carapace – Not your father's america

NEW PULSE POSTED

At:

http://www.ornl.gov/news/pulse/pulse_v227_07.htm

That’s the url to the January 29, 2006, issue of DOE Pulse. Pulse is a newsletter about accomplishments at the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. Here is some of what you’ll find in this issue:

* SLAC: SSRL’s new hard X-ray microprobe

* Pacific Northwest: Night of the living enzyme

* Sandia: Simulating nuclear contraband

* Oak Ridge: Atom-scale switch

Feature: Argonne’s insulating breakthrough

Researcher profile: Savannah River’s Alfred Garrett

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Wash Post article omitted context of Russert’s “Christian nation” question to Huckabee

In a January 29 article on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) announcement that he would form a presidential exploratory committee, Washington Post staff writer Lois Romano reported that when “pressed” by Tim Russert, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, “on whether he [Huckabee] would lead the United States to be a more Christian nation,” Huckabee answered, “We are a nation of faith. It doesn’t necessarily have to be mine.” But the Post article omitted the context in which Russert put his question: Huckabee’s statement came in response to two Huckabee quotes Russert read, including one in which Huckabee stated he wanted to “take this nation back for Christ.”

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701290008?src=other

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“I see that the Democratic ideas are more related to reality,” said Ammar Tuma, a lawmaker who serves in Maliki’s ruling Shiite coalition.

“They talk about the real problems that the Iraqis are facing every day.”

At:

http://tinyurl.com/2rkl55

From: Poacnewsletter

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U.S. Should Extend Medicare to All To Provide Universal Health Coverage, Opinion Piece States

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42570

“Medicare for all is the only reform that has a prayer of providing universal coverage while containing costs,” Marcia Angell, former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, writes in a Boston Globe opinion piece. Angell writes that Medicare “is far more efficient than private insurance, with overhead of less than 4%,” and that, because “it is administered by a single public agency, controlling costs would be possible.” In addition, Medicare “cannot select whom to cover or deny care to those who need it most,” Angell writes. According to Angell, other health care reform proposals “all have the same fatal flaw: They offer no workable mechanism to control costs, mainly because they leave the private insurance industry in place.” Under such proposals, “there is little to stop insurers from raising” premiums, “shrinking benefits or both,” and “it will take a large and costly bureaucracy to ride herd on all the ways to game this system,” Angell writes. She adds that “perhaps the biggest risk is that failure will give universal care a bad name.” Angell writes, “It would make much more sense to extend Medicare to everyone,” a proposal that “could be done gradually by dropping the eligibility age a decade at a time” and “phasing out the insurance companies” (Angell, Boston Globe, 1/29).

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WANT YOUR OWN EDUCATIONAL RADIO STATION? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE

At:

http://www.prwatch.org/node/5647

“The Federal Communications Commission will accept applications for new full power non-commercial educational (NCE) FM radio station licenses sometime this year, perhaps in late spring,” writes Carmen Ausserer. “Typically, the FCC gives between one and three months notice before opening the filing window, which will likely last only five days.” The process will end a six-year FCC freeze on new full-power licenses. “The window is a rare opportunity for non-profits and educational institutions,” notes Ausserer. Organizations including Prometheus Radio Project, Native Public Media, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and Radio for People Coalition are raising awareness about the opportunity and providing information to interested groups. But “the FCC can only accept applications for frequencies that do not conflict with existing stations, which, for the most part, no longer exist within 30 miles of the largest 100 cities in the U.S.”

SOURCE: Lasar’s Letter, January 17, 2007

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#1 of 8 Big Lies about ethahol – from the Chicago Sun Times

Expensive, wasteful ethanol can’t solve our problems

January 27, 2007

BY JERRY TAYLOR AND PETER VAN DOREN
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Bush spoke a lot about energy independence and alternative energy sources like ethanol. According to the president, ethanol is the magical elixir that will solve virtually every economic, environmental and foreign policy problem on the horizon. In reality, it’s enormously expensive and wasteful.

Lie No. 1: Ethanol will lead to energy independence. If all the corn produced in America last year were dedicated to ethanol production (and only 14.3 percent of it was), U.S. gasoline consumption would drop by only 12 percent. For corn ethanol to displace gasoline in this country, we would need to appropriate all cropland, turn it over to corn-ethanol production, and then find 20 percent more land on top of that for cultivation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration believes that the practical limit for domestic ethanol production is about 700,000 barrels a day — a figure they don’t think is realistic until 2030.

…

Complete article at:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/231613,CST-EDT-REF27B.article

Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren are senior fellows at the Cato Institute. Van Doren is also editor of Regulation magazine.

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WAL-MART’S NEW MARKETING STRATEGY HIDES DIRTY PRACTICES

By Jim Hightower, Hightower Lowdown

Wal-Mart is making over its image to cater to a more affluent crowd. But behind its increasingly upscale image are the same lowbrow business tactics.

At:

http://www.alternet.org/stories/47224/

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America ‘poised to strike at Iran’s nuclear sites’ from bases in Bulgaria and Romania –

Report suggest that ‘US defensive ring’ may be new front in war on [of] terror. 29 Jan 2007 President [sic] Bush is preparing to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before the end of April and the US Air Force’s new bases in Bulgaria and Romania would be used as back-up in the onslaught, according to an official report from Sofia.

Complete article at:

http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.1152839.0.america_poised_to_strike_at_irans_nuclear_sites_from_bases_in_bulgaria_and_romania.php

Or

http://tinyurl.com/2wur6f

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Borowitz Report – Iraq Solution Shocker

Bush Sends Surge of 20,000 Democratic Presidential Candidates to Iraq

Army Transport Planes Arrive in Iowa

Showing his determination to increase the U.S. military presence in Iraq, President George W. Bush said today that he would send 20,000 Democratic presidential candidates surging into Baghdad.

In recent days, Congress has balked at Mr. Bush’s request for more troops, but by dispatching the Democratic presidential hopefuls the president appears to have circumvented his critics.

“A lot of these candidates seem to think they can do a better job in Iraq,” Mr. Bush chuckled. “This is their chance to prove it.”

The president said that Army transport planes would arrive in Iowa later in the day to transport Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York), Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), and 19,998 other Democratic candidates to Baghdad.

“This really is a win-win,” White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. “I think I speak for everyone at the White House when I say that we can’t wait until these folks board those planes for Iraq.”

But even as Mr. Snow praised the president’s decision to dispatch thousands of presidential hopefuls to Baghdad, he fielded a question from a reporter who asked if the so-called surge would stretch the nation’s supply of Democratic candidates too thin.

“By our count, even after we send the 20,000, there will be more than 40,000 Democratic presidential candidates in reserve,” Mr. Snow said. “That’s more than enough in case war breaks out in Iran or North Korea.”

Elsewhere, wrapping up a weekend visit to urban areas in the U.S., Britain’s Prince Charles said he felt he had “much in common” with many of the Americans he met: “I, too, have no job.”

�
http://www.borowitzreport.com/

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three to see

This Modern World: Right or wrong

http://www.workingforchange.com/webgraphics/WFC/TMW013107.jpg

Sandy Huffaker: madam cheney sees …

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/30191/

Jack Higgins: thr frame shoppe is next door

http://media1.suntimes.com/nixoncds/image/higgins350_20070128.gif_20070128_06_54_40_427-0-0.imageContent

Or

http://tinyurl.com/2lcoun

US hosts more than a third of websites hosting malicious code

“Cyber criminals will increasingly turn their attention to the web and away from e-mail security in 2007, according to a new report. Security firm Sophos found that the US hosts more than a third of websites hosting malicious code, as well as sending more spam than other nations. Lax security on US-hosted websites is one of the key reasons the US remains a hotspot for cyber crime, said Sophos. The UK hosts 0.5% of so-called malware and sends out 1.9% of spam. The number of websites being infected with malware – malicious software – is on the rise with Sophos uncovering an average of 5,000 new URLs hosting malicious code each day. ‘The internet now represents the easiest way for cyber criminals to gain entry to corporate networks, as more users are accessing unregulated sites, downloading applications and streaming audio/video,’ said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant for Sophos.’

Learn more at the BBC.com.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6290413.stm

From:

http://www.futurebrief.com/

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NPR, Wash. Post latest to dismiss Beck’s smears, falsehoods

On the January 25 edition of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, as part of their “Crossing the Divide” series, NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik interviewed conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who was described by host Michele Norris as someone “with absolutely no interest in crossing the divide.” During the report, Folkenflik purported to contrast Limbaugh with “rival conservative talk show host” Glenn Beck who has his own show on CNN Headline News and was recently hired as a “regular commentator” for ABC’s Good Morning America. Folkenflik uncritically reported that Beck finds that “severe rhetoric only drives people apart” and made the misleading claim that Beck has “taken flak” for his beliefs. In fact, Beck has “taken flak” for a host of smears and inflammatory comments he has made — his denunciations of “severe rhetoric” notwithstanding. For instance, during a November 14, 2006, interview with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), who is the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, Beck said: “I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, ‘Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies,’ ” a comment he later stated was “poorly worded” and “wish[ed]” he “could take back and rephrase.” The weblog Think Progress also noted Folkenflik’s report.

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701260009?src=other

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In a speech before the convention of the veterans of foreign wars in New York, Nixon also said opposition to the war in this country is the greatest single weapon working against the U.S.

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, 2003: Opposing our strategy emboldens the enemy.

Defense Secretary Gates,2007: Opposing our strategy emboldens the enemy.

At:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2826869

From: Poacnewsletter

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Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Proposal Announced by President Bush in State of the Union Address

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42467

St. Petersburg Times: The Bush health insurance proposal would “do little to insure the working poor and middle class” and could have “adverse” effects on the delivery of health care, a Times editorial states. The editorial states that the proposal “does show he has finally recognized health insurance as a significant issue,” adding that “Congress should offer a counterproposal to keep the discussion going” (St. Petersburg Times, 1/25).

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Look beyond ideology to a better world

Greg James, guest columnist: At the heart of why so many things have gone awry is the knowledge that people driven by ideology rarely admit mistakes, and, in this administration’s case, appear to wholeheartedly reject the advice of the scientific and educated community with a gleeful passion.

…

Complete article at:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/301370_firstperson29.html

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Thousands may be involuntarily called for tours

28 Jan 2007

Hundreds of thousands of National Guard and Reserve members previously mobilized for tours in Iraq and Afghanistan are exposed anew to involuntary call-up under a policy change unveiled with President [sic] Bush’s plan to “surge” forces into Baghdad. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he has rescinded a rule, set in 2002, that barred involuntary mobilization of reserve personnel beyond a “cumulative” 24-month ceiling for a wartime emergency.

At:

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS02/701280344/1009

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US military: Afghan leaders steal half of all aid 

28 Jan 2007 Corrupt police and tribal leaders are stealing vast quantities of reconstruction aid, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. In some cases, all the aid earmarked for an area has ended up in the wrong hands. Defence officials in the United States and Britain estimate that up to half of all aid in Afghanistan is failing to reach the right people. [See: U.S. to Seek $10.6B for Afghanistan 25 Jan 2007 President [sic] Bush will ask Congress for $10.6 billion to help ‘Afghanistan’ [Halliburton, Blackwater USA]. The money would be on top of $14.2 billion in aid the United States has already given to Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled [installed] the Taliban.]

At:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/28/wafg28.xml

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Counterinsurgency: Relearning How to Think

By: Galloway, Gerald E.

The U.S. military’s experience with insurgencies spans its history from the American Revolution to its recent experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current geostrategic environment is fertile for global insurgency, primarily the threat of radical Islamic extremists who have learned to leverage 21st century technologies to enhance their strategic power projection capability. This paper will examine the adequacy of current U.S. counterinsurgency strategic policy, operational concepts and doctrine. Through the review of two case studies, the British Army in Malaya 1948-1960 and the United States Army in the Philippines 1898-1902, insights for strategic leaders and planners will be gleaned and proposed for inclusion in future doctrinal updates….

Download Paper

http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/ksil181.pdf

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National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s Cost Analysis of the President’s 2007 State of the Union Address 

National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s [NTUF] Cost Analysis of the President’s 2007 State of the Union Address

At:

http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=115

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three to see

Khalil: they hate us because of our freedom

http://www.bendib.com/newones/2007/january/small/1-6-United-States-of-Incar.jpg

Some Guy With a Website(August Pollak): not because I don’t care

http://www.xoverboard.com/cartoons/2007/070129_care.png

Dan Wasserman: when health plans are too generous

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Graphic/2007/01/22/1169527022_0527.gif

The latest from NASA’s Earth Observatory (23 January 2007)

In the News:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/

* Latest Images:
Floods Raise Water Levels on Lake Victoria

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17532

The East Pacific Rise from Near and Far

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17531

Winter Weather Across the United States

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17530

Grampians National Park, Victoria

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17529

Gallipoli and Dardanelles Strait, Turkey

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17528

Tallinn, Estonia

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17527

Ocean Color in the Gulf of Alaska

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17526

Torrential Rain Brings Floods and Landslides to Brazil

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17525

* NASA News
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/

- The 2006 Hurricane Season Was Near Normal
- A Tale of Two Sites: Impacts of Relocating L.A.’s Weather Station
- THEMIS Will Judge What Causes Highly Dynamic Aurora

* Media Alerts
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/

- Scientists Analyze Corn to Map North American Carbon Dioxide
- The Dark Side to the Humble Raindrop
- Strong Evidence of Climate Change Found Deep in Arctic Mud
- Rotting Leaf Litter Study Could Improve Climate Models

* Headlines from the press, radio, and television:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/

- Glaciers May Vanish from Alps by 2050
- Frozen Ground Thawing in Himalayas
- Earthquake in Indonesia Leaves Four Dead
- Melting Arctic Draws Killer Whales, Threatening Inuit Fishing
- Decomposition of Plants Could Shed Light on Climate Change
- U.N. Panel to Step-Up Warnings on Climate
- Alaska to Get British-Style Temperatures
- Scientist: Maybe Two Snowflakes Are Alike
- Torrential Rains in Mozambique Cause Havoc
- Your PCs Forecast Climate Future
- Mild Temperature Rise Can Endanger Species
- Severe Storms Batter Northern Europe
- Indian Ocean Shift Seen Stoking Indonesian Droughts
- Snow in Southern California as Cold Grips U.S.
- 2100: A World of Wild Weather
- Warm Spell in Russia Wakes Up the Bears
- Severe Weather Warnings to Be More Precise
- Earthquake Deaths Down in 2006
- Caves Hold Climate Clues

* New Research Highlights
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Research/

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The Republican congressman from Colorado will try to woo GOP voters with anti-immigration rhetoric and a boatload of Christian right politics

At:

http://www.mediatransparency.org/story.php?storyID=175

From: Poacnewsletter

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Olbermann named Limbaugh “Worst Person”; Morgan received “runner-up”

On the January 25 edition of MSNBC’s Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh the “winner” of his nightly “Worst Person in the World” segment for, as Media Matters for America noted, “reading a made-up quote from [Sen. Barack] Obama [D-IL] supposedly responding to an endorsement from actress Halle Berry.” Olbermann observed: “[Limbaugh] later admitted it was made up, but Fatso still said, ‘As a Halfrican-American I am honored to have Ms. Berry’s support as well as the support of other Halfrican-Americans.’ “

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701260007?src=other

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State of the Union – Education

HENRY GIROUX, henry.giroux@gmail.com

http://www.henryagiroux.com

Giroux is author of the book “The Abandoned Generation: Democracy Beyond the Culture of Fear.” He said today: “Bush’s educational policy is misnamed. It really should be called ‘Leaving most children behind.’ Rather than focus on real education reform that would point to smaller classrooms, increasing Head Start, coupling matters of excellence with equity, building the infrastructure of our nation’s schools, providing incentives for college graduates to join the ranks of teachers, especially in poor areas, the Bush program is really about testing, memorization, enforcing discriminatory zero tolerance policies and in the end, destroying public education as a democratic public sphere.

“Bush’s policies are at odds with any viable notion of critical learning, teacher autonomy, and professionalization. All in all, his program is geared to both bleeding public schools of resources, turning them into dreary drill and test centers, and eventually turning them over to privatizing and corporate interests.” Giroux holds a chair at McMaster University in Ontario.

From: Institute for Public Accuracy

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Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Proposal Announced by President Bush in State of the Union Address

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42467

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “Employer-based health care no longer works for the country, offering fewer options and costing more to employers and employees alike,” a Post-Intelligencer editorial states. “But taxing those who are happy with their plans hardly seems right,” the editorial concludes (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1/24).

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Analysis of CBO’s Budget and Economic Outlook

House Budget Committee, Democrats: CBO Forecasts Continued Fiscal Deterioration, January 24, 2007 – “While any improvement in the deficit is a welcome development, today’s report from CBO is no cause for a declaration of victory. When the surplus in Social Security is excluded, as it should be, the deficit for this year’s budget is $362 billion, and it hovers in this range through 2011.”

At:

http://budget.house.gov/analyses/07CBO_baseline_report_1_24.pdf

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Iraq in Talks With Chevron, Exxon

25 Jan 2007

Iraq is in negotiations with Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects… Over the next several years, Iraq’s minister for industry and minerals, Fowzi Hariri, said Iraq would look to privatize all of state-owned industry, which number around 60 companies.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4500382.html

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“Surge” or “Involuntary” Military Conscription: The Neo-Conservative Architects of Military Escalation

by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, January 26, 2007

GlobalResearch.ca

Was it a coincidence? The Bill to restore the Draft (Universal National Service Act of 2007 (HR.393)) was introduced in the House of Representatives on exactly the same day as President Bush’s announcement regarding the “Surge”, in which he confirmed in a nationally televised address that he was going to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.

The “surge” in US forces in Iraq has been presented by the Bush administration as a short term necessity to confront “the terrorists”:

“So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I’ve committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq.” (President Bush’s TV address to the Nation, 10 January 2007)

Within days of Bush’s announcement, Congress responded by a formally rebuffing the White House’s proposal to send more troops:

“The defiant White House stance comes as both the House and Senate, now controlled by Democrats, prepare to vote on resolutions that oppose additional U.S. troops in Iraq. Cheney said those nonbinding votes would not affect Bush’s ability to carry out his policies” (AP, Jan 14, 2007)

While differences have emerged between the presidency and the US Congress regarding troop dewployments, real opposition to Bush’s “surge” largely emanates from the broader American public, which is putting pressure on its (elected) members of Congress.

US troops in Iraq are facing fierce and organized armed resistance.

Occupation forces no longer exercise control over part of Iraqi territory.

The “Green Zone” is threatened. The more than 20,000 troops are to be deployed in Baghdad, with a view to securing the “Green Zone” enclave.

Despite these developments, the decision to substantially increase US forces in Iraq is not a makeshift initiative, which emerged in response to the evolving crisis in Iraq. It is part of a carefully formulated NeoCon agenda to increase the size of US forces and reinstate “involuntary” forms of military conscription.

The Neo-Conservative Architects of Bush’s “Surge”

…

Complete article at:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20070126&articleId=4599

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Borowitz Report – Hillary Poll Shocker

Poll: 100% of Republicans Support Hillary’s Decision to Run

GOP Reaction Ranges from Ecstatic to Euphoric

Just days after announcing her candidacy for president, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York)’s decision to run for her party’s nomination has picked up support in an unlikely place, with a new poll showing that an overwhelming 100% of Republicans favor her decision to run.

The poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Opinion Research Institute, shows that while only 41% of Democrats support Sen. Clinton’s decision to run, a full 100% of Republicans identify themselves as either “ecstatic” or “euphoric” about her decision.

“Over the weekend, Sen. Clinton announced to the country, ‘I’m in,’” said Rockwell Pritchard of the Opinion Research Institute. “And Republican voters seem to have responded, ‘We’re stoked.’”

Sen. Clinton’s poll numbers are in stark contract with the level of G.O.P. support for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois)’s decision to run for president, which stands at zero percent.

When asked what they did when they found out that Sen. Clinton had announced her candidacy, 51% of Republicans responded “cracked open some champagne” while 49% answered “danced a jig.”

But despite the overwhelming poll numbers, support among Republicans for Sen. Clinton’s decision to run faces a threat from one possible X-factor: Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass).

According to the poll, 100% of Republican voters agree with the statement “If John Kerry decided to run again I would be even more stoked than I am about Hillary deciding to run – and I am already really stoked about her running.”

Elsewhere, for his role in the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal, former Republican Rep. Bob Ney received a thirty-month prison sentence, a $6000 fine, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

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three to see

Tom Toles: ready to reach across the aisle

http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2007/01/24/0124toles.jpg

David Horsey: the dealer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20070128/Cartoon20070128.gif

Minimum Security(Stephanie McMillan): Decisive action

http://www.workingforchange.com/webgraphics/WFC/sm012107.jpg

50 Most Loathsome People in America

The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2006

At:

http://buffalobeast.com/113/50_most_loathsome_2006.htm

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The Bush administration will cooperate with investigations by the new Democratic Congress on issues such as Iraq and the treatment of detainees, but hopes the hearings do not turn into “witch hunts,” a top White House official said on Thursday.

File-gate, travel-gate, whitewater, and Monica Lewinski unavailable for comment.

At:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070125/pl_nm/bush_investigations_dc_1

From: Poacnewsletter

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O’Reilly: Sunni and Shiite Iraqis “have fun” when they “kill each other”

Discussing Iraq during the January 24 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O’Reilly claimed that “the Sunni and Shia want to kill each other. … They have fun. This is — they like this. This is what Allah tells them to do, and that’s what they do.” O’Reilly then asserted that the “essential mistake of the war” was failing to anticipate that “these people would act like savages, and they are.” Later, O’Reilly said that he had not predicted that the Iraqis “were going to act like savages in the aftermath of Saddam [Hussein],” and added: “[N]ow, Iran, we know they’re savages.” As Media Matters for America has documented (here, here, and here), O’Reilly has repeatedly stated his indifference to the deaths of Iraqis and the fate of their country. Recently, O’Reilly claimed that Iraq is not in “civil war,” but rather that Muslims are just “doing what they do. They’re killing each other. And they’re killing Americans”

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701260006?src=other

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Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Proposal Announced by President Bush in State of the Union Address

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42467

Florida Times-Union: “There are good reasons to be skeptical” about the Bush health insurance proposal, a Times-Union editorial states. According to the editorial, “taxing thewealthy soon grows into a tax on the middle class,” and “it’s another attempt to deal with health insurance entitlements in a piecemeal way while the day of reckoning comes closer” (Florida Times-Union, 1/24).

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So what’s with all the dinosaurs?

The world’s first Creationist museum – dedicated to the idea that the creation of the world, as told in Genesis, is factually correct – will soon open. Stephen Bates is given a sneak preview and asks: was there really a tyrannosaurus in the Bible?

Monday November 13, 2006
The Guardian

The Creation Museum’s motto: Prepare to Believe.

Just off the interstate, a couple of junctions down from Cincinnati’s international airport, over the state line in rural Kentucky, the finishing touches are being put to an impressive-looking building. When it is finished and open to the public next summer, it may, quite possibly, be one of the weirdest museums in the world. The Creation Museum – motto: “Prepare to Believe!” – will be the first institution in the world whose contents, with the exception of a few turtles swimming in an artificial pond, are entirely fake. It is dedicated to the proposition that the account of the creation of the world in the Book of Genesis is completely correct, and its mission is to convince visitors through a mixture of animatronic models, tableaux and a strangely Disneyfied version of the Bible story.

Its designer, Patrick Marsh, used to work at Universal Studios in Los Angeles and then in Japan before he saw the light, opened his soul to Jesus, and was born anew. “The Bible is the only thing that gives you the full picture,” he says. “Other religions don’t have that, and, as for scientists, so much of what they believe is pretty fuzzy about life and its origins … oh, this is a great place to work, I will tell you that.” So this is the Bible story, as truth. Apart from the dinosaurs, that is. As you stand in the museum’s lobby – the only part of the building approaching completion – you are surrounded by life-size dinosaur models, some moving and occasionally grunting as they chew the cud.Beside the turtle pool, two animatronic, brown-complexioned children, demurely dressed in Hiawatha-like buckskin, gravely flutter with movement. Behind them lurk two small Tyrannosaurus Rexes. This scene is meant to date from before the Fall of Man and, apparently, dinosaurs.

…

Complete article at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1946370,00.html

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Bid to disqualify judge in priest abuse cases rejected

BurlingtonFreePress.com – Burlington,VT,USA

Jerome O’Neill presently has 27 cases pending in Chittenden County Superior Court against the diocese and has represented victims of priest sex abuse since …

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/NEWS02/701250309/1007&theme=

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Book Article Denies the Existence of a Historical Jesus Figure

NewswireToday – /newswire/ – Toronto, ON, Canada, 01/17/2007 – In the recently released book ‘The Best of Astraea: 17 Articles on Science, History and Philosophy’ Canadian author and theologian Tom Harpur has challenged the existence of a historical Jesus figure.

The article entitled ‘The Pagan Christ’ is blind faith killing Christianity?’ is a brief synopsis of Harpur’s bestseller ‘The Pagan Christ’ and appeared recently in a printed anthology of articles produced by Astraea Web Radio. Harpur’s book reveals that the ancient motifs associated with the Jesus figure such as virgin birth, baptism, and death and resurrection were shared with many of the earlier ancient pagan figures.

…

Complete article at:

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/12694/

AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and new voices in literature. For more information, please visit the Authorhouse website.

http://www.authorhouse.com/

                          ==========

three to see

Bizarro: you were a believer but…

http://cst.rbma.com/content/Bizarro?date=20070126

welcome to paradise

http://russellsteapot.com/images/rsgallery/original/000100000.jpg

Aren’t You a Little Old to Have an Imaginary Friend?

http://atheistempire.com/entertainment/images/imaginary_friend.gif

“Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks.” 

The US Justice Department has published a guide for investigating computer crimes and handling digital evidence, titled “Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks.”

The 137-page PDF file covers tracing Internet addresses and other issues involving e-mail, Web sites, instant messages, chat rooms, denial of service attacks, and other digital topics.

The guide is one of several involving digital issues in production at the department, and others will cover digital crime scene investigations, courtroom presentation of digital evidence, forensic examination of digital evidence, etc.

Read guide

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210798.pdf

                          ==========

A recent report in the January newsletter of The Marine Corp Center for Lessons Learned found the following: Marines deployed in Afghanistan are not getting adequate nutrition.

As a result, “many Marines and soldiers lost 20 to 40 pounds of bodyweight during their deployment,”. It adds that at least one solider was evacuated because of malnutrition and a 60-pound weight loss.

PDF report: Medical Support of Operations in a High Altitude, Mountainous Environment: Quick Look Report 1-25

http://www.fcw.com/images/st_images/MREs_01_18_07.pdf

From:Poacnewsletter

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KSFO’s Rodgers: Left-wing websites are “full of bovine excrement”

On the January 25 edition of KSFO’s Morning Show, hosts Melanie Morgan and Lee Rodgers continued their discussion of a debunked accusation, first made by InsightMag.com, that “researchers connected to” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) have said that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) “spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.” Rodgers acknowledged that the story had been “discredited” by CNN but in turn purported to discredit CNN by claiming that the network is “the propaganda mouthpiece for the political left. They’re the Democratic Party’s Al Jazeera.” Morgan then said that “certain left-wing websites seem to believe that they can fit the facts to their agenda, and their agenda is to destroy us personally and to get us fired and thrown of the air.” Rodgers added that the “left-wing websites” are “full of bovine excrement” and they “lie in their teeth just for the fun of it,” to which Morgan replied, “Exactly.”

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701260004?src=other

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STAYING ON MESSAGE, WHATEVER THE QUESTION

At:

http://www.prwatch.org/node/5652

Elias Buchwald, a founder of Burson Marsteller, recently ran a four-day training session for 17 high-level Israeli spokespersons from government agencies. The session was organized by 5W Public Relations, the American Jewish Congress and the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “We want Americans to relate to Israel emotionally, not just impersonally,” Buchwald said. “The point should be ‘Israel has what you like’ by using warm, evocative and colorful language.” Reporter Gary Rosenblatt summarized Buchwald’s advice as “keep it short, make it direct, and no matter what the question, know beforehand what message you want to get across and stick with it.” The media consul at the Israeli consulate in New York, David Saranga, described Israel’s PR problem as being that “Americans miss the human face of Israel, they perceive of us as militaristic and very religious but they miss the lens of culture [and] education”.

SOURCE: The Jewish Week, January 19, 2007

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Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Proposal Announced by President Bush in State of the Union Address

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42467

Baltimore Sun: The Bush health insurance proposal “would almost certainly destroy the fragile structure through which most Americans get health insurance in hopes of luring the working poor into the private market, where they would have no advantage of group pricing and no coverage for pre-existing conditions,” a Sun editorial states. The proposal is a “missed” opportunity for health care reform, the editorial states (Baltimore Sun, 1/24).

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28 Senators Vote to Repeal Minimum Wage. 2008 Elections, Anyone?

by Mike Hall, Jan 25, 2007

Maybe in 1938, the idea of a federal minimum wage was controversial. But not so much so that a majority of the House and Senate couldn’t approve the Fair Labor Standards Act that set the federal minimum wage at 25 cents an hour.

So in 2007, how can anyone with a shred of common sense, let alone an ounce of empathy for men and women who bust their tails day in and day out for $5.15 an hour, say it’s time to scrap the federal minimum wage?

Yesterday, 69 years after the minimum wage was first established, 28 U.S. senators did just that when they voted “yes” on an amendment from Colorado Republican Wayne Allard that would have scrapped the federal minimum wage. (Click here to see the 28 senators who voted for the Allard amendment. They should be ashamed of themselves and if they are your lawmakers, let them know how wrong they were.)

We’re not making this up. Here’s what Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) had to say about the Allard amendment that was offered to the Senate bill (S. 2) to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour:

On the Allard amendment, members should understand what the effect of the Allard amendment is, and that is effectively to repeal the minimum wage for any states among the 50 states. That effectively is what the Allard amendment does.

Allard hid the repeal behind the “state flexibility” mask, claiming states should be allowed to set their own rates, without a federal floor, because of different costs of living and differing economies. The amendment would nullify the federal minimum wage standard in the 45 states that have their own minimum wage law, and allow the five states that don’t—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee—to opt-out of any federal minimum wage increase by passing a minimum wage law providing at least $5.15 an hour.

As if speaking to reluctant Depression-era lawmakers wary of federal intrusion on the states, Kennedy explained the reason for a minimum wage floor:

The concept of the minimum wage was that it was going to be a minimum payment, a minimum standard. What was accepted at the time of the minimum wage is that in this country, we didn’t want to accelerate a rush to the bottom so that we would have competition in the various states to pay the lowest possible wages–sweat labor–in order to try to attract industries into those particular States, but to provide a minimum standard.

Here in the 21st century, that simple reasoning just didn’t penetrate the skulls of 28 U.S. senators—who by the way make $165,200 a year and almost annually vote to give themselves a pay raise.

Meanwhile, after 43 Republican senators yesterday maneuvered to kill a clean minimum wage bill with no tax giveaways to business, debate continues today on another Senate minimum wage bill that includes business tax cuts and other giveaways. A final vote likely won’t take place until next week, but we will give you an update tomorrow.

From:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/01/25/28-senators-vote-to-repeal-minimum-wage-2008-elections-anyone/

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Right-wing blogs battle for troop surge using ‘NRSC Pledge’

Conservative bloggers have initiated a pledge to deny campaign funds to Republicans who vote against President Bush’s plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

Led by Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt, “The NRSC Pledge” states that if the Senate passes any resolution critical of the troop increase, donors would not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. They also would not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) absent a commitment from Chairman John Ensign (R-Nev.) to not spend any committee money on those senators who are up in 2008.

As of Thursday afternoon, it had nearly 10,000 signatories.

A Democratic-led resolution criticizing Bush’s strategy was supported by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) has introduced a milder version. Hagel and Warner are both up in 2008, as are several other senators who have been critical of the troop “surge.”

Hewitt says the resolutions are equally damaging in that they both encourage the enemy.

In a post Thursday, he explained: “Because the troops and the war trump any partisan calculation, I have helped organize a campaign to alert Republican senators that a vote for the Warner resolution, or any other similar resolution, is a deal breaker for me. I will not contribute to any senator who so votes, and I will not work for any senator who so votes.”

Other conservative bloggers have joined the call, but some including John Hawkins at the Right Wings News are denouncing the pledge.

“If this catches on or even just makes a really big splash, you’re going to have people trying to do the exact same thing on amnesty, embryonic stem cells and who knows what other issues over the next two years,” Hawkins wrote.

The NRSC declined to comment.

 – Aaron Blake

From: The Hill e-news

www.TheHill.com

                          ==========

Progress Report: Debunking the Escalation Myths

IRAQ

Debunking the Escalation Myths

Nearly seventy percent of Americans oppose President Bush’s escalation plan, as do top military leaders, Bush’s staunchest international ally, and the Iraq Study Group. After four years in the shadows, Congress has begun to use its power as a co-equal branch of government to do something about the administration’s failed policies in Iraq. On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution condemning Bush’s escalation strategy. “It is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq,” the resolution said, “particularly by escalating the United States military force presence.” The Senate will debate this measure along with several others next week, and a “vote could come as early as the week of Feb. 5.” Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), who strongly opposes escalation, explained why a healthy debate on the issue is crucial: “I think all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this. What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What do you think?” Americans are mobilizing against the President’s plan. A protest rally has been planned for this weekend in Washington, D.C., while other groups such as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq plan to lobby members of Congress “who have spoken out against the war, but who have so far declined to pledge support for a resolution denouncing Bush’s plan to increase the number of troops.” In response, the White House and others have put out several myths they think will win support for their plan. The Progress Report debunks the right wing’s talking points:

MYTH #1 — OPPOSING ESCALATION UNDERMINES THE TROOPS: A recent Military Times poll of active-duty forces found 39 percent of those polled think troop levels should remain the same or should decrease. Only 38 percent support sending more troops into Iraq, with 13 percent supporting a complete withdrawal. “Our troops are on the Internet constantly,” Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said recently. “They know very well there’s a debate going on in this country.” Yet the administration and its conservative allies continue to push the false premise that opposition to the administration’s failed policies — which once again became painfully evident last Saturday — means a lack of support for the troops. “In Iraq, all of this undermines the morale of the military and makes their task that much harder on the ground,” the Wall Street Journal’s conservative editorial page said about the ongoing debate. Vice President Cheney said of Senate passage of the anti-escalation resolution, “It would be, I think, detrimental from the standpoint of the troops.” Hagel hit back hard against the charges. “When I hear…impugning motives and patriotism to our country, not only is it offensive and disgusting but it debases the whole system of our country and who we are,” he said. “Can’t we debate the most critical issue of our time, out front, in front of the American people? They expect it. Are we so weak, we can’t do that?”

MYTH #2 — PROGRESSIVES DON’T HAVE A PLAN: “It’s the only game in town,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said of escalation. Cheney claimed “the critics have not suggested a policy.” Tony Snow added, “If you’ve got a better proposal that will achieve success in Iraq, help Iraqis get swiftly into the lead, and will demonstrate support for American forces, let us hear it.”  Listen closely, Tony. Over a year and a half ago, the Center for American Progress released a responsible Iraq strategy that called for comprehensive strategic redeployment. The strategy, which was updated in May 2006, calls for reducing U.S. troops to 60,000 in six months and to zero in eighteen months, while redeploying troops to Afghanistan, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf to contain the threat of global terror networks. The plan also calls for engaging in diplomacy to resolve the conflict within Iraq by convening a Geneva Peace Conference, establishing a Gulf Security initiative to deal with the aftermath of U.S. redeployment from Iraq, and putting Iraq’s reconstruction back on track with targeted international funds. The American public and the Iraqi public support phased withdrawal.

MYTH #3 — WE OWE THE PRESIDENT ONE LAST SHOT: “Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq,” Bush said during his State of the Union address, “and I ask you to give it a chance to work.” “I think it deserves a chance to see if it will work,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said. “We should do everything in our power to help make it work,” Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said, “and that begins by giving it a chance and not criticizing it before the strategy even has a few days to work out.” This talking point ignores the fact that similar strategies have been tried — and failed — twice before. During the last six months, the United States has increased — or “surged” — the number of American troops in Baghdad by 12,000, yet the violence and deaths of Americans and Iraqis has climbed alarmingly, averaging 960 a week since the latest troop increase. This past summer, Bush announced a major effort to secure Baghdad, stating at a news conference that thousands of U.S.-led coalition troops would be moved into the city. Violence intensified throughout the country, and U.S. deaths in Iraq spiked.

MYTH #4 — HAGEL IS THE ONLY CONSERVATIVE CRITIC: The White House is trying to downplay the growing discontent among conservatives about Bush’s policies. Fox News’ Chris Wallace asked Cheney recently if they were losing the support from conservatives. “Well, I don’t think Chuck Hagel has been with us for a long time,” Cheney said. Asked for a comment on the escalation resolution, Tony Snow said there had been “no real surprises” because Hagel voted for it, ignoring the fact that Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) was the only member of the Foreign Relations Committee to express support for the president’s plan. Other influential conservative voices — including those of Sens. John Warner (R-VA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Sam Brownback (R-KS) — have said they will not support the plan.

From: Center for American Progress Action Fund

americanprogressaction.org

                          ==========

Congress responds to Bush’s Iraq plea

Helen Thomas: WASHINGTON — President Bush picked Iraq as his preemptive battleground nearly four years ago and now is asking a war-weary country to give his military escalation a chance to work.

…

Complete article at:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/301223_thomas26.html

Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers. E-mail: helent@hearstdc.com .

                          ==========

Borowitz Report – State of the Jihad Shocker

Andy in Seattle Sunday Night!
7:30 PM at the Moore Theater

Andy performs for one night only on Sunday, January 28 at 7:30 at the Moore Theater in Seattle. Ticket information at www.themoore.com .

And now, breaking news:

Bin Laden’s State of the Jihad Address Short on Specifics

Critics Blast Laundry List of Vague Threats

Al-Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden delivered his annual State of the Jihad address last night and immediately faced criticism that the speech was short on specifics and little more than a laundry list of vague threats.

Speaking from his cave in an undisclosed location in the mountainous region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the world’s most wanted man began his address with an upbeat assessment of the global jihad against the infidels.

“Friends, terrorists, extremists, and madmen,” Mr. bin Laden began. “The state of the jihad is strong.”

The al-Qaeda leader’s fifty-minute address was interrupted by applause at least thirty-five times, usually when Mr. bin Laden punctuated his remarks by saying “Death to America.”

Mr. bin Laden sounded themes that were familiar to audiences of previous State of the Jihad addresses, such as his warning that “Al-Qaeda must become less dependent on foreign sources of chaos.”

As is his tradition, he also used the address to acknowledge several “heroes of the Jihad,” including one terrorist, Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, who risked his life by pulling another terrorist out of the path of a charging donkey.

But the al-Qaeda kingpin was in for some blistering criticism in the official response to the State of the Jihad address, which this year was delivered by opposition lunatic Hassan el-Medfaii.

“What we heard tonight was little more than ‘stay the course,’” said Mr. el-Medfaii. “As a madman, I had to ask, ‘where’s the beef?’”

Elsewhere, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) bowed out of the 2008 presidential race, stating, “I decided to run for president before I decided against it.”

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

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three to see

David Horsey: some have even gone over to the other side

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20070126/cartoon20070126.gif

Trouble Town (Lloyd Dangle): cut off funding

http://troubletown.com/cartoons/cartoons/ttown.845.gif

TeeVee News(Steve Beckley): The new confidence men

http://www.workingforchange.com/webgraphics/WFC/sb012107.jpg

Understanding the Political Influence of Blogs

Understanding the Political Influence of Blogs: A Study of the Growing Importance of the Blogosphere in the U.S. Congress, April 2006, by T. Neil Sroka.
 

Abstract: “Using a survey of congressional offices conducted between January and March 2006, I attempt to gain a picture of the readership, usage, and opinion of blogs and blogging on Capital Hill, in order to make the case for blogging’s direct effect on the modern legislative process. I conclude that, although more study is needed to know how blog readership and usage directly impact policy decisions, the high levels of blog readership and the widely held view that blogs function as the “watchdog” of the mainstream media clearly suggest that the blogosphere has a much stronger voice being heard by legislators than previously considered.”

At:

http://www.ipdi.org/UploadedFiles/PoliticalInfluenceOfBlogs.pdf

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CBS’ Borger warned of media complicity in possible “Swift Boat[ing]” of Clinton

While discussing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-NY) announcement of an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential campaign on the January 21 edition of CNN’s Reliable Sources, CBS national political correspondent Gloria Borger noted that Clinton “could get ‘Swift Boated’ ” through baseless allegations about her marriage to former President Bill Clinton, “in that sort of a sense where a third-party group” makes the allegations “and then the press makes believe, ‘Oh, it’s not our story, it’s their story.’ And then we cover it.” Host and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz responded, “We’re just repeating the charges.”

Read more

http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200701230003?src=other

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EXPOSED! Bush’s SOTU Big Lie:

After reviewing the three published versions of this story (below), it’s perfectly clear there are no credible facts – no independently verified documents, no identified witnesses, and no suspects. The whole story hinges on a single document, which was not seen by any of the reporters and probably does not exist.

Read more

http://tinyurl.com/yorbqn

From: Poacnewsletter

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ROLE REVERSAL

At:

http://www.prwatch.org/node/5659

During the struggle against South African apartheid, journalist Alistair Sparks used to visit the United States to “have my batteries recharged,” inspired by “the idealism of the Kennedy years, the civil rights campaign and all that followed.” Now, he writes, the roles have reversed: “My own country has emerged, albeit still with many faults, as a beacon of racial reconciliation and co-existence that gives me at least some sense of personal fulfillment in my evening years, while my old moral lodestar, the U.S., has slipped into an abyss of moral degeneracy, of political lies and casuistry, of torture and cruelty and of a contempt for human rights and human decency that violates your own supposedly sacred Constitution. For me emotionally, it is as though the United States has become the old South Africa.” Sparks is particularly dismayed by “the craven obsequiousness of the U.S. media” with regard to the war in Iraq. “On my several visits to the U.S. in the course of this war I have been disgusted by all the cheerleading for your ‘brave boys in Iraq,’ the flagwaving and the craven desire to be seen as patriotic that wiped out the journalistic duty to ask the tough questions about why the war was being fought, who told the lies, or even to portray the carnage that was taking place inside Iraq.”

SOURCE: Nieman Watchdog, January 16, 2007

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Editorials, Opinion Pieces Address Health Care Proposal Announced by President Bush in State of the Union Address

Access this story and related links online:

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=42467

Albany Times Union: The “warmed-over health insurance initiative” that Bush announced is “in essence, another tax on the middle class — the same objection that led to its early death when Ronald Reagan proposed it in the 1980s,” a Times Union editorial states. In addition, the proposal would make hospitals that treat a large number of low-income patients “big losers” because of a provision that would “steer money away” from such facilities to a fund used to help states develop proposals to reduce the number of uninsured residents (Albany Times Union, 1/24).

                          ==========

State of the Union – Healthcare 

DON McCANNE, M.D., don@mccanne.org ,

http://www.pnhp.org

Senior health policy fellow with the group Physicians for a National Health Program, McCanne writes a daily health policy update:

http://www.pnhp.org/news/quote_of_the_day.php .

He said today: “Bush’s health care proposal opens the door to decreasing the role of employer-sponsored coverage — which should not be done until we can replace private plans with national health insurance. Bush’s plan is part of his agenda to shift more of the responsibility of paying for care to individuals with health care needs.

A few higher-income people with no insurance might benefit; many average-income people, especially those with union-negotiated coverage, will be hurt.”

From: Institute for Public Accuracy

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Election staff convicted in recount rig

By M.R. KROPKO Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND — Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio’s most populous county.

Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure of elections employees to perform their duty.

Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney Roger Synenberg has said the workers were following procedures as they understood them.

…

Complete article at:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4496735.html

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Carl Bernstein: Bush Administraton Has Done ‘Far Greater Damage’ Than Nixon

Published: January 24, 2007

NEW YORK In an online chat at washingtonpost.com this afternoon, Carl Bernstein, the famed Watergate reporter at that paper and now writing articles for Vanity Fair, took several hard shots at the current Bush administration — almost every time he was asked about the Nixon era. It came just as news of the death of former Watergate ringleader E. Howard Hunt was circulating widely.

After a long explanation of how the American system “worked,” eventually, with Watergate, Bernstein said: 

“In the case George W. Bush, the American system has obviously failed — tragically — about which we can talk more in a minute. But imagine the difference in our worldview today, had the institutions — particularly of government — done their job to insure that a mendacious and dangerous president (as has since been proven many times over-beyond mere assertion) be restrained in a war that has killed thousands of American soldiers, brought turmoil to the lives of millions, and constrained the goodwill towards the United States in much of the world.”

Later, asked if the Nixon administration was unique in hiring disreputable characters, he replied: “Until the Bush-43 administration, I had believed that the Nixon presidency was sui generis in modern American history in terms of your question…

“In terms of small-bore (but dangerous) characters like Howard Hunt and Gordon Liddy with their schemes, I doubt that any presidency approaches the criminality of the Nixon White House. But the Watergate conspiracy–to undermine the constitution and use illegal methods to hurt Nixon’s political opponents and even undermine the electoral system–was supervised by those at the very top.

“In the current administration we have seen from the President down–especially Vice President Cheney, Attorney General Gonzales, Condoleeza Rice, donald Rumsfeld–a willingness to ignore the great constitutional history of the United States — to suspend, really, the many of the constitutional guarantees that have made us a nation apart, with real freedoms unknown elsewhere, unrestricted by short-term political objectives of our leaders.

“Then there are the Geneva conventions: Who would have dreamed that, in our lifetime, our leaders would permit their flagrant abuse, would authorize torture, ‘renditions’ to foreign-torture chambers, suspension of habeus corpus, illegal surveillance of our own citizens….

Complete article at:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003537212

                          ==========

GAO Comptroller General Testimony on Deficits 

Long-Term Budget Outlook: Deficits Matter–Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today, GAO-07-389T, January 23, 2007.

“The Comptroller General testified before Congress [House Budget Committee] for a hearing entitled “Why Deficits Matter.” The presentation touched on several points. First, the current financial condition in the United States is worse than is widely understood. Second, the current fiscal path is both imprudent and unsustainable. Third, improvements in information and processes are needed and can help. And finally, meeting the long-term fiscal challenge will require (1) significant entitlement reform to change the path of those programs; (2) reprioritizing, restructuring and constraining other spending programs; and (3) more revenues–hopefully through a reformed tax system. This will take bipartisan cooperation and compromise.”

At:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07389t.pdf

                          ==========

Borowitz Report – Candidate Surplus Shocker

Candidates to Outnumber Voters in ’08

One in Two Americans Running for President, Experts Say

For the first time in American history, the number of Americans running for president in 2008 will actually be greater than the number of Americans voting for president, electoral experts said today.

With politicians throwing their hats in the ring at a torrid pace, by November of 2008 one out of every two Americans is expected to be running for the nation’s highest office – an extraordinary figure by any measure.

While the negative tone of recent election campaigns have turned off voters in record numbers, the appeal of being the world’s most powerful person has never been greater, causing the two trend lines to cross.

In the last week alone, Senators Hillary Clinton (D-New York), Barack Obama (D-Illinois), and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) have established exploratory committees, but so have some 40,000 other Americans, according Carol Foyler, executive director of the Committee on Exploratory Committees.

Ms. Foyler said that the sharp increase in the number of Americans yearning to be president can be credited to President George W. Bush, “who makes the job look like fun.”

“In the past, Presidents have had to seek the approval of Congress and obey the Constitution,” Ms. Foyler said. “President Bush has shown that you don’t have to do that.”

The fact that over 140 million Americans are expected to run for president in 2008 does not deter most aspirants, Ms. Foyler said, explaining, “Most of them still have a better shot than Kucinich.”

Elsewhere, the National Security Agency said that a stream of indecipherable chatter it intercepted turned out to be Paula Abdul.

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

                          ==========

three to see

Bad Reporter(Don Asmussen): we’re addicted to soil… and more

http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2007/01/24/012407-950×314-badreporter.gif

Jack Ohman: habeas corpus

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Matt Bors: workers strike for lower pay

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