, it doesn't come close to the peril that the Confederates posed to the Union in 1861. Until President Bush can explain exactly why we need his extra-legal measures, we should all stand in opposition to them.
At the same time, though, liberals like myself need to start thinking -- and talking -- about when we, too, would give up some liberties to save the Union. A rash of suicide bombers' striking several American cities at the same time? A "dirty bomb" or nuclear attack? A smallpox or anthrax attack?
You might reply that our liberties define our nation: If we abandon them, we give up on America itself. But Abraham Lincoln said otherwise, and lucky for us. By sacrificing a bit of freedom for suspected Confederate sympathizers, he helped win freedom for nearly 4 million enslaved African-Americans.
I think it was worth it. And I bet you do, too.
Until we Democrats can specify when and how we'd take the same harsh measures that Lincoln did, we don't deserve to sit under his mantle. Or to run the country.
Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches history and education at New York University, is the author of Innocents Abroad: American Teachers in the American Century, to be published this fall by Harvard University Press.
Source: http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20060729_29zimm.1596f33.html
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What do you think? Comments, please.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 08/05/06:Very interesting article that makes some good points, but I don't quite buy the comparison between Lincoln trying to keep the nation from being torn apart and the terrorists | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 08/03/06 - Aphrodite and Haphaestus ??
Should equality between the sexes be once more high on the agenda ??
captainoutrageous answered on 08/03/06:Physical equality - not biologically possible. Political, economic and social equality - yes! | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 08/03/06 - Bush Sends Kerry to Solve Israel-Hezbollah War by Scott Ott
(2006-07-24) After learning that the battle between Israel and Hezbollah could have been prevented if Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, had been the U.S. Commander in Chief, President George Bush today dispatched Sen. Kerry to the war-torn region to get this thing solved.
Sen. Kerry, a career Vietnam veteran, who told a political gathering in Detroit yesterday that we must destroy Hezbollah and that the president has been absent on diplomacy, said he would bring his own brand of diplomatic destruction to the terrorist group.
Senator Kerrys presence and intellect alone should bring a swift end to hostilities, said Mr. Bush, who admitted that he, and the State Department, had kind of put the Middle East thing on the back burner while following televised coverage of the Tour de France bicycle race.
In related news, as hostilities along the Lebanon border approached the two-week mark, the crisis was officially added to the list of bad things that would not have happened during a John Kerry presidency. captainoutrageous answered on 08/03/06:Appreciate the levity in this stressful situation. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 08/02/06 - It's nice to live in a truely free society?
Chaser axe stunt gets Howard going
The Chaser's Craig Reucassel (left) approaches Mr Howard holding a fake axe at Surfers Paradise.
Photo: AAP
The Prime Minister reacted with amusement rather than alarm and embraced the Chaser member before striding offLatest related coverage
Not everyone finds their stunts amusing, but John Howard got a laugh out of a prank by ABC TV's Chaser team this morning.
The TV satirists were making fun of last week's security scare in Melbourne, when the Prime Minister was hugged by a schoolboy supporter carrying a screwdriver.
This morning, it was an axe, albeit a fake one.
Clutching the oversize axe was Craig Reucassel, of ABC's The Chaser's War on Everything, who approached Mr Howard during his early morning walk on the Gold Coast.
Mr Howard's security guards kept a close watch on Reucassel, but the Prime Minister reacted with amusement rather than alarm and embraced the Chaser member before striding off.
Politicians are regular Chaser targets, but the comic team's edgy brand of humour can go too far, some believe.
Unamused police charged The Chaser's Chas Licciardello with offensive conduct after a prank at a recent Bulldogs NRL match, when he tried to sell fake knives, knuckledusters and flares to supporters.
The stunt came at a time when the club was trying to clamp down on violence at its games.
AAP
Now if this had been the US a certian individual might have been shot, or at the very least crash tackled by several SS heavies and hauled off to the pokey
captainoutrageous answered on 08/03/06:I would suggest to the Chasers that they need to be more careful. A snap judgment by a security person could result in injury or death for the Chaser pulling one of these stunts. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 08/02/06 - Stay The Course
Hello:
Stay the course. It has a nice ring to it. Kinda brings up thoughts of resolve and character - things we like our leaders to have. Stay the course is a good policy - until it isnt.
In the beginning, we put sanctions on Cuba to help rid the Cuban people of the ruthless dictator, Fidel. It was a good policy. Its intention was goodhearted. But it didnt work. Age took care of Fidel. The policy didnt.
Somewhere along that 45 year continuum of stay the course, it stopped working, and nobody noticed. No, thats no entirely accurate. It never did work in the first place. I suppose some thought it eventually would, but it didn't.
Isnt a stay the course policy kinda like wearing blinders?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 08/03/06:Yes. Often you have to change course to get anything accomplished. Rather like dropping back to punt. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 08/02/06 - Questions regarding the Qana air raid. Now that a couple of days have passed since the Israeli air raid in Qana by Israel that allegedly killed over 50 people including 35 children, what have we learned about the incident?
What I have learned is that there are more questions than answers about the incident, and that things may not be as they appear. For instance:
1) There seems to be a time discrepancy between when the air raid took place and when the building actually fell. Reports now being seen by the public state that the building fell 6-8 hours after it was hit by Israeli missiles, and the news goups on hand only started reporting the story after the building fell. Why the time discrepancy? And why were there still people in the building 6-8 hours later when the building fell, which is what caused all the deaths.
2) The "rescue worker" holding up baby corpses for the cameras has been identified as the same "rescue worker" who held up dead baby corpses for the cameras back in 1996 when Israeli missiles killed 100 in another air raid in Qana. Is this just a coincidence?
3) If the collapse of the building is the cause of death of the dead women and children in Qana, why were the corpses exhibiting a state of advanced rigor mortis... as if they had been dead for days, not hours?
4) Why did photos show a sparkling-clean pacifier on the corpse of a baby who covered head-to-toe in dust?
5) Where were all the men? All the corpses found were women and children. Where are the corpses of the men? If the building targeted by Israel was merely a civillian residential building, why were there no men in the building? Were all the husbands and fathers at work during the nightime hours? Why were there no men in the building at the time it collapsed, 8 hours after the bombs fell, if there were so many women and children in the building? Why no men?
None of this is proof that the Qana incident was staged, and I'm not actually sure whether it was or not. But it does raise some interesting questions. And given the fact that the Islamofascists have a history of making up massacres that never occured in order to get media sympathy (anybody remember the Jenin Massacre that never happened?), it behooves us to ask questions and verify information before jumping to conclusions about these events.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 08/03/06:Some very interesting information. would you mind sharing some of your sources? I would be interested in reading more regarding this issue. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 08/01/06 - More abuse at Gitmo... but not the way you think. Aug 1, 6:47 AM EDT
Gitmo Guards Often Attacked by Detainees
By JOHN SOLOMON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fans. Shower sandals. Radios. Toilets. All innocent household conveniences, these items were fashioned into weapons by prisoners in the war on terror and used to attack their military guards at Guantanamo Bay, Pentagon memos reveal. In all, the Defense Department has documented hundreds of attacks by Guantanamo detainees on Military Police guards since 2002, ranging from head butting and spitting to routine dousing with cups filled with feces, urine, vomit and sperm.
The guards also have been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say. While serious assaults requiring medical attention are rare, the detainees' attacks can be unnerving, according to the guards who currently endure them.
"Seeing a human being act that way, it's terrifying. And for the guards to continue to walk up and down the block, covered in urine and feces, it's just a bad thing," Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Mack D. Keen told The Associated Press in an interview from Guantanamo. "You are constantly watching before you take your next step to see if something is about to happen." More than 440 incident reports released under the Freedom of Information Act to a conservative legal group and reviewed by AP provide a rare daily chronicle of the tensions between guards and detainees from December 2002 through July 2005.
A detainee "reached under the face mask of an IRF (Initial Reaction Force) team member's helmet and scratched his face, attempting to gouge his eyes," states a May 27, 2005, report on an effort to remove a recalcitrant prisoner from his cell. "The IRF team member received scratches to his face and eye socket area," the report said.
The report show there's an average of about three incidents per week. The names of guards and prisoners as well as the final discipline were blacked out by the Pentagon. Often, guards went weeks without reporting problems; other times incidents were bunched together during times of frustration and tension. For instance, nearly a quarter of the incidents occurred in July 2005, the month dozens of detainees started an extended hunger strike.
Tensions likewise flared during Christmas week 2004, with inmates frequently spitting on guards. On Christmas Eve, a prisoner who was angry that he couldn't finish his meal was said to have used a plastic fork-spoon utensil - called a spork - to attack a guard collecting his tray. "Detainee stabbed the MP guard ... in the hand with his spork from chow meal," the report said, adding the prisoner later "made a slicing motion across his neck" and vowed to kill the guard.
Since its creation in early 2002, the U.S. detention camp on Cuba's coast has been a controversial symbol of the Bush administration's war on terror, bringing allegations of prisoner mistreatment, debates over civil rights and a landmark legal battle to win rights for the detainees. At one point, more than 600 foreign men captured in the war on terror were kept there. Many have been released to their home countries, reducing the current population to about 450. Ten detainees have been accused of war crimes, but no one has been tried.
With many nearing five years in U.S. captivity, the prisoners "have a Ph.D. in being a detainee" and "know our procedures and they try to turn them against us," said Army Lt. Col. Michael J. Nicolucci, the prison's executive officer. Meal plates, shower flip-flops, cleaning brushes and other items deemed harmless in civilian life also are commonly turned into weapons, the reports said. For instance:
-"Detainee in cell (redacted) grabbed the radio from an MP and then threw the radio at the MP. The detainee then threw rocks at the MP," a Dec. 23, 2003, incident report stated.
-A detainee "reached out of his bean hole and attacked MP (name redacted) with a piece of metal foot pad from toilet striking him on the left hip area," a July 15, 2005, report said.
-"Detainee broke off the top of his sink, subsequently broke out the window then began throwing the sink and pieces of pipes at the Block Guard," a March 25, 2005, report said.
One of the most unusual incidents detailed in the four-inch stack of incident reports occurred when a detainee in the prison recreation yard assaulted a guard with a bloody tail torn from a lizard.
The detainee "caught the iguana by the tail at which time the tail detached," the May 2005 report described. When the guard turned to talk to a commanding officer, "he felt something strike him in the lower right back" and then "saw the tail on the ground at his feet and blood was in the same area of his uniform." The detainee said he was "just playing."
Nicolucci said one of the most serious incidents occurred this May. A prisoner staged a suicide attempt while his inmates slicked the floors with human waste, seeking to overpower guards when they slipped, he said.
"We provide fans in order to keep them cool," Nicolucci recalled. "And they were using the basket, or the grate of the fan as a shield, the blades as machetes, the pole as a battering ram." That uprising was quelled in a few minutes with some guards and prisoners sustaining minor injuries, he said.
Moazamm Begg, 38, a prisoner for more than two years at Guantanamo before being released to Britain, said he was suspicious of the Pentagon's description of incidents. Begg, who has written a book about his experience, said most incidents he witnessed were spontaneous reactions "when word spread" among prisoners that a guard had done something wrong.
"I rarely saw lone prisoners acting out on their own for no reason except if they had some sort of mental illness or if they were on medication," he said.
The reports state entire wings of prisoners were reported to become riotous after complaints emerged that guards mishandled a Quran or mistreated prisoners. On two occasions, however, prisoners themselves were reported to have destroyed their Muslim holy books, the reports state.
The Landmark Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group that fought to force the Pentagon to release the reports under the Freedom of Information Act, said it hopes the information brings balance to the Guantanamo debate.
"Lawyers for the detainees have done a great job painting their clients as innocent victims of U.S. abuse when the fact is that these detainees, as a group, are barbaric and extremely dangerous," Landmark President Mark Levin said. "They are using their terrorist training on the battlefield to abuse our guards and manipulate our Congress and our court system."
James A. Gondles Jr., executive director of the American Correctional Association that sets standards for U.S. prisons, said much behavior inside Guantanamo mirrors that of civilian prisons though the attacks with bodily fluids seem more numerous. "It happens from time to time at facilities here, but it seems the majority of ... assaults at Gitmo were either spitting, or bodily fluids being thrown on the guards," said Gondles, who has visited Guantanamo twice at the Pentagon's invitation and reviewed the reports at AP's request.
The bodily fluid attacks are so numerous that guards now frequently wear specialized shields to protect their faces.
The incident reports show waves of orchestrated behavior. For instance, prisoners repeatedly grabbed their guards' whistles over a five-day period in June 2004. In July 2005, guards reported several instances of rock throwing, spitting and flip-flop hitting. Rocks were hidden under shower mats, the reports said. The incident reports also are noteworthy for information that is missing. With redacted names, it is impossible to tell whether bad behavior is widespread or the work of a few repeat offenders. Likewise, the documents don't tell whether certain guards are prone to confrontation.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a prisoner of war during Vietnam, said the treatment of the guards has been overshadowed by the legal and political debates surrounding the detainees, but he has been impressed with the guards' professionalism. "Our personnel there have perhaps the most difficult task you can have in the military outside of being in a combat zone," he said.
While Washington addresses how the detainees will be kept and tried, the guards look to stay one step ahead of the detainees. "Yes, you do get upset but you get somebody to take your place," Keen said in explaining how he survives the tensions of the cell block. "You go outside. You walk it off and you come back and (say) I want to be back in the fight."
2006 The Associated Press.
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Interesting. It turns out that reports of mistreatment of prisoners have been one-sided at best, and wrong in totality at worst. For the first time, we now have evidence of abuse of guards by the prisoners, reports of suicides being staged to catch guards unaware, and reports of Korans being defiled by the prisoners rather than the guards.
For the first time we have evidence of attacks by the prisoners that include bodily fluids, rocks, fans, radios, toilet parts, etc. And these are not isolated incidents: they are orchistrated incidents, planned in advance, and there are over 400 documented cases of it. Funny that no other media outlets are carying this story, despite the fact that they carry every other report from the AP about how terrible American soldiers and the American government are. I wonder why that is... not.
So can we put the Gitmo Prisoner Abuse accusations to rest now that we know that the prisoners are not being abused, but rather are doing the abusing?
Somehow, I think that making prisoners wear womens' underwear on their heads doesn't come to the level of abuse of throwing crap and piss on guards, and attacking them with heavy blunt objects.
So can we put these abuse accusations to rest now?
Probably not.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 08/01/06:I suppose I would feel rather vindictive myself if some country threw me in jail and denied me the right to legal counsel, etc. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 08/01/06 - The difference between the two--take two... I apologize in advance for any content that anyone finds objectionable or offensive on the hosting site. The SITE ITSELF is NOT what I'm posting for you, ONLY the picture that should appear at that link.
Sorry it didn't work when I tried to just post the pic.
http://www.ehowa.com/showpicture.shtml?image=palestineandisrael.jpg captainoutrageous answered on 08/01/06:Awesome political cartoon. It says a lot. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 07/31/06 - Our War?
Hello again:
By the same token, why DO we think the war between the Shia and the Sunnis in Iraq IS our war? Inquiring minds want to know?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 08/01/06:No, I don't think we should have gone there to begin with and now we are embroiled in their civil war. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 07/31/06 - Our war?
Hello:
Do you think Israel's war against Hezbollah is our (the US) war too? I do.
Yet when Tony Snow, the Bush administration's spokesman, was asked on July 19 whether the president believes "that this is as much the United States' war as it is Israel's war," he answered, "No," and then tried to change the subject.
Do you know, that before 9/11 Hezbollah killed more Americans than any terrorist group ever? Their motto continues to be, Death to America. Why wouldn't Bush believe them - especially since they've ACTED on it???
For my part, I cant understand why WE dont think theyre OUR enemy. Where are the neo-cons when you need them?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 08/01/06:I'm not a warmonger, but Hezbollah needs to be cut out like the cancer they are. | | Question/Answer | kindj asked on 08/01/06 - The difference between the two:
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captainoutrageous answered on 08/01/06:OK, you have me guessing. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 07/30/06 - Just to reignite the immigration debate again? An example of where multiculturism doesn't work and why I would prefer Muslims to live somewhere else.
Sydney synagogue attack
Jano Gibson
July 31, 2006 - 8:02AM
A Sydney synagogue came under attack last night when a block of cement was hurled through the glass doors of an attached residence and the windows of two cars on the property were smashed, police say.
The attack happened at the Parramatta and District Synagogue on Victoria Street, Parramatta, about 9.10pm.
Police are investigating the possibility that the attack was religiously motivated.
"There's nothing to indicate that [but] that is obviously one of our lines of inquiry," Inspector Troy Platten said.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO, Vic Alhadeff, said the attack was "most certainly" related to the war between Israel and Lebanon.
"It's very unfortunate when the violence in the Middle East is played out in the streets of Australia and the Jewish community believes very firmly that the dispute in the Middle East should be resolved in the Middle East," Mr Alhadeff said.
"It's an unfortunate reality that when there is an upsurge in the Middle East, that there's a commensurate increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney, in Australia."
Officers were called to the synagogue property after the 32-year-old who lives in the attached residence heard the sound of glass smashing on his property.
A cement block had been thrown through glass door of his house and two cars parked under a car port had had their rear windows smashed, police said.
A group of about ten men, described as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, were seen by witnesses laughing and running north along Mason Street.
Five the of the men were seen getting into a white car, believed to be a Nissan Pulsar or Toyota Corolla, before driving away.
The rest of the group ran to the end of the street before turning into Macarthur Street.
The occupants of the attacked residence declined to comment when contacted by smh.com.au this morning. captainoutrageous answered on 07/31/06:I think we are missing the point here. The issue here is intolerance, just as it was in the US when (some) whites threw bricks through the windows of black homes and churches. Just because some members of a culture are narrow-minded a--holes, doesn't mean the entire culture is. | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 07/28/06 - Very strange bed partners !! The Muslim civil war.
Is the Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East now deeper than the antagonism between Israel and the Arabs? You might think so given the response of some Arab governments to Hizbollah's decision to attack Israel. Even as Israeli bombs fell on Beirut and Tyre, Saudi Arabia, perhaps the most conservative Arab Muslim state of all, openly condemned the actions of the Shia Hizbollah in instigating conflict with Israel. Never before in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict has a state that considers itself a leader of the Arab Muslim peoples backed Israel so openly.
What is going on ?? captainoutrageous answered on 07/29/06:I believe the Saudis and many other Arab nations are getting fed up with extremist Muslim groups and the bad name they are giving all Arabs. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 07/28/06 - Thank God for Bulgaria! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE ?
................................................
Bulgaria seems an unlikely country to deserve the world's gratitude. But it appears we can thank the alertness and professionalism of the Bulgarian customs authorities for saving us -- and not for the first time -- from the consequences of the incredible, almost treasonous, ineptitude, dysfunctionalism and general lack of joined-up-thinking that appears to pervade every aspect of the governance of New Labour's Britain.
Bulgarian border guards recently seized a British truck carrying radioactive material -- to the Iranian military -- that could have been used to make a "dirty" nuclear bomb.
Smuggling? Not a bit of it! The material was being sent to Mr. Ahmadinejad quite legally and with the blessing of the British government.
After a scanner showed it had radiation levels 200 times normal, the truck was found to be carrying ten lead-lined boxes addressed to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Inside each was a soil-testing device containing radioactive caesium 137 and americum-beryllium. (Soil-testing is usually the province of agriculture, not defense, ministries.)
The head of the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (who knew until now that Bulgaria had a Nuclear Regulatory Agency?), Nikolai Todorov, said he was shocked that devices containing so much nuclear material could be sold so easily: "The devices are highly radioactive -- if you had another 90 of them you would be able to make an effective dirty bomb." That meant if nine similar loads got through.
According to the Daily Mail, Bulgarian customs official confirmed: "The documentation listed the shipment as destined for the Ministry of Transport in Tehran, although the final delivery address was the Iranian Ministry of Defence."
Radioactive material going to the Iranian Ministry of Defense? Could there possible be something a little, er, suspicious about this? Dr. Frank Barnaby of the Oxford Research Group (a well-credentialed think tank) said: "You would need a few of these devices to harvest material for a dirty bomb. Americum-beryllium is an extremely effective element for the construction of a dirty bomb as it has a very long half-life....It is found mainly in spent reactor-fuel elements and it is not at all easy to get hold of. I find it hard to believe it is so easily available ..."
British Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: "The Prime Minister has accused the Iranian Government of sponsoring International terrorism, yet his officials are doing nothing to prevent radioactive material which has an obvious dual use being sold to their military." MacKinlay, interestingly, was subsequently attacked by the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency as having allegedly expressed support for a terrorist group.
If this was a one-off incident, it would be a bad enough indictment of the present British Government. In fact it is only the latest of a series.
On August 31, 2005, a truck carrying 1,000 kg of zirconium silicate was stopped by Bulgarian authorities at the border with Turkey. The Bulgarians, detecting unusual radioactivity levels, discovered the truck was owned by a British firm, and alerted the British Embassy, which informed London on September 7. Although the trade in zirconium is meant to be tightly controlled, the truck had traveled through Britain, Germany and Romania without being stopped. The British authorities maintained there was nothing illegal about the shipment, and it was eventually allowed to proceed.
John Large, an independent nuclear consultant, said: "It is not a very sophisticated process to extract the zirconium from such material. Even though this cargo does not fall within international control, I would still be concerned. Zirconium is used for two purposes: for cladding nuclear fuel rods inside a reactor and as material for a nuclear weapon."
Questions were asked by MacKinlay (why the Tories apparently failed yet again to challenge Labour here is unknown) under the Freedom of Information legislation in January 2006. A gobbledygook answer from the government included the information that zirconium silicate did not require an export license but "may be controlled under the UK Weapons of Mass Destruction programme end-use control, which is assessed on a case by case basis." Mr. MacKinley then asked what definition of "end-user" and "expected end-user" the government used and received the answer that:
While there is no written definition of end-user or end-use information, the end-user is the entity for which the goods are ultimately destined, and the end-use is the use to which the goods will be put. Applicants are required to declare that the contents of their application and the supporting documentation are, to the best of their knowledge, accurate.
With that informative and reassuring reply Mr. MacKinley had to be content.
The bottom line was that a British firm had been allowed to sell highly-dangerous radioactive material to Iran without scrutiny by the British authorities, and then within a few months something very similar happened again, either in bizarre obeisance to some bureaucratic legalism ("it's not on the list"), or because no one cared. Of course, lethal respect for legalisms of this sort has some tradition behind it: during the Zulu War, a large British force was wiped out when attacked because the quartermasters would not issue ammunition without forms.
Previously, in May 1999, Bulgarian customs officers trained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered highly-enriched Uranium U-235 concealed in an air-compressor in the trunk of a car at a border-crossing checkpoint. It was believed this was a sample to show prospective buyers.
By Hal G.P. Colebatch
Published 7/28/2006 12:08:03 AM
Hal G.P. Colebatch is a lawyer and author and lectures part-time in legal studies at Notre Dame University in Western Australia. His book Blair's Britain was selected as a Book of the Year in the London Spectator.
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boy do I need a vacation !!!
captainoutrageous answered on 07/29/06:And supposedly the British are on our side. Hmmm? | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/27/06 - Call for All Out War So, now, alQuaeda leadership has called for all out Holy War on Israel by ALL MUSLIMS.
If this edict is a complete bust(as I think it will be), could this be considered the total defeat of Islamofascists/terrorists on our part? captainoutrageous answered on 07/28/06:Osama is just rattling his sabre again. I doubt it will make much difference in the Arab world except among those zealots who support him anyway. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/26/06 - Middle-East, I'm so Confused My latest thoughts.
It seems to me that perhaps the Neo-Cons who Middle-East had as their ultimate goal----> Sunnis fighting Shi'a; in other words, Muslims killing Muslims.
I don't think this is too far fetched. OK, I'm upset about War.
Is this idea too far fetched??
Condi's face and words seem to back me up. That word "sustainable". captainoutrageous answered on 07/26/06:I, for one, am getting tired of the "crazies" dictating the actions of the rest of the world. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 07/26/06 - It's really not a joke ~ we are a "banana" republic? Economy slips on banana skin
Hand to mouth Ali Elrich's Potts Point business has been open only two months, but with skyrocketing banana prices he is yet to turn a profit.
Matt Wade Economics Writer
July 27, 2006
SOARING petrol and banana prices have helped propel inflation to an 11-year high, squeezing family budgets and making another interest rate increase next week a near certainty.
The annual inflation rate has jumped to an uncomfortable 4 per cent, the highest since 1995 if the one-off price spike following the introduction of the GST is excluded. Prices rose 1.6 per cent in the June quarter alone.
The damage caused to north Queensland farms by Cyclone Larry sent the price of bananas up 250 per cent in the June quarter - which led to price rises for other fruit - while fuel rose 11.2 per cent in the quarter and nearly 25 per cent for the year.
The figures show price pressures in the economy are building.
Inflation is now a full percentage point above the Reserve Bank's target of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent and the bank's weighted median inflation rate, which allows for one-off price fluctuations, has risen to 3 per cent.
Economists said an interest rate rise next week to check inflation was almost certain.
"The case for a rate rise following the RBA August board meeting now looks complete," said the Commonwealth Bank chief economist, Michael Blythe.
Bond futures traded on financial markets have priced in a 100 per cent chance that the official rate will rise to 6 per cent from 5.75 per cent after the Reserve Bank's monthly meeting next Tuesday. There is also an 80 per cent chance of another rate rise before the end of the year.
Some analysts believe that for the first time in six years the bank may lift rates by half a percentage point instead of the normal quarter point.
Interest rates jitters caused the sharemarket's All Ordinaries Index to drop 52.3 points to 4907.6 and the dollar rose almost half a US cent on the expectation of higher interest rates.
As well as higher petrol and banana prices, the Bureau of Statistics' consumer price index showed significant increases for a range of household items.
Child care rose 12.4 per cent in the year to June and is up 82 per cent over the past decade. Food prices increased 8.3 per cent in the year, transport 7.7 per cent, education 5.8 per cent and health 4.6 per cent.
The Federal Government, which used the slogan "keeping interest rates low" in the last election campaign, played down the economic consequences of the inflation figures.
The Treasurer, Peter Costello, said the "temporary factors" affecting inflation were likely to abate. "Our unemployment rate remains low and looking through the one-off factors in this consumer price index, inflation remains moderate.
But the shadow treasurer, Wayne Swan, said the economy faced a serious inflation challenge. "With the ongoing threat of high petrol prices, Peter Costello has had the opportunity over the last few budgets to put in place policies to counteract inflationary pressure in the Australian economy," he said.
"Unfortunately his failure to address the skills crisis or infrastructure bottlenecks has now allowed these capacity constraints to push up underlying inflation."
The NSW Treasurer, Michael Costa, said Mr Costello's budget spending had put pressure on interest rates.
What average earners picked up on the tax cut swing they would lose on the interest rate roundabout, he said.
"Workers on average incomes of around $56,000 received a $10 weekly tax cut in the federal budget. If interest rates rise by 0.25 per cent, families with an average new mortgage in NSW will have to find an extra $60 in interest repayments each month."
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This has to be the biggest joke of all time, since Cyclone Larry wiped out the Australian banana crop and bananas are $14 a KG if you can find them, they certainly haven't been on my menu in months and we have a government willing to move interest rates on the strength of the price of non existant bananas captainoutrageous answered on 07/26/06:I love bananas, but I certainly would not perish if they were no longer available/ | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 07/25/06 - No peace without justice !! I have at last come across an article which has been written by a level-headed journalist.
I would like you to read it, here it is in its entirety.
It certainly does not hold back any punches.
**************************************************
George Bush, in all his wisdom, informed the world the other day that "the root of the problem lies with Hizbollah". Wow! The oracle has spoken. The great geographer who, prior to his election to the post of the most powerful man in the world, could barely name a dozen of the world's capitals thinks that his proclamations will be readily swallowed.
The problem is far more deep rooted in the injustices of the Palestinian problem , of which Hizbollah, together with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and all the other "terrorist" groups are all products. Only last week, right wing Israelis commemorated the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in which 92 persons lost their lives. This was the work of the Irgun svai lumi, another "terrorist" group who had Menachem Begin, a future Prime Minister, among its leaders.
Among those celebrating the King David Hotel massacre was Benjamin Netanjahu, another former PM who asked those present to distinguish between "terrorists" and "freedom fighters". Two weights and two measures, you may ask. Any student of modern Middle East history will know too well.
Of course, Israel has the right to defend its territory and the lives of its citizens from the indiscriminate shelling of a fanatical paramilitary group, and, failing control by the weak central Lebanese government in Beirut, has no alternative but to cross the border and fight them in legitimate self defence. But talk of overkill. Need Israeli planes have pounded Beirut International Airport and the country's road and bridge infrastructure? And hit "targets" in central and east Beirut? All this while declaring its readiness to befriend the Lebanese people. Something is terribly wrong with Israel's actions, possibly emerging from the country's immense and justified sense of insecurity.
Meanwhile, like the US, I am ashamed to say that Europe sits back waffling about a ceasefire and a peacekeeping force. The Lebanese people, already ravaged by so much sorrow and devastation, can only crouch in a corner watching their cities, so painstakingly rebuilt after the civil wars, crumble around them. The townsfolk of northern Israel and Haifa for the first time experience the absolute terror of bombardment from the sky. Who knows - as awful as this may sound - the trauma of these days may push younger generations towards a fairer and faster peace process.
America wants to give Israel the time to clean up Hizbollah. How very nave. After Afghanistan and Iraq, the Americans should have more than learnt their lesson. These people don't and won't go away. Like an ugly wart which is treated superficially, they will re-emerge and be the cause of more pain and instability.
They will only fade away into oblivion when there is no longer scope for them, when murderous recruits will be hard to come by, and this can only happen when the moderate, peace-loving majority of their compatriots, oppressed within their land or taking refuge outside it, will be satisfied that justice has been done.
Back to the drawing board folks, with a stronger European intervention and a US that is ready to impose peace by tightening its purse strings.
Throwing in a couple of Edward Saids with the Albrights and Kissingers of this world may make for a more even playing field. It will be painful, especially for Israel, but I fear it's their only hope. What comes after Hizbollah will only be worse.
rolcam.
captainoutrageous answered on 07/25/06:I don't agree with a lot that this journalist puts forth and I would like to know who the journalist is,, but I do appreciate your sharing this viewpoint with us. | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 07/25/06 - A good article with Comments. Please read about the latest:-
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1077362006
rolcam captainoutrageous answered on 07/25/06:Thanks rolcam. An apparently balanced viewpoint presented here. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 07/19/06 - WORLD WAR III:
If the United States participates in World War III, who would be our allies? (Hypothetical question)
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 07/20/06:Quite possibly the entire non-Arab world. | | Question/Answer | | sissypants asked on 07/19/06 - veto what is your opinion on stem cell research? captainoutrageous answered on 07/20/06:The discovery and isolation of embryonic stem cells has led to debate over whether it is right to use cells taken from human embryos for research. People have expressed concern about using human embryos and collecting some of their cells. Some people consider embryos already to be human beings. The embryos are destroyed in the process of isolating the stem cells. Once removed from an embryo, stem cells alone cannot form another embryo or develop into a human being. Many people consider it wrong to destroy human embryos, but other people believe that the potential medical benefits of stem cells justify their use. I believe that this is an area of research that needs to be pursued, but not through the farming of embryos. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/19/06 - Bush Gropes Two Women at G8 Converence Time for the President to go on some really strong meds. He groped a female oboe player, then the next day, groped THE CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY. captainoutrageous answered on 07/20/06:I missed it. Can you provide a link? | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 07/18/06 - Eyes wide shut on the issue of the century? Climate change has even US conservatives worried, but here the hip pocket still rules, writes Elizabeth Farrelly.
Australia is unusual among First World countries in combining a relatively educated populace, an extraordinarily fragile environment and a crude mining mentality. It's not a good mix. Indeed, as Jared Diamond pointed out in Collapse, our ruthless extension of the mining mind-set from minerals to renewable resources such as soil, fisheries and forests has only intensified our continental fragility.
Yet we go on exploiting our land rather than our intelligence, global warming or no, and choosing our leaders accordingly.
This is the mystery. Polls show we worry about climate change, but we vote from the hip pocket. John Howard, the polls tell us, makes us feel safe. But we blind ourselves to the yawning chasm between feeling safe and being safe. Ask the ostrich.
Howard is right to berate the states for their pathetic record on environmental initiatives, but wrong to attack their push for carbon trading (worth $13 billion worldwide last year). He is right to suggest Australia could become an energy superpower but it is reprehensible of him to focus the strategy on grubby old non-renewables such as coal, oil and uranium. Right to press the climate-change button, however tentatively; wrong to offer the nuclear solution.
Climate change has become a moral issue. Maybe the moral issue. If, as is arguable, morality is no more (or less) than a herd survival code, we might reasonably see all wars as the discordant death rattles of opposing fundamentalisms, soon to be replaced by some clean new enviro-religion. This new faith will make sacraments of rainwater, commandments of cycling and recycling, and prophets of well, there's the rub.
In Australia, where governments quail before moral issues, the vacuum is filling with an unlikely alliance of business and philanthropic lobby groups. The Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change argued in April that a 60 per cent cut in Australia's emissions is compatible with strong economic growth. Westpac's chief executive officer, David Morgan, known for lampooning emissions proposals as Mein Kampf and seeing carbon trading as a European conspiracy, notes that "the next president of the United States [is expected] to initiate urgent action on climate change".
Now at last, the Climate Institute of Australia, has launched its Top Ten Tipping Points on Climate Change. Headed by the Australia Institute's Clive Hamilton, the institute is intelligent, purposeful, well placed. Never mind that the best it can do in the profit, sorry, prophet department is Bob Carr, whom you will remember as the man who turned a decade-long opportunity to green NSW into a filthy enviro-mess.
Any church is more than the sum of its saints, and there are bigger issues at stake. As Tipping Point says, we are entering the "oh shit" phase of global warming. Pretty much everyone is taking it seriously except us.
Our colleagues in climate crime are vanishing faster than the ice caps. Britain may be underachieving on its emissions targets, but business there is pushing Tony Blair for stronger regulations. In the US, where the writer Elizabeth Kolbert argues the need for an "environmental Churchill", an obstructionist Bush White House is nevertheless ringed by cities, states, Congress and the courts, plus a few inner-Republican colleagues, determined to make change.
Last year, California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, launched a plan to cut state emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. "The debate is over," he said. "The science is in. The time to act is now." Right-wing evangelical leaders of 30 million people marched on Capitol Hill, urging leadership on climate change. Since then, 238 US mayors have pledged to "meet or beat" Kyoto; the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has supported emissions caps and the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether CO 2 regulation should be mandatory.
The climate-change climate is changing, fast, and Australia is being left out in the warm. Ostrichised. It's a leadership thing, and it is dangerous - politically, morally, existentially. More, it's bad finance, with renewables - in which Australia could so easily excel - reaping $74 billion globally in 2005.
The US developer-turned-greenmeister and World Green Building Council president, David Gottfried, argued in Sydney earlier this year: "Green is the new black. All the big businesses are in the game, and it's for the benefit of everybody." Gottfried had one small goal in Australia: a tax credit for five-star green buildings. The Howard Government's Sustainable Cities report noted last August the "need for the Australian government to assume a leadership role". Yet the opposite is happening. Said Gottfried: "I don't see your Federal Government involved they're not at the table."
We've just had the hottest year on record. Atmospheric CO 2 is at its highest for 650,000 years. The seas are rising, the ice melting. Most scientists believe we have underestimated the impact. Yet we do nothing. The clever country, if we ever were that, has succumbed to waste, greed and denial. This is not just laziness. It's officially required, as the ABC's Four Corners demonstrated in February, documenting government pressure on CSIRO scientists to zip up on climate.
Yet we in Australia no longer care if our politicians lie. We don't mind if they peddle influence at $5000 a pop. In fact, we like it. At state and federal levels we consistently choose leaders who offer feelgood delusions and lugubrious denials over the truth of survival. Even David Attenborough, a long-time climate sceptic, has finally come round. As ever, he goes to the heart: "How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew about this and I did nothing?"
Elizabeth Farrelly writes on planning, architecture and aesthetics for the Herald. captainoutrageous answered on 07/19/06:Necessity is the mother of invention. Unfortunately, most people see the need to be so far in the future that it doesn't affect them. | | Question/Answer | | purplewings asked on 07/17/06 - The smartest car in the world. ;D I bought a new Lincoln Town Car about two weeks ago. I had to return to the dealer the week after I bought it because I couldn't figure out how the radio worked. The salesman explained that the radio was voice activated. He said, "Watch this!" The salesman said, "Nelson!" The radio replied, "Ricky or Willie?"
"Willie," he continued and "On the Road Again" came from the speakers.
I drove away happy. For the next few days, every time I'd say "Beethoven" I'd get beautiful classical music, and if I said "Beatles" I'd get one of their awesome songs. One day, a couple ran a red light and nearly creamed my new car. I swerved in time to avoid them, and I yelled, "ASSHOLES!"
The French National Anthem began to play, sung by Jane Fonda and Michael Moore, backed up by Rev Jesse Jackson on guitar, Al Sharpton on drums and Howard Stern on kazoo.
Damn! I love this car! captainoutrageous answered on 07/18/06:Great car. shame I can't afford one. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 07/17/06 - SELECTIVE SERVICE:
Will Bush reinstate the draft this year?
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 07/18/06:Not likely. A draft would be more likely be passed by Democrats if they had sufficient support. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/17/06 - EDGAR Cheney's secret service name is Edgar. I thought, yeah, as in Edgar Allan Poe the American writer of dark stories...what a perfect name. But NO! it stands for Edgar Bergen, you all remember Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy!! lolol...
The secret service knows the score.
jack captainoutrageous answered on 07/18/06:And here I was thinking "J. Edgar" | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 07/15/06 - 'Frozen Assets' William Jefferson This week, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan upheld the May 20th FBI search of Dem. Rep. William Jefferson's office. Jefferson, who is under investigation for bribery and was caught with $90,000 hidden in his freezer, maintains that the search was a violation of the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution, which allows congressional representatives privacy in conducting government business. Judge Hogas said the "government has demonstrated a compelling need to conduct the search in relation to a criminal investigation involving very serious crimes and has been unable [to obtain] the evidence sought through any other reasonable means"
Judge Hogan also outright rejected the argument by Jefferson's attorney Robert Trout and House leaders Dennis Hastert and Nancy Pelosi that the search violated the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches :
"Rather, the principle of the separation of powers is threatened by the position that the Legislative branch enjoys the unilateral and unreviewable power to invoke an absolute privilege, thus making it immune from the ordinary criminal process of a validly issued search warrant."
Trout wants to appeal the decision, but Judge Hogan said the material seized in the raid can be immediately reviewed by the Justice Department, so it is unlikely this stall tactic will keep the investigation from moving forward.
captainoutrageous answered on 07/16/06:Hear! Hear! The man is a crook and has been trying to dance around the issue with smoke and mirrors. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 07/12/06 - 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' ...
Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'
January 17, 2001 | Issue 3701
WASHINGTON, DCMere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."
President-elect Bush vows that "together, we can put the triumphs of the recent past behind us."
"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."
Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.
During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.
"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"
On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.
Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply, losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.
Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: "That's hardly my area of expertise."
Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air standards.
Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman's right to give birth."
"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots of babies."
Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state." The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.
"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."
"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."
An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.
"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."
"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to make sure it never happens to my people again."
Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.
"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."
"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."
captainoutrageous answered on 07/12/06:Love it! | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 07/11/06 - Feel the pride! http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/THISWILLMAKEYOUPROUD.HTML captainoutrageous answered on 07/12/06:Thank you for sharing. | | Question/Answer | | Judgment_Day asked on 07/09/06 - SPORTS PORK SPENDING By Patrick Hruby
Page 2
Having split the atom and put a man on the moon, the federal government has funded its most ambitious project yet.
Specifically, immortalizing the likes of Danny Biasone.
Haven't heard of Biasone, the father of the 24-second shot clock? Then you probably haven't heard of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, either.
Which, come to think of it, wouldn't be a total shock.
No offense to Danny Biasone -- but does Greater Syracuse really need a Sports Hall of Fame? Dedicated to the proposition that Syracuse, N.Y., is a world sports mecca, the Hall counts Biasone among its inductees and is notable for at least two reasons: (1) a dedication to the proposition that Syracuse is a world sports mecca; and (2) it does not include Jim Brown.
Beyond that, one other factor separates the Syracuse Hall from its peers in the field of petty regional homage, fellow cultural meccas such as the Alabama Health Care Hall of Fame and the National Corvette Museum.
Try $75,000. Of your money.
Two years ago, Congress tacked a grant for the Syracuse Hall onto a larger appropriations bill covering Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development.
And no, it wasn't an accounting mistake.
"It wasn't a great deal of money," says Dan Gage, a spokesman for Rep. James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.), the congressman responsible for the funding. "There are similar projects all across the country. This was no different from what is being done elsewhere."
True enough. According to the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, Congress spends more than $25 billion annually on pork-barrel projects -- budget-greasing, constituent-pleasing oinkers like the National Cattle Congress ($250,000) and the money-down-a-flushless-drain Waterfree Urinal Conservation Initiative ($1 million).
The really upsetting part? Some -- too much -- of that largesse goes to sports.
Think $1 million for the First Tee youth golf program. Nearly $73,000 to build a miniature red-brick replica of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. A cool $35,000 for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, which also doesn't honor Jim Brown.
Just this year, the same spendthrift legislative body that once signed off on $640 Pentagon toilet seats and a $50 million indoor rain forest -- in Iowa, of all places -- approved $50,000 for the Capitol Hill baseball and softball league.
Pay taxes? Thanks in advance. But don't expect a free league T-shirt.
"It's incredibly ridiculous what we'll spend money on," says Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a vocal critic of excessive federal spending. "Pork is just out of control."
Is it ever. Gaze upon your W-2s, America. And despair. The Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Museum gets $100,000. A program encouraging Iowa residents to exercise and eat healthy food gets $200,000.
Why are Flake's distinguished colleagues so eager to spend the people's moolah on stuff like the U.S. Soccer Foundation ($950,000)? Simple. Pork paves the road to reelection. Quid pro quo.
Rep. Walsh's district hosts the Syracuse Hall. The Richard Steele Boxing Club -- recently awarded a $100,000 federal earmark -- is located in Henderson, Nev., home state to Senate appropriator Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
Citizens Against Government Waste calls Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) "the King of Pork," a fitting title for a man with more than 30 federally funded projects to his name. (No, really -- they're named after him). The Monarch of White Meat is also the longest-serving senator in American history.
This is not a coincidence.
"I had an opponent in my last election that said, 'We need to vote Flake out because he doesn't bring home the bacon,' " Flake says. "You don't want your neighboring congressman's press release to be longer than yours."
Heaven forbid. Which is why many members of Congress view pork projects the way the rest of us view screaming infants: irritating and cringe-inducing when they belong to someone else, cute n' cuddly when they're your own.
Take the mini-Camden Yards. Located in Aberdeen, Md., the ballpark is being built by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and will serve as the centerpiece of a baseball program focused on at-risk youth.
"A program like this will save a lot of kids that could have gone the other way," says Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), who helped secure funding for the stadium. "I find it really offensive that you're attempting to help underprivileged children, and it's being called pork."
Ruppersberger has a point: like many pork projects, the Ripken stadium sounds worthy. But worthiness isn't the problem. Financial solvency is the problem.
Between an estimated deficit of $300 billion and escalating bills for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction and the war in Iraq, the federal government simply can't afford to fund character education through youth-league baseball. Not without borrowing even more cash.
Speaking of money and Iraq: Last summer, Ruppersberger praised the staff at the U.S. Army proving ground in Aberdeen for creating Humvee armor that helps protect soldiers, the same front-line troops the federal government has struggled to reimburse for self-purchased body armor.
Rep. Jeff Flake is going to battle over sports pork.Do the math. That $73,000 Congress spent on Ripken Stadium? It could have purchased 48 armor-plated vests at $1,500 a pop. Every dollar spent on sports pork is one less dollar spent on something more important.
Worse still, many pork recipients don't really need the money.
Remember the First Tee? The organization boasts a $5 million operating budget and a trustee list that reads like a Who's Who of CEOs. Congress still forked over $1 million in 2004. Last year, the Tiger Woods Foundation received a $100,000 grant toward the construction of an education center in California, despite the foundation's reported net assets of $32.6 million and a namesake who annually earns $50 million-plus.
From 2002 to last year, the Baseball Hall of Fame received a total of $1.57 million to produce once-a-year educational broadcasts covering topics such as women in baseball and the physics of pitching. $1.57 million. That's less than one percent of the New York Yankees' payroll, and not even equal to Alex Rodriguez's salary for a single month of the season.
"Why do they need the American taxpayer?" asks David Williams, policy vice president for Citizens Against Government Waste. "Baseball is flush with money."
Outraged yet? You should be. Yet before you blame Congress, take a long look in the mirror. Representatives carry out the people's will. And when the people are all too willing to let their duly elected officials drop $400,000 on the University of Rhode Island's Institute of International Sport and $990,000 on a California soccer center, all without a single peep of protest -- well, we get the bloated federal budgets we deserve.
More than that, we get budgets we demand.. Just ask John Rathburn, president of the Syracuse Hall. As a taxpayer, would he have voted to fund the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame?
"If I thought it would benefit the community," he says, "I would say yes."
Yes. The three-letter word that makes sports pork possible, the three-letter obscenity that makes Flake want to cry. And laugh. And cry some more, an overstuffed appropriations bill in hand.
After all, Rathburn's sentiment is hardly unique: two years ago, government dollars went to the Country Music Hall of Fame ($250,000), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ($350,000), even the Paper Industry Hall of Fame ($70,000).
"The National Cowgirls Hall of Fame was in there, for crying out loud," Flake says, sighing. "I'd like to nominate some of my colleagues for the National Pork Barrel Hall of Fame."
Of course, there's just one problem with Flake's modest proposal. Congress would probably fund it.
Patrick Hruby is a columnist for Page 2.
I'm an advocate of sports. Sports entertainment permits me, as the fan, to have a hobby and some lighthearted competition between friends. OK sometimes I get a little over board when my favorite baseball teams lose, but it's all in fun. I came across this article on ESPN and I think it has valid points concerning sports pork spending. In fact I'd much rather cut the pork and shoulder financial responsibility for our soldiers welfare abroad. Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 07/10/06:I believe the local constituencies should be supporting these arts and sports issues, not the American taxpayer. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 07/07/06 - US foils 'New York tunnel plot' US authorities say they have disrupted the early stages of a plot to attack New York City's mass transit system.
The alleged plot was discovered during routine monitoring of internet chatrooms used by extremist groups...
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York said this was one instance "where intelligence was on top of its game and discovered the plot when it was just in the talking phase".
A number of plots targeting subways, tunnels and other New York City landmarks have come to light since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center."
The NY Times headline tomorrow?
Bush administration secretly monitoring internet conversations
Program monitors chat rooms
The US government, without the knowledge of private American citizens, has engaged for years in a secret effort to eavesdrop on private internet conversations... captainoutrageous answered on 07/08/06:I don't make a point of frequenting chat rooms, however, if I did, I certainly wouldn't mislead myself that the conversation was in anyway private. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 07/08/06 - Welcoming or Worrying? Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts
By JOHN KIFNER
Published: July 7, 2006
A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.
"We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad," the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. "That's a problem."
A Defense Department spokeswoman said officials there could not comment on the report because they had not yet seen it.
The center called on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to appoint a task force to study the problem, declare a new zero tolerance policy and strictly enforce it.
The report said that neo-Nazi groups like the National Alliance, whose founder, William Pierce, wrote "The Turner Diaries," the novel that was the inspiration and blueprint for Timothy J. McVeigh's bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, sought to enroll followers in the Army to get training for a race war.
The groups are being abetted, the report said, by pressure on recruiters, particularly for the Army, to meet quotas that are more difficult to reach because of the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq.
The report quotes Scott Barfield, a Defense Department investigator, saying, "Recruiters are knowingly allowing neo-Nazis and white supremacists to join the armed forces, and commanders don't remove them from the military even after we positively identify them as extremists or gang members."
Mr. Barfield said Army recruiters struggled last year to meet goals. "They don't want to make a big deal again about neo-Nazis in the military," he said, "because then parents who are already worried about their kids signing up and dying in Iraq are going to be even more reluctant about their kids enlisting if they feel they'll be exposed to gangs and white supremacists."
The 1996 crackdown on extremists came after revelations that Mr. McVeigh had espoused far-right ideas when he was in the Army and recruited two fellow soldiers to aid his bomb plot. Those revelations were followed by a furor that developed when three white paratroopers were convicted of the random slaying of a black couple in order to win tattoos and 19 others were discharged for participating in neo-Nazi activities.
The defense secretary at the time, William Perry, said the rules were meant to leave no room for racist and extremist activities within the military. But the report said Mr. Barfield, who is based at Fort Lewis, Wash., had said that he had provided evidence on 320 extremists there in the past year, but that only two had been discharged. He also said there was an online network of neo-Nazis.
"They're communicating with each other about weapons, about recruiting, about keeping their identities secret, about organizing within the military," he said. "Several of these individuals have since been deployed to combat missions in Iraq."
The report cited accounts by neo-Nazis of their infiltration of the military, including a discussion on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront. "There are others among you in the forces," one participant wrote. "You are never alone."
An article in the National Alliance magazine Resistance urged skinheads to join the Army and insist on being assigned to light infantry units.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identified the author as Steven Barry, who it said was a former Special Forces officer who was the alliance's "military unit coordinator."
"Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman's war," he wrote. "It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and 'cleansed.' "
He concluded: "As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood."
===
If this is true, would you welcome it or worry about it?
captainoutrageous answered on 07/08/06:I find it worrisome. Zealots and extremists are scary any way you look at it - being in the military gives them a type of legitimacy. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 07/06/06 - Kenny Boy's last laugh Over in the Christianity board questions about Lay being the anti-Christ are being asked . oh well ;I posted that Lay gets the last laugh .
Lay's death expunges the conviction from his record. This means that any orders to vacate his wealth are annulled, and his family gets to keep millions of dollars that they likely would have lost had he gone to jail. Although I have no doubt that his estate will be sued by various individuals and class action groups for civil fraud,etc;[The Slip and Fall Lawyers are lining up already] .; because the criminal conviction is wiped out, the plaintiffs cannot rely on it as proof in their case
The moonbats like Henry Allen at the Washington Compost do not know how to react .They are either gleeful or upset that he did not live to serve his time .
captainoutrageous answered on 07/08/06:What a bummer. Wonder if any of those whose fortures were wiped out will ever see a dime. | | Question/Answer | | .Choux. asked on 07/06/06 - Disaster Everywhere One Looks, Thanks Bush Crime Family! "From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction.
North Korea's long-range missile test Tuesday, although unsuccessful, was another reminder of the bleak foreign policy landscape that faces President Bush even outside of Iraq. Few foreign policy experts foresee the reclusive Stalinist state giving up the nuclear weapons it appears to have acquired, making it another in a long list of world problems that threaten to cloud the closing years of the Bush administration, according to foreign policy experts in both parties.
"I am hard-pressed to think of any other moment in modern times where there have been so many challenges facing this country simultaneously," said Richard N. Haass, a **former senior Bush administration official** who heads the Council on Foreign Relations. "The danger is that Mr. Bush will hand over a White House to a successor that will face a far messier world, with far fewer resources left to cope with it."
Washington Post dot com.
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What a mess Bush has created in foreign affairs!
Let's see, perhaps things are better at home...
illegal immigration, they are flooding over our southern border
federal deficit, Oy!
government spending, plan D Medicare, what a fiasco!
Price of gasoline, sky high!
pollution of all kinds, *cough*
approval of the president, about 30%
on and on and on.... captainoutrageous answered on 07/08/06:And I'm sure you heard his comment last night - he'd rather be right than popular. And what if he is neither? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 07/07/06 - Forget sanctions, show films Michael Moore is putting on his second annual Traverse City Film Festival, complete with a Salute to Iranian Cinema. As he puts it, "a sort of "Let's get to know them first this time!" effort." No word on whether there will be subtitles or if you need to brush up on your Farsi.
The choices:
Men at Work, Directed By: Mani Haghighi
Four men from Tehran are on their way to the mountains for a weekend ski trip. As they round a curve, they encounter a boulder that sits on the edge of a cliff. Together they decide that the boulder must be pushed off that cliff. And, for the next 80 minutes, that's what we see them try to do in this funny, poignant allegory by the acclaimed Iranian director Mani Haghighi. No matter what they try to do, the rock won't budge. And neither will they. This is a great, small film that has many big things to say. We are proud to welcome from Tehran the director, Mani Haghighi, as part of our Salute to Iranian Cinema. Mr. Haghighi will speak after the film. Not Rated
President Mir Qanbar, Directed By: Mohammed Shirvani
A poor, 74-year-old man by the name of Mir Qanbar decides that anyone can grow up to be president of Iran. So he declares his candidacy and sets off on the campaign trail with his mule and his loyal friend, Seifollah, to the many remote, poverty-stricken villages of his district. He has a cart and a bicycle and a megaphone. He promises everyone he meets that he will clean up the government and represent the little guy. Director Mohammed Shirvani has brilliantly captured the quiet dignity and determination of Mir Qanbar in this exquisite documentary about a man to whom democracy is not just a word or a promise. Not Rated
And my personal choice...
Iron Island, Directed By: Mohammad Rasoulof
In this astonishing film directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, a huge abandoned oil tanker sits a few miles off the coast of Iran. Captain Nemat, played by Ali Nasirian, establishes his own society on the ship and others join him as they create a floating city. With their own money, power, clothing factory, and jobs, they are self sufficient, but Nemat rules with an iron fist. His absolute power is tested when two young lovers, under increasing pressure from outside influences, defy his authority. This allegory for contemporary Iranian society is funny one moment and brutal the next. Part of our Salute to Iranian Cinema. Not Rated
Personally I think Men at Work might be pretty funny, President Mir Qanbar may be moving, but Iron Island may not have the desired effect.
To make this work Iran needs to reciprocate, any suggestions on American films to show in Iran? Oh, that's right, Iran has banned American films.captainoutrageous answered on 07/08/06:I do believe Mr. Moore has his priorities majorly skewed (or is that screwed?). | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 07/03/06 - Is okay to be homosexual but it's not okay to be female? The confusion within the american branch of the anglican church becomes more obvious the longer it goes. This is what comes of departing from biblical principles, you don't know when to jump, and how high.
More Dioceses Reject New Female Leader
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 3, 2006; Page A01
To visit Episcopal parishes across her huge but sparsely populated Nevada diocese, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori pilots a small airplane. She often bumps down on tiny airstrips, but wherever her single-engine Cessna 172 lands, she is welcome.
That's about to change.
On June 18, the Episcopal Church's General Convention elected Jefferts Schori to a nine-year term as the denomination's presiding bishop, making her the first woman to head any branch of the Anglican Communion, the worldwide family of churches descended from the Church of England.
Although she will not take up her new role until November, six U.S. dioceses already have rejected her authority, and that number is rising. Many church leaders expect that by the time she takes office, about five more, for a total of 10 percent of the nation's 111 Episcopal dioceses, will have joined the rejectionist camp.
Moreover, conservative Anglicans overseas have made no secret of their hope that the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, will not invite Jefferts Schori to the next gathering of the heads of the 38 constituent churches in 2008.
Gender is only part of the reason that some conservatives in the church are unhappy about her election. Jefferts Schori, 52, is also firmly planted in the U.S. church's dominant liberal wing. Three years ago, she voted with the majority of Episcopal bishops to approve the New Hampshire Diocese's election of V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion. She has allowed the blessing of same-sex couples in her Nevada diocese.
Most recently, she irritated some conservatives by speaking about "Mother Jesus" in a sermon.
Trained as a scientist as well as a theologian, she entered the priesthood relatively late in life, 12 years ago, after an initial career as an oceanographer specializing in octopuses and squids. Her husband is a retired professor of theoretical mathematics, and they have a daughter serving in the Air Force.
The Rev. Ian T. Douglas, a professor at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., said Jefferts Schori edged out six other candidates for presiding bishop because she is not only "whip smart" but also "very methodical, clear and measured" in her thinking.
To those who accuse her of heresy for referring to a female Jesus, she responds with a typically learned disquisition on medieval mystics and saints who used similar language, including Julian of Norwich and St. Teresa of Avila. "I was trying to say that the work of the cross was in some ways like giving birth to a new creation," she said. "That is straight-down-the-middle orthodox theology."
Yet she acknowledged that she likes to shake people up a bit.
"All language is metaphorical, and if we insist that particular words have only one meaning and the way we understand those words is the only possible interpretation, we have elevated that text to an idol," she said in a telephone interview. "I'm encouraging people to look beyond their favorite understandings." Jefferts Schori's "all language is metaphorical" approach is a giant red flag to traditionalists at home and abroad who believe that the Episcopal Church is heading toward schism because it has departed from the plain words of the Bible.
"The incoming presiding bishop has made her positions very clear -- that she is committed to the new agenda, committed to same-sex blessings, committed to having same-sex partners in the leadership in the church -- which means she is also not committed to the faith as delivered to the saints," said Bishop Robert W. Duncan of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh was among the first dioceses to reject Jefferts Schori's authority, along with South Carolina; central Florida; San Joaquin, Calif.; Fort Worth; and Springfield, Ill.
Her election may also hasten the departure of individual congregations. Two large congregations in Northern Virginia, the Falls Church and Truro Church, announced last week that they will go through ൰ days of discernment" this fall to consider their status.
"We prayed and hoped that the General Convention would really turn around and change direction, but obviously it didn't," said the Rev. Martyn Minns, who is retiring as Truro Church's rector and has been named a bishop in the conservative Anglican Church of Nigeria.
Virginia Bishop Peter J. Lee said he hopes to persuade both congregations to stay. He declined to say whether he would fight to keep control of their buildings and property if they left the denomination -- one of the main disincentives for congregations to break away.
Duncan, of Pittsburgh, said none of the dioceses that have spurned Jefferts Schori are quitting the Episcopal Church. Instead, they are asking Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for "alternative primatial oversight" -- the naming of a conservative primate from some other country to oversee them temporarily, he said.
Jefferts Schori called the request "an anxious response" that was "quite predictable." "Most of the bishops who protested have been protesting for years about the presence of ordained women in the church," she said.
Thirty years after the Episcopal Church began ordaining women, three U.S. dioceses -- Fort Worth, San Joaquin and Quincy, Ill. -- refuse to allow female priests. Elsewhere in the Anglican Communion, change has come even more slowly: 13 of the communion's 38 churches have no female priests, and besides the United States, the only countries with female bishops are Canada and New Zealand.
Raised as a Roman Catholic in Oregon, Jefferts Schori switched to the Episcopal Church with her parents when she was 9. But her deeper turn to faith came at 22, when a close friend died in a plane crash.
At the time, she was taking a graduate course in the philosophy of science and "reading Heisenberg and Bohr and Einstein and the great physicists who talk about mystery," she recalled. "Both things were, I think, a great nudge to send me off looking for spiritual answers."
In her study of marine invertebrates, she said, she saw "the great wonder and variety of creation." And when federal research funds began to dry up in the 1980s, three members of her congregation in Corvallis, Ore., suggested she become a priest.
Cathy Roskam, the suffagran bishop of New York and a friend of Jefferts Schori, said women hold 3 percent of the leadership positions in the Anglican Communion.
"Many women feel that were we represented even close to the percentage we have in the pews, we would not be having these divisions over human sexuality," she said of the hierarchy. "Of course, women differ over sexuality. We just wouldn't be dividing over it."
Jefferts Schori agreed. The message of her election, she said, is not that Episcopalians don't care what other Anglicans think, but "that we're more interested in feeding hungry people and relieving suffering than we are in arguing about what gender someone is or what sexual orientation someone has." captainoutrageous answered on 07/04/06:I, for one, am very impressed with Schori, but her goal of healing the divisions in the church is going to be difficult, to say the least. The Episcopal Church has traditionally been made up of a large number of converts from other Christian denominations (and elsewhere) - the face of those converts is obviously changing. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 07/03/06 - I'd like your opibnions - without foul language - on this piece: July 1 - 2, 2006
What's to Stop Him?
Bush's Assaults on Freedom
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
On June 29 the US Supreme Court in a 5-3 decision ruled that President Bush's effort to railroad tortured Guantanamo Bay detainees in kangaroo courts "violates both US law and the Geneva Conventions."
Better late than never, but it sure took a long time for the checks and balances to call a halt to the illegal and unconstitutional behavior of the executive.
The Legal Times quotes David Remes, a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling: "At the broadest level, the Court has rejected the basic legal theory of the Bush administration since 9/11--that the president has the inherent power to do whatever he wants in the name of fighting terrorism without accountability to Congress or the courts."
Perhaps the Court's ruling has more far reaching implications. In finding Bush in violation of the Geneva Conventions, the ruling may have created a prima facie case for charges to be filed against Bush as a war criminal.
Many readers have concluded that Bush assumed the war criminal's mantle when he illegally invaded Iraq under false pretenses. The US itself established the Nuremberg standard that it is a war crime to launch a war of aggression. This was the charge that the chief US prosecutor brought against German leaders at the Nuremberg trials.
The importance of the Supreme Court's decision, however, is that a legal decision by America's highest court has ruled Bush to be in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
There are many reasons to impeach Bush. His flagrant disregard for international law, US civil liberties, the separation of powers, public opinion and human rights associate Bush with the worst tyrants of the 20th century. It is true that Bush has not yet been able to subvert all the institutions that constrain his executive power, but he and his band of Federalist Society lawyers have been working around the clock to eliminate the constraints that the US Constitution and international law place on executive power.
Republicans are "outraged" that "liberal judges" have prevented Bush from "protecting us from terrorists." In the US Senate, Majority Leader Bill Frist said that Republicans will propose legislation to enable Bush to get around the Supreme Court's decision. Senator Arlen Spector (R, PA) already had a bill ready. What sense does it make to talk about "liberal opposition" when liberal Republicans like Spector are falling all over themselves to kow-tow to Bush.
Americans are going to have to decide which is the greater threat: terrorists or the Republican Party's determination to shred American civil liberties and the separation of powers in the name of executive power and the "war on terror."
The rest of the world has already reached a decision. A Harris Poll recently conducted for the Financial Times found that the populations of our European allies--Britain, France, Italy and Spain--view the United States as the greatest threat to global stability.
A Pew Foundation survey released the same week found that 60 percent of the British believe that Bush has made the world less safe and that 79 percent of the Spanish oppose Bush's war on terror.
Republicans and conservatives equate civil liberties with homosexual marriage, abortion, racial quotas, flag burning, banning of school prayer, and crime resulting from a lax punishment of criminals. This is partly the fault of the ACLU and leftwingers, who go to extremes to make a point. But it is also the fault of conservatives, who believe that their government is incapable of evil deeds.
In their dangerous and ill-founded belief, conservatives are in total opposition to the Founding Fathers, who went to the trouble of writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in order to protect us from our government. Most conservatives believe that they do not need constitutional protections, because they "are not doing anything wrong." Conservatives have come to this absurd conclusion despite the Republicans' decision to sell out the Bill of Rights for the sake of temporary power.
A number of important books have recently been published that decry America's decaying virtue. In Lawless World, the distinguished British jurist, Philippe Sands, documents the destruction by George Bush and Tony Blair of the system of international law put in place by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. In The Peace of Illusions, Christopher Layne documents the American drive for global hegemony that threatens the world with war and destruction. Americans are enjoying a sense of power with little appreciation of where it is leading them.
Congress has collapsed in the face of Bush's refusal to abide by statutory law and his "signing statements" by which Bush asserts his independence of US law. Bush has done what he can to turn the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp of his unaccountable power by placing John Roberts and Samual Alito on the bench. Though much diminished by these appointments, the Court found the strength to rise up in opposition to Bush's budding tyranny.
Amazingly, on the very same day in England, where our individual rights originated, the High Court struck down Tony Blair's "anti-terrorism" laws as illegal breaches of the human rights of suspects. As with the Bush regime, the Blair regime tried to justify its illegality on the grounds of "protecting the public," but a far larger percentage of the British population than the American understands that the erosion of civil liberty is a greater threat to their safety than terrorists.
Thus, in the two lands most associated with civil liberties, courts have struck down the tyrannical acts of the corrupt executive. Perhaps the fact that courts have reaffirmed the rule of law will give hope and renewed strength to the friends of liberty to withstand the assaults on freedom that are the hallmarks of the Bush and Blair regimes. On the other hand the two tyrants might ignore the courts as they have statutory law.
What's to stop them?
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com
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Reasoned opinions please. No foul language!
captainoutrageous answered on 07/03/06:I certainly hope that the intervention of the 3rd branch of government will prevail over Bush's meglomania. If not, will the hue and cry of concerned Americans be enough to stop the tyranny? | | Question/Answer | | .Choux. asked on 07/03/06 - Religion a factor in Presidential Election 2008 From Bloomberg dot com: July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Religion hasn't been an issue in American presidential politics since 1960. That may change in 2008 if Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Mormon, remains a leading candidate for the Republican nomination.
More than a third of registered voters -- 35 percent -- say they wouldn't vote for a Mormon for president, the latest Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll finds. That's considerably more than say they wouldn't vote for a Catholic, Jew or evangelical Christian. Only a Muslim gets a higher negative response.
Among all respondents, 37 percent say they wouldn't vote for a Mormon. More than two in five Democrats say they wouldn't do so, while about a third of both Republicans and independents say they wouldn't. Females are slightly more negative toward a Mormon candidate than males.
``It's a sign that this is going to be a factor in Romney's campaign,'' said Scott Rasmussen, an independent pollster and president of Rasmussen Research in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
By comparison, 22 percent of registered voters say they wouldn't support an evangelical Christian, 14 percent wouldn't back a Jewish candidate, and 9 percent say no to a Catholic. Fifty-three percent say they wouldn't vote for a Muslim."
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Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 07/03/06:It is not surprising that the number of women negative toward a Mormon candidate is more than it is for males. The church has traditionally kept women in a very subservient role, although that has changed some in recent years. Ideally, people should vote for the candidate and his/her fitness for the position rather than for or against their religion, race, sex, etc. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/01/06 - Freedom of the Press Anathma to Terrorist Ideologists "....the virulent hatred espoused by terrorists, judging by their literature, is directed not just against our people and our buildings. It is also aimed at our values, at our freedoms and at our faith in the self-government of an informed electorate. If the freedom of the press makes some Americans uneasy, it is anathema to the ideologists of terror.
Thirty-five years ago yesterday, in the Supreme Court ruling that stopped the government from suppressing the secret Vietnam War history called the Pentagon Papers, Justice Hugo Black wrote: "The government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain ***forever free*** to censure the government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people." New York Times
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 07/01/06:The First Amendment freedoms are the foundation of a democratic society and we must as a people do everything in our power to prevent their loss - either to our own government or that of another. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 07/01/06 - So Much for Castro's Revolution WASHINGTON (CNN) -- "The U.S. should have assistance in Cuba within weeks of President Fidel Castro's death to support a transitional government and help move the country toward democracy, a government report recommends.
The report was prepared by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, an interagency group co-chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, a Cuban-American.
President Bush created the commission in 2003 to "help hasten and ease Cuba's democratic transition," according to its Web site".
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Maybe, Bush has done one thing right.
I wonder what the details are. captainoutrageous answered on 07/01/06:Maybe and maybe not. Once again it looks like a case of the US meddling in the affairs of other nations. If they want our assistance, that is another thing entirely. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/30/06 - So much for the Republican Supreme Court Strategy uSpreme Court Rejects Guantanamo Trials
President Says He'll Seek Congressional Approval for Tribunals
By TERENCE HUNT, AP
WASHINGTON (June 29) - "After a Supreme Court decision overruling war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees, President Bush suggested Thursday he would seek Congress' approval to proceed with trying terrorism suspects before military tribunals.
"To the extent that there is latitude to work with the Congress to determine whether or not the military tribunals will be an avenue in which to give people their day in court, we will do so," he said. "The American people need to know that the ruling, as I understand it, won't cause killers to be put out on the street."
Bush said little more, saying he had received only a "drive-by briefing" on the ruling just out earlier Thursday morning.
The Supreme Court decided that Bush's proposed trials for certain detainees at the controversial U.S. prison in Cuba were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions. A separate opinion, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, appeared to invite Bush to go to Congress to seek the authority to change that, and Bush's short answer indicated that is his intention.
The president declined to say whether the decision would prompt him to more quickly follow through on his promise to close the prison, as many world leaders and human rights groups have urged.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said later that Bush still wants to close the Guantanamo Bay facility once the administration can determine what to do with the prisoners, and he said the Supreme Court decision does not affect that."
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Comments... captainoutrageous answered on 06/30/06:And it is not the first time that a president has tried to stack the court to find out that sometimes those folks have a mind of their own. | | Question/Answer | | HANK1 asked on 06/29/06 - HERE IT IS:
www.holidays.net/independence/story.htm
HANK
captainoutrageous answered on 06/29/06:Thanks much, Hank! | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/29/06 - Gerrymandering Taking a move from the Republican play sheet, states that are likely to go to Democratic governers(NY, NJ, ILL, NJ) in November are likely to call for redistricting, draw new boundaries for congressional districts in order to increase the number of Democratic representatives by perhaps as many as 40 representatives.
Texas Republicans are already in the process of planning to redistrict for the benefit of the Republican party.
Apparently, there is nothing in the Constitution about when redistricting can occur. Redistricting can occur at any time, any number of times.
Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 06/29/06:When used to insure party success, political gerrymandering is usually legal but can be contested. At this time it is legal to draw district lines to protect incumbents of both parties.
| | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 06/27/06 - Some more humor Many of these seem to have political applications, so I figure they're appropriate to post here:
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The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. some are terrifically innovative:
1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly. (Hey!)
3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
9 Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
10 Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
12. Glibido: All talk and no action.
13. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
14. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
And the pick of the lot:
17. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an a$$hole. captainoutrageous answered on 06/28/06:Well, I'll be fluccilated.
| | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 06/27/06 - Keller explains Excerpts from "Letter From Bill Keller on The Times's Banking Records Report"
Some of the incoming mail quotes the angry words of conservative bloggers and TV or radio pundits who say that drawing attention to the government's anti-terror measures is unpatriotic and dangerous. (I could ask, if that's the case, why they are drawing so much attention to the story themselves by yelling about it on the airwaves and the Internet.)...
...It's not our job to pass judgment on whether this program is legal or effective, but the story cites strong arguments from proponents that this is the case. While some experts familiar with the program have doubts about its legality, which has never been tested in the courts, and while some bank officials worry that a temporary program has taken on an air of permanence, we cited considerable evidence that the program helps catch and prosecute financers of terror, and we have not identified any serious abuses of privacy so far. A reasonable person, informed about this program, might well decide to applaud it. That said, we hesitate to preempt the role of legislators and courts, and ultimately the electorate, which cannot consider a program if they don't know about it.
We weighed most heavily the Administration's concern that describing this program would endanger it. The central argument we heard from officials at senior levels was that international bankers would stop cooperating, would resist, if this program saw the light of day. We don't know what the banking consortium will do, but we found this argument puzzling. First, the bankers provide this information under the authority of a subpoena, which imposes a legal obligation. Second, if, as the Administration says, the program is legal, highly effective, and well protected against invasion of privacy, the bankers should have little trouble defending it. The Bush Administration and America itself may be unpopular in Europe these days, but policing the byways of international terror seems to have pretty strong support everywhere. And while it is too early to tell, the initial signs are that our article is not generating a banker backlash against the program.
By the way, we heard similar arguments against publishing last year's reporting on the NSA eavesdropping program. We were told then that our article would mean the death of that program. We were told that telecommunications companies would — if the public knew what they were doing — withdraw their cooperation. To the best of my knowledge, that has not happened. While our coverage has led to much public debate and new congressional oversight, to the best of our knowledge the eavesdropping program continues to operate much as it did before. Members of Congress have proposed to amend the law to put the eavesdropping program on a firm legal footing. And the man who presided over it and defended it was handily confirmed for promotion as the head of the CIA.
A secondary argument against publishing the banking story was that publication would lead terrorists to change tactics. But that argument was made in a half-hearted way. It has been widely reported — indeed, trumpeted by the Treasury Department — that the U.S. makes every effort to track international financing of terror. Terror financiers know this, which is why they have already moved as much as they can to cruder methods. But they also continue to use the international banking system, because it is immeasurably more efficient than toting suitcases of cash.
I can appreciate that other conscientious people could have gone through the process I've outlined above and come to a different conclusion. But nobody should think that we made this decision casually, with any animus toward the current Administration, or without fully weighing the issues.
Does anyone actually believe the Times printed the story with no animus toward the administration - particularly when in his opening remarks he disparages the "angry words of conservative bloggers and TV or radio pundits"? It's not their job to pass judgment by the way...
The Times apparently feels it is their responsibility to make sure the public has a say in every intelligence program, since they "cannot consider a program if they don't know about it." Aparrently warrants and subpoenas aren't enough any more, we must also wait for public approval before gathering information that may prevent an attack or catch a terrorist.
Wizbang appropriately summed the letter up this way:
Dear Reader:
1) We have no reason to believe the program was illegal in any way.
2) We have every reason to believe it was effective at catching terrorists.
3) We ran the story anyway, screw you.
Bill Keller captainoutrageous answered on 06/28/06:Many conservatives would be just as happy if we all wore blinders. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 06/27/06 - Oh how "Times" change From Powerline, a September 24, 2001 editorial in the NY Times:
Organizing the hijacking of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took significant sums of money. The cost of these plots suggests that putting Osama bin Laden and other international terrorists out of business will require more than diplomatic coalitions and military action. Washington and its allies must also disable the financial networks used by terrorists.
The Bush administration is preparing new laws to help track terrorists through their money-laundering activity and is readying an executive order freezing the assets of known terrorists. Much more is needed, including stricter regulations, the recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities. There must also must be closer coordination among America's law enforcement, national security and financial regulatory agencies.
Osama bin Laden originally rose to prominence because his inherited fortune allowed him to bankroll Arab volunteers fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Since then, he has acquired funds from a panoply of Islamic charities and illegal and legal businesses, including export-import and commodity trading firms, and is estimated to have as much as $300 million at his disposal.
Some of these businesses move funds through major commercial banks that lack the procedures to monitor such transactions properly. Locally, terrorists can utilize tiny unregulated storefront financial centers, including what are known as hawala banks, which people in South Asian immigrant communities in the United States and other Western countries use to transfer money abroad. Though some smaller financial transactions are likely to slip through undetected even after new rules are in place, much of the financing needed for major attacks could dry up.
Washington should revive international efforts begun during the Clinton administration to pressure countries with dangerously loose banking regulations to adopt and enforce stricter rules. These need to be accompanied by strong sanctions against doing business with financial institutions based in these nations. The Bush administration initially opposed such measures. But after the events of Sept. 11, it appears ready to embrace them.
The Treasury Department also needs new domestic legal weapons to crack down on money laundering by terrorists. The new laws should mandate the identification of all account owners, prohibit transactions with "shell banks" that have no physical premises and require closer monitoring of accounts coming from countries with lax banking laws. Prosecutors, meanwhile, should be able to freeze more easily the assets of suspected terrorists. The Senate Banking Committee plans to hold hearings this week on a bill providing for such measures. It should be approved and signed into law by President Bush.
New regulations requiring money service businesses like the hawala banks to register and imposing criminal penalties on those that do not are scheduled to come into force late next year. The effective date should be moved up to this fall, and rules should be strictly enforced the moment they take effect. If America is going to wage a new kind of war against terrorism, it must act on all fronts, including the financial one.
I guess they forgot?
Stevecaptainoutrageous answered on 06/28/06:As is often the case, we need to hit them in their pocketbooks. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 06/27/06 - Maybe this is the problem???? Article Abstract:
Progressives have fallen into a trap. Emboldened by President Bush's plummeting approval ratings, progressives increasingly point to Bush's "failures" and label him and his administration as incompetent. Self-satisfying as this criticism may be, it misses the bigger point. Bush's disasters Katrina, the Iraq War, the budget deficit are not so much a testament to his incompetence or a failure of execution. Rather, they are the natural, even inevitable result of his conservative governing philosophy. It is conservatism itself, carried out according to plan, that is at fault.
Read the entire article at:
Bush is not an incompetent
What do you think? captainoutrageous answered on 06/27/06:Interesting article. I am afraid Bush is going to leave us with a bunch of garbage that it will take a great deal of effort to rid ourselves of. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 06/26/06 - Ape man A member of the Green party, and the Socialist Coalition now governing Spain, Francisco Garrido has proposed legislation that would make Spain the first nation in the world to give chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and other great apes some of the fundamental rights granted to human beings.
The law would eliminate the concept of "ownership" for great apes, instead placing them under the "moral guardianship" of the state.Apes held in Spanish zoos would be moved to state-built sanctuaries
The Roman Catholic Church has expressed concerns about his resolution.
The Archbishop of Pamplona and Tudela, Fernando Sebastian, has said that only a "ridiculous or distorted society" could propose such a law.
"We don't give rights to some people - such as unborn children, human embryos, and we are going to give them to apes," the archbishop said.
The proposal has been front page news since parliament heard testimony from members of the Great Ape Project (GAP), a Seattle-based activist group that campaigns for the creation of a "community of equals" in which humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans would all have three fundamental rights
If this becomes law how long will it be before it gets adopted in the U.S. ? Who knows ??? ;with some of the Supreme Court's perponderance towards citing foreign laws in their decisions about US Law maybe the Ape's Rights Laws will become American law by fiat .
The principle that humans are unique creatures get's deluted the more science reveals the commonality in Ape and human DNA ;to hell with logos. Might as well go all the way and confer voting rights for them and make sure they get public funded education .."No chimp left behind "!.
captainoutrageous answered on 06/27/06:No chimp left behind makes about as much sense as the current "no child left behind." | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 06/26/06 - OK, gonna give it a shot Here is an example of the lovely West Texas springtime weather:
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captainoutrageous answered on 06/27/06:Looks like you better cut and run. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 06/26/06 - From the Christianity board This cracks me up. I felt the need to copy it over here for the benefit of all.
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Christians can't morally endorse cruel and unusual punishment unless they want to morph Jesus into an "eye for an eye" advocate.
"I celebrated inwardly when it was revealed that a single hold-out juror prevented the so-called twentieth hijacker from 9/11, Zacarias Moussaoui , from receiving the death penalty. This juror gave no reason, but I hope it was conscience pure and simple. The U.S. has isolated itself among First World countries by allowing the death penalty--123 countries have abolished it completely, or in practice never use it, a few permitting it under extreme circumstances.
Of the 50 countries that newly abolished the death penalty since 1985, only 4 have reinstated it. Why aren't more people chilled by the fact that in 2004, 97% of executions took place in China, Iran, Viet Nam, and the U.S.?
Execution amounts to cruel and unusual punishment by the world's prevailing standards. A current case before the Supreme Court is testing that proposition here. Yet somehow the American public feels undisturbed by this issue. Few if any politicians dare to run on the wrong side. In this case "wrong" means humane and rational. Why do we kill criminals? ***The right wing surely can't hide behind morality, unless they want to warp Jesus into an eye-for-an-eye advocate.***
No, the death penalty is almost entirely irrational. It has little if any deterrent effect. Tragic mistakes have been made in its application. The very fact that inmates must wait on death row for years, even decades, is cruel enough. How many times do they die in their own minds before the actual event?
The landscape of cruelty in America has become more and more disturbing recently. Guantanamo is a global disgrace, yet one hears feeble outcries over it here, especially in Congress. Abu Ghraib has led to minimal repercussions, and rumors of CIA torture centers in Eastern Europe sound all too plausible. The fact that the tide of cruelty has crept up gradually is no excuse.
Having escaped death, Moussaoui now faces doing time in a "super max" prison in Florence, Colorado, where Terry Nichols (co-conspirator with Timothy McVeigh) and Ted Kaczynski (the Unibomber) already endure conditions that frequently induce psychosis. A super max prison is an antiseptic hell where inmates sit in isolation for 23 hours a day, being allowed out of their cells for only an hour's exercise. They have no human contact, no television, no library except for a collection of law books (access to legal information is mandated by the courts). In some of these facilities, which have grown extremely popular in recent decades, the cells are lit up 24 hours a day under surveillance cameras.
Under what possible moral scheme can a civilized country consider this anything but barbaric? Our prisons are called penitentiaries (from the root word 'penance') because over two hundred years ago it was felt that an enlightened society must move beyond Old Testament revenge for wrong-doing. Now we have slipped back across that moral boundary, and the saddest thing, in this boom time for building more prisons, locking away more non-violent criminals, and handing down maximum sentences, is that we have learned to condone cruelty almost as if it didn't exist. As if it was a good thing."===Deepak Chopra, Blogging
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Now, is it just me, or does the signature line really say all that needs to be said? captainoutrageous answered on 06/27/06:Deepak's thinking is twisted and confused. An individual can kill hundreds of people, but it's cruel to put them in a max prison - weird logic | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 06/08/06 - the latest in FBI technology http://www.stuffucanuse.com/j_mugshot1.htm captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:Well, wasn't that a charming waste of time - lol. | | Question/Answer | | purplewings asked on 06/08/06 - Notorious Beheader - Deader 'n a doorknob. Terror Leader Al-Zarqawi Dies in U.S. Air Strike
By PATRICK QUINN, AP
BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 8) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings, has been killed in an air strike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday, adding his identity was confirmed by fingerprints and a first-hand look at his face. It was a major victory in the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the broader war on terror.
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Will he receive 70 virgins in his heaven? Is it right for us to celebrate his demise? Should we declare a holiday? captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:I don't believe in the virgin crap - sounds pretty sexist to me. There is some feeling of relief with the news of his death, unfortunately he has become a martyr to other fanatics, atleast one of whom will take his place. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 06/08/06 - The Jersey Four Over a year ago Dorothy Rabinowitz at Wall Street Journal wrote the definitive editorial about the widows with their Michael Moore like conspiracies ...sans the inflamatory rhetoric .
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The 9/11 Widows
Americans are beginning to tire of them.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004 12:01 a.m. EDT
"I watched my husband murdered live on TV. . . . At any point in time the casualties could have been lessened, and it seems to me there wasn't even an attempt made."
--Monica Gabrielle
"Three thousand people were murdered on George Bush's watch."
-- Kristin Breitweiser
No one by now needs briefings on the identities of the commentators quoted above. The core group of widows led by the foursome known as "The Jersey Girls," credited with bringing the 9/11 Commission into being, are by now world famous. Their already established status in the media, as a small but heroically determined band of sisters speaking truth to power, reached ever greater heights last week, when National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice made her appearance at a commission session--an event that would not have taken place, it was understood, without the pressure from the widows. Television interviewers everywhere scrambled to land these guests--a far cry from the time, last June, when group leader Kristin Breitweiser spoke of her disappointment in the press, complaining to one journalist, "I've been scheduled to go on 'Meet the Press' and 'Hardball' so many times, and I'm always canceled."
No one is canceling her these days. The night of Ms. Rice's appearance, the Jersey Girls appeared on "Hardball," to charge that the national security adviser had failed to do her job, that the government failed to provide a timely military response, that the president had spent time reading to schoolchildren after learning of the attack, that intelligence agencies had failed to connect the dots. Others who had lost family to the terrorists' assault commanded little to no interest from TV interviewers. Debra Burlingame--lifelong Democrat, sister of Charles F. "Chic" Burlingame III, captain of American Airlines flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, did manage to land an interview after Ms. Rice's appearance. When she had finished airing her views critical of the accusatory tone and tactics of the Jersey Girls, her interviewer, ABC congressional reporter Linda Douglass marveled, "This is the first time I've heard this point of view."
That shouldn't have been surprising. The hearing room that day had seen a substantial group of 9/11 families, similarly irate over the Jersey Girls and their accusations--families that made their feelings evident in their burst of loud applause when Ms. Rice scored a telling zinger under questioning. But these were not the 9/11 voices TV and newspaper editors were interested in. They had chosen to tell a different story--that of four intrepid New Jersey housewives who had, as one news report had it, brought an administration "to its knees"--and that was, as far as they were concerned, the only story.
A fair number of the Americans not working in the media may, on the other hand, by now be experiencing Jersey Girls Fatigue--or taking a hard look at the pronouncements of the widows. Statements like that of Monica Gabrielle, for example (not one of the Jersey Girls, though an activist of similar persuasion), who declared that she could discern no attempt to lessen the casualties on Sept. 11. What can one make of such a description of the day that saw firefighters by the hundreds lose their lives in valiant attempts to bring people to safety from the burning floors of the World Trade Center--that saw deeds like that of Morgan Stanley's security chief, Rick Rescorla, who escorted 2,700 employees safely out of the South Tower, before he finally lost his own life?
But the best known and most quoted pronouncement of all had come in the form of a question put by the leader of the Jersey Girls. "We simply wanted to know," Ms. Breitweiser said, by way of explaining the group's position, "why our husbands were killed. Why they went to work one day and didn't come back."
The answer, seared into the nation's heart, is that, like some 3,000 others who perished that day, those husbands didn't come home because a cadre of Islamist fanatics wanted to kill as many of the hated American infidels in their tall towers and places of government as they could, and they did so. Clearly, this must be a truth also known to those widows who asked the question--though in no way one would notice.
Who, listening to them, would not be struck by the fact that all their fury and accusation is aimed not at the killers who snuffed out their husbands' and so many other lives, but at the American president, his administration, and an ever wider assortment of targets including the Air Force, the Port Authority, the City of New York? In the public pronouncements of the Jersey Girls we find, indeed, hardly a jot of accusatory rage at the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. We have, on the other hand, more than a few declarations like that of Ms. Breitweiser, announcing that "President Bush and his workers . . . were the individuals that failed my husband and the 3,000 people that day."
The venerable status accorded this group of widows comes as no surprise given our times, an age quick to confer both celebrity and authority on those who have suffered. As the experience of the Jersey Girls shows, that authority isn't necessarily limited to matters moral or spiritual. All that the widows have had to say--including wisdom mind-numbingly obvious, or obviously false and irrelevant--on the failures of this or that government agency, on derelictions of duty they charged to the president, the vice president, the national security adviser, Norad and the rest, has been received by most of the media and members of Congress with utmost wonder and admiration. They had become prosecutors and investigators, unearthing clues and connections related to 9/11, with, we're regularly informed, unrivalled dedication and skill.
The day of Ms. Rice's appearance before the Commission, a radiant Gail Sheehy, author of "Hillary's Choice," beamed gratitude as she congratulated the host of "Hardball" for bringing the women on as guests. She had been following the New Jersey moms for two years, Ms. Sheehy said, and they were always leaks ahead--of everyone. She wanted to note, too, "how the moms kept making that point that it was her [Ms. Rice's] job" to inform the president. Another indicator of their expertise.
Ms. Sheehy was hardly alone in her faith in the widows and their special skills. Their every shred of opinion about the hearings last week was actively solicited--as will be true, no doubt, this week. Asked what question she would put to Ms. Rice, if she could, one Jersey Girl answered, after some thought, that it would be, What did she know and when did she know it? The answer wasn't the first to suggest that the nation now confronted a new investigation of government malfeasance, and coverups on the order of Watergate, and that we'd been brought to this cleansing by the work of four New Jersey widows. One NBC journalist ended his summation of Ms. Rice's testimony with an urgent coda: The issue of real significance that day, he explained, would be how the families of the 9/11 victims reacted to her testimony. There would have been no doubt, in the mind of anyone listening, which families he meant.
Really? How can that be?--is the only reasonable response to that claim, which would not have been made in a saner time. How could it be that the most important issue emerging from an inquiry into undeniable intelligence failures, at a time of utmost national peril, was the way the victims' families reacted to the hearings?
Little wonder, given all this, that the 9/11 Four blossomed, under a warm media sun and the attention of legislators, into activists increasingly confident of their authority--that, with every passing month, their list of government agencies and agents guilty of dereliction of duty grew apace. So did their assurance that it had been given to them, as victims, to determine the proper standards of taste and respectfulness to be applied in everything related to Sept. 11, including, it turned out, the images of the destroyed World Trade Center in George Bush's first campaign ad, which elicited, from some of them, bitter charges of political exploitation.
Out of their loss and tragedy the widows had forged new lives as investigators of 9/11, analysts of what might have been had every agency of government done as it should. No one would begrudge them this solace.
Nor can anyone miss, by now, the darker side of this spectacle of the widows, awash in their sense of victims' entitlement, as they press ahead with ever more strident claims about the way the government failed them. Or how profoundly different all this is from the way in which citizens in other times and places reacted to national tragedy.
From August 1940 to May 1941, the Luftwaffe's nightly terror bombings killed 43,000 British men, women and children. That was only phase one. Phase two, involving the V-1 flying bombs and, later, rockets, killed an additional 6,180. The British defense, was, to the say the least, ineffectual, particularly in the early stages of the war--the antiaircraft guns were few, the fire control system inadequate, as was the radar system. Still, it would have been impossible, then as now, to imagine victims of those nightly assaults rising up to declare war on their government, charging its leaders, say, with failure to develop effective radar--the British government had, after all, had plenty of warning that war was coming. It occurred to no one, including families who had lost husbands, wives and children, to claim that tens of thousands had been murdered on Winston Churchill's watch. They understood that their war was with the enemies bombing them.
Nor, to take an example closer to our time, did the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing give rise to a campaign of accusation (notwithstanding a conspiracy theory or two) against the government for its failure to prevent the attack.
Yesterday's session of the 9/11 Commission brought an appearance by Attorney General John Ashcroft--a reminder, among other things, of various intriguing questions posed by some of Ms. Breitweiser's analyses (delivered in her testimony before the 2002 congressional committee) of the ways the Sept. 11 attack might have been foiled. If the Federal Aviation Administration had properly alerted passengers to the dangers they faced, she asked, how many victims might have thought twice before boarding an aircraft? And "how many victims would have taken notice of these Middle Eastern men while they were boarding their plane? Could these men have been stopped?"
A good question. One can only imagine how a broadcast of the warning, "Watch out for Middle Eastern men in line near you, as you board your flight," would have gone down in those quarters of the culture daily worried to death about the alleged threat to civil rights posed by profiling and similar steps designed to weed out terrorists. Consider, a veteran political aide mordantly asks, what the response would have been if John Ashcroft had issued a statement calling for such a precaution, prior to Sept. 11.
This week, as last, there will be no lack of air time for the Jersey Four, or journalists ravenous for their views. CBS's "The Early Show" yesterday brought a report from Monica Gabrielle, attesting that her husband might have escaped from the South Tower if the facts about the Aug. 6 "PDB" memo had been shared with the public. The saga of the widows can be expected to run on along entirely familiar lines. The only question of interest that remains is how Americans view the Jersey Four and company, and how long before they turn them off.
captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:Thanks for sharing the article - most interesting. I suppose one could say these are using this campaign to cover up their personal grief, but that is stretching it. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 06/07/06 - An Inconvenient Quiz Sitting here during an inconvenient cool spell in NY the week that Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' was released in this market I came across this quiz . Your task is to determine if the below quotes were from Al Gore or from the Unabomber .
...................................................
1."The twentieth century has not been kind to the constant human striving for a sense of purpose in life. Two world wars, the Holocaust, the invention of nuclear weapons, and now the global environmental crises have led many of us to wonder if survival - much less enlightened, joyous, and hopeful living - is possible. We retreat into the seductive tools and technologies of industrial civilization, but that only creates new problems as we become increasingly isolated from one another and disconnected from our roots."
2."Again, we must not forget the lessons of World War II. The Resistance slowed the advance of fascism and scored important victories, but fascism continued its relentless march to domination until the rest of the world finally awoke and made the difference and made the defeat of fascism its central organizing principle from 1941 through 1945."
3."It is not necessary for the sake of nature to set up some chimerical utopia or any new kind of social order. Nature takes care of itself: It was a spontaneous creation that existed long before any human society, and for countless centuries, many different kinds of human societies coexisted with nature without doing it an excessive amount of damage. Only with the Industrial Revolution did the effect of human society on nature become really devastating."
4."Modern industrial civilization, as presently organized, is colliding violently with our planet's ecological system. The ferocity of its assault on the earth is breathtaking, and the horrific consequences are occurring so quickly as to defy our capacity to recognize them, comprehend their global implications, and organize an appropriate and timely response. Isolated pockets of resistance fighters who have experienced this juggernaut at first hand have begun to fight back in inspiring but, in the final analysis, woefully inadequate ways."
5."Among the abnormal conditions present in modern industrial society are excessive density of population, isolation of man from nature, excessive rapidity of social change and the breakdown of natural small-scale communities such as the extended family, the village or the tribe."
6." All pre-industrial societies were predominantly rural. The Industrial Revolution vastly increased the size of cities and the proportion of the population that lives in them, and modern agricultural technology has made it possible for the Earth to support a far denser population than it ever did before."
7."The positive ideal that is proposed is Nature. That is, wild nature: those aspects of the functioning of the Earth and its living things that are independent of human management and free of human interference and control."
8."Any child born into the hugely consumptionist way of life so common in the industrial world will have an impact that is, on average, many times more destructive than that of a child born in the developing world."
9."And tragically, since the onset of the scientific and technological revolution, it has become all too easy for ultrarational minds to create an elaborate edifice of clockwork efficiency capable of nightmarish cruelty on an industrial scale. The atrocities of Hitler and Stalin, and the mechanical sins of all who helped them, might have been inconceivable except for the separation of facts from values and knowledge from morality."
10."The modern individual on the other hand is threatened by many things against which he is helpless: nuclear accidents, carcinogens in food, environmental pollution, war, increasing taxes, invasion of his privacy by large organizations, and nationwide social or economic phenomena that may disrupt his way of life."
11."Industrial society seems likely to be entering a period of severe stress, due in part to problems of human behavior and in part to economic and environmental problems."
12. "What does it say about our culture that personality is now considered a technology, a tool of the trade, not only in politics but in business and the professions? Has everyone been forced to become an actor? In sixteenth century England, actors were not allowed to be buried in the same cemeteries as 'God-fearing folk,' because anyone willing to manipulate his personality for the sake of artifice, even to entertain, was considered spiritually suspect."
captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:Gore
Gore
Unabomber
Gore
Gore
Unabomber
Unabomber
Gore
Unabomber
Unabomber
Gore
Unabomber | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 06/07/06 - Gay Marriage Amendment goes down
Hello wrongwingers:
Hellllllooooo!!!! In this country, we don't vote on civil rights.!!!! IF we vote on civil rights, its to GIVE civil rights to a group who has previously been denied those rights. Thats what weve ALWAYS done! Our Constitution is a document of INCLUSION. YOU, for the first time in history, want to CONSITUTIONALIZE discrimination.
Who, among you, don't get that simple civics lesson? Who among you want to spin this into a states rights question?
Fortunately, it's not gonna happen - not in my great country. And, those among you who DON'T get it - your time is passing.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:I agree - the constitution shouldn't be used to take rights away from a group. Unfortunately, even though it looks like a pretty dead issue at the federal level, such is not the case at the state level. For example, while defeating Judge Roy Moore, Alabama voters at the same time voted to approve a gay marriage ban. | | Question/Answer | | CeeBee2 asked on 06/07/06 - The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training, and Root Causes - a new 3 volume set I'm going to catalog after I post this. Was published by Praeger Security International in Westport, CT and edited by James J.F. Forest, Director of Terrorism Studies and Assistant Professor of PoliSci at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Each volume is about one of the topics mentioned in the subtitle; each volume has a terrific index. You might be interested in asking for it at your local public library. The set appears to cover every question about/aspect of terrorism anyone could ever think of. captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:Well, I'm going to have to see if I can find it at the Denver library as I certainly can't afford to buy it. Amazon has it listed for $300. Other sites have it listed for as much as $480. Whew. Looks good, though - Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/07/06 - Judge Roy Moore the judge from the deep South who was involved in "The Ten Commandments" lawsuit, went down to defeat in his quest for public office. captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:An interesting little blurb from Forbes:
"Moore and his slate got hit with "the Pharisee effect," said pollster Larry Powell, referring to Jesus' rebuke of religious leaders called Pharisees who used public prayers to enhance their political image."
| | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/07/06 - Copy of May 6 Cable from Ambassador Khalilzad to Condi "Crime in Iraq is rated by the U.S. State Department as critical and will continue to get worse for the foreseeable future," the embassy in Baghdad reports in the cable, which was addressed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice .
"Crime, terrorism, and warfare are a significant threat in all parts of Iraq. Active military operations are ongoing. The Department of State continues to strongly warn U.S. citizens against travel to Iraq, which remains very dangerous. ****Remnants of the former regime, transnational terrorists, criminal elements and numerous insurgent groups remain active.***
"Attacks against military and civilian targets continue throughout the country, including inside the international zone. These attacks have resulted in deaths and injuries of American citizens. Planned and random killings are common as are kidnappings for ransom and political reasons."
"Overall security in Iraq is worsening," the embassy reports....." edited for length only.
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Three years after the invasion of Iraq, and this is the truth about what is going on inside Iraq.
How can any sane person argue that the Iraq War has NOT been a collossal failure? A failure, in part, because of poor or no planning for after the highly tooted, "ahock and awe", the failure in not putting many more boots on the ground...... captainoutrageous answered on 06/08/06:I am no supporter of Hussein, but I question whether what is happening in Iraq today is much better than the terror he offered. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 06/06/06 - Got time for a small rant? So I'm sitting in my office, recovering (slowly) from a long night of tending to my sick wife, who was up all hours of the night with some stomach thing. My secretary beeps me to tell me my 9 o'clock appointment is here. Stifling the urge to swear out loud, I push my personal fatigue and concerns aside to tend to the business at hand.
In walks a young "gentleman" (a term I use very loosely), who happens to be African-American. I use that term simply because it's the current PC term of the hour. Whether or not the young man has ever even been to Africa is unknown to me, though after three minutes of conversation with him, I would be profoundly shocked if he could even locate Africa on a globe. But I digress. What really caught my attention was his T-shirt, which stated boldly with very well-done background graphics: "If you see the cops, warn a brother."
It took every ounce of self-control I possessed to not lay into this obviously misguided young man. By wearing statements such as these, aren't members of the black community advertising themselves as someone who NEEDS to be warned if the police are around? If I, a white American (oh, I could say "Irish-American," but never having lived in or even visited Ireland, that would be just silly) wore such a shirt or made such a statement, I would be immediately crucified by virtually everyone for being "racist." If I were conversing with this young man about the missing baby from our town (who has been found and is safe and healthy, thank God), and said something like "it was probably some black person that took her," would I not be labeled a racist? Sure I would, and rightfully so.
So is it just me, or does it seem like certain ethnic groups are their own worst enemies when it comes to race issues? In the circles where I live and have lived, which include military, blue collar, farming and ranching, law enforcement, faith communities, the "for profit" world, education, and institutes of higher learning, most of the white people I've ever talked to say that race is pretty much irrelevant to them, it's the quality of the person and their actions that matter. WHich sounds to me an awful lot like what Dr. King said in his most famous speech.
I personally think Dr. King would literally vomit if he saw how a great many black people were conducting themselves today while at the same time praising him and his actions, and continually shooting themselves in the foot.
Love me, hate me, disregard me. I don't care. That's what I have to say for the moment.
DK captainoutrageous answered on 06/06/06:I agree. Many of the things that young (and not so young) African-Americans do must have Dr. King rolling over in his grave. Why does anyone need to do things that denigrates themselves - ie. the N word, the t-shirt you mention, etc. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 06/06/06 - How does one prove a negative? Or rather, how does one prove that he/she is NOT what he/she is being accused of being, such as a racist, for example?
Would one mention the fact that one grew up in a small town that didn't even have paved roads until 1980, where one ran around all summer long with all the kids that were on their side of the tracks (literally)? Those kids being white, black, brown, and red? By the summer's end, we all looked pretty much alike, covered in head to toe with the red clay dust from the roads, smelling strangely similar to the catfish and crawdads we fished for endlessly.
Or would one mention later serving 12 years in America's armed forces, alongside black, white, hispanic, Native American, and Asian brothers? And doing so gladly, and with honor, not giving a rat's ass about the skin color or hometown of a brother, but whether or not he, too, would serve with honor and do his job as best he can?
Or would one mention dating lovely ladies from all across the racial spectrum, even though going to her parent's house for dinner was often interesting, because her mom and/or dad was PO'd that she brought a "foreigner" or a white boy home? Or would one mention cherishing the lovely relationship had with that women, despite her parent's problems?
Or would one mention later in life finally getting married, and adopting a Hispanic stepson with tears of joy and overwhelming love for him, and granting him all the full rights and privileges of the firstborn son?
Or would one mention working in a community agency, and being responsible for raising literally tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships and awareness programs to show minority students that despite what they may have been taught, they deserve all the same chances to succeed as anyone else?
Nah, never mind. It doesn't matter. I'm a white male, therefore I am an evil racist to some.
An accusation which is, of course, racism at it's most pure.
DK captainoutrageous answered on 06/06/06:As the old adage goes, "actions speak louder than words." Unfortunately, it has been my experience that those who talk the loudest about how honest, tolerant, etc that they, are the ones who are trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Yes, there will always be people who judge on their appearance, but you basically have to be true to yourself - it's their ignorance, not yours. | | Question/Answer | | quixotic_Choux asked on 06/05/06 - Political Theater not Leadership "Irony is hardly what the architects of the coming weeks of gay-bashing have in mind. Their stated goal is to draw a bright line between Us and Other, between God's faithful and Satan's secularists, between moral absolutes that must not bend, and moral relativists who must be bent.
The problem, though, is that there's hardly anyone in the audience who takes this staged witch hunt at face value.
The White House, and Republican Senators, aren't dewey-eyed. They know this is political theater. They fully embrace the cynical motivation behind it: an attempt to turn the nation's attention to the homo horror show. Iraq, energy, health care, global warming -- who wouldn't be delighted to avoid accountability for a disgraceful record of neglect by playing pin the tail on the pansy?
And yet most members of Bush's own base also know the score. They know this isn't the real culture war; it's a culture war game. They rightly see this amendment hoopla as a charade, an attempt to pander them back into the fold, a half-hearted bit of pre-election showmanship aimed at diverting them from their anger about deficits, spending, corruption and incompetence.
Younger Americans, too, are largely immune from this spectacle. Most people under 40 think love-and-let-love is the right reaction to same sex marriage, and they don't see the problem with gay couples getting the same civil rights that married spouses have.
So it turns out that there's practically nobody left in the audience for these pious solons to play to. Everyone's hip to the con; everyone's backstage, behind the curtain, eye-to-eye with Oz. Rather than putting on a grand national affirmation of traditional values, our own Americn Oberammergau, the Republican right is instead producing the ultimate postmodern wink-wink. The only people these posturers are really playing to are themselves.
And, of course, to homophobes, whose anger this phony passion play will undoubtedly arouse. It may be only a culture war game to preening pomos like Rove and Frist, but to its targets, it's no game. That's not just stage blood on Washington's hands." by Marty Kaplan, blogger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you think Bush's political game will get out the right wing homophobes in November and lead to some or many Republican victories?
If a homosexual(s) is/are killed by riled up extremists; are those in the Bush Administration who approved this approach, guilty of a terrible sin? captainoutrageous answered on 06/06/06:The political ploy may bring out the right wing homophobes, but may also backfire by turning off some of the more liberal minded Republicans.
Although Bush's actions may encourage extremists to be more openly intolerant, it is ultimately the extremist who has made the decision to commit a wrongful act. | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 06/04/06 - HELP IS REQUIRED !! A Talk at Lunch That Shifted the Stance on Iran
By HELENE COOPER and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: June 4, 2006
A discussion between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush two months ago led to an effort to devise a different policy toward Iran.
This article recently appeared in the N Y Times.
No general access was afforded.
Can you please help.
rolcam. captainoutrageous answered on 06/06/06:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/world/middleeast/04iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7464 | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 06/03/06 - Here's a QUIZ for you? Bush Administration
Policy
Bush administration policy towards the United States is best described as
* bait and switch
* divide and conquer
* last man standing
* malign neglect
* scorched earth
* self-inflicted wounds
* my way or the highway
War
* How many wars did Bush start in his first term?
* How many wars will he start in his second term?
* How many wars can Bush fight without a draft?
If the draft is resumed, will all of these groups will be required to serve? in combat?
* women
* drug users
* high-school dropouts
* avowed homosexuals
If homosexuals are required to serve, will they still be excluded from the officer corps?
Regarding the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, Vice Admiral Albert Church said
I don't think you can hold anybody accountable for a situation that maybe if you had done something different, maybe something would have occurred differently.
The chain of command still operates within the United States military
* true
* false
Finance
Taking out a cash advance on someone else's credit card is fraud.
* Is it still fraud if you peel off a $20 and return it to the cardholder?
* How does this differ from the Bush tax cuts?
Environment
Complete the analogy
Bush is to environment as
* hand is to till
* fox is to henhouse
* victor is to spoils
* catastrophe is to success
* hurricane is to Florida captainoutrageous answered on 06/04/06:Does "all of the above" count? | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/03/06 - Hillary Easily a Loser for Reelection "When I launched my primary Senate challenge against Hillary Clinton, I always believed that we could rock the political establishment IF the race focused on the issues. And this week proved my point.
John Zogby polled New York State voters and found that if the race came down to a choice between Hillary Clinton and an unnamed anti-war candidate, 38 percent of the voters would choose the incumbent, 32 percent would pick the anti-war candidate and the rest of the voters said they werent sure or would vote for someone else.
So, two-thirds of the voters are ready to vote against the incumbent because of her support for the war.
This is not a surprise. My opponent is the best political example of the worst about celebrity culture: poll ratings based on name recognition and celebrity even as people know very little about where she stands, particularly on the war. I cant tell you how many voters I have talked to in the past six months who have said, no, she cant be for the war (yes), she couldnt possibly support the death penalty (she does), she cant really believe NAFTA was a good thing (yup), she cant be for making it a crime to burn the flag because thats a First Amendment right (sorry, but yes) and it cant be that Rupert Murdoch is holding a fundraiser for her (want a ticket?)."
by Jonathan Tasini, blogging.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hillary can easily go down in flames because of her stand on the Iraq War in November.
I will be glad to see her out of the picture, will you? captainoutrageous answered on 06/04/06:Hillary probably has her Senate seat as long as she wants it, but I find it highly unlikely that she would win a run for the Presidency. #1 she's a woman and #2 her stands on several issues are questionable in terms of a support base. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 06/02/06 - Queer Marriage
Hello wingers:
(1) Do you think an amendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage is a good thing? No need to say why. If you say yes, I know why. Just as Ill know why you dont support it. (2) Do you think it will actually become part of the Constitution? (3) Is this an attempt to better our country or to pander to the religious right? (4) If it has no chance to become law, why do you think it is being proposed? (5) Do you know how an amendment becomes part of the Constitution?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 06/03/06:1. No
2. No
3. pandering to the religious right
4. Many of its supporters think that it can pass
5. Yes | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/02/06 - Sexual Bombshell Hits Washington It has been announced today from two reliable sources that George Bush is having a sexual affair with Condoleeza Rice.
I'm trying to remember, when was the last time a sitting president had a mistress. John F. Kennedy? captainoutrageous answered on 06/03/06:Rumors like this one have surfaced periodically. There are also rumors that Condi is a very closeted lesbian. I, for one, don't really care about either's sex life.
http://www.culturekitchen.com/archives/000647.html | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 06/01/06 - ***POP QUIZ*** This is a True of False Quiz constructed by Paul Cummins. Ready, Begin:rue or false:
1. Iraq's reconstruction -- as promised before the U.S. invasion -- has been paid for with Iraq's oil reserves...
2. Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed an imminent mushroom-cloud threat to the U.S.A...
3. The U.S. invasion of Iraq was greeted by cheering Iraqis...
4. Lucrative no-competitive, no-bid contracts are a responsible way to do business...
5. Torture is an effective way to gain essential information and win international admiration...
6. Tax cuts for the affluent are an effective way to fund wartime expenses...
7. Expenses and debts can be increased indefinitely without worrying about revenue...
8. It is the responsibility of tomorrow's children to pay for the debts of today's adults...
9. The president of the U.S. should not feel constrained by the Constitution if he feels that it need not apply to certain situations that he feels warrant circumventing the Constitution...
10. To combat terrorism, the president of the U.S. has the sole and unquestionable power to seize an American citizen on U.S. soil, send him off to prison and hold him there without evidence or charge indefinitely...
11. Spending $186 million dollars a day in Iraq is a good investment for the future of the U.S.
12. Global warming is just a theory which we don't need to take seriously...
13. Increased pollution and climate changing emissions are not sufficient reasons to restrict the profits of coal-producing plants...
14. Nuclear proliferation is not a danger the U.S. needs to be very concerned about...
15. Corporate CEOs have gotten so good they warrant their current $450:1 ratio to workers pay -- up from 43.1 thirty years ago.
16. The U.S. decision to attack Iraq was justified because God told George W. Bush to do so.
How did you score? How does America?
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What was your score? captainoutrageous answered on 06/01/06:So, if I answered all of them false does that mean I made a 100 or a zero? | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/30/06 - The Comeback Kid As Democrats worry about their 2008 chances, out of the wilderness comes a stranger to save them. Wait a minute. Thats no stranger. thats . . . Al Gore!?!
Seems several of us are betting on Gore in ང, including me. What say you? Forget the President and Secretary-General Clinton pair possibility, what about another Clinton-Gore ticket, president and vice president of the world? captainoutrageous answered on 05/31/06:I believe that would be a poor choice on the part of the Democrats. You know, if they ever make a film of Gore's life, Ben Affleck (no affect) would be perfect for the part. | | Question/Answer | | jocase asked on 05/29/06 - Enron Executives Pardoned? After the Enron executives are sentenced, will they be pardoned by the outgoing President Bush?
You heard it here first!
What do you think? captainoutrageous answered on 05/30/06:I certainly hope not, but I wouldn't put it past him to do so. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/30/06 - Sen. Reid defends taking free tickets to boxing matches ![]()
Harry Reid With hands on heart calling on Republicans to clean up their act with lobbyists
AP Photo/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
John Solomon
Associated Press
Washington -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation of boxing.
Reid, Democrat of Nevada, took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 as he was pressing legislation to increase government oversight of the sport, including the creation of a federal boxing commission that Nevada's agency feared might usurp its authority.
He defended the gifts, saying they would never influence his position on the bill and he was simply trying to learn how his legislation might affect an important home state industry. "Anyone from Nevada would say I'm glad he is there taking care of the state's No. 1 businesses," he said.
"I love the fights anyways, so it wasn't like being punished," added the senator, a former boxer and boxing judge.
Senate ethics rules generally allow lawmakers to accept gifts from federal, state or local governments, but specifically warn against taking such gifts -- particularly on multiple occasions -- when they might be connected to efforts to influence official actions.
"Senators and Senate staff should be wary of accepting any gift where it appears that the gift is motivated by a desire to reward, influence, or elicit favorable official action," the Senate ethics manual states. It cites the 1990s example of an Oregon lawmaker who took gifts for personal use from a South Carolina state university and its president while that school was trying to influence his official actions.
Several ethics experts said Reid should have paid for the tickets, which were close to the ring and worth between several hundred and several thousand dollars each, to avoid the appearance he was being influenced by gifts.
Two sena tors who joined Reid for fights with the complimentary tickets took markedly different steps.
Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, insisted on paying $1,400 for the tickets he shared with Reid for a 2004 championship fight. Sen. John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, accepted free tickets to another fight with Reid but already had recused himself from Reid's federal boxing legislation because his father was an executive for a Las Vegas hotel that hosts fights.
In an interview Thursday in his Capitol office, Reid broadly defended his decisions to accept the tickets and to take several actions benefiting disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients and partners as they donated to him.
"I'm not Goodie two shoes. I just feel these events are nothing I did wrong," Reid said.
Reid had separate meetings in June 2003 in his Senate offices with two Abramoff tribal clients and Edward Ayoob, a former staffer who went to work lobbying with Abramoff.
The meetings occurred over a five-day span in which Ayoob also threw a fund-raiser for Reid at the firm where Ayoob and Abramoff worked that netted numerous donations from Abramoff's partners, firm and clients.
Reid said he viewed the two official meetings and the fund-raiser as a single event.
One of the tribes, the Saginaw Chippewa of Michigan, donated $9,000 to Reid at the fund-raiser and the next morning met briefly with Reid and Ayoob at Reid's office to discuss federal programs. Reid and the tribal chairman posed for a picture.
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That's the way to punch at those corrupt Republicans Harry. Things aren't looking too good for the dems election strategy this year, what do you think they're new plan will be - or will they change it at all?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/30/06:Unfortunately, I have yet to meet a truly honest politician. We, the voters, are often left choosing the lesser of two evils. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/28/06 - Old felonious excon
Hello nannystaters:
As many of you know, I participate in on-line poker. As of June 7, my poker playing activities will become a felony. The head of the state gambling commission, however, said that it is unlikely that individual gamblers will be targeted. Yeah right!
(1) Do you believe the head gambling cop? (2) Why would they spend the time to make gambling a felony if they had no intention of enforcing it? (3) Isn't making law that they don't enforce and have no intention of enforcing, a problem? (4) Should I quit? (5) Do you want your cops spending time doing this kind of enforcement?
excon
PS> NO, I ain't gonna quit. And YES, because of that decision, I know the Wolverine thinks I should go to jail. (6) Do you?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/29/06:Your state (like many) is obviously upset at the volume of gambling money for which they are unable to collect any type of revenue. The law is probably aimed at the people who run such online businesses, but it is not likely that the state will get very far with that. THEN, they'll want to come after the little guys (you, maybe?) in hopes that perhaps that will affect the big guys. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/28/06 - Reply from NSA This is a letter Mr. Shafranovich received in response to his request for a copy of any information the NSA has collected on him from the telephone monitoing system. From his web site:
Mr. Yakov Shafranovich
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dear Mr. Shafranovich:
This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of 11 May 2006, which was received by this office on 12 May 2006, for a list of all phone records collected by the NSA from telecommunications companies under your home and cell phone number and any other information this Agency may maintain on you. Please refer to the case number at the top of the page when contacting us about your request. There are no assessable fees for this request. Your request has been processed under the provisions of the FOIA.
Because of the classified nature of the National Security Agencys efforts to prevent and protect against terrorist attacks, the fact of whether or not any specific technique or method or activity is employed in that effort is exempt from release pursuant to the exemption provisions of the FOIA.
We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records responsive to your request. The fact of the existence or non-existence of responsive records is a currently and properly classified matter in accordance with Executive Order 12958, as amended. Thus, your request is denied pursuant to the first exemption of the FOIA, which provides that the FOIA does not apply to matters that are specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign relations and are properly classified pursuant to such Executive Order.
Moreover, the third exemption of the FOIA provides for the withholding of information specifically protected from disclosure by statute. Thus, your request is also denied because the fact of the existence or non-existence of the information is exempted from disclosure pursuant to the third exemption. The specific statutes applicable in this case are Title 18 U.S. Code 798; Title 50 U.S. Code 403-1(i); and Section 6, Public Law 86-36 (50 U.S. Code 402 note).
As your request is being denied, you are hereby advised of this Agencys appeal procedures. Any person denied access to information may file an appeal to the NSA/CSS Freedom of Information Act Appeal Authority. The appeal must be postmarked no later than 60 calendar days of the date of the initial denial letter. The appeal shall be in writing addressed to the NSA/CSS FOIA Appeal Authority (DC34), National Security Agency, 9800 Savage Road STE 6248, Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-6248. The appeal shall reference the adverse determination and shall contain, in sufficient detail and particularity, the grounds upon which the requester believes that the determination is unwarranted. The NSA/CSS FOJA Appeal Authority will endeavor to respond to the appeal within 20 working days after receipt, absent any unusual circumstances.
If we have misinterpreted your request and you have been affiliated with the NSA in some way as an employee, applicant, or visitor and are looking for records related to those activities, you may submit a signed Privacy Act request to seek that type of information. If you provide a Social Security number, it will assist us with the search for responsive records.
Sincerely,
LOUIS F. GILES
Director of Policy
I haven't yet decided whether to appeal.
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I thought it was interesting and definitely the real meaning of surreal. captainoutrageous answered on 05/29/06:Sounds like typical government gobbedy gook. An appeal would be about as futile as the initial request. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 05/26/06 - a lack of perspective?
Pythagorean theorem: 24 words
The Lords Prayer: 66 words
Archimedes Principle: 67 words
The 10 Commandments: 179 words
The Gettysburg Address: 286 words
The Declaration of Independence: 1,300 words
The US Government regulations on the sale of cabbage: 26,911 words captainoutrageous answered on 05/27/06:I bet the proposed guidelines for recycling paper and protecting the nation's forests involves even more verbiage (and paper). | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/26/06 - Bush put a freeze on the documents seized from Jefferson's office Can someone explain why ?I don't get it . Nothing was done wrong by the FBI . Perhaps the cooling down period will be sufficient time for Hastert to get his foot out of his mouth.
Speaking of Hastert ; someone on e-bay was trying to collect funds to get him a spine insertion . But e-bay pulled the ad before I could see the details .
Meanwhile ABCs Brian Ross is beginning to look like another Dan Rather . His reports about Hastert are not holding up to scrutiny .
David Westin
George Stephanopoulos
Brian Ross
ABC News
7 West 66th St.
New York, NY 10023
RE: False Story Regarding Justice Department Investigation
Dear Mr. Westin, Stephanopoulos, and Mr. Ross:
At 7:25 p.m., the Statement of the Department of Justice confirmed:
Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department.
At 10:21 p.m., you wrote:
Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert, are under investigation, one federal official said tonight.
This statement is false, and your republication of it after actual knowledge of its falsity constitutes libel and defamation. ABC News continued publication of this false information, after having actual knowledge of its falsity, evidences a specific and malicious intent to injure and damage Speaker Hasterts reputation by continued repetition of a known falsehood.
We will take any and all actions necessary to rectify the harm ABC has caused and to hold those at ABC responsible for their conduct.
Please advise regarding who will accept service of process to remedy this intentional falsehood.
Very truly yours,
J. Randolph Evans
Stefan C. Passantino
Counsel to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert
captainoutrageous answered on 05/27/06:I don't care if Jefferson is Democrat or Republican, I don't care if he is black, white or blue with white polka dots - I find difficult to believe that anyone who had come by such a sum honestly would hide it in a freezer. The man is crook and should be not only punished by the justice system, but sanctioned by the House. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/26/06 - The Senate was mighty pleased with itself when it passed the immigration bill Did you know they snuck in a provision that essentially gives Mexico veto power over any fence built ?
CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.--Consultations between United States and Mexican authorities at the federal, state, and local levels concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures along the United States-Mexico border shall be undertaken prior to commencing any new construction, in order to solicit the views of affected communities, lessen tensions and foster greater understanding and stronger cooperation on this and other important issues of mutual concern.
S.Amdt.4188 - Specter: Managers' amendment, a collection of amendments, including Dodd's S.Amdt.4089 that requires local, state and federal governments to consult with Mexican counterpart authorities before commencing new construction. PASSED on a 56 - 41 vote.
Yeah you read it right ...it was originally proposed by Chris Dodd but was introduced by Sen. Specter .
The Senate version of the bill will not make it out of conference committee. captainoutrageous answered on 05/27/06:Like fredg, I don't see much of use coming from this proposed legislation. By the time the Conference Committee gets through ironing out the differences, there won't be much of anything left. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/26/06 - Fences make good neighbors Who says so ? Believe it or not the NY Slimes
By GINGER THOMPSON
SEATTLE, May 24
To build, or not to build, a border of walls? The debate in the United States has started some Mexicans thinking it is not such a bad idea.
Nationalist outrage and accusations of hypocrisy over the prospect have filled airwaves and front pages in Mexico, as expected, fueled by presidential campaigns in which appeals to national pride are in no short supply. But, surprisingly, another view is gaining traction: that good fences can make good neighbors.
The clamorous debate over a border wall has confronted President Vicente Fox of Mexico at every stop during a visit to the United States that began Tuesday. While he did not publicly endorse the idea, he made clear that his government was prepared to live with increased border security as long as it comes with measures that opened legal channels for the migration of Mexican workers.
Outside his government, several immigration experts have even begun floating the idea that real walls, not the porous ones that stand today, could be more an opportunity than an attack.
A wall could dissuade illegal immigrants from their perilous journeys across the Sonora Desert and force societies on both sides to confront their dependence on an industry characterized by exploitation, they say.
The old blame game in which Mexico attributed illegal migration to the voracious American demand for labor and accused lawmakers of xenophobia has given way to a far more soul-searching discussion, at least in quarters where policies are made and influenced, about how little Mexico has done to try to keep its people home.
"For too long, Mexico has boasted about immigrants leaving, calling them national heroes, instead of describing them as actors in a national tragedy," said Jorge Santibez, president of the College of the Northern Border. "And it has boasted about the growth in remittances" the money immigrants send home "as an indicator of success, when it is really an indicator of failure."
Indeed, Mr. Fox who five years ago challenged the United States to follow Europe's example and open the borders and then barely protested when President Bush announced plans to deploy troops personifies Mexico's evolving, often contradictory attitudes on illegal immigration.
Gabriel Guerra, a political analyst, said the presidential election in July and the negotiations over immigration reform in Washington have put Mr. Fox on unsteady political terrain.
Toning down his country's opposition to a wall might be the best way for Mr. Fox to convince conservatives in Congress to adopt reforms to legalize the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States and expand guest worker programs.
On the other hand, bowing to what critics have described as a "militarization of the border," without winning legalization programs, could open Mr. Fox to criticism that he surrenders to the will of the United States. It could also hurt the aspirations of Felipe Caldern, the candidate Mr. Fox supports to succeed him in the July 2 election.
"This is a very risky trip," Mr. Guerra said. "If he comes out too strong, he will rattle the conservatives up there. And if he is not strong enough, he will be clobbered by his opponents here."
"Whatever the discourse, it's going to be hard to get it right," Mr. Guerra said. "I think we might be better served by quiet diplomacy."
Deputy Foreign Relations Minister Gernimo Gutirrez acknowledged the challenge facing the president. "We are in the middle of a Ping-Pong of reactions that reflect valid concerns on both sides of the border, as well as an unusually complex moment in the bilateral relationship," he said.
Mr. Fox stepped into the middle of the game on Tuesday, beginning a sweep through Utah, Washington and California, states that have become important trading partners to Mexico and that have experienced both the pains and benefits of illegal immigration.
In Utah, where officials estimate that the illegal immigrant population has tripled since 1990, to 90,000, smatterings of protesters followed Mr. Fox's visit to Salt Lake City. "Take care of your own people, so they don't have to come here," some shouted.
Wary of inflaming the passions of American conservatives as the United States Senate winds down debate over immigration reform, Mr. Fox did not respond directly to the attacks. But he did have his say.
In his public remarks in Utah, he recognized that Mexico must do more to create jobs "so migration becomes a decision and not a necessity," and he conceded that it was the right of the United States to take steps to fortify its borders.
But, he said, it would take more than police enforcement to really resolve the challenges of illegal immigration. "A comprehensive reform," Mr. Fox said, "will help both our countries concentrate our forces and resources in tending to our security and prosperity concerns."
Analysts said it was unlikely that Mr. Fox would ever speak publicly in favor of a wall. But in recent communications to Washington, his government, as well as leaders of all Mexican political parties, have hinted about building walls of their own.
Last March, in a document published in three of America's largest daily newspapers, including The New York Times, the Mexican government, along with leaders of the political establishment and business community, explained its position on immigration reform.
In that document, the Fox government said that if the United States committed itself to establishing legal channels for the flow of immigrant workers, Mexico would take new steps to keep its people from leaving illegally.
"If a guest country offers a sufficient number of appropriate visas to cover the largest possible number of workers and their families," the document read, "Mexico should be responsible for guaranteeing that each person who decides to leave does so following legal channels."
In a column in the Mexican newspaper Reforma, Jorge G. Castaeda, a former foreign minister, suggested a "series of incentives," rather than law enforcement strategies to keep Mexicans from migrating. They included welfare benefits to mothers whose husbands remained in Mexico, scholarships for high school students with both parents at home, and the loss of land rights for people who were absent from their property for extended periods of time.
"None of this is inevitable or desirable," Mr. Castaeda wrote. "Nor is it written that this would necessarily produce a quid pro quo with the United States.
"But the elites here should reflect on this matter," he went on, "whether we want something in exchange for nothing?"
There are, of course, still many people in Mexico who staunchly oppose the idea of walls. Senator Sylvia Hernndez, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Commission for North America, summed up those feelings, saying: "Walls do not speak of dialogue. They speak of closure." Rafael Fernndez de Castro, editor of the magazine Foreign Affairs en Espaol, said, "We are getting the stick, but not the carrot."
The presidential candidates have also hewed closely to the old script.
"The more walls they build," said Mr. Caldern, of the conservative National Action Party, "the more walls we will jump." Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, of the left-leaning Democratic Revolutionary Party, called Mr. Fox a "puppet" of the United States for his tepid response to the planned deployment of troops along the border.
Still, signs of a slow but steady change in attitudes emerge in the most improbable places.
"It's fantastic," said Primitivo Rodrguez, an immigrant activist in Mexico, when asked about plans to build walls. "It's the best thing that could happen for migrants, and for Mexico."
Mr. Rodrguez, who has served as an adviser to the Mexican government and an organizer in the United States for the American Friends Service Committee, said the porous border had for years been an important safety valve of stability for Mexico's economy, allowing elected officials to avoid creating jobs and even taking legal measures to stop the migration of an estimated 500,000 or more Mexicans a year.
Government reports indicate that the Mexican economy has created about one-tenth of the one million jobs it needs to accommodate that country's growing labor force. Meanwhile, remittances from immigrants estimated last year at about $20 billion have grown larger than some state and municipal budgets.
If Mexicans were really shut inside their country, Mr. Rodrguez said, Mexico might be forced to get its own house in order.
And if illegal workers were shut inside the United States, Mr. Rodrguez said, the United States might be forced to give them greater legal rights and pay the real value of their labor.
"Until now," Mr. Rodrguez said, "the policy of the United States has not been to close the border to illegal migration, but to detour it. And by detouring it they have caused unprecedented levels of death, abuse and organized crime."
captainoutrageous answered on 05/27/06:A very interesting article with a unique viewpoint (at least to what I have seen). Thank you. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/26/06 - Shots Fired!! Latest dirty trick by the Bush Crime Family to stir up fear?
What's next, raising the danger level to orange...red? Do they even have that stupid color coded warning system?
No wonder shots fired happened today. After last night's press conference with Tony Blair, Bush needed a diversion.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/27/06:I know it is naive, but why can't we just learn to "play nice?" | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/24/06 - Oil
Hello:
A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in our country.
Well, there's a very simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low.
The reasons for that is purely geographical. You see, our OIL is located in Alaska, California,
Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Our DIPSTICKS, however, are located in Washington, D.C.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/25/06:And you can't check the dipsticks if you don't have any clean "rags." | | Question/Answer | | Fritzella asked on 05/24/06 - Constitutional Crisis "WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI's raid on a Democrat's office rippled through Capitol Hill Wednesday, with majority Republicans demanding that the agency surrender documents and other items its agents seized under what lawmakers said were unconstitutional circumstances.
``We think those materials ought to be returned,'' said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, adding that the FBI agents involved ``ought to be frozen out of that (case) just for the sake of the constitutional aspects of it.''
The Saturday night search of Rep. William Jefferson's office on Capitol Hill brought Democrats and Republicans together in rare election-year accord, with both parties protesting agency conduct they said violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine.
``Not anyone here is above the law,'' Pelosi told reporters Tuesday. But, she added, ``I think you've seen abuse of power of the executive branch over this weekend.''
A day earlier, Hastert, R-Ill., complained personally to President Bush about raid. Other House officials have predicted that the case would bring all three branches together at the Supreme Court for a constitutional showdown." From my ISP homepage
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So, in the dark of night, the Executive Branch ordered a raid on a Congressman's office, the Congress of the United States of America.
Did you know that Congressional Representatives are the only branch of government that is elected directly by the people????
So a Congressman is a scum....some Presidents and some Senators are much bigger scum.
Now, we have the Republican and Democratic Representatives up in arms about Bush's actions UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS.
The Bush madness is escalating.... captainoutrageous answered on 05/25/06:The man is a meglomaniac. He is insane and he is dangerous. | | Question/Answer | BeelzeBUSH asked on 05/25/06 - Mexico Braces for "Day Without Gringos"
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO- Every day they come by the thousands, throngs of people streaming across the US/Mexican border virtually unimpeded by law enforcement, and now average citizens are taking notice of the terrible damage left behind by these obnoxious American tourists. They come to this country to drink cheap beer that no self-respecting Mexican would consume, refuse to learn Spanish or assimilate, and generally lower the quality of life for Mexicans everywhere.
In response to popular outrage, the country's legislature recently passed a measure to look into building a thousand-mile-long fence in order to keep them out, an act that many Americans see as disrespectful, even racist. In response, a group of American tourists have staged a protest of their own for this Monday, an event called "A Day Without Gringos" designed to show angry Mexican citizens what their lives might really be like if they got their wish and their Northern cousins disappeared from local bars, hotels, and jails.
Bucking the current political trend in his country, President Vicente Fox has sided with the tourists in this case, calling for what he calls a "guest guest" program.
"We think we would be better off without the Gringos, but that is a naive point of view," said Fox during his weekend radio address. "The hard truth is that if it were not for the American presence in our country, our fragile economy would collapse. Who would eat our day-old tortillas or buy those petrified frogs? Mi dios, if we kicked out all the Americans we would be hip-deep in petrified frog figurines within a week."
While the notion of a Gringo-free Mexico terrifies officials like Fox, most Mexicans remain furious over what they see as a lax immigration policy. More than just an economic or cultural issue, many now see the leaky border as a security problem as well. In towns all up and down the Rio Grande, municipal jails are packed with hapless American tourists, proof, some say, that a fence is necessary to prevent the American criminal element from sneaking in from the North.
According to Fox and his supporters, this sort of anecdotal argument is short-sighted. "I know it is hard for many folks to understand this, but we need Americans in our jails," said Fox. "Incarceration is the fastest growing industry in our country today. Besides, without Gringos our police would have to harass other Mexicans and hold them for bribery ransom. Only a fool would advocate such an outcome."
Pro-tourism activists hope that Monday's mass boycott results in a deeper appreciation of noisy American tourists and all they do for Mexico every day.
"Face it, Mexico, you need us," said organizer Mark Garita. "You'll be shocked to see what your lives would be like without us. The whole thing is a bit like It's A Wonderful Life but with frozen drinks and fireworks rather than bankruptcy and suicide. In fact, I think if the original movie had been more like that I would have liked it a lot better."
Unfortunately for Garita and his supporters, their large-scale boycott may be off to a rough start due to a lack of cooperation from tourists already in Mexico. So far not a single visiting American has agreed to cut their vacation short in the name of tourist rights.
For the sake of accuracy, the group has considered changing the name of the event to "A Day With Not Quite So Many Gringos" but felt it was too wordy and didn't sound strong enough.
At the moment, Mexican legislators plan to go ahead with the construction of a fortified wall between the US and Mexico. While that prospect may sound daunting to some Americans, experts say there is still hope that the steady flow across the border will continue. As luck would have it, the fence will be made in Mexico.
*fictitious story from a silly website :) captainoutrageous answered on 05/25/06:Good job! | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/24/06 - Pot is GOOD for you
Hello drugwarriors:
Dr. Donald Tashkin, a professor at the David Gefin School of Medicine at the University of California, conducted a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It says that even heavy marijuana smokers were NO more likely to develop lung, head or neck cancer than non users, in contrast with tobacco users.
The finding are a surprise (to them) because marijuana smoke has some of the same cancer causing substances as tobacco smoke, often in higher concentrations. One possible explanation, Tashkin said, is that THC, a key ingredient in marijuana, may inhibit tumor growth.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Taskin states that his study was intended to confirm our suspicions that marijuana might be a risk factor for lung, head and neck cancer. We havent been able to confirm that.
Hmmmm, whoda thunk it?
excon
PS> The one thing they didnt study is whether white women, under the influence of marijuana, fall uncontrollably, under the spell of and into the clutches of dark skinned males.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/24/06:Granted, there are benefits and detriments to the use of marijuana. Some additional adverse effects:
Sleepiness
Difficulty keeping track of time
Reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination
Increased heart rate
Potential cardiac dangers
Bloodshot eyes
Dry mouth and throat
Paranoia
Reduced or impaired comprehension
Altered motivation and cognition, making acquisition of new information difficult
Psychological dependence
Intense anxiety or panic attacks
As a high school teacher, I often deal with students who regularly smoke marijuana. When they do, their performance and motivation is greatly affected. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/24/06 - Nailed it... ![]()
captainoutrageous answered on 05/24/06:Love it! | | Question/Answer | | Fritzella asked on 05/23/06 - Republican Party Imploding "President Bush's nationally televised address on immigration Monday night was intended as a grand gesture to revive his collapsing presidency, but instead he has plunged the Republican Party into a political centrifuge that is breaking it down into its raw elements, which are colliding into each other, triggering explosions of unexpected and ever greater magnitude.
The nativist Republican base is at the throat of the business community. The Republican House of Representatives, in the grip of the far right, is at war with the Republican Senate. The evangelical religious right is paralyzed while the Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a mobilizing force behind the mass demonstrations of millions of Hispanic immigrants. Every effort Bush makes to hold a nonexistent Republican center is generating an opposing effect within his party." Sidney Blumenthal -- Salon dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 05/24/06:The Republicans are definitely in need of a new leader - one who can regalvanize the party into some type of coherence. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/23/06 - Details are in from the Gitmo riot . From AP
The most recent turmoil at the detention center perched above the Caribbean on a U.S. Navy base in southeastern Cuba began Thursday morning when a detainee who failed to show up for morning prayers was found unconscious in his cell, Harris said.
Tests indicated he had taken an overdose of drugs similar to the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. He was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
Early in the afternoon, guards searching the prison for contraband prescription medicine found another detainee "frothing at the mouth" from an overdose of drugs. He was also hospitalized in stable condition, the admiral said.
In the early evening, guards spotted a detainee in Camp Four - a medium security, communal-living unit for the "most compliant" prisoners - appearing to get ready to hang himself with a bed sheet in the room he shared with nine detainees.
The apparent suicide attempt "was a ruse to get the guards to enter the compound," Harris said.
The detainees had made the floor slippery with feces, urine and soapy water and attacked 10 members of Guantanamo's quick-reaction force with fan blades, pieces of metal and broken light fixtures, Harris said.
For several minutes, the detainees appeared to have the upper hand, knocking some of the soldiers to the ground, said Army Col. Michael Bumgarner, a camp official.
"Frankly we were losing the fight at that point," Bumgarner said.
Outside, Guantanamo officials mustered 100 more guards before the quick reaction force gained control using pepper spray, unspecified "physical force," five blasts of a shotgun that fires rubber pellets and one shot from a non-lethal weapon that Bumgarner said fires a sponge-like projectile.
Detainees in two other units of Camp Four began damaging security cameras, light fixtures and other items in their rooms in a show of support for those engaged in the melee. Guantanamo officials estimated the total damage at $110,000.
Six detainees had minor injuries and no guards were injured, Harris said. The prisoners involved in the melee were moved to a higher security area.
This is what we get for the Korans, prayer rugs, TV sets, libraries and the three course meals supplied at the taxpayers expense. Most of these people are hardened brutes incapable of any degree of gratitude or decency. They consider goodwill a weakness and despise those who seek to bestow it. Let the tribunals begin and to hell with what the court says . Can you imagine these jihadists intermingling with the regular prison population ?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/06:Perhaps we should mix the jihadists with the regular prison population. Prisons have their own "justice" and I imagine many inmates might class terrorists on about the same rung of the ladder as child molesters - and we know what often happens to them. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/22/06 - Time for Pelosi to come up with a new campaign theme...... obviously the Republican 'culture of corruption 'one is backfiring .
A Democrat congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer wrapped in foil . At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.
This is the same clown who used a National Guard assets (Two Heavy Trucks and Helicopter ) during the height of the Katrina rescue to take him to his home so he could retrieve his lap top computer and other files (I wonder if they also had something to do with his corruption ?).
The Louisiana National Guard tells ABC News the truck became stuck as it waited for Jefferson to retrieve his belongings.
Two weeks later, the vehicle's tire tracks were still visible on the lawn.
The soldiers signaled to helicopters in the air for aid. Military sources say a Coast Guard helicopter pilot saw the signal and flew to Jefferson's home. The chopper was already carrying four rescued New Orleans residents at the time.
A rescue diver descended from the helicopter, but the congressman decided against going up in the helicopter, sources say. The pilot sent the diver down again, but Jefferson again declined to go up the helicopter.
After spending approximately 45 minutes with Jefferson, the helicopter went on to rescue three additional New Orleans residents before it ran low on fuel and was forced to end its mission.
"Forty-five minutes can be an eternity to somebody that is drowning, to somebody that is sitting in a roof, and it needs to be used its primary purpose during an emergency," said Hauer.
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captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/06:He, like many elected officials, seems to think he is above the law. And, unfortunately, much of the time they're right. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/23/06 - Why Ameica needs Immigrant Labour ... A Job Americans Won't Do, Even at $34 an Hour
Some landscape firms rebut claims that higher pay, not immigration reform, is needed.
By David Streitfeld, Times Staff Writer
May 18, 2006
Cyndi Smallwood is looking for a few strong men for her landscaping company. Guys with no fear of a hot sun, who can shovel dirt all day long. She'll pay as much as $34 an hour.
She can't find them.
ADVERTISEMENT
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Maybe potential employees don't know about her tiny Riverside firm. Maybe the problem is Southern California's solid economy and low unemployment rate. Or maybe manual labor is something that many Americans couldn't dream of doing.
"I'm baffled why more people do not apply," Smallwood says.
President Bush is not. In his speech to the nation Monday night, he referred to "jobs Americans are not doing," echoing a point he has been making for years. To fill these spurned jobs and keep the economy humming, Bush says, the U.S. needs a guest worker program.
Otherwise, the logic goes, fruit will rot in the fields, offices will overflow with trash and lawns and parks will revert to desert.
Countering that view, opponents of a guest worker program say that Americans would find the jobs more enticing if there wasn't foreign competition to swell the labor pool and push wages down.
Smallwood is ambivalent on immigration reform, saying demands for immediate citizenship by those who entered the country illegally are offensive. But without a guest worker program, she says, her company probably will not survive.
"To get workers, you have to steal them from other companies," the 54-year-old entrepreneur says.
Even that has been unproductive recently. She'd ideally like to add eight employees by the end of the year to her current staff of 12.
The lawn and landscape business in California is heavily Latino, with an abundance of illegal immigrants. In a study of Los Angeles County's "off-the-books" labor force, the Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit research organization, estimated that a quarter of the landscape workers were undocumented. That leaves the companies vulnerable to crackdowns, which has them agitating for guest workers.
At Smallwood's company, Diversified Landscape Management, there's one white employee, an engineer. The other employees are Latino and, as far as Smallwood can tell, all in the country legally. Her employees need driver's licenses and the ability to move through freeway checkpoints near the border, which tend to eliminate any with fake papers.
Thirty years ago, those in the landscape industry say, white crews were common. Now, says Jim Newtson, a San Diego contractor, "if you see a white guy, you do a double-take, like when you saw an interracial couple back in the 1960s."
Managers in the business explain it as a cultural shift, saying that native-born, middle-class Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds tend to look down on manual labor. That leaves immigrants to do the work.
"The people I grew up with 40 years ago expected to work hard physically," says Bob Wade of Wade Landscape in Laguna Beach.
"This is a pretty pampered little town. The kids don't expect to work hard," Wade says. "A lot don't expect to work at all. They just float."
Wade fired one employee three times, the last time for going to look at girls on the beach instead of spraying weeds. The employee his son now works in the restaurant industry.
Larger economic forces come into play too. Orange County, for example, consistently has the lowest jobless rate in the state. Although that could be a draw for laborers in states with high unemployment, the high housing prices in the county act as a brake on that sort of migration.
Smallwood grew up doing manual labor. The daughter of a sharecropper in Mississippi, she had to pick her share of cotton from age 6. "I wouldn't do that again for any price," she says.
When she moved to California, she worked as a property manager, then developed a lawn-care business, which she sold in 1998. The death of her only child, Michael, from a drug overdose two years later drew her outside to her own garden. "I watered, fertilized, planted and pruned, determined that nothing else was going to die on me," she says.
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Will you take the job? captainoutrageous answered on 05/23/06:Heck yeah. I just can't help thinking something is missing in this picture. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/22/06 - Why did Bush lie? NYT - May 21, 2006
Editorial
An Immigration Bottom Line
This week starts the endgame for immigration reform in the Senate. Months of debate have come down to this: whether the comprehensive solution at the core of the Senate bill will survive the hostile attentions of those who do not want real reform at all. A brace of amendments has already warped and weakened the bill though not fatally, thanks to a bipartisan coalition that has fended off repeated attempts at sabotage. But there is still a danger that any legislation will be further compromised or even gutted to conform with the House's deplorable bill.
A good immigration bill must honor the nation's values and be sensible enough to work. It must not violate the hopes of deserving people who want to work toward citizenship. It must not create a servant class of "guest workers" shackled to their employers and forbidden to aspire to permanent legal status. It must give newcomers equal treatment under the law and respect their rights of due process. It must impose rigorous enforcement of labor laws, so unscrupulous employers cannot exploit illegal workers. And it must clear the existing backlogs of millions seeking to enter the country legally, so that illegal immigrants do not win an unfair place in line.
'Amnesty' and the Mythical Middle Ground. The Senate is the only hope for real reform this year because the House has already chosen its plan. It wants to wall off Mexico, turn 11 million or so illegal immigrants into an Ohio-size nation of felons, and then pick them off through arrests, deportation and an atmosphere of focused hostility until they all go home, abandoning their families and jobs.
That spirit of wishful hunkering has infected the Senate, where Democrats and moderate Republicans have had to struggle against the obstinacy of those who join their counterparts in the House in seeing immigration entirely as a pest-control problem. President Bush has aligned himself with the thoughtful reformers, but in a slippery way. "There's some people in our party who think, you know, deportation will work," Mr. Bush said on Thursday. "There are people in the other party that want to have automatic amnesty. As I said in my speech, I've found a good middle ground."
But nobody favoring the Senate bill wants automatic amnesty. It imposes a long and difficult path to citizenship. Illegal immigrants must have a clean record and a job, speak English and pay a big fine. That is what the president wants, though he tries not to say it. His mildness has only validated the efforts of those who cling to the enforcement-only delusion, and who have tried so hard to strip the Senate bill of any meaningful paths to citizenship.
Mr. Bush should have joined the debate far earlier and more assertively, insisting that the "middle ground" lies nowhere near those who refuse any accommodation and favor mass deportations.
The Border Fixation. An immigration solution cannot be focused only on the border. We've tried that. Border enforcement has swelled in the last 20 years, with no visible effect. Mr. Bush's plan to send National Guard troops was seen on both sides, rightly, as a ploy to placate the xenophobes. It would be good to expand the Border Patrol. But the best help we can give it is to enforce workplace rules, ease the pressure for visas and restore law and order in a comprehensive way.
The Enforcement Gap. The value of illegal immigrants to many employers is their fearful willingness to work for low pay in bad conditions. People who are secure in their status will stand up against abuses, leading to better treatment for all. Workplace enforcement is one tactic. Employers who risk real punishment will be less likely to flout the rules. But guest worker programs without the citizenship option are also an invitation to worker abuse, and a shameful abdication of America's values. Mr. Bush has taken this path. Congress must not.
Fairness and Workability. The current bill divides the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants into three groups. Those who arrived less than two years ago would have to go home. Those who have been here for two to five years would be treated as guest workers, and would have to leave and re-enter the country to keep that status. The rest would be able to seek citizenship.
Will this cumbersome bureaucratic solution work? It depends on the willingness of the two-to-five-year group to step forward. For immigration reform to succeed it must lure people out of the shadows a goal that may be fatally compromised by the punitive hoops the bill erects.
Another profound shortcoming of the bill is its harsh criminal-justice provisions. It greatly expands the types of immigration-related offenses that constitute "aggravated felonies" and thus grounds for detention and deportation. People who use false passports to flee persecution, for example, might be ensnared. The bill increases penalties and the risk of deportation for minor infractions, like failing to file a change of address form. It removes judges' and immigration officers' discretion to weigh individual circumstances, adding toughness at the cost of fairness and decency.
The Xenophobia Problem. The Senate's debate has laid bare a hostility to immigrants that is depressing in its spitefulness and vigor. From Senator James Inhofe's amendment declaring English the national language to one from Jon Kyl that would have barred low-skilled guest workers from seeking permanent status to another from John Ensign that would have denied Social Security credit for work done before an immigrant is legalized, the debate has been littered with attempts to stifle, stymie or blow up the process.
The bipartisan coalition pursuing thoughtfulness over such simplistic hostility has proved sturdy so far. The senators who have fashioned the consensus for comprehensive reform must stick together, or the possibility of a solution this year will die, along with the hopes of millions.
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Why did Bush lie about "the other party"?
Curious minds want to know!
captainoutrageous answered on 05/22/06:Since when does the man not lie. You can tell when Bush is lying - his lips are moving. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/19/06 - The Prince of Pot
Hello Drugwarriors:
Marc Emery, a Canadian citizen, is facing extradition to the United States, as a drug kingpin. He faces the death penalty if the DEA gets their hands on him. Or, if they decide to be nice to him, he'll serve 27 years in the slam because of mandatory minimums.
In Canada, however, no one has ever been sentenced to jail for selling seeds, and only two people have ever been fined. Marc in 1996 and 1998; and Ian Hunter, fined $200 in the year 2000.
Oh yeah, he only sells seeds. Hes made no money personally, and he gave all the profits from his seed business to the cause of legalizing marijuana. Hes really a pot activist - not a drug dealer. He lives in an apartment and drives a leased car.
Should we kill him?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/20/06:The charges against Emery carry penalties of 10 years to life in prison (technically, selling 60,000 or more seeds considered to be seedlings under the law constitutes "king-pin" status and can carry the death penalty, though this would make impossible any extradition from Canada). Canadian police have not laid charges.
Emery is currently free on a $50,000 bail and preparing to fight extradition in the courts. There are many possible avenues of defence available to Emery. It can be alleged that the DEA's extradition request is politically motivated and that he would suffer cruel and unusual punishment if extradited and sentenced according to the charges on him. Another possibility is that the primary offense for which extradition is sought, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, is not currently considered an offence in Canada because the law is rarely enforced. The latter may be a weak avenue, as laws prohibiting sales of viable marijuana seeds remain on the books in Canada. If the Canadian courts agree with Emery's arguments, they could declare him not extraditable. Source: wikipedia.org
| | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/19/06 - I support the ENTIRE Bill of Rights
Hello:
Lets say that a hurricane just devastated your city. People are on street with guns. Lawlessness prevails. When they finally decide to come to work, the cops first job is to confiscate all the guns, in order to make the city safe.
If you have a gun, (1) will you give it up? (2) If you do give yours up, will that make you feel safer? (3) Will you actually BE safer? (4) If you now dont own a gun, in times of lawlessness, would you rather have or not have a gun? (5) If youd rather not have a gun when all those around you do, and there are no cops around to protect you, please tell me why.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/20/06:I, too, support the entire Bill of Rights, however, those rights are not ABSOLUTE. As Judge Holmes stated: Freedom of expression should be accorded the greatest possible latitude. Yet, as we all know, even this freedom is not absolute. After all, one should fully expect to be prosecuted for falsely yelling fire in a crowded auditorium.
I'm not sure that having a gun during a period of lawlessness is necessarily a good thing for most people. Look at the figures for people killed accidentally or in anger with guns compared to the figures of people actually using a gun to defend themselves. | | Question/Answer | | Itsdb asked on 05/19/06 - Moussaoui's sentence ![]()
captainoutrageous answered on 05/20/06:I'm glad to see that he did not get his wish to become a martyr, but I'm not happy that the American taxpayers have to support the scumbag for the next umpteen years. | | Question/Answer | | labman asked on 05/19/06 - Priorities? Selected headlines from Reuters: Top Stories on My Yahoo:
US urged to close Guantanamo
N.Korea may be preparing missile launch: reports
Iran now enriching home processed uranium: source
Rebel attack downs key Colombia oil pipeline: army
Three senior Taliban captured in Afghan clashes
Egypt rejects US criticism over Nour case
Saddam Hussein novel hits stores in Japan
In the top story the UN is saying we are violating international law. I doubt Guantanamo is a pleasent place, but I wonder if it needs to be a high priority for the UN today. Does it violate international law to hijack an airliner filled with civilians and crash it into a building filled with more civilians? captainoutrageous answered on 05/20/06:Just another day at the ranch - right? Rather makes our day to day personal crises seem rather insignificant. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/17/06 - Ward Churchill Controversary Update This is long, but you don't have to read it all to get the point.
"The University of Colorado's report on the investigation of Ward Churchill's alleged scholarly misconduct has just been released. Churchill was found guilty of deliberate false assertions, misrepresentation of sources, and plagiarism. One member of the committee suggested that Churchill be fired from his tenured position; two more urged a five-year suspension without pay; two urged a two-year suspension without pay.
Here's a sample of one of the more interesting forms of misconduct, related to what some people call "sock-puppetry": Churchill is found guilty of passing off others' work as his own (plagiarism), but also of passing off his own work as others'. The latter is faulted as a general departure from "established standards regarding author names on publications" (p. 89); but it's also more specifically, and more seriously, faulted because Churchill then used the work published under another's name "as apparently independent authority for claims that he makes in his own later scholarship" (p. 89). This "permits the author to create the false appearance that his claims are supported by other scholars when, in fact, he is the only source for such claims" (p. 90). Here's an example, from pp. 23-24 (some paragraph breaks and emphasis added):
Footnotes 63 and 64 of his "Perversions of Justice," in Struggle for the Land (1993 edition), contain basically three sources to support the claims regarding the General Allotment Act of 1887. All appear to the reader to be reputable, independent third-party sources.
First, Professor Churchill cites directly to the originally enacted version of the General Allotment Act of 1887 .... [But n]ot only is his statement unsupported by his source, but also more significantly, he did not follow the referencing convention that a lawyer or historian citing a lengthy statute for a particular detail normally would follow, which is to pinpoint the precise section number of the multi-section statute that supported his claim. As one will see throughout this report, this general reference to an apparent independent source in its entirety constitutes an unconventional referencing style frequently employed by Professor Churchill to create the appearance of independent support for his claims, while simultaneously discouraging or, at least, making far more difficult, any effort by other researchers to check his claims by failing to pinpoint the precise location of his claimed support in an otherwise lengthy work. Standing alone, this referencing failure might constitute some level of sloppiness, but certainly would not constitute research misconduct.
When it is combined with a pattern of other misconduct reflected in this and other allegations, however, the Committee is left with a firm impression, by a preponderance of the evidence, that it constituted part of a deliberate research stratagem to create the appearance of independent verifiable support for claims that could not be supported through existing primary and secondary sources. To put it most simply, it was part of a pattern and consistent research stratagem to cloak extreme, unsupportable, propaganda-like claims of fact that support Professor Churchill's legal and political claims with the aura of authentic scholarly research by referencing apparently (but not actually) supportive independent third-party sources. The next problem discussed with these two footnotes makes this stratagem far clearer.
The other two apparently independent third-party sources cited in footnotes 63 and 64 are essays published in the same volume, The State of Native America, one under the name of a person named Rebecca Robbins and the other under the name of M. Annette Jaimes, the editor of the volume. Since both essays do contain statements of the type that Professor Churchill claims, that might have put an end to the matter of research misconduct regarding this allegation, except for the fact that in response to the separate allegation that he had plagiarized the Robbins essay in another later published piece, Professor Churchill said in Submission E that he had in fact ghostwritten both the Robbins and the Jaimes essays, in full.... [This] constitutes a serious problem of research misconduct. The initial support for the disputed statement involved three independent sources. As already noted, the Act does not expressly provide what Professor Churchill claims and therefore can provide no support for his claims whatsoever. The two other apparently independent third-party sources, the Robbins and Jaimes essays, turn out not to be independent sources at all but, rather, to have been ghostwritten in their entirety by Professor Churchill. This action provided him with apparent independent sources that he could and did in fact cite to support otherwise insupportable claims of legal and historical fact. In short, when one carefully dissects the Churchill claim quoted in the original allegation, the three apparently independent third-party sources dissolve into one source (the Act) that clearly does not expressly support his claim, and two other sources (the Robbins and Jaimes chapters) that he wrote himself.
Although Professor Churchill purported to offer his claims as supported by research, based on independent sources, it turns out that the claims not only cannot be supported but that he has misrepresented the independent nature of his sources employed to buttress the unsupportable details of his conclusions....
Incidentally, while the Churchill report generally seems very thoughtful and scholarly, it does have a small error, included in the discussion of whether the circumstances in which the charges were brought -- public condemnation of Churchill for his description of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks as "little Eichmanns" -- affect the propriety of the investigation. The report states (p. 4):
To use an analogy, a motorist who is stopped and ticketed for speeding because the police officer was offended by the contents of her bumper sticker, and who otherwise would have been sent away with a warning, is still guilty of speeding, even if the officer's motive for punishing the speeder was the offense taken to the speeder's exercise of her right to free speech. No court would consider the improper motive of the police officer to constitute a defense to speeding, however protected by legal free speech guarantees the contents of the bumper sticker might be.
In fact, the First Amendment rule, as set forth in Wayte v. U.S., 470 U.S. 598 (1985), is:
"Selectivity in the enforcement of criminal laws is . . . subject to constitutional constraints." In particular, the decision to prosecute may not be "'deliberately based upon an unjustifiable standard such as race, religion, or other arbitrary classification,'" including the exercise of protected statutory and constitutional rights [such as free speech].
Even prosecution of people who are guilty of a nonspeech crime might thus violate the First Amendment if the government deliberately selected them for prosecution because of their constitutionally protected expression (though I should note that this is a very tough claim to prove).
Nonetheless, whatever may be the rule for criminal prosecutions triggered by the policeman's own hostility to the target's speech, such a rule need not be applied here. This isn't a criminal prosecution, but the university's decision whether to keep someone on its faculty; it need not keep a dishonest scholar on board, even if the complaints about the scholar were motivated partly by the complainers' hostility to the scholar's viewpoints. And as best I can tell, there's little reason to think that the University wouldn't have investigated Churchill had he been accused of the same misconduct but had expressed diferrent views. These are serious charges, and my guess is that most universities would indeed look into alleged multiple falsification of evidence and plagiarism by their faculty members.
There was a connection between Churchill's politics and the investigation, but it seems to me much more attenuated than in the bumper sticker context. Churchill first attracted public notice because of his "little Eichmanns" comment. This led people to scrutinize his work, and past critics of his to repeat their criticisms. This in turn yielded the large body of accusations, large enough that the University had to take notice (in a way that it didn't seem to have done when at least one of the accusations had been separately brought to its notice some years before). So the better analogy is if someone had caused a lot of controversy by his bumper sticker; this caused a lot of people to notice him, and in the process to notice that he was speeding; they in turn complained to the police officer; and the police officer gave him a speeding ticket. There, I think there's no problem under Wayte; the government official (the police officer) wasn't making the enforcement decision based on the bumper sticker, though the people who complained to the officer -- private parties who have no viewpoint-neutrality obligation under the First Amendment -- were motivated by the bumper sticker.
As the report points out, "public figures who choose to speak out on controversial matters of public concern naturally attract more controversy and attention to their background and work than scholars quietly writing about more esoteric matters that are not the subject of political debate" (p. 4) (emphasis added). That seems to me to be exactly what happened here. Unfortunately for Ward Churchill, it turns out that his scholarship couldn't bear the attention that his statements prompted." by Eugene Volokh, blogger
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So, he is a liar and a scoundrel, and that fact is proven. Good News. captainoutrageous answered on 05/19/06:I have been taking classes (toward an additional teaching endorsement) at the University of Colorado for the past couple of years. I have been watching with interest as the Churchill story has unfolded. The man is a pompous (and dishonest) ass and I am glad that at least the investigation committee has chosen not to cover up his transgressions. | | Question/Answer | | ROLCAM asked on 05/18/06 - If Bush and Blair were schoolboys... This is a wonderful aticle that I would like you to read.
If Bush and Blair were schoolboys...
Bjrn Ole Austad
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed themselves to be the leaders of the worldwide battle for freedom against terrorism. They have confronted Al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein and insurgents in Iraq and now Iran and Hamas in Palestine. The failures and successes of their leadership affect us all, and they have come under some fierce criticism. However, threats come at a fast pace, and we are all tempted to focus on the immediate issues only and miss the underlying weaknesses of their leadership.
If Mr Bush and Mr Blair were young schoolboys rallying support to beat up brutal bullies of the schoolyard to put an end to the terrorising of frightened schoolchildren, I would be among the first to join them. On the world stage they have shown idealism, courage and determination, exactly the kind of qualities needed to put bullies in their place in a schoolyard. Sadly, the world is not a schoolyard, and the Middle East and the surrounding region least of all. Also, Mr Bush and Mr Blair are not merely individuals offering their qualities of leadership to get rid of bullies in positions of political power. They represent nations, which themselves have a history of bullying and dominating others.
Britain was a colonial power, also in the Middle East.
The US has intervened militarily in a number of countries. Sometimes it has done so to defend freedom and democracy. Other times American national interests have been the overriding factor, undermining rather than strengthening democracy. In the region of the Middle East American interests in the oil resources are obvious. Its one-sided support to Israel in the conflict with the Palestinians continues to sow distrust and anger in the Arab world.
I will not enter into the pros and cons of the invasion of Iraq, but neither the US nor Britain seem to have foreseen the degree of antagonistic feelings which the invasion and occupation have provoked among the Iraqis. People in most nations have a strong sense of national pride and a love for independence. These feelings have been severely offended. The abuse against Iraqi prisoners aggravated the situation further. If the project of democracy fails and Iraq descends into civil war, a possibility that is dangerously close, the US and Britain may wash their hands and blame it on religious enmities and other factors. However, they cannot escape the fact that the invasion and occupation have poured poison into the already harmful brew of anger and hatred, which the Iraqis consumed under Saddam Hussein.
When people are locked into situations of perpetual injustice, when people's rights are repeatedly being trodden upon, it affects the human psyche. This applies everywhere. It is not just a question of material and physical suffering and hardship. When a person's dignity receives one blow after another, the result is humiliation.
When people are humiliated, despair, hatred, self-rejection and meaninglessness begin to grow and occupy the space where hope, creativity, trust and responsibility are supposed to flourish. This destructive state of mind and emotions is receptive to fanatical ideas. Where there is constant humiliation of human beings there is a fertile environment for extremism.
Defusing The Humiliation Bomb was the headline of an article by Aleya El Bindari-Hammad, former executive director of the World Health Organisation, in the international magazine For A Change last autumn. She referred to psychologist and peace activist Evelin Gerda Lindner's words of humiliation being "the nuclear bomb of feelings".
After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 there is a growing number of experts in the Western world on terrorism and Al-Qaeda. There are experts on Islam and on the Middle East. Informative books and documents abound. However, where are the experts on humiliation and how it affects people?
Britain should have gained experience and insight from the time when former colonies rose to achieve independence. The conflict in Northern Ireland also provides a few lessons.
The United States of America have real-life examples within their borders and history. The American nation was initially built through ethnic cleansing of large parts of its indigenous population. The country's economic progress was partly built on slavery, and although it was abolished nearly 150 years ago, Afro-Americans have had a long, humiliating struggle for equal rights. And the battle against discrimination is still not finished.
Many British and Americans have faced these painful realities. The governments of Mr Blair and Mr Bush, however, either overlook these realities or refuse to see them. One could explain it by saying that power blinds and that there is no hope for the powerful to become sensitive to the state of mind and emotions of the downtrodden. However, the rebuilding of Europe after World War II shows otherwise. The victors learnt from the aftermath of World War I that a humiliated Germany could not become a healthy member of the family of nations.
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have the military power and know their vocabulary when explaining their visions and core values. Yet, both need to gain psychological insight into humiliation and its consequences in order to exercise adequate leadership in the battle for freedom.
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The question to answer :-
However, where are the experts on humiliation and how it affects people?
best wishes,
rolcam.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/19/06:Perhaps here:
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004104.html
http://www.newconversations.net/HumanDHS/communication.htm | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/18/06 - Faux News Now Racist TV Network Faux news is now officially a racist network. The radical right is desperate to hold together the coalition of the radical Christians, traditional Republicans, and angry white guys---a coalition which is breaking down rapidly. Dobson of Focus on the Family issued a warning to Bush-none of the religious rights pet issues have been taken care of as promised, so don't expect votes from his group in the fall elections.
Gibson, a talking head on Faux news, gave an op-ed piece begging Americans to reproduce more rapidly because now half the babies born in America are of Hispanic(minority) heritage. (Yeah, white people, get it on!) It won't be very long(a few decades) BEFORE IN AMERICA WHITE PEOPLE WILL BE A MINORITY.
Several other talking heads have echoed Gibson's worries by repeating overtly race baiting comments and fear tactics toward the racist element in the Republican Party.
jack captainoutrageous answered on 05/19/06:What choice does Dobson and his cronies have. They'll either have to vote Republican, not vote at all, or, heaven forbid, vote Democratic.
Jack,
On a more personal note, why do you give minimal stars to those who disagree with your viewpoint? This is a great forum to share ideas - diversity is one of the things that makes America great. | | Question/Answer | | Mathatmacoat asked on 05/17/06 - A picture's worth a thousand words? http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5154793,00.jpg captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:Very good. Thanks much for sharing!!! | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 05/16/06 - Excon, Re: your rating of my previous answer.
>>> >>>What is different between an invasion by a military force and an invasion by a civillian force?<<<
Uhhh, one carries a leaf blower and the other carries a gun.<<<
An irrelevant difference. If an unarmed civillian broke into your home or an armed soldier broke into your home, the result is the same: tresspassing, B&E, probably theft, certainly a violation of your rights as a homeowner. The illegal aliens are invading our home, and it doesn't matter whether they are armed and wearing uniforms or unarmed and wearing civillian clothing. Any violation of our borders is invasion.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "invasion" as "An intrusion or encroachment". That defines what the illegal aliens are doing perfectly. And it is not just the perogative but the RESPONSIBILITY of the government to protect our borders against invasion. That is, in fact, what the government is there for.
The government has only three real purposes according to the Constitution: to form a military to protect the land and citizens of the USA from invasion, to control and maintain roads and highways, and to provide the ability to communicate by mail. All other responsibilities that government took upon itself later are extra-Constitutional, (and may even be argued to be Unconstitutional though I happen to disagree with that point of view). But protecting our borders against ANY unauthorized incursion (whether civillian or military) is one of only three powers and responsibilities specifically granted to the Federal Government.
So the fact that the invaders in question are sillyvillians and not military doesn't change ANYTHING regarding the responsibilities of the government vis-a-vis the borders.
Furthermore, what makes you think that illegals don't use guns. Coyotes have been known to shoot at INS and border patrol officials. And many of the immigrants that came over from Cuba in the Mariel boatlift were criminals released by Castro to be sent here. It is not unreasonable to assume that the illegals from Mexico and elsewhere have some percentage of criminals with criminal records among them. And if the borders aren't controlled and those who enter the USA checked before they get here, then how do we stop criminals from entering the USA?
The fact that MOST illegal immigrants are law abiding citizens (except for the minor issue of them being criminals by breaking the law to get here) doesn't change the fact that some ARE criminals, and we, as citizens have the right to demand that our government monitor the borders for our safety.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:Well said. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/16/06 - Guard Too Expensive To Use for Boarder Work-Chertoff "In December of 2005, Fox News talking head Bill OReilly floated an unlikely even brash idea to the Homeland Security secretary to seal off the porous southwest border.
Why dont you put the National Guard on the border to back up the border patrol and stop the bleeding, and then start to increase the Border Patrol, the high-tech and all of that? OReilly asked.
Michael Chertoff, in those relatively calmer days before mass pro-immigration rallies, heated immigration reform politics in the Senate and cellar-dwelling opinion polls for President Bush, dismissed the idea out of hand.
Well, the National Guard is really, first of all, [ONE]*not trained* for that mission, Chertoff told OReilly. I mean, the fact of the matter is the border is a special place. There are special challenges that are faced there.
Chertoff added that that it would take a [TWO]*huge amount of National Guard troops*, that they would need new training. But couldnt the National Guard pull it off, OReilly asked?
I think it would be a [THREE]*horribly over-expensive* and very difficult way to manage this problem, Chertoff said. Unless you would be prepared to leave those people in the National Guard day and night for month after month after month, you would eventually have to come to grips with the challenge in a more comprehensive way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:I thought it was rather interesting this morning that there was an ad on the local radio encouraging people to apply for employment witht the Border Patrol. At first I thought it was a joke and then realized it was a legitimate ad. The ad was full of more BS than the typical Army recruiter (and that is not to say that I am anti-military). | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/16/06 - "Maggie's Farm" I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for rain.
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane.
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
Well, he hands you a nickel,
He hands you a dime,
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time,
Then he fines you every time you slam the door.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks.
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks.
The National Guard stands around his door.
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law.
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa.
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am,
But everybody wants you
To be just like them.
They sing while you slave and I just get bored.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more."
Bob Dylan
Copyright 1965; renewed 1993 Special Rider Music Columbia Records
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyone appreciate an extended metaphor? captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:And if you do choose to work on Maggie's farm, you're gonna owe your soul to the company store. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/16/06 - What Conservatives are really up to!
Professor Galbraith said,
"The modern conservative is engaged
in one of man's oldest exercises
in moral philosophy; that is,
the search for a superior
moral justification for selfishness."
How is this demonstrated by the Bush administration?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:Is this a test?
On a bit more serious note, I think an amoral individual will have difficulty coming up with a moral justification for anything. | | Question/Answer | | powderpuff asked on 05/16/06 - Immigration to the USA Trying to figure out why we have such a problem with illegal immigration I did a google search and found this:
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/greencardlottery.html
Does this mean that the US lets 50,000 people legally immigrate here yearly? Only 50,000?
"The United States Government issues 50,000 permanent resident cards (Green Cards) every year through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery. Applicants are selected randomly by a computer-generated drawing." "The process of completing and submitting a DV Lottery application can be confusing." "It is a misconception to believe that winning the Green Card Lottery automatically grants the selected applicant U.S. residence, a Green Card or United States Citizenship. There are several additional forms and documents that must be submitted to the U.S. government before the applicant receives permanent residence in the United States."
"Every year 100,000 winning notification letters (Notice of Approval) are mailed to the applicants selected through the electronic drawing. The "Notice of Approval" does not guarantee that the applicant and his/her family will receive a Green Card. The Notice of Approval means that the applicant has been selected to continue the application process."
If the US only allows 50,000 to immigrate yearly, I think this could be part of our problem. I'm fairly sure there are many more than 50,000 people who want to immigrate here every year.
Why only 50,000? Is 50,000 a good cut off point? I see lots of space left here so I think we have the room.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/17/06:Actually, over a million immigrants are allowed into this country legally every year. Most are on different types of visas. The Green lottery is just one the steps that can be involved in acquiring PERMANENT resident status (and eventual citizenship).
"By one account, the actual number of annual legal immigrants was estimated at 500,000 to 600,000 in 1989. This subsequently increased and is now well over 1 million annually, not including illegal migration or temporary work visas.
The 1990 Immigration Act (IMMACT) -- Modified and expanded the 1965 act; it significantly increased the total immigration limit to 700,000 and increased visas by 40 percent. Family reunification was retained as the main immigration criteria with significant increases in employment-related immigration."
For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States#Recent:_post_1965
| | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/16/06 - Bush, Cheney Drop Huge Cake On Iraq, Crush Power Plant In celebration of the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, President Bush and Vice President Cheney dropped an enormous three-tiered anniversary cake on central Iraq, accidentally crushing the only working power plant in the area.
"Everything's just great in Iraq," said Cheney, who was so thrilled with the progress of the country that he was "planning to winter there someday."
"Things are so good now," said President Bush, "just imagine how fantastic it will be when they have a McDonald's on every corner."
Mohammed dar al Salim, a former baker whose shop had been destroyed by looters a year ago, agreed. "The future is certainly bright," he told reporters. "It's the present that worries me."
Fifty people who were killed yesterday as a result of the civil war could not be reached for comment.
===
Comments? captainoutrageous answered on 05/16/06:Ah! A bit of tongue in cheek comic relief. Thank you. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/15/06 - National Guard to shoot Mexicans?? Are the National Guard guys deployed to the US Mexico boarder going to shoot the illegals?
Or, is this just to mollify the radical right who have threatened to stay home on election day because Bush hasn't implemented amy of their favorite causes....gay marriage amendment, repeal abortion amendment, immigration, etc....
Hey, why don't Cubans have to go back. oh yeah, Bush buying Cuban-Hispanic votes in Florida. Yeah, yeah, that's right. captainoutrageous answered on 05/16/06:I personally don't want to see the National Guard shooting any illegal aliens (kind of like a reverse Berlin Wall), however, I do want to see them turned back around. If Bush's proposal to make illegal immigrants 'guest workers" ever passes, it would basically be a message to all those people who have been trying for years to legally enter the US that they have been dupes. | | Question/Answer | | arcura asked on 05/15/06 - Do you argree with this by David Brownlow????????? THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF OFFENSE - PROPPING UP THE EMPIRE
By David Brownlow
May 14, 2006
NewsWithViews.com
Many are unaware that at $500 billion a year, we Americans squander as much on our military as the rest of the world does on theirs - combined! This includes some of the (other) really cutthroat regimes, like China, Russia, and Iran. There is no one else even close.
Could it be possible that American defense needs are so unique that it takes $500 billion just to protect our country? No, that is not possible. Defending a country is relatively cheap. Building an empire is not. Somewhere along the way, we seem to have confused our military with a Department of Offense.
Without a doubt, we have created the most fearsome and ferocious military machine the world has ever known. Unfortunately, instead of being used as a defensive force, our military has become the global enforcement arm for the madmen who have seized control of our country - who wield this power like spoiled kids as they strut around the world, barking out intimidations and threats to any who refuse to bow down before them.
It is time to take away their toys.
Propping up the Empire requires a massive amount of firepower - which has left us with weapons systems that defy all logic. The new F-22 radar-evading fighter, at $280 million a copy, is a perfect example of how crazy things have gotten. Two hundred and eighty million bucks for an airplane, when a top of the line F-16 sells for about $20 million, is completely nuts. There will be no need for radar-evading fighters as soon as we start minding our own business - and quit trying to sneak around in places we do not belong.
The F-22 is just one example of the insanity. There are dozens of others. We can be confident of this - if we keep building the weapons of war, our leaders will keep finding ways to use them.
Even our Navy, which we have every right to maintain, has become an empire building force. Does it really take fourteen carrier battle groups just to protect our coastline? No, of course not. The same goes for most of the other 450 war ships in our fleet. Unless there is a foreign invading force lurking out there that we are not aware of, we could get by with a lot fewer ships. We just need to keep our sailors at home patrolling our own shores, instead of wandering around the world patrolling everybody elses.
Our active troop strength is also completely out of whack with our defense needs. Why do we need 1.4 million soldiers in uniform? They are certainly not being used to protect our borders. Maybe that is because nearly 400,000 of them being used to protect somebody elses borders!
On top of the 140,000 we have getting shot up in Iraq, there are over 200,000 American soldiers stationed in 140 of the worlds 192 countries. This includes 66,000 in Germany, 35,000 in Japan, and 30,000 in Korea. We beat those guys over 50 years ago, so what are we doing still hanging around in their countries? We even have soldiers stranded in some of the worlds most obscure places 1,300 in Djibouti, 400 in Quatar, and 2,000 in Serbia, to name a few. It is unbelievable.
It is time to bring every one of them home!
Here is an interesting fact; if we add up the annual military spending for the entire western hemisphere, minus the U.S., it comes to less than $25 billion a year. How could it possibly take America twenty times that amount to defend ourselves? Well for starters, our neighbors tend to mind their own business and keep their armies out of other peoples countries. Canada, with a larger landmass to protect than we do, finds a way to defend their country for about $8 billion a year. Brazil, with a population of 186 million and 5,000 miles of coastline to protect, manages to defend themselves for only $15 billion a year. Mexico does it for only $4 billion.
Our military spending is spiraling out of control not because our defensive needs are so much greater than anyone elses it is because our offensive needs are so much greater.
What is the alternative to this huge military machine we have unleashed on the world? We could start minding our own business, and quit causing trouble in every corner of the planet. If we did that, a motivated, highly trained and well-armed (well regulated) militia could replace almost every one of our full time soldiers in the Army and Marine Corps. We just need to reset our priorities - and commit to keeping our men out of foreign entanglements.
By simply obeying the law, and getting out of the empire building business, we could dramatically trim back the size and scope of our Department of Offense while making the "homeland," and the world, a much safer place.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/16/06:Isolationism is not an option in our global society. We are so interconnected that it would be naive to even think we could just ignore the rest of the world. And in the past, our isolationist periods have often encouraged the aims of less that moral leaders - think Hitler, Franco, etc | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/13/06 - Bush's erratic behaviour explained? GOP said to be "very worried!"
All the presidents' minds
By ALEX MASSIE IN WASHINGTON
IT IS as demanding and stressful a job as any, making extraordinary demands upon the 42 men who have held the post.
Lyndon Johnson complained that being president of the United States was an "unrelenting business" in which work was "always there to be done", to the point where "it became a question of how much the physical constitution could take".
Now, researchers writing in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease have concluded that half the presidents in US history suffered from mental illness.
Three professors of psychiatry at the prestigious Duke University in North Carolina analysed presidential biographies and other historical records before concluding that
18 of the 37 presidents who served between 1776 and 1974 suffered from psychiatric disorders.
Of those 18, at least ten suffered psychiatric problems while in office which, more often than not, may have affected their performance in the job. The sole exception cited by the Duke psychiatrists was Teddy Roosevelt, whose bipolar disorder seems not to have hampered his muscular approach to the presidency.
The pattern of poor mental health runs from the founding fathers to Richard Nixon. John Adams, the second president, suffered from depression while his successor, Thomas Jefferson, was hampered by social phobia.
Depression was the most common diagnosis, occurring in 24 per cent of cases, followed by anxiety (8 per cent), bipolar disorder (8 per cent) and alcoholism (8 per cent). Other depressives included Dwight Eisenhower, Rutherford Hayes, James Madison, James Garfield and John Quincy Adams.
Of Woodrow Wilson, the researchers noted: "The development of paranoia and other mental changes, which could have amplified his rigidity of character, perhaps prevented him from taking advantage of his opportunities as president of the world's most powerful country after the First World War."
Wilson's predecessor, William Taft, was accused by one biographer of losing interest in the presidency. His administration was characterised as one of "drift, drift, drift - little attempted, nothing done". The professors say Taft "coped with the stress of the presidency by overeating to the point of massive obesity, and obstructive sleep apnoea meant that he probably could not give full attention to the job".
However they note that "no national calamities appear to have occurred due to presidential mental illness".
Although the research further dents the already tarnished notion of presidential omnipotence, the researchers argue that publicising the psychiatric problems suffered by presidents is beneficial. "Presidents are seen to be human, and if so many of them have a major psychiatric disorder, it could at least lessen the long-standing stigma toward mental illness," they argue.
Michael Kazin, professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington, said: "There are certain aspects of any powerful politician's career which make it quite rational for a president to be mentally troubled."
===
Should sitting presidents be subject to monthly psychiatric evaluation to ensure that they are sane and not behaving strangely, as the present incumbent is doing?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:Well, I guess you have to be crazy to run for that office. Have you seen the latest approval ratings? The Republican party is definitely in trouble.
Last Update: Saturday, May 13, 2006. 9:31am (AEST)
ABC ONLINE
Bush's approval rating hits new low
US President George W Bush's approval rating has tumbled to an all-time low of 29 per cent.
The latest Harris Interactive Poll in the Wall Street Journal shows the President's approval rating dropping from 35 per cent to 29 per cent in the space of a month.
Nearly 70 per cent of those polled believed the country was heading in the wrong direction.
The only other presidents whose ratings have dipped into the 20s are Jimmy Carter, Harry Truman and Richard Nixon.
The factors contributing to this loss of public support, include the war in Iraq and rising petrol prices.
Alarmingly for Mr Bush, another opinion poll this week highlighted a sharp drop in support from Republican voters, who have previously stood by him.
| | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/13/06 - Qwest ;the telecom company of al-Qaeda well not yet...maybe but the USA Today article on the NSA datamining ops. said that Qwest was the phone company that was the exception ,and did not comply with the request to hand over their phone call records .Perhaps it has something to do with their customer privacy policy ?
"Our representatives pull up account records and may refer to your bill, your calling patterns, and other information we have to answer questions you may have or recommend how we can best serve you."
"We share information within our Qwest companies to enable us to better understand our customers' product and service needs, and to learn how to best design, develop, and package products and services to meet those needs. . . . Currently, our primary lines of business include local and long-distance services, wireless services, cable services, dedicated web hosting, Internet access for businesses and consumers, on-line services, and directory publishing. We also offer other products and services, for example, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), telephone equipment, voice mail services, and directory advertising."
"As a general rule, Qwest does not release customer account information to unaffiliated third parties without your permission unless we have a business relationship with those companies where the disclosure is appropriate."
So ok then ;it is a violation of privacy to data mine for national security reasons but it is perfectly acceptable to do if the purpose is for better marketting .Qwest shares its customers' records with companies with which it has a "business relationship," but not with the NSA to prevent terrorist attacks.wooohoooooo sign me up !!!
captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:I believe you can request that your information not be shared with other companies, subsidaries, etc. And, as I believe, one expert pointed out, Qwest did refuse to go along with the feds attempts to accept their customer calling records. Of course, in this age of vast technological advancement, we are probably deluding ourselves to think anything we do anymore is private. | | Question/Answer | | BeelzeBUSH asked on 05/10/06 - THE GASOLINE SONG... http://www.atomfilms.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=cant_afford_gas&preplay
captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:A bit crass, but funny. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | fredg asked on 05/11/06 - Tax Rebates Hi,
According to the National News Networks, the President of the US, some Democrats, and Most Republicans, are now going to extend the "Tax Rebates" to Americans!
This is trying to replace the National News with something "good", while forgetting about the other things, such as Iraq, $8,000,000,000,000 (YES, Trillion) National Debt of the United States!
These tax rebates would be as follows: forgive me if I'm off a few dollars:
annual income of less than $100,000 = rebate of from $46 to $400 for the year.
Annual income of over $100,000 = rebate of around $3,000.
Annual income of One Million = around $4,000.
Annual income over One Million = $41,000 approx.
The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. For most of use, it means a little extra gas money, but not too many gallons worth!
If you are earning less than $100,000 per year (which is 95% of Americans!); you will probably get back $46 for the year!
This ploy by the Republics is to get re-elected in November in the United States.
Question: Since the President's approval rating is now down to about 31%, and the Republicans' ratings are below 25%, do you think this ploy will work??
fredg captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:Not likely. $46 won't even buy a week's groceries. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 05/12/06 - A proposed response to Ahmadinejad's letter. The following is my proposal of how Bush should respond to the rediculous letter sent by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
---------------------
The White House
Oval Office
From The Desk of George W. Bush
Dear President Ahmadinejad:
I was delighted to read your recent letter. In fact, my whole Administration was smiling for days afterwards mostly because they couldnt stop laughing. But I felt that, given your attempt at diplomatic outreach, your letter deserves an appropriate response.
First of all, I find it interesting that you quote the teachings of Jesus Christ, considering that you have publicly stated on any number of occasions that you would like nothing better than to destroy anyone who doesnt follow the Islamic religion, and specifically your particular branch of Shia. This, of course, includes the USA, Israel, and most of Europe.
You question my putting troops in harms way in Iraq, but ignore the fact that your government has been putting its troops in harms way against the Iraqi military for decades. Your government saw Saddam Husseins Iraq as a threat to your sovereignty, reacted to that perceived threat with military action, and sent troops to fight against the Iraqi military. The only difference between your countries actions and mine is that we beat the Iraqi military in a matter of weeks, whereas your soldiers simply died in combat, with no real resolution to the conflict.
You question why I would send troops against Saddam Husseins regime based on WMDs that you claim did not exist. But didnt Saddam Hussein gas your troops with chemical weapons during the 1980s? Dont those constitute weapons of mass destruction? How can you, as the leader of the Iranian people who suffered most of all from Saddam Husseins illegal weapons programs, ask why I would send troops to stop those illegal weapons from being used or given to others who would use them against civilians.
Next, you ask about the existence of Israel and question the events of the Holocaust. I wonder how anyone who claims to be a teacher could possibly wonder whether the Holocaust took place or not. Most people claiming to be teachers know how to read, and the amount of evidence available to the public to read is huge. The Holocaust is by far the most documented crime in history, with witnesses from both the victims and the perpetrators having given testimony on the subject. But, of course, actually studying the subject of the holocaust would take an ability to read, and given the lack of literacy I found in your letter, I question your ability to read at all, much less understand the intricacies of researching historical fact.
Furthermore, the Jews did not steal the land of Israel from the Palestinian people. They WERE the Palestinian people. They were the ones called Palestinians prior to 1948. The ones who you now refer to as Palestinians were actually Jordanians. It wasnt until the 1950s that the term Palestinian was coined to refer to the indigenous Jordanians living there. Furthermore, the land had belonged to the Jewish people for approximately 3,200 years before it was claimed by the Jordanians. They had lived there all that time in an unbroken string, with different governments, regimes and rulers over them. They didnt steal anything from the so-called Palestinian people.
Finally, it should be noted that Israel did not simply come into existence. The establishment of the Jewish State of Israel was voted on in the United Nations by representatives of all its member nations. The Muslim community decided that they did not like this turn of events and promptly attacked Israel trying to steal the land that rightfully belonged to them. That attack failed, as did all subsequent attacks. Those subsequent attacks by the Muslim community directly resulted in the increase in Israels size to its post 1967 borders. And if Israel had actually annexed the West Bank and Gaza Strip into the sovereign borders of Israel and expel the Muslims from the area, none of the violence that has followed since would have occurred. But Moshe Dayan was overly sensitive in his dealing with the Muslim world, and chose to instead to invite them back to live in peace and harmony alongside the Jews. The West Bank and Gaza, instead of becoming part of Israel, were labeled occupied territories, and eventually illegally occupied territories, though there was nothing illegal about it.
I find it interesting that you quote Jesus Christ with such facility, but ignore the fact that Jesus was a Jew who lived and died in the Land of Israel, further proving that the land belonged to the Jews.
You also questioned the treatment of POWs being held in Guantanimo Bay and Abu Ghraib in your letter. However, I must point out that Iran is not exactly known for the soft-handedness of the treatment of its prisoners. For that matter, your countrys entire human rights record is a giant mess. According to the U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights:
Prison conditions in the country [Iran] were poor. Many prisoners were held in solitary confinement or denied adequate food or medical care to force confessions. After its 2003 visit, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions reported that "for the first time since its establishment, [the working group] has been confronted with a strategy of widespread use of solitary confinement for its own sake and not for traditional disciplinary purposes." The working group described Sector 209 of Evin prison as a "prison within a prison," designed for the "systematic, large-scale use of absolute solitary confinement, frequently for long periods."
By contrast, CBS News Rosa Hwang did a story about Camp Delta in Guantanimo Bay in which she said the following:
What we saw at Camp Delta seemed hardly a gulag. The prisoners appeared to be well fed and kept in quarters typical of any medium- to maximum-security U.S. prison. The cells are sparse, yet neat. The guard forces are serious, yet professional.
The detainees seemed to spend most of their time battling the oppressive heat, dust and bugs, as opposed to battling allegedly abusive guards For the most part, they regarded us with mild curiosity.
On the topic of supposed secret black prisons run by the USA, the State Departments report says this about Iran:
The UNSR reported that much of the prisoner abuse occurred in unofficial detention centers run by unofficial intelligence services and the military. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention raised this issue with the country's Article 90 parliamentary commission during its 2003 visit, generating a commission inquiry that reportedly confirmed the existence of numerous unofficial prisons.
Furthermore, I would point out to you that the actual existence of any such black prisons has been questioned recently in the media, as opposed to your secret prisons which have been confirmed to exist.
In your letter, you asked why the international community is so afraid of Iran developing nuclear technology. The answer to that, Mr. President, can be found in your own rhetoric. No other nation that capable of developing nuclear technology has threatened to destroy a sovereign nation that its President happens to disagree with. No nation besides Iran has offered to sell its nuclear secrets to the Sudanese government, one of the most corrupt and brutal governments in the entire world. No other nation with developing nuclear ambitions has declared a holy war against the rest of the worlds religions. We are worried about you, Mr. President, and the rhetoric of hate that you continue to spout. When people who hate as much as you do get their hands on big bombs, they tend to go off, and we would rather not have any nuclear weapons go off any time soon.
And finally, you argued that Democracy and capitalism are dead, but that the law of G-d continues to survive and thrive. I happen to agree with you that the Law of G-d is still alive and well. That Law is a Law of love, charity, responsibility and human decency. Unfortunately, that is not the Law that you practice. The Law that you practice is one of hatred, bigotry, oppression, torture, and the suppression of the human spirit of growth. Those are very different values from the ones that I learned in Sunday School. Furthermore, if Democracy is dead, why is it that so many people are trying to get into the United States, both legally and illegally. I may differ with some lawmakers on how to handle the matter of illegal immigration, but the fact is that people are coming to the United States in droves to experience our way of life. Irans immigration rate is -0.48%. Thats negative point five percent. People are trying to get OUT of Iran. Iran has 40% of its population living below the poverty line, 11% unemployment and 16% inflation. I think that a comparison of the USAs economic strength and Democratic way of life verses the Iranian theocratic system speaks for itself.
Despite our disagreements, I am happy that you decided to open communications between our two countries. I hope that this will be only the first step in an open dialogue and that we can move forward together in the spirit of friendship and international cooperation. In fact, in the spirit of friendship, Vice President Cheney has asked me to extend a personal and open invitation to you to join him quail hunting some afternoon.
With deepest respect,
George W. Bush
President of the Unites States of America
---------------------
What do you think?
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:Very good, though I agree with CeeBee that it is too long to keep his attention. Once he realized that the US President was not sympathetic to his assertions, he would stop reading anyway. | | Question/Answer | | jackreade asked on 05/13/06 - Political Book Review "In The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina (September, Penguin Press), a scathing rebuke of the current administrations definition of truth, New York Times columnist Frank Rich examines the propaganda misinformation of the Bush era.
Though it was a sequence of events that led to Richs frustration, he notes the war in Iraq as the epitome of all of the administrations shortcomings: Placing a higher priority on partisan politics than the nations welfare, lazy and poor planning, public relations as a substitute for policy, arrogance, unilateralism, an inability to admit or correct mistakes: the same themes recur again and again, he says.
Rich does, however, reserve a measure of respect for the method behind the madness, while shunning the insanity itself. Beyond the White Houses policy, he says, is also a fascinating narrative: the fictional story they rolled out, quite brilliantly at times, that sold the nation on a war against an enemy that did not attack us on 9/11. The Democrats tardy, timid and laughably inarticulate response has perturbed him, but not nearly as much as the actions of the Republican administration: The White House . . . sold a war of choice to the American people on fictitious grounds and with disastrous results that will continue to play out on many fronts for years to come, he says."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He pretty much nails it. I look forward to reading it. captainoutrageous answered on 05/13/06:Just found it listed on Amazon for $16.35. Thanks. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/12/06 - NSA and Bush
Hello goingdownthedrainers:
"The privacy of all Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities".
Bwa, ha ha ha ha ha ha. Chuckle, chuckle.... Oh, boy.
That's kinda like "Mission Accomplished" isn't it?
I know. You don'thaveanythingtohiders are just fine with it. But in fact, you don'thaveanythingtohiders, are really a bunch of havealottohiders, if say a secretly acquired video of one's bedroom activities all of a sudden appeared on the internet.
Or, it could be true, that donthaveanythingtohiders, never screw, cause its dirty.
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/12/06:"Big Brother" is watching you and it is a scary thought. | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/12/06 - Hamas
Hello Laydownforislamers:
Do you think your tax dollars should go to feed Hamas led hungry Palestinians? If yes, do you think any of that money will be spent on weapons that will be used on Israel, our ally? Or maybe even, God forbid, us?
Against the backdrop of Ahmadinejad's letter this week and his constant threats against the US and its allies in recent weeks and months, it is clear that Iran perceives itself as being in a state of active war against the US. It is also a fact that Hamas is now an official client of Tehran.
Indeed, even before Hamas subordinated itself to Tehran, the movement was in a declared state of war against America. On December 17, 2001, Hamas published a joint declaration with the Islamic Jihad in which it declared, "Americans are the enemies of the Palestinian people," and Americans "are a target for future attacks."
The Bush administration just pledged $10 million in medical assistance to Hamas. Every penny of ours that is transferred in "direct aid" to the Palestinians is money that will prevent Hamas from failing.
Do I feel for starving children around the world? Sure, but I feel less about the children of our enemy. You?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/12/06:I, too, care about the starving children of the world, but unfortunately the aid we provide is not going to those children. So, no, I do not favor aid to Hamas or any other group that promotes the downfall of the US. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/11/06 - The Last Helicopter To hear Mr. Abbasi tell it the entire recent history of the U.S. could be narrated with the help of the image of "the last helicopter." It was that image in Saigon that concluded the Vietnam War under Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter had five helicopters fleeing from the Iranian desert, leaving behind the charred corpses of eight American soldiers. Under Ronald Reagan the helicopters carried the corpses of 241 Marines murdered in their sleep in a Hezbollah suicide attack. Under the first President Bush, the helicopter flew from Safwan, in southern Iraq, with Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf aboard, leaving behind Saddam Hussein's generals, who could not believe why they had been allowed live to fight their domestic foes, and America, another day. Bill Clinton's helicopter was a Black Hawk, downed in Mogadishu and delivering 16 American soldiers into the hands of a murderous crowd.
According to this theory, President George W. Bush is an "aberration," a leader out of sync with his nation's character and no more than a brief nightmare for those who oppose the creation of an "American Middle East." Messrs. Abbasi and Ahmadinejad have concluded that there will be no helicopter as long as George W. Bush is in the White House. But they believe that whoever succeeds him, Democrat or Republican, will revive the helicopter image to extricate the U.S. from a complex situation that few Americans appear to understand.
read the rest here
Are the Iranians right ? Do they just have to wait out Bush's term and then the US will go back to pre-9/11 business as usual ? Another question that might be asked is what happens to the countries left behind by those 'fleeing 'American Helicopters ?
for the record ;I happen to agree with Taheri that the American resolve is different than it was before 9-11. From all that I have observed ,the US is planning on being in the middle of the ummah for the long haul .This month's 'Atlantic Monthly' details the " Forward Operating Bases"(FOBs) that have been constructed in Iraq.(occupants affectionately called 'FOBBITS' .
They are away from the population centers but close enough to be there when the Iraqi army needs support (until they have air power they will need our logistic support ) . Close enough to the Iran and Syrian borders to monitor their interferance in internal Iraqi affairs .
Yes ,there will be a pull out ,and it will be pretty soon . But it will not be a complete withdrawal . Like many other allies we will garrison probably around 30 - 50,000 there .
Reshaping the Middle east is a long term policy . If we elect a short-sighted leader then all the work Bush has done will be for naught. With the current policy ,Iran is in a position where change is inevidible. They see American troops on 2 of their borders ,and nations in some degree of alliance with the US on their remaining borders .Waiting for the last helicopter to leave may be their only viable strategy .
captainoutrageous answered on 05/11/06:If the US is able to achieve some major victories, even if through the new Iraqi government, then the possibility of the long haul may be viable. Otherwise, the quagmire gets deeper, the American people get more disillusioned, and we end up pulling out with our tails between our legs. | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/08/06 - Does Germany show the way for the USA?
Germany's jobless urged to take work in asparagus harvest
ALLAN HALL IN BERLIN
EUROPE'S largest legal annual migration is under way with university professors joining roadsweepers and the jobless to pour into Germany from eastern Europe to pick asparagus.
People come in their tens of thousands from Poland and the Czech Republic for two-months of plucking that which Germans love to see on their dinner tables, but of whose harvest they want no part.
Living.scotsman.com MPU
Once again the German government is throwing money at the nation's five million jobless, trying to persuade and cajole them into working for a change. But asparagus-picking is one job they refuse to do.
The asparagus spring harvest is again stirring a heated controversy over the use of seasonal workers from abroad who some complain are taking away jobs from unemployed Germans.
The return of about 300,000 Poles on work permits this season, and several thousand Czechs, has become a national controversy as many people wonder why some of Germany's jobless can't do the work.
Using a carrot-and-stick strategy, the German labour office has launched a campaign to fill at least 10 per cent of seasonal harvest jobs with Germans on the dole. According to Edelgard Woythe, the head of the local employment office in Potsdam - the capital of Brandenburg where 50,000 unemployed could theoretically do the job - the government is trying everything to get Germans into the fields.
"We've put in enormous efforts to convince people to work in the fields," she said. "We've set up training sessions where people can learn how to pick asparagus."
Despite an extra bonus of 25 (18) a day and free transport to the fields, among Brandenburg's army of jobless only 154 have so far taken on harvesting jobs.
Germans can earn between 1,400-3,000 during the six-week asparagus season.
If that's not enough of an incentive, some of the unemployed may be made to learn the hard way - through cuts in their benefits.
===
How would this go down in the USA? Should feckless Americans who would rather be on the dole than pick the nation's lettuce have their handouts cut if they refuse to take the jobs available?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/09/06:An interesting article and an even more interesting analogy. Personally, don't know what those Germans are complaining about - I love picking asparagus. Um, must be difference between "for fun" and "for work." | | Question/Answer | | excon asked on 05/08/06 - Poll
Hello wingdudes:
Are you still one of the 33% who still support Bush?
I've taken the liberty of answering for you. Tell me if I'm wrong.
Its: yes
gade: yes
Wolverine: of course
labdude: who cares
kindj: I don't think so
tom: Him either anymore
Pdub: probably
Hank: yes
ladybug: dunno
Of course, I've left out any of you who I believe never did support him. Although, some of you might now. Choux? CeeBee? Clete? Beezle? Ben? Ronnie? Anyone?
excon
captainoutrageous answered on 05/09/06:Well, I have just recently signed on this board (although I've been on the history and philosophy boards since Askme folded), but guess I'll throw in my two cents here. No, I am not a Bush fan and never have been. The man just infuriates me a bit more everyday. | | Question/Answer | | kindj asked on 05/07/06 - Charitable Cheney Charitable Dick Cheney, media's best-kept secret
JOHN REINIERS
Let Vice President Cheney unload a hail of buckshot - and it makes mainstream media headlines as a defining moment is his failed vice presidency.
Let him file his federal tax return and it is reported by CBS News that "Cheney tops Bush in the battle of the bucks."
Let him donate what was the largest amount of bucks in history to charity by any public servant, and you guessed it - nary a headline.
But then again it was a paltry $6.87 million, more than three-quarters of the reported income of the Cheneys.
Read this again: The Cheneys gave $6.87 million to charity in 2005.
A small story perhaps, but come on - doesn't a multimillion dollar contribution to charities by a vice president deserve special recognition? Frankly, I was astonished when I first read this and thought it was a typo because it was buried in a column that leads off with President Bush's tax return - which wasn't even newsworthy - just the typical annual report on the tax returns of the president and vice president. As a matter of fact, the AP headline read "Cheney's income 10 times the Bushes'. And the L.A. Times reported: "Bush pays taxes, Cheney awaits refund,"
I could go on with other headlines, but you get the point. Not one headline in the mainstream media that Cheney gave $6.87 million to charity. The "refund" headline by the L.A. Times is laughable. The reason he's getting a refund is because he overpaid in estimating his taxes and had too much withheld. Another paper spun the AP story by saying not only did Cheney make ten times as much as Bush, but "He is looking for a $1.9 million refund." What gall.
Another equally compelling headline would have been when a former vice president's tax return - Al Gore's - reported a paltry $367 in charitable contributions in 1997. Of course this item never made the headlines either - given the bias of the mainstream media.
The Cheney's income was largely the result of his exercising stock options from his stint at Halliburton, some deferred compensation and royalties from three books written by Mrs. Cheney.
Of interest, the AP story referred to Cheney's adjusted gross income as "largely padded" with income he received by exercising stock options that had been set aside for charity. Here's a guy that sets up a gift arrangement for charity with Halliburton when he took office in 2001 and the AP elects to describe his return as being "padded" -- this was income earmarked for charity in 2001. Why the use of such a pejorative term? (Like padding an expense account.)
The Washington Post couldn't resist referring to Halliburton as "a large military contractor in Iraq," as if Iraq had something to do with this story. And so as to belittle this astounding donation, the Post said "the Cheneys appear to have taken advantage of a special tax break." Hey, anybody who gives three quarters of what they've earned to charity deserves a tax break.
The majority of Americans do not realize how devastatingly effective the media is in shaping attitudes. They can and will destroy the reputations of those they oppose. What is so alarming is that the media mistakes their limitations for high standards.
John Reiniers is a columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/07/06:Thank you very much for sharing this information. And whether we agree with how he came by these funds, the man is still to be commended for his great generosity. | | Question/Answer | | paraclete asked on 05/06/06 - A rose by any other name Wake up while you can still smell the roses
May 6, 2006
The proof of climate change is convincing, writes Peter Doherty. Now we owe it to ourselves to learn more, and do more, about it.
IS THIS whole global-warming scenario real or is it, as some newspaper columnists like to suggest, a massive conspiracy by self-serving scientists and self-appointed environmentalists who are trying to maximise their own resources, influence and power?
Interestingly, we are starting to see prominent political figures of the right, and even some of the international energy companies, moving to the left of the more reactionary media on this issue.
Any newspaper editor will tell you bad news sells. My sense is that many, if not most, of us are buying into the idea that global warming is real. Television presents us with an endless catalogue of disasters: the frogs are dying, the bushfires are getting worse, we're recording the hottest days on record.
The problem is not so much to persuade people that we have a problem as to work out how to do something about it. When living in Memphis, Tennessee, I had to have my car exhaust checked annually at a municipal testing station. If your car didn't pass, it cost money to make it comply.
Also in Memphis, the double-hung windows of our 1903 house were made more energy efficient by the addition of external, triple-track storm windows, which the previous owner fitted as part of a government-supported initiative. The triple glass/flyscreen windows represent a simple, relatively cheap and effective "bolt-on" technology available in all big US hardware stores, but I can't find them in Australia.
We could do a lot to conserve energy in the way we build and use our living spaces but, because it costs money, it will take a carrot-or-stick approach to make most of us react. Everyone has a part to play. We need to focus as much on "me" as "them and they" when it comes to climate change.
The "prosperity", in terms of access to consumer durables, international travel and so forth, that most middle-class Australians and Americans enjoy certainly wasn't the reality for other than a small minority only 50 years ago. There is nothing immutable about our lifestyle, and no divine right that it can or should continue.
Even so-called conservative politicians, though, can run enormous risks if they try to introduce just the smallest element of a reality check. Look at what the 1980 oil crunch did to the US president Jimmy Carter, who, as a born-again Christian from the American south, was hardly a radical.
President George Bush tried to make the point in his 2006 State of the Union address that it's past time for the US to kick its dependence on Middle East oil. Many of us had hoped to hear that from him immediately after September 11, 2001 - but better late than never. His statement went down like a lead balloon. Conspicuous, mindless consumption of this non-renewable resource is broadly seen as an entitlement. The possibility that the couple of thousand boys and girls from towns in rural "middle" America, the south and the Hispanic communities of the big cities who have died in Iraq might in some way be connected to patterns of domestic oil consumption doesn't seem to have crossed into the wider consciousness.
The lesson is that no matter how pervasive the global-warming argument, no matter how good the evidence, the only thing that will persuade many human beings to moderate their behaviour is to make environmentally damaging practices either expensive or illegal.
I'm not an authority on climate change and, though I'm a working experimental biologist, this is too complex an area for me to claim any authoritative position. My professional obsession is with understanding, and hopefully enhancing, immunity to the influenza A viruses.
This has assumed much greater significance as we sit and watch the extremely dangerous H5N1 bird flu spreading throughout the world. Of course, if the H5N1 viruses did jump the species barrier and kill off 30 to 50 per cent of the human population, they would, at least for a time, diminish the population pressure that most consider a primary driver of global warming. The number of people on the planet has increased at least fourfold in the past 100 years, and sixfold from the beginning of the industrial revolution.
AS WE apply the new genomic sciences to the study of human evolution, we are finding hints in our DNA history of genetic "bottlenecks", where the numbers of people were remarkably reduced. The "culling factor" may well have been infectious disease. Mortality rates of 30 to 50 per cent were recorded routinely in the plague that raged through European communities in the Middle Ages. Now, about 3 million people (the population of Melbourne) are dying annually of AIDS, but HIV transmits at a relatively low rate and the effect on global population size has not been big.
People such as me are dedicated to seeing that modern societies don't experience anything like the catastrophe of the medieval plague years. The effectiveness of the global response to the 2002-03 SARS epidemic is proof of this. Political systems, scientific expertise, business and regulatory authorities came together to protect the people.
One might take the harsh view that preserving human populations is counterproductive for the health of the planet, but it is only by assuring people in the developing world that their children will survive that we can expect them to reduce family sizes.
Stability, progress and good health go hand in hand. The fact warning bells about the dangers of global warming are being sounded loudly by all the national academies of science should cause us to think that we may be facing a substantial problem. The academy memberships are comprised largely of prominent, established scientists, elected on the basis of achievement. As a consequence, they tend to be conservative, and try hard to be responsible, to work effectively with their respective national governments and to be seen as the reservoir of informed scientific opinion.
There are some committed Australian scientist communicators who focus on environmental issues, particularly Ian Lowe and Tim Flannery. Jared Diamond's Collapse (Viking, 2005) is, along with his Guns, Germs and Steel (Norton, 1997), a must-read for anyone who cares about the big themes of how human societies shape, and are shaped by, their environments.
In the past three years, I've seen some good, in-depth, well-researched investigative articles on the environment, and other "off-the-top-of-the-head" opinion pieces that both plumb the depths of intellectual dishonesty and show a profound, and arguably deliberate, ignorance of how science works and the nature of the world around us.
Television does a great job in conveying the acute reality of natural disasters and environmental catastrophes. But some of the more spectacular horrors, such as the Boxing Day tsunami, have nothing to do with either global warming or, as some of the more despicable clerics claimed, God's wrath - though they may be described as "acts of God" by the insurance industry. The fact is, tectonic plates moved, threw up a mountain under the ocean and caused a tidal wave.
It still isn't clear to me that global warming was a major player in Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans. The incidence of the severe storms and hurricanes that can result when a low-pressure system comes in contact with a warmed ocean has been increasing dramatically in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico in the past decade or so. The coming few years will no doubt tell us whether this is part of a continuing trend or just a consequence of some sort of climate blip that happens from time to time.
A factor in evaluating this will be the development of more sophisticated computer hardware and software for environmental monitoring and prediction. The better and more comprehensive the data sets, the faster we can crunch the numbers, and the more sophisticated our understanding and our capacity to deal, practically and intellectually, with these very complex issues will become.
My bet is that much of the pressure to enhance these types of analytical tools will come from the insurance companies that stand to lose so much in many global-warming scenarios. By steadily increasing premiums, the insurance industry may also prove to be well ahead of the political and the scientific communities when it comes to changing public behaviour that affects, and reacts to, global warming.
Science is all about measurement, and numbers matter a great deal. What numbers should we look for? The fact atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been rising rapidly since we started burning large quantities of fossil fuels at the beginning of the industrial revolution seems incontrovertible. Much of the "back information" has come from the measurement of gas levels in, for example, air bubbles trapped in ice formations. Everyone is aware of this, and we should expect to continue seeing such numbers published.
The evidence that mean water and air temperatures around the world are increasing also seems valid, but this can be a confusing area, even for the experts. My naive perception is that cloud effects can cause confounding, and unpredicted, consequences.
As the warming of the deep ocean proceeds, the "tractor" of the Gulf Stream that makes life more temperate for much of Britain and north-western Europe may stop, leading to a transient "ice age" in those areas.
A key factor to monitor for the oceans is evidence of species loss, particularly corals that are likely to bleach and die if mean water temperatures rise more than two degrees. We can expect Australia's marine biologists to watch this closely.
The other parameter affecting the health of the oceans is acidity. Ocean acidity gives an objective measurement that is directly related to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and thus human activity, which is why people who argue that global warming is a scam never mention acidity. Atmospheric carbon dioxide combines with water to give carbonic acid, a "weak" acid that, in turn, initiates further acidification pathways. We are familiar with this from acid-rain scenarios. The consequences can be disastrous for many ocean life forms, such as corals, that need to make calcified shells.
Again, Australia's marine biologists and climate scientists, working from the tropics to the Antarctic, are incredibly important monitors of this situation. The melting of glaciers, the northern and southern polar icecaps and the Greenland icesheet also provides a spectrum of parameters that can readily be measured by, for example, satellite mapping.
Again, as a society, we must ensure this information is freely available and, as individuals, we need to keep these numbers in our consciousness. If you are a young person reading this, I would like to persuade you that one of the best things you can do is to spend at least a little of your time learning biology and some of the chemistry and physics that affect the environment. It's your future, and the future of the children who come after you, that we are talking about. Strength comes through knowledge and insight.
Edited extract from Griffith Review 12: Hot Air - How nigh's the end? (ABC Books, $16.95).
www.griffith.edu.au/griffithreview.
Professor Peter Doherty, awarded a Nobel Prize for medicine in 1996, will discuss the causes and consequences of global warming on May 27 at the Sydney Writers' Festival.
To to make a prediction about climate change a big freeze in Europe and sweltering for the rest of us? captainoutrageous answered on 05/07/06:There's just too damn many of us on this planet and we are a wasteful sort. Time to get out the bicycles - it's good for your health and good for the environment. Now if we could only do something about those idiots in their gas hogs who are always trying to run me off the road. | | Question/Answer | | quixotic_Choux asked on 05/07/06 - Oil Company Profits A number of years ago, oil company profits were set by government and oil company agreement and legislation at no more than 10% of the cost of a barrel of oil. So, if oil sells at $30.00 a barrel, the oil company can take a $3.00 profit maximum.
Currently oil trades at $72.00 a barrel with the expectation of $100.00 by the end of the year. $10.00 a barrel profit maximum.
Some expect the $200.00 barrel price within two years. Profit would be $20.00 a barrel.
The windfall profits of exxon come from this situation; it has nothing to do with exxon DOING ANYTHING.
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Should exxon and other companies be allowed to keep the massive profits due to no action on their part, in fact, the four manor oil companies refuse to build more refineries??????? captainoutrageous answered on 05/07/06:I am not a great fan of oil companies and their phenomenal profits, however, more refineries are not the answer. Oil supplies are depleting and it is time that we make a concerted effort toward alternative fuel sources. Right now we are dealing with the increasing demand for oil and a decreasing supply - the formula for increased prices in any market. | | Question/Answer | | quixotic_Choux asked on 05/06/06 - Iraq War - Foreign Policy Disaster ".....But the war did not go well for long. Though Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice now seems to have replaced Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as chief cheerleader for the war, many now see the invasion of Iraq as an historic disaster on par with Napoleon's invasion of Moscow in 1812 and the Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415 BCE. Both ended empires that had seemed invincible. Tom Ricks reported in The Washington Post April 30, that military leaders are considering whether, "the surest -- and perhaps now the only -- way to bring stability to Iraq is to divide the country into three pieces." The alternative view is not to press on to victory, Ricks says, but to withdraw and allow a civil war to settle the question.
America has lost more than a division's worth of brave soldiers to the war, with over 2,400 killed and 17,500 maimed. Our national debt increases by over $2 billion every week to pay for the war. America's international reputation is at its lowest point in history. Even our closest allies mistrust our motives, question our vision and are saddened by our abandonment of shared values. It is not that they resent American leadership; they just do not want this kind of leadership.
The danger of nuclear terrorism has also grown as the ideology of al Qaeda has spread like wildfire throughout the Muslim world. But our programs to secure and eliminate the highly-enriched uranium and plutonium scattered in stockpiles in dozens of countries have not kept pace. If Osama bin Laden can get his hands on these materials, his group can almost certainly build, deliver and detonate a bomb that can destroy any American city. Without this material he is powerless to do so. Yet we spend only $1 billion on year these programs. We spend this much every 4 days in Iraq.
Perhaps the most disheartening is that our senior government officials have not acknowledged these failures or given the slightest indication that they are working on correctives. On the contrary, the 2006 National Security Strategy of the United States repeats the emphasis on preemptive war, this time focusing on Iran rather than Iraq. As faux news anchor Stephen Colbert said in his mocking tribute to President Bush at the White House Correspondents dinner, "When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday - no matter what happened Tuesday."
The administration is strategically exhausted. Its only solution to the problem of Iran is to repeat the Iraq playbook. The speeches, the refusal to negotiate directly with Iran, the unnerving presence of Iranian exiles whispering sweet promises in Washington, the framing of the issue as one of the "credibility of the Security Council" are all straight out of the campaign that successfully fooled a majority of the nation, convincing them that Iraq was an urgent threat and somehow linked to September 11.
Thus, it falls to those of us outside of the governing circles to detail the failures, to forge new strategies and champion a new course. Some are already doing just that; more are needed. Most importantly, we must expose fully the mistakes of this strategy and of those who developed it so that America does not lurch into an unnecessary war. Not again".....Shortened from an article by Joe Cinicincione.
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Blunder after horrific blunder, and now today, his hand picked replacement to head the CIA, Goss, had to "resign" hastily leaving a seriously damaged agency...after only 19 months. captainoutrageous answered on 05/06/06:We should have never entered this conflict in the first place and now what we have is, at the very least, another Vietnam type fiasco. Why can't we clean up our own mess kits first? | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 05/05/06 - Aztlan With all that we have been hearing about illegal immigrants demanding their rights, the mainstream meadia has been largely ignoring the "Aztlan" crowd... the Mexican-rights groups that demand the return of Mexican lands to Mexico, lands such as Texas, California, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. They too have had a very large presence in the various demonstrations, with slogans like "Mexico to the Mexicans" and "Get off Our Land", and other stuff.
I suggest that we put this out to the Aztlan crowd: we'll give back all the lands ceeded to the US by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in exactly the same condition that it was when we took it. We'll take every structure, every piece of machinery, every company, every hospital, every school, every job, with us when we leave. We will leave you with exactly what you had when you lost the war... an empty desert.
What say you? How excited are you to get a barren wasteland that you will have to build from scratch in order to get the least little income from? When you take that empty piece of land that is more burden than asset, will you then recognize that it was American ingenuity and sweat and determination that built everything that has ever existed there since 1848?
Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
I am sick of people demanding that America give up what it has worked for and earned to those who have not. American know-how built this country, made it the richest and most free country in the world for those who obey its laws. That know-how and determination has made many other countries richer as well, and provided goods and services thoughout the world. I am sick of people who have benefited from our generosity and ability putting us down as "imperialist pigs" or "usurpers" or any other thing.
Sorry for the rant. I just needed to vent.
Comments are appreciated.
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 05/06/06:I have undertaken several major home projects in the past few summers (new furnace and air, hardwood floors, new fence, new porch, etc.) The two jobs on which I highly suspect illegals were being used by the contractors were total aggravation. The group being subcontracted by Lowe's to do the fence was such a joke, that when I called to complain to Lowe's I described the crew as the "Clampett's." The list of disasters and the time and aggravation it took to complete the projects correctly are too numerous to list here. I know there are people out there who have entered this country illegally and work hard for low wages, but I certainly haven't met with them. All of the projects that went well, that were finished on time, and for which I paid a reasonable price were all performed by legal American citizens. | | Question/Answer | | ETWolverine asked on 05/04/06 - Random thoughts... Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink what comes out"?
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken over there ... I'm gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt"?
Isn't Disney World just a people trap operated by a mouse?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet soup?
Can you get cornered in a round room?
Why do we wash behind our ears? Who really looks there?
Why don't the hairs on your arms get split ends?
If an atheist has to go to court, do they make him swear on the Bible?
Why is it illegal to park in a handicapped parking space but its ok to use a handicapped toilet?
In that song, she'll be coming around the mountain, who is she?
How come we say 'It's colder than hell outside' when isn't it realistically always colder than hell since hell is supposed to be fire and brimstone?
Why is it that if something says, "do not eat" on the packaging it becomes extra tempting to eat?
Why are people so scared of mice, yet we all love Mickey Mouse?
Wouldn't it be smart to make the sticky stuff on envelopes taste like chocolate?
Elliot captainoutrageous answered on 05/05/06:As a follow-up to Erewhon's comments about Hell, there is a Germany company named Hell. They make color scanners for the printing/publishing trade. My ex and I owned a publishing company and were in the process of purchasing a new color scanner. I used to enjoy announcing the salesman's arrival - "Honey, the man from Hell is here." | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/04/06 - The shape of things to come ..................... Illegal Immigrants Returning To Mexico For American Jobs
May 3, 2006 | Issue 42�18
MEXICO CITY�As dozens of major American corporations continue to move their manufacturing operations to Mexico, waves of job-seeking Mexican immigrants to the United States have begun making the deadly journey back across the border in search of better-paying Mexican-based American jobs.
"I came to this country seeking the job I sought when I first left this country," said Anuncio Reyes, 22, an undocumented worker who recrossed the U.S. border into Mexico last month, three years after leaving Mexico for the United States to work as an agricultural day laborer. "I spent everything I had to get back here. Yes, it was dangerous, and I miss my home. But as much as I love America, I have to go where the best American jobs are."
Reyes now works as a spot-welder on the assembly line of a Maytag large-appliance plant and earns $22 a day, most of which he sends back to his family in the U.S., who in turn send a portion of that back to the original family they left in Mexico. Like many former Mexican-Americans forced by circumstance to become American-Mexicans, Reyes dreams of one day bringing his relatives to Mexico so that they, too, may secure American employment in Mexico.
Despite the considerable risk illegal immigrants face in returning across the border, many find the lure of large U.S. factory salaries hard to resist�at 15 percent of the pay of corresponding jobs in America, these positions pay three times what Mexican jobs do.
Still, the danger is very real. When 31-year-old illegal Arizona resident Ignacio Jimenez sought employment at an American plant in Mexico, he was shot at by Mexican border guards as he attempted to illegally enter the country of his citizenship, pursued by U.S. immigration officials who thought he might be entering the country illegally, and fired upon again by a second group of U.S. Border Patrol agents charged with keeping valuable table-busing and food-delivery personnel inside American borders.
"It was a nightmare," Jimenez said. "Many became disoriented and panicked, and some were mixed in with immigrants going the other way across the Rio Grande and ended up swimming to the wrong country."
He added: "My cousin almost drowned. They fished him out and sent him back to wash dishes at T.G.I. Friday's."
Many say the trip across the border as illegal Mexican-American emigrants offers them a chance to land the American jobs in Mexico they never have been able to get as illegal Mexican-American immigrants in the U.S.
"It has always been my goal to have a good American job," Johnson Controls technician Camilla Torres, 27, said. "Many Mexicans now see Mexico as the land of opportunity. Mexicans will not stop trying to get here, no matter how much the Mexicans wish we would not."
Indeed, the trend of illegal re-emigration is causing great resentment among the local Mexican population, and tension between Mexicans and illegally re-entered Mexicans�dubbed repatriados�continues to build.
"I hate these Mexicans, always coming back here to Mexico from America and taking American jobs from the Mexicans who stayed in Mexico," said 55-year-old former Goodyear factory manager Juan-Miguel Diaz, who lost his job to a better-trained repatriado last March. "Why don't they go back to where they went to?"
Still, Jimenez, Reyes, and hundreds of others say they have no choice.
"The American Dream is alive and well in Mexico," Reyes said. "If I work hard, save my money, and plan well, I will be able to send my children to a good school�and who knows? If they study hard, perhaps they will get jobs someday at the new plant General Motors is building in China."
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�Comentarios?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/05/06:As Lewis Carroll wrote "'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice" (she was so surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). | | Question/Answer | | Erewhon asked on 05/04/06 - Yeah for sensible Laura Bush! She is more tolerant than her husband. Why is that? Bush's Spanish "not that good"
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday disputed an account of President George W. Bush singing the U.S. national anthem in Spanish during the 2000 presidential campaign, saying his Spanish is not that good.
Critics have accused Bush of hypocrisy for opposing a Spanish language version of the anthem.
They pointed to a book called "American Dynasty" by Kevin Phillips, who wrote that Bush "would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in Spanish."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the assertion did not ring true to him because, "The president speaks Spanish, but not that well."
"I'm saying that not only was that suggestion absurd, but that he couldn't possibly sing the national anthem in Spanish. He's not that good with his Spanish," McClellan said.
Bush, a former governor of Texas, sprinkles his speeches with Spanish phrases, as he did during both his presidential campaigns, to show kinship with Hispanics.
But last week, he said he thought the national anthem should be sung in English, after the "Star-Spangled Banner," or "Nuestro Himno," made its debut with a new Latin beat and Spanish lyrics.
Bush's wife, Laura, appeared to disagree.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with singing it in Spanish," said told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.
She said she thought it should be sung in English, but pointed out that,
"We are a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of many, many languages, because immigrants come and bring their languages."
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Why do you think Laura is more tolerant that george? Could it be because she is a womand and therefore more nurturing than her right wing conservative husband who has to placate those further to the right of him?
Or is she just plain stupid?
captainoutrageous answered on 05/05/06:I don't think the Germans would appreciate it if I moved to Germany and began singing "Lied der Deutschen" in English. | | Question/Answer | | purplewings asked on 05/03/06 - America the beautiful - lighten up Two Iraqi spies met in a busy restaurant after they had successfully slipped into the U.S.
The first spy starts speaking in Arabic.
The second spy shushes him quickly and whispers:
"Don't blow our cover. You're in America now.
Speak Spanish." captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/06:Thanks, I enjoyed that. Have you read the recent "letter" to Bush regarding help for a family's upcoming illegal emigration to Mexico? | | Question/Answer | | quixotic_Choux asked on 05/03/06 - Legalizing Drugs for Personal Use "MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican President Vicente Fox will sign into law a measure that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs for personal use, his spokesman said Tuesday.
Spokesman Ruben Aguilar defended the law, which was approved Friday by Mexico's Senate, despite criticism in the United States that it could increase casual drug use.
``The president is going to sign this law,'' said Aguilar, who called the legislation ``a better tool ... that allows better action and better coordination in the fight against drug dealing.''
``The government believes that this law represents progress, because it established the minimum quantities that a citizen can carry for personal use,'' Aguilar said.
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Any effect on the USA, do you think? captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/06:Maybe I'm running around with blinders on, but I really don't think it's going to have much impact on the US either way. | | Question/Answer | | tomder55 asked on 05/03/06 - McCain has a way with the Republican base Speaking of the Republican party ;according to David Ignatius of the Washington Compost ,McCain is quoted as saying:
"I don't want it that badly," McCain says. "I will continue to do what is right. I will continue to pursue torture, climate change. If that means I can't get the Republican nomination, fine. I've had a happy life. The worst thing I can do is sell my soul to the devil."
Hello? Come again ? Is he saying that to win the nomination he would have to do some great evil ? I'm sure that Howard Dean and company are brain storming all their campaign adds right now based on that comment .
Well if you like that one ;you'll love this quote of comments he made on the Imus radio show ,responding to criticism from radio host Michael Graham :
"He [Michael Graham] also mentioned my abridgement of First Amendment rights, i.e. talking about campaign finance reform....I know that money corrupts....I would rather have a clean government than one where quote "First Amendment rights" are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government."
His oath to defend the Constitution would matter less than his crusade to end corruption .....ummm ....corruption as he sees it .McCain of course is one of the top fund raisers in Washington . I'm sure all the bucks havew been washed squeeky clean. McCain's "Straight Talk America" Leadership PAC raised $2.3 million in the last 6 months of 2005, and another $868,000 in the first 3 months of 2006(read the comments section for the breakdown).
That clean gvt. I assume would never elect someone involved in the Keating 5 corruption (read about McCain's involvement here )
I hope he wrestles with the devil and wins; and the Republicans decide they'd rather not have him as their standard bearer in 2008. I suspect there are many more devils in his closet waiting to be exposed in the glare of a presidential campaign.
captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/06:The man is pretty crafty and there is definitely a possibility that he could can the Republican nomination in ང. Also, on May 13th, McCain will speak at Liberty University, the school run by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, whom McCain denounced as one of America's "agents of intolerance" in 2000. | | Question/Answer | | Coup_de_Grace asked on 05/03/06 - Truth about Kennedy Assassination I understand after a conversation with a co-worker that next week there will be a television documentary about the Kennedy assassination with new information that has been covered up since the very beginning, including information withheld from the Warren Report.
Does anyone on this board know when and what time this program will air(need time zone to convert, too)?
Do you feel that there was more to the assassination than what was explained to the American people?
Susan
Benjamin and Susan Grace captainoutrageous answered on 05/04/06:I don't know if this site is referring to the program you are interested in, but I'll send it along anyway.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1846726,00.html
The following is an interesting overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination |
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