OpEdNews - Diary: CATNIP TO BE BANNED IN THE U.S. ...War on Drugs Expands to Catnip

"...advocates of banning catnip have pointed out that children who give their cats catnip and then see the cat being "happy" might get dangerous ideas about getting high."

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DIANE'S NEWS CLIPS begins here :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> .ron corvuswire@verizon.net The Progress Report -- Independent Daily News CATNIP TO BE BANNED IN THE U.S. ...War on Drugs Expands to Catnip by Fred E. Foldvary, Senior Editor ... http://www.progress.org ..................snip................... "While catnip does not have the same effect on human beings, the advocates of banning catnip have pointed out that children who give their cats catnip and then see the cat being "happy" might get dangerous ideas about getting high. They think, if the cat can feel good, why not them too? Indeed, the first step to marijuana addiction may well be catnip! According to the drug warriors, catnip has been a major gateway to the human abuse of drug ...," [snip] Full article >> http://www.progress.org/2006/fold483.htm _________________________________ CAPITAL HILL BLUE The Rant Iraq Study Group Report: Smoke, mirrors and the fog of war According to all that collected brain power in the Iraq Study Group, conditions in President George W. Bush's failed Iraq war are "grave and deteriorating" and the United States must find a way to get the hell out. This is news? Hell, the American public has known this for months. That's why they sent the Republican-controlled Congress packing in the November midterm elections. That's why Bush's public approval ratings are so far into the crapper that even a master plumber couldn't save them. http://www.capitolhillblue.com/news2/2006/12/the_report_smok.html _________________________________ Submitted by: http://madams12@earthlink.net Kurt Nimmo wrote: Democrat Calls for 30,000 More Troops to be Sent into the Iraqi Meat Grinder Wednesday December 06th 2006, http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=689 As the so-called Iraq Study Group "recommendations" hit the street, dubiously entitled: "The Way Forward: A New Approach," Texan Democrat, soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, has called for sending more "dumb, stupid animals," as Henry Kissinger once fondly called our soldiers, into the Iraqi meat grinder. .......................snip................... As the corporate media suffers from acute amnesia, we hear nada about the established fact the Pentagon organized and unleashed many of the militias currently running amok in Iraq. .......................snip................... ," Gupta told Democracy Now last December. The United States "set up these militias. They funded them. They armed them. They trained them. And a lot of this came out in the Pentagon's own reports, ...[snip] Full article >> http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=689 _________________________________ IF LINK DOESN'T WORK, THEN PASTE ARTICLE LINK(S) INTO YOUR BROWSER -- OR GO DIRECTLY TO >> http://www.truthout.org Ray McGovern | TAPS FOR THE CONSTITUTION http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706J.shtml Ray McGovern writes, "Gates may have 'fresh eyes,' but if past is precedent he will add but marginally to the flavor of the self-licking ice cream cone that passes for Bush's coterie of advisers. What Bush has done is substitute Sugary Gates for Rumsfeldian Tart. Otherwise, the Cheney/Bush recipe is likely to remain the same as the US draws nearer and nearer to the abyss in Iraq." ----- New Weapon CLEARED BY MILITARY for Use in Iraq Under Scrutiny http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706K.shtml Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act detail the US military's extensive human tests of its Active Denial System - a non-lethal weapon that uses millimeter wave radiation to induce instant, searing pain that forces people to flee. ----- David Swanson | Honesty in Iraq http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706N.shtml David Swanson writes, "We should recognize that Nuremberg's condemnation of aggressive war was not a legal theory but a description of facts. Following the Holocaust, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg called the waging of aggressive war 'essentially an evil thing ... to initiate a war of aggression ... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.'" ----- Senators Rap FBI Over Domestic Spying http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706O.shtml Senators frustrated by scant details on the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program rapped FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday for refusing to show how it has curbed terrorist activity in the United States. ----- Guantanamo, a Thriving Development http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706G.shtml Le Monde's Corine Lesnes updates Kafka's "Penal Colony" with her description of the bustling development of Guantanamo since the arrival of the "enemy combatants." ----- Senators Question Iraq Panel's Blueprint http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706R.shtml ----- Matt Renner and Jason Leopold | Baker Report: The Democratic Reaction http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706A.shtml ----- NOW | Corporate Compassion http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706T.shtml ----- Legislators May Reconsider Suspending Detainee Habeas Corpus http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706B.shtml ----- EPA May Drop Lead Air Pollution Limits http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706P.shtml The Bush administration is considering doing away with health standards that cut lead from gasoline, widely regarded as one of the nation's biggest clean-air accomplishments. ----- UN Chief: Darfur Is in Free Fall http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706H.shtml ----- Iraq Spiraling Into World's Biggest Refugee Crisis http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706C.shtml ----- The New York Times | Welcome Political Cover http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706E.shtml ----- Audit Says FEMA Squandering Katrina Aid http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706F.shtml One year after Katrina, the government is still squandering tens of millions of dollars in wasted disaster aid, including $17 million in bogus rental payments to people who had already received free trailers and apartments, federal investigators said Wednesday. ----- 12 Million Suburbanites Live in Poverty http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120706M.shtml ----- Administration Tried to Cut Payouts to Nuke Workers http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120706LA.shtml The Bush administration repeatedly sought ways to limit payouts to nuclear weapons workers sickened by radiation and toxic material, according to a memo written by congressional investigators and obtained by USA TODAY. ----- In the Heart of the Capital, Despair http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120706HA.shtml With few resources, a church named Redemption takes on poverty, hunger and other staggering causes in Haiti. ----- Tropical Seas Are Threatened by Famine as Warming Quickens http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/120706EB.shtml _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://www.alternet.org Oil For Sale: Iraq Study Group Recommends Privatization By Antonia Juhasz, AlterNet The Iraq Study Group may not have a solution for how to end the war, but they do have a way for their corporate friends to make money. http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/45190/ ----- Updated: Sy Hersh v. Amy Goodman [VIDEO] By Evan Derkacz Progressive conundrum: Could Gates be best of bad options? http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/45181/ _________________________________ ImJackPineSavage@msn.com Shameless Experimentation on Wounded U.S. Soldiers Fighting in Iraq click here _________________________________ http://jablankfort@earthlink.net : http://happening-here.blogspot.com/ Beirut: Report on Ongoing Demonstrations and Analysis from a Lebanese friend who is there >> The following is a very important report on the demonstrations and political situation in Beirut from a Lebanese friend who is there and has been participating in the ongoing campaign against the present pro-US Lebanese government. Jeff Opposition demonstrations in Beirut (bintlouisa writes from her country, giving a view of the background of ongoing opposition demonstrations very different from that in the U.S. and British media. The demonstrators believe the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is not legitimate and are demanding a more representative alternative. Here's why, along with some information on who the parties are and the author's account of being among these huge crowds of protesters.) [snip] ... http://happening here.blogspot.com/2006/12/opposition-demonstrations-in-beirut.html _________________________________ WHITE HOUSE WINS AGAIN: GATES GETS THE JOB BUSH WANTS HIM TO HAVE, SURVEY GROUP REPORTS http://www.newsdissector.com/blog/2006/12/07/will-bush-ignore-iraq-survey-group/ .................snip................. Mazin Qumsiyeh writes from Palestine: It is truly remarkable that the so called "Iraq study group" report in 160 pages and thousands of words fails to mention human rights and International law (the words only appear in describing the background of three of the study authors such as "Mr. Jordan practiced general, corporate, legislative, and international law in Washington, D.C." and "Mr. Hamilton's distinguished service in government has been honored through numerous awards in public service and human rights as well as honorary degrees".) Thus, like the Israel-lobby-authored Bush pedaled "road map to peace" (2218 words, lacking the four words "Human rights" and "International law") it is destined to be relegated to the dustbin of history and will not help bring justice nor peace in the Middle East.... .......................snip......................... FROM THE ONION, A COMMENT ON JOHN BOLTON "It's a shame. He had so many bridges yet to burn." Tammy Watson, Systems Analyst _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://mediamatters.org Blankley charge of Clinton vendetta in Gingrich tax probe unsupported by facts Read more >> http://mediamatters.org/items/200612070001?src=other ----- NY Times' Kornblut: McCain "is nothing if not an independent-minded maverick" [snip] ... In making that assertion, however, Kornblut ignored the fact that McCain's plan may be politically convenient, as others have alleged. Read more >> http://mediamatters.org/items/200612060005?src=other _________________________________ Strong Solar Activity ... http://spaceweather.com SOLAR ACTIVITY: Big sunspot 930 continues to be a source of strong solar activity. The active region has produced two X-class flares and several lesser flares since it appeared only two days ago. Forecasters estimate a 50% chance of another X-flare during the next 24 hours. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hurled into space by the blasts of Dec. 5th and 6th will not hit Earth head-on. Why not? Because the sunspot was near the sun's eastern limb and thus not facing Earth at the time of the explosions. However, we could experience glancing blows from the CMEs, producing high-latitude geomagnetic storms in the nights ahead. Northern sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. Visit http://spaceweather.com to view photographs of the recent explosions and to listen to radio sounds from the X6-flare of Dec. 6th. REMINDER: Don't forget to set your alarm. Jupiter, Mercury and Mars are converging to make a pretty triangle in the dawn sky. The action begins on December 8th and climaxes on Dec. 10th when the two brightest vertices of the celestial triangle, Jupiter and Mercury, will be less than a quarter of a degree apart. Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and sky maps. CORRECTION: In a space weather alert sent Tuesday, Dec. 5th, sunspot 930 was misidentified as sunspot 929. I apologize for the error. --Tony Phillips SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a phone call alerting you the next time sunspot 930 explodes? Sign up for SpaceWeather Phone: http://spaceweatherphone.com _________________________________ DIRECTOR OF BLOOD DIAMOND SPEAKS OUT Amnesty International by Ed Zwick Director Blood Diamond VIDEO: http://youtube.com/watch?v=yDyBE0xo-4A&tr=y&auid=2200474 Amnesty International USA is proud to announce its support of the Warner Bros film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. Set during the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990's, the story addresses the issues of conflict diamonds and child soldiers. See: http://www.blooddiamondaction.org/ & Read our survey of diamond retailers, http://www.amnestyusa.org/business/action_update.html?tr=y&auid=2200329 _________________________________ http://www.unknownnews.org | http://www.worldnetdaily.com | http://www.thenation.com _________________________________ ............... Search gets personality There are many search sites out there. You're probably familiar with Google, Yahoo! and MSN. They're all good. But they can be a little impersonal. Maybe you'd like to add personality to your searches. Then visit Ms. Dewey. I assume that's a play on the Dewey decimal system, which is used to catalog books. Enter your search terms. You'll get a box of results through which you can scroll. All the while, Ms. Dewey makes comments. She has a lot of personality! I'll admit, some may find her abrasive. It's fun, nonetheless! TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE: http://www.msdewey.com Be sure to listen to me Monday through Friday. Use my map to find me near you http://www.komando.com/listen/index.aspx _________________________________ eHEALTHY NEWS Perfectionism Reinforces Eating Disorders - Communication between fathers and their college-aged children may be part of the problem. http://www.mercola.com/2006/may/20/perfectionism_reinforces_eating_disorders.htm ----- Eliminate Emotional Overeating and Shed Unwanted Pounds - A new procedure helps you get right to the underlying cause. click here _________________________________ VIDEO: CheckMating | United States | 6:33 | William Azaroff A woman tests her dates over games of chess, with each contest taking on the mood of the relationship. She's in full control, knowing exactly what she wants in a man--until she finds it. http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/atom_7 _________________________________ NationalGeographic.com http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/ _________________________________ NASA Astronomy picture of the day http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html _________________________________ When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. ~ Dale Carnegie