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When Freedom Sings: Time for a new National Anthem By Meryl Ann Butler (3 comments)

Hooray, CA! Look Who's Kissing Her Now By Rady Ananda (12 comments)

Election Fraud, not Voter Fraud, is a National Security ThreatI am not a Democrat or a Republican, but an Independent dedicated to the promise of American democracy as envisioned by Tom Paine. I believe, with him, that the right to vote is the basis on which all our other rights depend. And so the issue here is ultimately not the victory or defeat of either party, but the people's right to choose their government, and thereby live, and rule, in freedom. By Mark Crispin Miller (4 comments)

Small steps on small armsIn South Africa the government got out of the way and ultimately ended up following the lead of its people in opposing the trade of small arms to Robert Mugabe's repressive regime. That's the hopeful half of the story. There just might be a chance of doing that here just as well, getting the government out of our way on the path towards peace. By Tom Driscoll (5 comments)

A Poem To Feel The WarBecause our government censors the reality of war from us, we must rely on our own imagination to understand the true suffering in Iraq and Gaza and Afghanistan and . . . . If we do not face and try to feel the pain we cause, we can never generate the empathy needed to stop this and all other and future wars. By Bruce Allen Morris (10 comments)

All the President's Nazis (Real and Imagined): An Open Letter to BushYour speech on the Knesset floor today was not only a disgrace; it was nothing short of treachery. Worse still, your exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable and unpardonable.You are,sir,the most abhorrent human being of my lifetime. I dare say,in the lifetime of this nation. By Larisa Alexandrovna (6 comments)

Bush Once Again Fails To 'Jawbone' King Abdullah Into Increasing Oil ProductionThe White House says Saudi Arabia's leaders are making clear they see no reason to increase oil production until customers demand it. Seems even the Saudis have had it the Decider. (5 comments)

Saturday, May 17:

John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Speech of 1961 Revisited Voters who expect Obama, Clinton or McCain to solve their own problems should read the inaugural speech of John F. Kennedy and rethink their expectations. Those who compare Barack Obama or any other presidential candidate to Kennedy long for the fairytale of "Camelot" but have forgotten that in retrospect history has a forgiving memory.

Linda Milazzo: Will An Adult Finally Prevail?! The fact is, despite McCain's heroic military service during the Vietnam war, the quality of his character over the forty years since warrants scrutiny of the most critical kind. McCain's life of power and privilege so closely resembles that of George W. Bush that the prospect of a John McCain presidency is cataclysmic.

Maya Schenwar | War Funding "Victory," Bizarro-Style It's getting harder to tell Dems from Reps on House war funding. The right-wing Republican Study Committee got involved this time. Although Pense, who heads it, wants funding, some in the Committee do not. My Rep. Jimmy Duncan (TN 2nd) voted against Iraq war. I can't figure out where this is going, except article says it's going to the Senate which will have different tactics. Save the article and tune in next time.

Rodrigue Tremblay: *In a Casino Mentality, The Economy Goes From Bubble to Bubble (1 comments) The US dollar is a pure fiat currency since August 15, 1971, when Nixon broke the link with gold. Its plummetting value is having serious consequences worldwide. Indeed, such a panic devaluation of the most widely used key currency is fueling a major rush out of dollar holdings into hard assets, such as oil, gold, and other commodities.

'Democracy in America Is a Series of Narrow Escapes, and We May Be Running Out of Luck' Bill Moyers has written another book. This one is titled the same as link's title. Just a general wake-up call that money, political egoism, and media collusion are triumphing. Quote: Edward R. Murrow told his generation of journalists: "No one can eliminate prejudices -- just recognize them."

Hillary Revealed That Women Can Be Nasty, Deceptive Candidates Too Barbara Ehrenreich analyzes Hillary, and other women, in roles of leadership and shows women can be strong in defending their countries, as well as their political careers. What she finds less noble is Hillary's tactics in regard to race and violence. Quote: "if the capacity for cruelty is a criterion for leadership, ....then Lynndie England should consider following up her stint in the brig with a run for the Senate."

Dan Fejes: How Actual Journalism Works, Part 2 This week saw a claim of how reporting is supposed to work along with an example of the same. It should surprise no one that the latter was more impressive.

Mickey Z.: Hunters and Soldiers: Brothers in Arms We must never forget the deep connection between volunteer soldiers and the American hunting culture.

Mike Folkerth: Free Power from Wind; Well, Not Quite: Is wind and solar power the answer to nearly free energy? Well...not quite. But, the fact that oilman T. Boone Pickens is building the world's largest wind farm, should tell us something!

Steven Leser: McCain & GOP Continue Politics as Usual with False Appeasement Charges We need a new kind of politician and President, one that embraces honesty and change. If you are reading this and saying that the American people will never be able to get someone like that for their President, I have a simple answer, "Yes We Can".

Ed Tubbs: Only by "Squandering Opportunity" can it be said "We're Winning." And John McCain claims "We're winning." And I scream at the top of my lungs in my empty room: "How is that Sir? Our butt is being kicked on every front that counts, we're staring into the black abyss that we're throwing the younger generation into, and "We are winning"? Exactly what sort of prize is it that we are winning? By what god-awful, stench-laden, buried deep in the septic tank standard are you defining "winning" sir?

Richmond Gardner: Obama, McCain and Bush mix it up! Obama insists on being a non-doormat Democrat. Republicans not sure how to respond.

Muhammad Khurshid: Sincerity a Must For Winning the War On Terror Like most people I am also puzzled why the war on terror cannot be won despite having so many resources. After working on this point for the last four years I have come to the conclusion that rulers are not sincere in the war on terror. Actually they have started the war just for filling their pockets with more wealth. They have grown rich, but at whose cost?

ALONE: BLAMING IT ALL ON PARLIAMENT or DEMOCRACY Recently, the International Herald Tribune (May 6, 2008), published on its front page a story by Robert F. Worth entitled, "Democracy Becomes the Fall Guy in Kuwait". Since on 17th of May, Kuwaiti voters are participating in national parliamentary elections, it is certainly an appropriate time to analyze Kuwait Democracy and how it is performing at this junction in history.

Friday, May 16:

SDrobny: Rehabilitating Hillary Clinton (3 comments) In order for Hillary to find her "voice" as a Democrat she must listen to the right voices that represent the base of her party and the rational approach to governing based upon principal and not politics.

New Study Calls 'Embed' Program for U.S. Media in Iraq a 'Victory' -- for the Pentagon (1 comments) "The embedded program proved to be a Pentagon victory because it kept reporters focused on the horrors facing the troops, not the horrors of the civilian war experience," wrote Lindner, who is completing his doctoral dissertation at Penn State University. "The end result: a communications victory for an administration that hoped to build support for the war by depicting it as a successful mission with limited cost."

Randy LoBasso: Appeasing The Idiocracy (9 comments) The right has become a caricature of itself and Thursday's Hardball debate between Chris Matthews and Kevin James -- and the right's defending of James's' performance -- was a shining example of how low they've sunk.

Linda Gunter: Governor O'Malley and the "Moral Imperative" of Nuclear Power (1 comments) Maryland Governor, Martin O'Malley, recently described nuclear power expansion as "a moral imperative." The Governor needs to revisit the definition of 'moral' in the dictionary and remind himself of Gandhi's warning against "commerce without morality."

W. Christopher Epler (Bill): The second most repressed atrocity in America (5 comments) After 9/11 comes the mega repressed fact that from year 2000 on, American foreign policy has been dictated (that's the word) by the lunatic right wing fringe of Israel. We're not supposed to talk about this (even on liberal sites!) but it's the dominant fact of what used to be "our" government. This has nothing to do with the Jewish Community. It's a POLITICAL FACT we repress, but these crazies wag us like a tail anyway.

Bush vs Gates: Thumbs on the scale Defense secretary Robert Gates said the United States needs to "sit down and talk with" Iran. Not only that, Gates added, "We can't go to a discussion and be completely the demander." The news media got busy pretending the Post article didn't exist and that Gates had not undermined Bush's political attack on Obama. Instead, many news outlets simply rushed to repeat Bush's assault over and over again, as though it had merit.

Peggy Noonan: Republicans -- Pity Party (3 comments) The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party. They have scandals, bad personalities, don't stand for anything. That's why Republicans are losing: because they're losers.

Jim Bush: The Antidote Is Obama! The antidote to our dilema.

Froomkin: A Ludicrous Denial Defense secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday: "We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage with respect to the Iranians and then sit down and talk with them."..."If George Bush believes engagement with Iran is appeasement, the first thing he should do when he comes home is demand the resignation of his own Cabinet," former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, an Obama supporter, said.

NYT Editorial: A Disgraceful Farm Bill (1 comments) Congress approved a $307 billion farm bill that rewards rich farmers who do not need the help while doing virtually nothing to help the world’s hungry, who need all the help they can get. The bill is an inglorious piece of work tailored to big agriculture and championed by not only the usual bipartisan farm state legislators but also the Democratic leaders--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Dave Lindorff: Want Cheaper Gas and Oil? End the Damned Wars! (1 comments) A Drake U economist says our high oil and gas prices, and food prices too, can all be blamed on the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars--and on Bush and Cheney.

Rachel Neuwirth: Triple Cross: How Britain Created the Arab-Israel Conflict (4 comments) Triple Cross: How Britain Created the Arab-Israel Conflict

Larisa Alexandrovna: All the President's Nazis (Real and Imagined): An Open Letter to Bush (2 comments) Dear Mr. Bush,your exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable. Your family's fortune is built on the bones of the very people butchered by the Nazis, my family and the families of those in the Knesset who applauded you today.

Bush's Global Failure Tour (1 comments) Bush's saber-rattling with Iran raises concerns of war and more disruption of oil supplies, which prompts speculators to raise prices. Today oil is at $128 a barrel. That's in part because Bush's failed foreign policy has depleted our political capital with the Saudis.

LIND: McCain's Iraq state fantasy William Lind explains why McCain's fantasy of victory is highly unlikely to be fulfilled. Lind calls Iraq a 'fourth generation war' in which there is no real state capacity on which the US can build. If Lind is right, McCain is hanging US policy on a set of ideas out of the 1940s that have no application in Iraq today.

The Cult of the Presidency (1 comments) Who can we blame for the radical expansion of executive power? Look no further than you and me.

"Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" by Lee Iacocca (4 comments) The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do.

Sandy Sand: Ditching Work To Do a Fun Thing: What Excuses Do You Use? (3 comments) We've all done it. Made up a phony-baloney excuse to duck work to do something fun.

John Kusumi: China's Year Of Disasters Breeds Discontent (2 comments) While Chinese people need disaster relief, the government is about to throw a $40 billion party for itself: the 2008 Olympics

Chris Lugo: Restoring Credibility Through International Cooperation (2 comments) Opinion Editorial written by Chris Lugo, candidate for US Senate, on US funding of the United Nations.

Susan Allen: *Alert Congress: Collection of DNA Samples Upon Arrest is Illegal Without Judicial Warrant (2 comments) Alert Congress: Collection of DNA Samples Upon Arrest is Illegal

Kathy Guillermo: 'Eight Belles' should sound the end of horse racing (1 comments) Eight Belles' breakdown and euthanasia at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 has put the spotlight on an industry that values speed and profit first and leaves the horses in last place. It's time to stop pretending that there's anything majestic about the "sport of kings" and recognize it as the cruelty that it is.

steve young: If Not Impeachment, At Least Boycott His Records (5 comments) No doubt, Senator Lieberman will find the President using the Israeli Knesset as a platform for American politics and Nazi comparisons to be, at the least, in bad taste.

Stephen Lendman: Grow Them Young, Pay Them Well - Anti-Chavistas, That Is (4 comments) Who said crime doesn't pay? Read on about the outrageous event last night at New York's Waldorf Astoria. It elevated brazenness to a new level. Only in America.

JC Garrett: Tell Congress to Arrest Karl Rove!

John Conyers spoke to a colleague a little too loudly and was overheard by reporters to say, "We're closing in on Rove. Someone's got to kick his ass."

Douglas Farah: War and Terror Inc. How the war on terror is helping known criminals.

Anthony Em: Petition to Impeach Joins General Strike 9/11/08 (2 comments) Strike to Impeach...is born.

Stuart Nachbar: We the Citizens Owe Our Soldiers a New G.I. Bill Our citizen soldiers deserve a better G.I Bill with expanded college benefits

Abdus Sattar Ghazali: American Muslims alarmed at the new report on "Violent Islamist extremism" (1 comments) American Muslims are alarmed at a new government report on "homegrown terrorism" which claims that the threat posed by "violent Islamist extremists" now comes increasingly from within the U.S.

Joel Wendland: Obama Fires Back At Bush, McCain on War and Terror In a speech May 16 in Watertown, South Dakota, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama rejected criticisms this week leveled by George Bush in the Israeli parliament about Obama's plans for a diplomatic surge to bring peace to Iraq, Iran and the Middle East.

PeterJ: *Is John Edwards Back In The Game? For Our Sake, I Hope So. (1 comments) In what should have been an historic moment in history, one for future generations to reflect upon with somber respect, the first Black and the first Woman to be considered for the nomination to the presidency of the United States the democrats have reduced the status of the occassion to the comming of the circus.Will John Edwards endorsement of Barack Obama knock Hillary out and save the occassion and hopefully, the country?

Michael Chavers: George Bush can't even spell appeasement (2 comments) It seems that the sorry excuse of a president, George W can go over to Israel and label democrats as in favor of appeasement of terrorists. For the first time, I somewhat agree with the Neanderthal in the White House.

Allen L Roland: *EVERYTHING BUSH SAYS AND DOES IS B.S. / IMPEACH HIM ! Everything George W Bush says and does is B.S. and his recent comments about sacrificing golf in order to honor the troops as well as his comments comparing Democrats to Nazi appeasers is a classic example of the deceits of this outrageous moral coward who is still masquerading as a President and world leader: Allen L Roland

Charlie Delgado: *The Modern-Day Holocaust in Iraq (1 comments) This article describes the number of Iraqi civilians killed as a result of the U.S. Invasion and Occupation, which continues to this day.

Bruce Allen Morris: A Rant on Democrats Selling Out (1 comments) On the depravity of arguing the entire future of a vast, diverse Republic hangs solely on appealing to less educated, older, lower income, white, blue collar workers of the Appalachian spine.

Thursday, May 15:

David Swanson: *We Stopped the War Funding! (8 comments) On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted No and blocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi's latest proposal to throw another $165 billion into the occupation of Iraq.

Stephen Pizzo: Global Warming or Eviction Notices? Melting ice caps might be the most dramatic evidence that we are already dangerously close to just such a tipping point, but it's not the only evidence. Just ask the folks in Tornado Ally, and Burma. They have tales to tell. They've already gotten their first eviction notices.

Bob Koehler: The Penta-Pundits (3 comments) Let's not forget about the media's real conflict of interest: their integral role in the war economy. The story is bigger than a few dozen four-star shills.

(More...)

Saturday, May 17:

Oregon race could spell end of Schumer streak Chuck Schumer, who wants 60 Democrats in the Senate after November's election, put DSCC money on one of the Oregon Dems in Tuesday's primary. Other one has disabilities, humor and a following. All of this involves unseating Repub Gordon Smith, who also attacked the one Schumer champions. Read the article and wait for Oregon's primary returns with more than Obama in mind.

Historic Senate Vote Rejects FCC's Rules In a near-unanimous voice vote tonight, the Senate passed a "resolution of disapproval" that would nullify the Federal Communications Commission's latest attempt to dismantle longstanding media ownership limits.

Friday, May 16:

Book by Melody Petersen on Pharmaceutical Ads Ms. Petersen lays out the scenario of how medical prescriptions increased after TV advertised directly to patients. US is nearly the only country allowing it. Her book describes how new "diseases" are found to accommodate new products. If the patient feels worse, prescribe another pill for new condition. Companies use physicians for scientific articles the same way DOD used retired generals for TV analysis on war.

Saudis see no reason to raise oil production now It was Bush's second personal appeal this year to King Abdullah, head of the monarchy that rules this desert kingdom that is a longtime prime U.S. ally and home to the world's largest oil reserves. But Saudi officials stuck to their position that they will only pump more oil into the system when asked to by buyers, something they say is not happening now.

U.S. sees need for "tangible action" on Iran: Israel The United States and Israel agree on the need for "tangible action" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush. In a separate development on Friday, the United States said it would sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom develop peaceful nuclear energy.

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For May 16, 2008 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

Ventura and former campaign manager hint at Senate race Jesse Ventura said he "may" file the necessary papers to run for the Senate in the November election. If he doesn't, his former campaign manager will. Both are hinting at a run against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and likely Democratic candidate Al Franken this fall. The only question seems to be: Will it be Ventura, or the man who helped him become governor?

Official Urged Fewer Diagnoses of PTSD A psychologist who helps lead the post-traumatic stress disorder program at a medical facility for veterans in Texas told staff members to refrain from diagnosing PTSD because so many veterans were seeking government disability payments for the condition. VA staff members "really don't...have time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD."

House Approves Tax on Rich to Aid G.I.’s Congressional Democrats began to put into practice their philosophy of asking the wealthy to shoulder more of the cost of government programs on Thursday as the House approved an expansive new veterans education benefit that would be paid for by a tax on affluent Americans. Some Republicans joined Democrats in approving the aid for veterans who enlisted after 9-11 with a cost estimated at $52 billion over 10 years.

Senate Rejects Media Consolidation "The FCC must not be allowed to relax its media cross-ownership rules," Dorgan said. "More consolidation means fewer choices for consumers, and that is not in the public's best interest. There has been massive public outcry to these new rules, and they must be overturned."

Probe of Blackwater Killing Moves Forward The case, like the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians by Blackwater guards last September, highlights the murky issue of whether security contractors can be held liable for actions in the war zone. Blackwater has a State Department contract to provide security for diplomats; prosecutors could argue that constitutes support of the Defense Department's mission.

Flashback: McCain once sought to push the NRA out of the GOP. He was against them before he was for them.

Consumer confidence at lowest level since 1980. A new Reuters/University of Michigan survey published today finds that U.S. consumer confidence "sank to its lowest level in 28 years this month as anxious shoppers grappled with surging food and fuel costs. ... A separate report revealed new construction of single-family homes dropped to the lowest level in 17 years."

Chicago Citizens Reject Terror Drill Fearmongering (1 comments) The latest opportunity for authorities to grandstand, fearmonger and practice processing citizens through a de facto internment camp fell flat on its face yesterday after just 350 out of an expected 4,000 turned up to participate in a mock terror drill at Chicago's Sears Centre Arena. Authorities practiced processing citizens through the de facto internment camp and giving them mandatory pharmaceutical products.

US Soldier Refuses to Serve in 'Illegal Iraq War' (2 comments) Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love. "I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP. "I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added. Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private...

Democrats Quickly Strike Back After Bush "˜Appeasement' Bush v Obama means WH press v Congress. Please note Pelosi is leading a delegation to celebrate Israel's 60th year of independence. Joe Biden lost his cool over president's speech in another country's Congress. Good! Moral (?) to story: If you want to play party politics stay at home. Tune in next time!

the web: NH Attorney Twomey's Statement to Congress re: Phone Jamming Election Crime Etc. The DOJ is headed by political appointees,most of whom were closely associated with entities whose conduct was at issue in this case.The DOJ prosecution was marked by inexplicable inordinate delays, interference with the civil suit,and a failure to hold accountable Republican Party organizations in spite of a willful refusal to cooperate if not acts of obstruction.Congress must review the DOJ's handling of this case.

Evelyn Pringle: Curtain Time for Barack Obama - Part IV (16 comments) The solution to the problems arising from the unsuccessful attempts to shut down Operation Board Games would be for Barack Obama to become president and issue a bipartisan pardon to all members of the "Combine" who funded his seat in the US Senate. The scam worked when Scooter Libby took the fall for the Bush administration.

Andrew Kishner: Going subcritical: a nuclear test is a nuclear test is a nuclear test (1 comments) Since 1997, the DOE has aimed a subcritical testing 'gun' at the entire world that has fired blanks over and over again and the impact is no different than when a madman runs around aiming a gun at other people and firing blanks. The effect is de-stabilizing.

Thursday, May 15:

EMAIL: VA staff to "refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out On March 20, 2008 a VA hospital's PTSD program coordinator sent the e-mail below to a number of VA employees, including psychologists, social workers, and a psychiatrist stating that due to an increased number of "compensation seeking veterans," the staff should "refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out" and they should "R/O [rule out] PTSD" and consider a diagnosis of "Adjustment Disorder" instead...

World's Wildlife and Environment Already Hit by Climate Change, Major Study Shows Global warming is disrupting wildlife and the environment on every continent, according to an unprecedented study that reveals the extent to which climate change is already affecting the world's ecosystems. Scientists examined published reports dating back to 1970 and found that at least 90% of environmental damage and disruption around the world could be explained by rising temperatures driven by human activity.

Exclusive Video: McCain Was For Talking To Hamas Before He Was Against It... THE GREAT APPEASER?? Two years ago, in an interview with James Rubin for Sky News, Sen. John McCain expressed a willingness to negotiate with the terrorist group Hamas -- the very group that McCain has been relentlessly using to smear Sen. Barack Obama over the last several weeks. Rubin has written an op-ed in Friday's Washington Post about his exchange with McCain...

US House Passes Iraq Pullout Plan - But Not So Fast To Celebrate Republicans withheld support for the bill in protest against extra measures added on by the Democrats, including a "millionaire tax" on wealthy Americans to pay education fees for US veterans of the Iraq and Afghan conflicts.

MILITARY: Yet More Spin Uncovered UPDATE ON PENTAGON PROPAGANDA PROGRAM - Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a major document collection in response to the Times's article, shining even more light on the magnitude of the operation.

Fed should deflate some bubbles Monetary policy ineffective, but supervision can break harmful feedback loops

Iranian embassy employees shot in Baghdad Some reports say the shootings involved Iraqi troops Iraqi Interior Ministry official says five employees and a driver were shot Iran's state-run news agency blames the United States for the attack

McCain Blasts Obama As Unfit To Defend America On a conference call with conservative bloggers this afternoon, John McCain launched what may be his most direct attack yet on Barack Obama's national security credentials, saying flat out that Obama is incapable of protecting America and lacks the necessary traits to keep it secure from foreign threats.

Davis Warns Fellow Republicans: "...if we were a dog food, they would take us off the shelf" (2 comments) Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) sent a memo to the Republican House leadership explaining his party's prospects in November noting "the political atmosphere facing House Republicans this November is the worst since Watergate and is far more toxic than the fall of 2006 when we lost thirty seats." Link to full memo.

Conyers on Rove: "Someone's got to kick his ass." (6 comments) John Conyers: "We're closing in on Rove. Someone's got to kick his ass." Asked a few minutes later for a more official explanation, Conyers told us that Rove has a week to appear before his committee. If he doesn't, said Conyers, "We'll do what any self-respecting committee would do. We'd hold him in contempt. Either that or go and have him arrested."

JGideon: 'Daily Voting News' For May 15, 2008 a collection of local, state, national and international articles on electronic voting and election issues

McCain: Bush ‘Exactly Right’ On ‘Appeasement’ Remark, Praises Reagan’s Handling Of Iran Hostage Crisis (2 comments) McCain’s praise of Ronald Reagan is wholly misplaced. To recap, during the Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, hostages were not released because of Iran’s fear of Reagan, as McCain suggested. In reality, Iran released them after Reagan administration officials infamously sold arms to the country, which were transfered to Ayatollah Khomeini. As a result, 11 Reagan officials were convicted of crimes.

Bush gets emotional during tribute to himself. Could it be that despite the outward signs of confidence, all the criticism being heaped upon President Bush is getting to him? It's sheer speculation, of course, but how do you explain why the president, welcomed to Israel with adulation, started to cry while being praised by a fellow world leader who expressed seemingly sincere admiration.

Chris Matthews Stumps Right-Wing Radio Host: ‘Tell Me What Chamberlain Did?’ ‘I Don’t Know’ (1 comments) right-wing radio host Kevin James attempted to defend President Bush’s comments comparing Sen. Barack Obama to Nazi appeasers because he favors talking with our enemies. Matthews pressed James at least 19 times over five minutes to simply explain what Chamberlain had done in 1938 and 1939 to make him an “appeaser.” James could only shout his talking point over and over, prompting Matthews to threaten to end the interview.

Linked on Raw Story: Medved Uses Pseudo-Science to Justify Stereotypes (2 comments) Shocking beyond words: Michael Medved gives in to the misuse of "science" in the service of old-fashioned stereotypes.

Lieberman On Bush Comparing Democrats To Nazi-Appeasers: "˜The President Got It Exactly Right' (13 comments) John Kerry's Responds to Bush & Lieberman: What an irony to have the current president in Israel blasting Democrats from the Knessett when his policies have actually seen al Qaeda get strengthened. They have seen al Qaeda be reconstituted. They have seen al Qaeda get stronger, Hamas get stronger, Israel more threatened, Iran is stronger, and Iraq is in chaos...

U.S. military cuts ties with Chalabi Once a neocon favorite, he had 'unauthorized' contacts with Iran

Obama Snags Endorsements of former SEC Chairmen Political Wire references WSJournal. I leave it here for those who have a subscription to WSJ. Gist: Former SEC chairmen are lining up for Obama.

360 post-9/11 workers have died, including 80 of cancer More than 360 workers who dealt with the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster have died, state health officials said Wednesday. Officials have determined the cause of death of 154 of the responders and volunteers who toiled at Ground Zero, the blocks nearby and at the Fresh Kills landfill, where debris from the site was taken. Of those, 80 died of cancer, which is an undercount per those who track this.

In Speech Before Israeli Parliament, Bush Compares Democrats To Nazi-Appeasers (16 comments) While delivering an address before the Israeli parliament commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel, President Bush said that Sen. Barack Obama and Democrats favor a policy of appeasement toward terrorists. CNN reports that Bush was comparing Obama to "other U.S. leaders back in the run-up to World War II who appeased the Nazis." Irresponsible MFer

The Amazing Money Machine Mark Gorenberg engaged in fund raising for John Kerry, and with the precision of an engineer, set out to free the new candidate from money grubbing. It's a cyber success story which, methinks, might carry over in other ways if Obama is elected. We're wired, folks!

CASMII: US confession: Weapons were not made in Iran after all (3 comments) Iranian weapons show and tell falls flat.

Survey of voters, candidates & who "would never vote for" Looking at the statistics from whatever angle, there is a dissatisfaction quotient which will give us all pause. Hint: Republicans rank highest in general dissatisfaction. Clinton & Obama have their own numbers to ponder. Well explained Zogby poll.

ALONE: Uranium and Lead Kuwaiti's Sand Heads for Idaho Over the past two weeks, for the first time, news was shared in Kuwait that sand that has been contaminated since the 1991 U.S. Coalition War in Kuwait has now been shipped to U.S. soil and is currently heading to Idaho. The sand's contamination resulted from U.S. military vehicles and munitions combining in a combustive accident at the end of that war. The shipment was undertaken somewhat in stealth

Juan Crow: The Deep South's New Second-Class Citizens Alternet article reflects the growing harassment of Latinos, whether legal or not, by groups in the South. The Georgia incident brings out reactions from those who try to bring justice. In this case, Southern Poverty Law Center is involved. Informative article bringing MLK's hometown into focus for yet another struggle.

Evelyn Pringle: Curtain Time for Barack Obama - Part III (11 comments) Three days after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Aiham Alsammarae, the former electricity minister convicted of corruption in Iraq, put up $2.7 million in property to help raise $8.5 million to free Tony Rezko from jail in Chicago, the Times reported that Alsammarae had contributed six times to Obama's presidential campaign.

David Earnhardt: Mayday Mayday! Will your vote count in November? As we finish up this tumultuous primary season and head into the general election, "Mayday" is the emergency code word and international signal for distress that should be on everyone's lips. For as much progress as we've made on the issue of election integrity, come November we are still only a Supreme Court decision or state law away from your precious vote being denied, lost, or altered.

VIDEO: Matt Gonzalez Campaigns From the Heart of San Francisco (4 comments) Matt Gonzalez addresses an enthusiastic, standing-room-only crowd at the historic Roxie Theater in the heart of San Francisco, the Mission District. Gonzalez opposes the system as he describes opponent Senator Obama's voting record as evidence that all the major candidates are very susceptible to corporate influence and that voting for Obama, despite his popularity, will not bring about change.

Air Force Aims for 'Full Control' of 'Any and All' Computers The Air Force wants a suite of hacker tools, to give it "access" to -- and "full control" of -- any kind of computer there is.

Wednesday, May 14:

TAKE ACTION: Thor Hearne and MO GOP Attempt to Rewrite Constitution to Allow Voter Disenfranchisement (1 comments) For the record,MO already has a Voter ID requirement,so this new restriction is meant to do nothing more than keep Democratic-leaning voters from being able to vote.Period.An urgent call has been put out for MO residents to call their Senators immediately to vote against HJR 48,Thor's latest move,the Constitutional amendment to require incredibly draconian proof of citizenship and state residency with Photo ID before voting

Jason Leopold: Torture Policies Undermine 9/11 Case The Pentagon's decision to drop war-crimes charges against Mohammed al-Qahtani, the alleged "20th hijacker" in the 9/11 attacks, again underscores the consequences of the Bush administration's descent into torture and other abusive treatment of "war on terror" detainees.

Conyers to Rove: NO (5 comments) If Rove is willing to create a record with a letter, he argues, then...why he shouldn't be willing to sit down with staff for an on-the-record interview. Conyers says the committee is prepared to offer "other possible accommodations, such as providing a list of initial questions that may be asked," but there must be a live interview and a transcript. Conyers again mentions the possibility of a subpoena.

Jason Leopold: Bush Operative Pushes Voter-ID Law A senior legal adviser to the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection campaign is working behind the scenes to help enact a Missouri state constitutional amendment that critics say would suppress the vote in the key battleground state this November by requiring voters to show proof of citizenship.

Tuesday, May 13:

Gene Cappa: What Really Happened to WTC 7? (10 comments) WTC 7 was not hit by an aircraft on 9-11 but the 47 story tall concrete and steel skyscraper "buckled" at the top, penthouse first, then came straight down into it's own footprints at free fall in a mere 6.5 seconds. This buidling was never even mentioned in the 9-11 Commission Report, and neither NIST nor FIMA have officially explained the collapse itself. So what really happened to WTC 7?

Sunday, May 11:

ALONE: Concepts of Sovereignty in 2008 and questioning how to aid the Burmese "France has suggested invoking a U.N. 'responsibility to protect' clause and delivering aid directly to cyclone-hit Myanmar without waiting for approval from the [Myanmar] military." Do you agree with France on its call that the UN bypass the traditional constraints of sovereignty in order to protect millions of Burmese?

Rob Kall: UFO and Exterrestrial Articles on OpEdNews? (84 comments) The original vision for OpEdNews was to create an online site that covered the wide range of topics daily newspapers and weekly newsmagazines cover. Lately, we've had some of our members comment on our publishing articles on UFOs and extraterrestrials, suggesting they diminish our credibility. OTOH, some of the articles have brought thousands of readers to the site. What do you think? Please leave your comments on this.

Saturday, May 10:

Richard McGinn: White House Fire in Dick Cheney's Office (1 comments) Poll question: Why has there been no investigative reports, or even news items, discussing what was destroyed in the Dec. 20, 2007 fire in Dick Cheney's White House Office?

Wednesday, May 7:

Gene Cappa: What Really Happened on 9-11? (36 comments) Lacking an official scientific investigation of 9-11, serious doubts remain about the official story stating that the planes, fires, and hijackers caused all 3 world trade center buildings to collapse straight down at free fall.

Frank J. Ranelli: Should Hillary drop out of the race? (19 comments) Hillary Clinton took a drubbing in North Carolina's primary – losing by virtually 15 points – and escaped with a disappointing win of less than two-percent in Indiana. Barack Obama erased any momentum Hillary gained from Pennsylvania and Barack is now considered by some to be the presumptive nominee. Now, with no plausible path to the nomination, should Hillary drop out of the race and help unite a fractured Democratic Party?

Monday, May 5:

Michael McCoy: Bush/Cheney Impeachment Charges (17 comments) Were impeachment proceedings to be initiated against George Bush and Richard Cheney, which central charge would you endorse?

Sunday, May 4:

Mark E. Smith: Will you continue to vote in rigged elections? (9 comments) Knowing that the last two presidential elections were stolen, that more than 80% of U.S. votes, whether cast on voting machines or on paper ballots, are counted secretly by central tabulating computers, that even if it is possible to prove that an election was stolen, the unelected president cannot be removed from office, and that only corporate candidates can "win," -- will you still vote in elections you know are rigged?

Thursday, May 1:

Gene Cappa: IF Attacked Iran Would (6 comments) Never surrender, close the Straits of Hormutz, fight back with gusto and seek military help from Russia, China, and the Iraqi Shites, pull their oil off the US market, dump the dollar and attack Israel?

Kevin Gosztola: Who Would You Like to Vote for in November? (8 comments) Ballot access obstructionism, closed debates, and corporate media will essentially mean that the people's choice for president may not win. But before all that goes down and before the national conventions begin and end only to be followed by polarizing conversation, let's pretend November is here now. And let's pretend you can vote for any party and not just the two corporate war parties that reign over America.

Mystic Wizard: Will Electing a Democrat President Get the Country Back On the Right Track? Will the election of either Barack Obabma or Hillary Clinton as President of the United States result in a restoration of the rule of law, consumer and employee rights, environmental protections, corporate & media resposibility, election reform, our standing in the world, and a general resurgence of cultural vitality in this country?

ALONE: Supreme Court's future in the USA (5 comments) Do you think that if a progressive president is elected in 2008, he should (do as President FDR did 7 1/2 decades ago) threaten the Supreme Court with expansion of appointments as of 2009?

ALONE: Using the phrase "pigeons coming home to roost" Is using the phrase "pigeons coming home to roost" ever acceptable when referring to events such as those on 9-11 or in the death of John F. Kennedy?

ALONE: Media Access for Americans of all classes and groups Do you believe that the state, local and federal governments need to ensure more access time for you and your community than it currently does currently? This goes for all U.S. based radio, TV, Cable, Sattelite and internet.

ALONE: Making it easier for alternative candidates and alternative parties to get on a ballot #1 (1 comments) Do you believe that your state needs to make it significantly easier for alternative parties and alternative candidates?

Rob Kall: Will Cheney or Bush face impeachment hearings? (14 comments) In the face of massive criminal actions, constitutional violations and war crimes, the Democrats in congress are taking the position that impeachment hearing swill take up too much time and distract from elections.

Wednesday, April 30:

Gary Skubal: Texas FLDS Polygamy Raid What do you think about the FLDS, the allegations of child/sexual abuse, and how Texas is handling the situation?

Sherwin Steffin: Impeachment - probability and consequences (3 comments) This poll asks whether Impeachment is a viable possibility and asks about the consequences were it to be undertaken.

Tuesday, April 29:

http://RoboEco.com/opednews: When will the ROBOTIC WAGELESS ECONOMY kick in 100% The masses have been working for the Elite for 1000's of years, and the degree of control over the masses is close to 100% reducing them to scripted robotic lives... Ironically, @ the same time, ROBOTS & Computers together are close to 100% capable of doing all labor for the 1rst time in history, freeing ALL HUMANS to join the elite ranks, where like them, all "income" will be passive and "money" and wages will disappear.

Monday, April 28:

Michael McCoy: The 911 attacks on the US (3 comments) Do you, or do you not believe, that key elements in the US government knew that the 911 attacks were imminent, and were able to circumvent either an intelligence or military response to prevent them?

Rob Kall: Has Reverend Wright Helped or Hurt Obama with Talks and Interviews (18 comments) Has Reverend Jeremiah Wright Helped or Hurt Barrack Obama with Talks in the last few days with his latest appearances, talks and his interview with Bill Moyers?

Friday, April 25:

Rob Kall: Will Hillary Give Up When Barack Reaches the 50% Plus 1 Number of Delegates Needed? (15 comments) When Barack Obama reaches the number of delegate votes needed to have the majority, will Hillary Clinton accept that accomplishment as a loss and withdraw from the primary race or will she continue to insist that this be decided in Denver, at the convention, even though party leaders pressure her to pull out?

Saturday, March 15:

Sponsored by www.worldproutassembly.org: "Building a New World" Conference The deep longing for positive, lasting change is the bedrock upon which this conference is based. How do we fix our country and our world? And how can we form one mass movement to address the crisis? (Event Date: May 22, 2008)

Sponsored by ourfuture.org: Take Back America a meeting of progressives (Event Date: Mar 17, 2008)

Wednesday, December 31:

Sponsored by Freedom Ambassadors: Walk for Human Dignity A national coalition of over 50 local, state and national organizations are participating in walk from Tucson to Phoenix beginning May 2 to call for an end to racially fomented hate crimes. The ten-day peaceful walk will end with a rally in downtown Phoenix on Mother's Day, May 11, honoring mothers for teaching children to treat all human beings with equal dignity. (Event Date: May 1, 2008)

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Saturday, May 17:

Jeremy Scahill | John Cusack's War Movie Review Scahill starts by decrying how Cusack' earlier movie "Grace is Gone" was never given serious viewership. "The War" premiers May 23, and has carefully saved footage over these long years. This time he hopes the movie will get the attention it deserves.

Jane Stillwater: Dust bowl: Like Okies in the 1930s, Iraqi farmers must move on or dig in While stranded in a dust storm in Anbar province I started wishing I could interview an Iraqi farmer about the current famine and resulting dust bowl here. But over tea and Froot Loops for breakfast in the airbase dining facility, I got to interview one of the world's leading experts on Iraqi dirt instead. Pulitzer Prize, here I come!

Allen L Roland: *COMPUTER WIZARDRY / ALAN BECKER Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.": Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) German Dramatist

Friday, May 16:

Jan Baumgartner: Passing Through (13 comments) The reaffirmation of life in a Mexican village.

Bill Moyers -- Christopher Edley and Maria Echaveste Interesting conversation between Moyers and a couple on different sides of the Obama/Clinton electability question. More interesting because they are each working for their candidate, and have in the past worked for Bill Clinton. They are connected with University of California, Berkley.

Sex Hormones and City Life No. California is in the grip of a horrific aerial spray program designed to eradicate an insect pest, the light brown apple moth (LBAM). A report from a Task Force set up by the city of Albany, CA states that, "Following the spraying in Monterey and Santa Cruz in 2007, there were more than 600 reports of health problems, including asthma-like attacks and difficulty breathing, chest pains, headaches, blurred vision, swollen

America's Frightening Alzheimer's Epidemic | Health &Wellness The statistics could scare you to death. But maybe you won't care. Take this discussion seriously. Written by a woman who investigates Alzheimer's and lives with her mother's condition. She mentions the polar bear sitting on a lone chunk of ice. Please read this well-written article because someone you meet will be talking about the future problems of the nation.

Misogyny I Will Not Miss | Reproductive Justice and Gender Images. Advertising. TV commentators. Smutty jokes best left in the barnyard. WaPo Women's Writer member writes some of the woman-hating will stop when they don't have Hillary to kick around any more. Submitted with one eyebrow raised. Wanna bet?

The Triple Threat: Our Food, Water and Climate Challenges Why are food and water shortages are feeding the climate crisis.

Tours of Hanford nuclear waste site draw interest In Washington State near the Columbia River remains World War II's legacy of vast areas of contaminated waste, some already buried and some being encased in glass. Hanford, where the bomb produced to level Nagasaki was made, is the country's largest cleanup site. And to dramatize the history since the 1940's, safe areas are allowed for visitors. Oak Ridge gets its paragraphs. Weapon of Mass Destruction, big time!

Martin Luther King's Speech Against the Vietnam War - by David Bromwich One of the greatest speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr., "A Time to Break Silence," was delivered at Riverside Church, New York City, on April 4, 1967. It is a statement against war in principle, in the same sense in which King's "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," published four years earlier, had been a statement against social injustice in principle.

Rebecca Sato: Scientists Discover Plants Can Control Weather When the tide is out, kelp prefer clouds.

Ernest Steadman: A Counterfeit World The War, the Religions involved, all counterfeit.

Thursday, May 15:

ALONE: AMERICAN & BRITISH COLLAGE dating from 1978 to 2008: MEET THE CLASH, LISTEN TO THE VIDEO AND READ THE FACTS, JACK A lot of nostalgic Americans etc are called to attention by usage of phrases and metaphors form oldy music memories, like in the title of the recent OP-Ed article, MY, MY, IT'S AMERICAN PIE: A Mother's Day Celebration. I think, as an educator, that it is important to introduce other connections to music,video and memory in a way that reaches out to more and more Americans of many ages. Here is a musical and video collage.

Build a Homemade Hydroponics Garden Cheaply and Easily (Video) Live in an apartment, or just want to grow herbs and veggies in a limited indoor space? Here are detailed instructions to make your own portable hydroponics system for around $50.00.

Michael Bonanno: New World Order Doesn't it sometimes appear that our loss is their main reason for wanting to perpetually win?

Vi Ransel: Ghost in the Machine (or Being Nothingness) Can you really say that your life is your own?

Allen L Roland: *IMPEACHMENT PLAY OPENS ON MAY 17TH / SAN FRANCISCO Dick Cheney and George W Bush will be impeached in San Francisco on May 17th at the beautiful 500 seat International Studies Academy theater. It will be a world premiere of an inspirational work, written by Bruce Fein and Richard A Lasser, that will have you on your feet clapping and cheering : Allen L Roland

Ed Martin: Was the God of the ancients a computer? (3 comments) If you look at the way the people of a few thousand years ago interacted with their God, the similarity to interacting with a computer is inescabable.

Wednesday, May 14:

Michael Bonanno: A Welcome Home (4 comments) They call 'em heroes, but they keep their return from our eyes.

A meta-theoretical analysis on combining particle physics with real world phenomena A meta-theoretical analysis on combining particle physics with real world phenomena; The first science communication about and the introduction to "the theory of everything" as proposed by software engineer and award-winning trouble-shooter Mark Fiorentino. Super Relativity includes several differences with and advances to old aether theory, with means of measuring and predicting universal 'constants'.

ALONE: A LONG-TERM APPROACH TO BEING A COUNTER-CULTURAL WITNESS, i.e. NOT CONSTANTLY IN A CULTURE WAR In her article, "Loving the Storm-Drenched", Mathewes-Green writes to a largely Christian audience who is not enamored with the era of culture warring that we witness around today. has to do with good common sense for progressive audiences of all shapes and backgrounds, too. She states that the tone which "we adopt from the culture: sarcastic, smart-alecky, jabbing, and self-righteous."

john de herrera: Hamlet 3:1 (2 comments) This is the scene with the "To be or not to be,..." soliloquy. It was painful to adapt it, and I will probably just leave it alone in the finished work.

Using Fruit To Aid The Sun's Work Currently, commercially available solar cells are efficient and robust but expensive, according to the team. "To develop efficient-and most importantly inexpensive-solar cells, scientists are following the design of photosynthetic systems," the professor said. "Research on so-called 'third-generation' solar cells is being carried out at Rowan University."

Have we fallen behind our parents? (6 comments) "Nan Mooney, a 38-year-old journalist, wonders why so many people like her -- college-educated professionals, members of the storied American middle class -- still struggle" is a quote from this article. "(Not) Keeping up with our Parents" is Mooney's book, which is reviewed here by interviewing Mooney. Healthcare, childcare, & stagnate wages leaves middle class on the road to brinkmanship.

Tuesday, May 13:

Jim Miles: Book Review - Common Wealth - Jeffery Sachs A great topic, but without any consideration of the Washington consensus institutes (WTO, IMF, World Bank) and the U.S. military, it fails in its arguments.

Backyard Composting (Video) Compost is one of nature's best fertilizers, and you can use it instead of the commercial stuff. Best of all, you can make it without spending a cent.

Running on Empty: Cars That Never Need Gas Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof. "Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says.

New 'Indiana Jones' tells a 'true' story of skull worship :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Movies Mayan priests worship 13 legendary crystal skulls, and their true story stretches over continents and hundreds of years - and may be even more extraordinary than the tale portrayed in this fourth installment of the Harrison Ford franchise. It's unclear what version of the tale will appear in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Moore making 'Fahrenheit 9/11' sequel. Variety reports that Michael Moore is making a sequel to "Fahrenheit 9/11," which was a "scathing indictment of George W. Bush's war on terrorism and a hit at the worldwide box office." The new film will reportedly pick up where "Fahrenheit" left off: "In the time since, President Bush's popularity has plummeted, while the Iraq war continues and the economy falters."

Jon Stewart Interviews Douglas Feith (3 comments) I watched this interview last night. Jon is so sharp and uses his 10 minutes wisely. Feith should be forced to wear a 'dunce cap' for all interviews.

Bill Moyers On Olbermann: "I Was Greatly Encouraged...That People Saw Through [Hillary's] Flimsy Rationale For The Gas T Bill Moyers appeared on Monday night's "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann and discussed the state of the media as well as Jeremiah Wright (and the intersection of the two). Moyers decried the way the media oversimplifies stories, saying, "you won't be heard unless you learn to speak in the way of bumper stickers."

Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity Today American Progress launched Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity, a new campaign to cut poverty by 50 percent over the next 10 years. We are pleased that Senator John Edwards has taken the role of National Chair of this ambitious new project. The multi-year campaign will focus on the issues facing the poor and middle class in America, building an effective constituency to advocate for specific policy changes.

Book Review: You Don't Have To Be Famous: How to Write Your Life Story (2 comments) Writing an autobiography (or an autobiographical essay) can be daunting. But writing your story can lend pattern to the formless chronicle of everyday life, share clinical or personal lessons learned, put painful events into perspective, and even bring back purpose and direction to a life set adrift by illness.

Allen L Roland: *THE SEVEN STAGES OF LOVE Relationship is a means to an end versus an end in itself ~ the true purpose of relationship is the full flowering of each partner: Allen L Roland

Mark Twain: The War Prayer From time to time, oh, say perhaps once a year, I think it is useful to revisit The War Prayer, by Mark Twain. It has now been more than a year since I offered it for anyone's reconsideration, and I think it's once again time.

Monday, May 12:

C.L. Pagano: Scorpio Full (Blue) Moon, May 19-20, 2008 Don't miss this 'once in a blue moon' chance to shift your priorities to the deep values rooted in your soul, which will release the fear, anxiety and helplessness which hold you back from living mindfully. It's time to take yourself seriously and engage the mythic imagination to discover how to live divinely or die mythically. Sound extreme! That's Taurus and Scorpio for you!

Cancer Causing Monkey Virus from FDA-Approved Vaccines Contaminated polio vaccines were injected into children up until 1963, and contaminated batches of oral polio vaccine were administered to some children until the end of the 1990's.

Brain scam Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease? I learned after several frustrating phone calls and e-mails with PBS spokespersons, the nation's public broadcasting system did not vet "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" for scientific validity. Faced with the prospect of overlooking a preventable disaster, the public is a sitting duck for Amen's medical sales pitch.

Sharon Roach: If Obama Does Not Make it into the White House My Voice Will Still Be Heard (2 comments) If Obama does not make it into the White House my voice will still be heard and my vote will still be counted because as Martin Luther King Jr., once said "I am somebody". We all count because we are a part of the fabric that makes up this nation.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1 comments) FORECLOSURES LOOMING FOR THE HAMPTONS' POSHEST PADS

Bill O'Reilly On "Inside Edition": Vintage Meltdown (2 comments) Ohh Bill...you're such a dick.

Jay Janson: *Cruel Americans Always Enjoy Hearing Enemy Body Counts – So do Suicide Bomber Recruits (1 comments) Associated Press daily reports how many "suspected insurgents" were killed yesterday. Americans don't imagine 'enemy' cadavers as bringing suffering and destruction to lives of family members. Bodies of America's 'enemies' are counted with the same satisfaction, that one feels while removing the opponents eliminated counters when playing a board game. The U.S. plan remains the same: Get higher body counts before the 'they' do.

Sunday, May 11:

Professor Stephen Hawking seeks 'Einsteins of Africa' Stephen Hawking, the wheelchair-bound physicist, has launched a search for the "Einsteins of Africa" with a lecture in Cape Town.

How to Build Raised Garden Beds (Video) Have a small area that you want to grow your own food in? Learn how to build raised garden beds to make the most of your limited space.

Richard Volaar: Respect As A Core Principle: Where We Are (3 comments) A new "respect" is at a barest beginning in the United States of America. Respect 2.0 embraces the lessons of the past, but no longer freezes time-honored principles into "rules" that make the good the enemy of the best. It is the true meaning of "novus ordo seclorum."

Allen L Roland: *MEMORIES OF MY MOM Those who we love deeply become part of us forever for they live in our heart ~ as my Mom most certainly still does : Allen L Roland

john de herrera: Hamlet 2:2 (5 comments) I've set a goal for myself as a writer to adapt some Shakesspeare. Act 2, Scene 2 is a big scene.

Saturday, May 10:

Women don't work enough: expert (1 comments) Social researcher for the University of Melbourne Mark Wooden said men were earning on average 15 per cent more than women because they put in more time at the workplace. "It's (the pay equity gap) got a lot to do with the fact that women are not prepared to work longer hours." (Because they're putting in all those unpaid hours elsewhere, no doubt.)

On the Western Slope NW Colorado: Boom! Boom! Bust? (2 comments) Great description of the up and downs of energy industry in Rifle CO from 82 (bust) an what has happened since. Gas wells produce energy, traffic and pollution. From a tourist spot close to Vail and Aspen to a larger town coping with scarce labor and congested traffic, Rifle plans a future which may take it to the next technology. Shale oil.

Energy From Dirt, Seriously You've heard of solar power, and also wind power. Now, you might start hearing about soil power as well. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that make use of the energy given off by soil microbes are amongst the technologies that hold promise for bringing power to developing states, where electricity is often scarce.

Paying For The Science They Want: Alaska State Legislators Go Denier-Shopping The Alaska State Legislature has decided to go "scientist" shopping: A $2 million program funded with little debate last month calls for using state money to fund an "academic based" conference that highlights contrarian scientific research on global warming. Legislators hope to undermine the public perception of a widespread consensus among polar bear researchers that global warming treatens the species survival.

Pollution brings end to mining town in Oklahoma Pilcher, OK, in the Tar Creek Superfund site (a 40-square-mile area that also takes in portions of Missouri and Kansas) held its 90th birthday parade with former residents returning. The creek runs red with acid, and the dunes of lead-contaminated mine tailings loom around town. The government's Superfund is buying out the remaining residents. Article depicts nostalgia of living by a spent mine.

Ex-manager says OJ Simpson confessed A memorabilia dealer who profited from O.J. Simpson for many years is the latest former crony to write a tell-all book, this one alleging a groggy Simpson, high on marijuana, confessed to killing his ex-wife after he was acquitted. more stories like thisMike Gilbert also claims he helped his former friend wiggle out of the murder charges by suggesting how to bloat his hands so they wouldn't fit the notorious bloody gloves.

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