OpEdNews - Diary: Paul Krugman | GOLD-PLATED INDIFFERENCE

"What's really striking about Mr. Bush's remarks is the tone." ...................snip................... "In the past Mr. Bush's speech writers might have found less offensive language; now, they're not even trying to hide his fundamental indifference to the plight of less-fortunate Americans."

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DIANE'S NEWS CLIPS begins here :)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Excerpted from: http://www.truthout.org Paul Krugman | GOLD-PLATED INDIFFERENCE http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207F.shtml "What's really striking about Mr. Bush's remarks is the tone. The stuff about providing 'incentives' to buy insurance, the sneering description of good coverage as 'gold plated,' is right-wing think-tank jargon," writes Paul Krugman. "In the past Mr. Bush's speech writers might have found less offensive language; now, they're not even trying to hide his fundamental indifference to the plight of less-fortunate Americans." --- Global Warming: The Final Verdict http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207L.shtml A study by several thousand of the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought. --- Pentagon Linked to Illegal Military Sales to Iran http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207M.shtml Fighter-jet parts and other sensitive US military gear seized from front companies for Iran and brokers for China have been traced in criminal cases to a surprising source: the Pentagon. --- Czechs Give Go-Ahead for US "Son of Star Wars" Base http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207N.shtml The Czech government has announced that it wants to host a large US military site for the Pentagon's much-criticized missile shield system, confirming for the first time that Washington had asked Prague for permission to build a radar site for the national missile defense program. Russia had warned earlier this month that any extension of the US missile project to eastern Europe would force it to review its own missile defenses. --- Case Workers for Wounded Laid Off http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207O.shtml Defense Department officials have laid off most of their case workers who help severely injured service members. --- Adam Hochschild | Mired in the Trenches of the Iraq Fiasco http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207D.shtml Adam Hochschild writes: "If we needed more evidence that those surrounding President George W. Bush have a tin ear for the lessons of history, it came ten days ago, when National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley referred to increasing the number of American troops in Iraq as 'the big push' that would bring victory closer." --- Bob Herbert | Your MasterCard or Your Life http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207E.shtml "A disturbing new report shows that with health care costs continuing their sharp rise," writes Bob Herbert, "low- and middle-income patients are reaching for their credit cards with alarming frequency to cover treatment that they otherwise would be unable to afford. This medical debt, to be paid off in many cases at sky-high interest rates, is being loaded onto consumer debt that is already at dangerously high levels. Many families have been crushed by the load, driven from their homes, forced into bankruptcy, and worse." Iraq War May Intrude on Libby Trial http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207P.shtml The slow and contentious selection of a jury to try the vice president's former chief of staff may foreshadow a perjury trial constantly interrupted by disputes over how much jurors should hear about the Bush administration's Iraq war policy. --- Senators Seek Support Against Iraq Surge http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207K.shtml Senate Democrats are building support for a bipartisan resolution opposing Bush's war strategy in Iraq, cautioning that division over whether it goes far enough could spell defeat. "The worst thing we can do is to vote on something critical of the current policy and lose it," said Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The public doesn't support his policy, a majority of Congress doesn't support his policy. If we lose it, the president will use the defeat of a resolution as support of his public policy." --- Cindy Sheehan | Hillary for President? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207A.shtml --- Norman Solomon | The Pentagon vs. Press Freedom http://snipurl.com/183uy --- Top Senate Democrat Concerned About Bush and Iran http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012207T.shtml The Democratic chairman of the Senate intelligence committee said on Monday he is concerned President George W. Bush could act against Iran despite uncertainties about Tehran's intentions in the Middle East. Senator John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) also said he believes Japan could become a nuclear armed nation within the next six years in response to North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon and an aggressive military buildup by China. --- EPA Gets an Earful on Library Closures http://tinyurl.com/2qey9s --- Interior's Failure "a Jaw-Dropping Example of Bureaucratic Bungling" http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012207ED.shtml More than 1,000 leases signed in 1998 and 1999 were inked without the clause that requires companies to pay royalties for oil drilled on federal land. The omission of this requirement, called a price threshold, could cost the federal government as much as $10 billion over 25 years, according to the Government Accountability Office. _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://www.chinaview.cn/ Here comes Windows Vista -- yawn BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Here comes a new Windows operating system from Microsoft Corp. -- yawn. It's launch long delayed -- and the first in many years -- Microsoft plans an enormous marketing campaign to promote the software as a way to get more out of computers. But detractors are rolling their eyes and saying the new Windows is nothing more than a weak imitator of other operating systems. And technology analysts wonder whether Microsoft's dominance is nearing an end, since programs coming over the Internet are emerging as a more powerful force in computing than software tied to individual desktops. Continued: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/22/content_5638479.htm ----- Galaxies so small they're called "hobbits" BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists familiar with "The Lord of the Rings" have coined a name for a new class of ultra-faint galaxies in Earth's Local Group of galaxies: "hobbit." More: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/19/content_5628115.htm ----- Study: dogs make you healthier BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- If you are looking for a healthier life, get a dog. Scientists claimed on Monday that owning a dog is good for your mental and physical health, more so even than cats. More: http://snipurl.com/181ft ----- China to show only "ethically inspiring TV series" in prime time from Feb. BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) - China's broadcasting watchdog will impose stricter restrictions over prime time TV series from February 2007, an official. http://snipurl.com/181g4 _________________________________ .ron corvuswire@verizon.net Kucinich - 16 Tons | You Tube: http://snipurl.com/181yr _________________________________ http://jablankfort@earthlink.net : ****** Canada's B'nai Brith and Jewish Defense League brown shirts try to prevent Canadian teachers union from debating on the Middle East. JB Teachers Union Defends Right to Freedom of Speech ... http://www.osstfd12.com/ _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://onlinejournal.com Bush escalates war against Sunnis -- al-Sadr wins again! By Nicolas J S Davies | Online Journal Contributing Writer Like its predecessors, the new American campaign in Baghdad is billed as an effort to "restore security," targeting both Sunni resistance and Shiite militias. In reality, even George Bush is not reckless enough to open a second urban combat front against the Mehdi Army in Sadr City. Instead, the U.S. escalation plan perpetuates the failed policy of taking on the Sunnis first and leaving the Shiite opposition for later. This can only continue to strengthen Muqtada al-Sadr and Shiite opposition to the U.S. occupation. http://snipurl.com/181z5 --- When will this nightmare end? ... By Mike Whitney | Online Journal Contributing Writer Former Carter National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski summarized Bush's plans for a "surge" of troops in Iraq saying: "The commitment of 21,500 more troops is a POLITICAL GIMMICK of limited tactical significance and of no strategic benefit. It is insufficient to win the war militarily. It will engage US forces in bloody street fighting that will not resolve with finality the ongoing turmoil and the sectarian and ethnic strife, not to mention the anti-American insurgency." http://snipurl.com/181zb _________________________________ http://leland.lehrman@gmail.com Read here >> http://mothermedia.org/ * Senators Put Impeachment Back on The Table & * Impeachment Moves Forward to Prevent Iraq Escalation ... by Leland Lehrman _________________________________ Op Ed RANT from Diane Re: The Big Shaking Bunny In The News [ VIDEO: http://snipurl.com/182fg" ]

I admit to being a vegetarian, but even if not, is it okay to grab and hold, dangled by the neck for the camera, (see near the end of the video report,): http://snipurl.com/182fg, a scared shaking bunny making news as a cheap way for North Korea's Kim Jong il to feed his starving people? Is it okay for CNN to have aired this footage multiple times? I'm left with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach over so casual a reverence for life. Do animals have feelings? Watch one ready for slaughter fight for it's life no different than you or I. And Bible thumpers have it all wrong -- it's not animals for man's consumption, it's man's DOMINION OVER animals. According to the Bible, man was given every seed and fruit-bearing tree of the earth for sustenance and not slaughter and eat the animals -- 'DOMINION OVER.' Do not go there. Do not do the Bush-Cheney-Gonzales interpretation of law, in this case, natural law. There's plenty of scientific evidence, which you can Google, to support that man was not meant to eat meat. Our digestive systems, our flat teeth, are evidence. And for you yahoos, consider this, the strongest animals are vegetarians, e.g., elephants, gorillas, oxen, with flat teeth like our own and not the short intestine of a meat eater. Killing animals for food is wrong. Nature is so perfect and far more intelligent than we might guess, But back to Bible-thumpers -- like anything else that can be taken out of context, I've heard more often than not from really nice people: "an eye for an eye." Nuh, uh, an "eye for an eye" is not your right of payback, its wake up, what you reap you sow. An "eye for an eye" is Mother Nature's warning and not a license to exact revenge, and karma is what you get for not paying attention. Isn't that grand, Kim Jong il found a way to continue to hoard the people's wealth by finding this cheap and inhumane method of feeding his serfs. So let's continue airing this fun piece of news over and over CNN, so viewers can be brainwashed, so viewers can sink deeper into the morass of ignorance, compliments, from the top down, except, it's pretty hard to tell the difference. _________________________________ Excerpted from: http://mediamatters.org

Dick Morris reportedly planning to "Swift Boat" Sen. Clinton In his January 20 column, nationally syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak wrote that "Former Clinton Adviser" Dick Morris is "asking for a contribution between $25 and $100 or more to finance a critical film documentary of Sen. Hillary Clinton." According to Novak, in a mailing sent out by The Presidential Coalition, a group run by Republican activist and discredited former congressional staffer David Bossie, Morris wrote: "If you liked how the Swift Boat Veterans turned the tide against John Kerry, you understand how a top Clinton aide can turn the tables and stop a Clinton-style liberal from becoming the next president of the United States." Read more >> VIDEO: http://snipurl.com/181ih --- NY Times misrepresents Wash. Post/ABC poll, Clinton "rating" Read more >> http://mediamatters.org/items/200701210003?src=other _________________________________ http://www.WantToKnow.info/healthvideodocumentaryfutureoffood

The food you eat may not be what you think it is. The Future of Food is an excellent documentary which shows large-scale collusion between government regulatory agencies and corporations producing genetically modified foods. The result is that the majority of the corn and soy supply in the United States is genetically modified (GM), yet the public is not even aware of this, much less of the dangers of GM food. Engaging interviews with farmers, scientists, and industry insiders reveal the great extent to which the manufacture of the food on your plate is being patented and controlled by corporations with little regard to the health implications for us or for future generations. To view this excellent health documentary on Google Video (90 minutes): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3643830908060069005 If the above link fails, click here: http://snipurl.com/1820a For an abundance of reliable, verifiable information suggesting a major cover-up by government health agencies and powerful business interests and what you can do about it, visit our Health Information Center: http://snipurl.com/1820d. For an eye-opening summary with detailed footnotes from reliable sources on the dangers of genetically modified foods, click here: http://snipurl.com/1820f By each of us choosing to educate ourselves and to spread the word to our friends and colleagues, we can play a key role in building a brighter future: http://snipurl.com/1820gfor ourselves and for future generations. _________________________________ http://www.buzzflash.com | http://www.consortiumnews.com | http://www.antiwar.com _________________________________ THE WEEKLY COLUMN: Five things you don't know about YouTube YouTube.com is one of the hottest sites on the Net. Millions of people flock to the site to watch videos created by amateurs. You may be considering uploading your own videos. But before you do, there are some things you should know. Keep videos private Want to share a video only with family and friends? No problem. There are two steps to uploading a video to YouTube. On the first page, you enter information about the video, like the title and category. On the next page, choose the video to upload. Then, specify if you want it to be public or private. For private videos, you can opt to send it to a group of contacts immediately. Want to learn more about YouTube including how to use the site to make your life easier? Read my entire column. It's free for the reading and sharing on my site. > http://komando.com/columns/index.aspx?id=2785 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 Possible New Useful Tool for Those Who Can't Tolerate Wheat - New enzyme might help those who are gluten intolerant. What are the implications for you and those with celiac disease of this surprising new resource? http://snipurl.com/17z2c ----- More Evidence Sugar Feeds Cancer - Cancer is now the #1 cause of death in America and Harvard researchers confirm again that sugar is a major reason why. http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/18/more_evidence_sugar_feeds_cancer.htm ----- Don't Rely on the Wikipedia - Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia like it's made out to be, and its model contains several flaws that may make its information unreliable. http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/18/dont_rely_on_the_wikipedia.htm _________________________________ VIDEO: Nickelback :All the Right Reasons :'Savin' Me' t/e: 4:12 http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&pmmsid=1467753 _________________________________ NationalGeographic.com http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/ _________________________________ NASA Astronomy picture of the day http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html _________________________________ If the Aborigine drafted an I.Q. test, all of Western civilization would presumably flunk it. ~ Stanley Garn _________________________________ Link to: http://Diane's News Clips http://www.opednews.com/author/author2300.html?entry=diary