Wishing you the very best for 2007
Archive for December, 2007
Christmas 2007
Monday, December 24th, 2007Monday Christmas Eve 2007 “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.” – columnist Ann Coulter
Monday, December 24th, 2007Project Censored: Truthout Interview With Peter Phillips
At:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122107A.shtml
Truthout’s Geoffery Millard talks with Peter Phillips, leader of Project Censored, a national research effort that tracks the news published in independent journals and newsletters, and compiles an annual list of 25 news stories of social significance that have been overlooked,
under-reported or self-censored by the country’s major national news media.
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“LATEST NEWS” item on FoxNews.com front page linked not to news story, but to Republican blog post
The front page of FoxNews.com contained a headline under the “LATEST NEWS” tab that read “Report: Over 400 Scientists Dispute Man-Made Warming,” the link to which led to a post on the blog of Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) — not a news report.
Read more
http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200712220003?src=other
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US ‘risks running out of funds’ for Iraq, Afghanistan wars
Dec 22 2007
American Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the US could run out of money for its military operations in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Mr Gates says though Congress this week approved military spending of $70 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was less than half what the administration had wanted.
At:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/22/2125965.htm
From: CLG News
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Life ‘better’ under Saddam Hussein says vicar of Baghdad
Dec 21 2007
Life was “better” for Christians in Iraq under the government of Saddam Hussein than it is today, according to the only Anglican vicar working in Baghdad. Canon Andrew White, vicar of St George’s Church in the capital of Iraq told Times Online that day-to-day life was ‘a lot easier’ for Christians when Saddam Hussein was president of the country.
At:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3084957.ece
From: CLG News
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Presidential Polling and Issues
MATT WATERMAN, mw@mattwaterman.net
Waterman is the designer of a web page that allows people to select their positions on various political issues and ranks the presidential candidates according to how closely their views match, creating a political “blind taste test” — http://www.dehp.net/candidate .
He said today: “Five months after launch we’ve had over 200,000 people use the tool to find out how well candidates’ views match up against their own. Records from the submissions have shown the most
common top match-up to be, by a wide margin, Dennis Kucinich, with Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Mike Gravel as the distant runners-up. The data that have been collected are far from scientific, but do seem to demonstrate a large disconnect between where people stand on the issues and who conventional polls have indicated they plan to vote for. I would be interested to see the results if pollsters asked questions like these ['blind taste tests']. “People may not know where the candidates actually stand on many of these issues, or perhaps they’re making their decisions based on only a few key political issues. It’s also likely that people simply don’t see some candidates as being electable.”
Waterman is a 23-year-old student studying electrical engineering and a former Marine who recently returned from working as a U.S. Army telephone switching contractor in Afghanistan.
From: Institute for Public Accuracy
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Regulatory Assault On Unions
The Bush administration’s assault on organized labor is well-known, as the current union organization system is tilted against America’s workers. Each year, over 20,000 U.S. workers are illegally fired, demoted, laid off, suspended without pay, or denied work by their employers as a result of union activity. In 2000, 13.5 percent of all wage and salary workers were unionized. In 2006, just 12 percent of workers were in unions, as existing laws — and the administration’s interpretation of them — make joining a union a Herculean task that few want to undertake, even though half of all U.S. workers say they would vote to join a union. While the Bush administration has been lax on most regulatory enforcement throughout most of government, a new report from Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly points out that the Labor Department’s Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) has embarked on a path of “rigorous” and “pernicious” regulatory enforcement of organized labor. This regulatory assault has resulted in a “political misinformation campaign” aimed at damaging organized labor.
br/>
From: www.americanprogressaction.org
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Ruling Lets Firms Bar Union E-mail E-Mail
Dec 23 2007
The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that employers have the right to prohibit workers from using the company’s e-mail system to send out union-related messages, a decision that could hamper communications between labor unions and their membership.
At:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/business/22cnd-labor.html
From: CLG News
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Jaxon: Plant closure is ‘heart-breaking’ … and more
Eufaula Tribune – Eufaula,AL,USA
Wellstone president Josh Hamilton acknowledged the Eufaula plant’s closing will impact more than the employees. He also took time in a press release to …
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19095679&BRD=2235&PAG=461&dept_id=439676&rfi=6
Nyloncraft to Close Bowling Green Plant
WBKO – Bowling Green,KY,USA
A Bowling Green plant that makes components for Ford is in the process of closing for good. Nyloncraft announced in October, the Bowling Green facility …
http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/12379046.html
Qimonda Closing
WCAX – Burlington,VT,USA
Many workers left early– as soon as they found out the plant was closing. The company makes memory chips for cell phones and mp3 players. …
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=7499525
Elkhart Plant Closing to Cost 152 Jobs
By Mike Nelson(Mike Nelson)
Atwood Mobile Products plans to close one of its four Elkhart plants early next year in a move that will eliminate 152 jobs. Atwood will continue operations at its other three plants.
http://www.wlzq.com/news/2007/12/elkhart-plant-closing-to-cost-152-jobs.htm
More Alabama Jobs Going Bye-Bye
By mooncat
Plant closings at three big textile makers in Valley, Piedmont and Eufaula account for the job losses. One plant is already gone. The Wellstone Mills plant in Eufaula that employed 117 people closed earlier this month, according to …
http://www.leftinalabama.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=903
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Execs at the top five Wall Street firms are getting a record $38 billion in bonuses this season, while millions of working families worry they will lose their homes in the New Year.
Something needs to change—and the AFL-CIO is calling for major mortgage lenders to impose a one-year moratorium on subprime mortgage foreclosures.
…
Complete article at:
http://tinyurl.com/2rqmtj (blog.aflcio.org)
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three thousand word
Tom Toles: none of the below
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20071223/ltt071223.gif
Jack Ohman: I didn’t realize it had been up for sale …
http://images.ucomics.com/comics/tmjoh/2007/tmjoh071220.gif
Tom the Dancing Bug: behind the scenes at news of the times
Sunday December 23, 2007 – People who don’t like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn’t have such funny beliefs
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007Military Evangelism Deeper, Wider Than First Thought
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122107J.shtml
Truthout’s Jason Leopold reports, “For US Army soldiers entering basic training at Fort Jackson Army base in Columbia, South Carolina, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior appears to be as much a part of the nine-week regimen as the vigorous physical and mental exercises the troops must endure.”
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9-YEAR-OLD BANNED FROM CHRISTMAS PARTY “BECAUSE HE DIDN’T BELIEVE IN JESUS”
By Paddy, Cliff Schecter’s Blog
Sounds like someone got a bug in their saddle over the fact the family was “non-religious” and decided to be a Grinch.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/71410/
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Americans United Urges Government Officials To Remember Constitution When Erecting Holiday Displays
December 19, 2007
Church-State Watchdog Group Tells Local Officials That Christmas And The Constitution Can Co-Exist
Public officials should avoid using the holiday season to promote one religion over others, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Because of pressure from Religious Right groups and their allies, some communities nationwide are displaying religious symbols improperly at government buildings and other public property.
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said that government officials can recognize the holiday season without trampling the U.S. Constitution.
“Christmas and the Constitution can easily co-exist,” Lynn said. “We are simply urging government officials to follow the law, which bars government from promoting one religious faith over others.”
“If officials decide to put up holiday decorations at Christmas, they must do so in a way that does not give government support to Christianity,” he continued. “America is an incredibly diverse nation, and government should never send the message that one faith is the officially preferred one.”
Lynn noted, “The federal courts have held that nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus may not be displayed on public property in a way that appears to give government approval to Christianity. What is so complicated about that?”
Americans United has received complaints from coast to coast regarding displays on government property that are clearly more suited for a house of worship than city hall.
For example, Macon County, N.C., officials have featured on their county courthouse lawn a large, illuminated nativity scene. No other holiday decorations accompany the display.
In a Dec. 6 letter to county commissioners, Americans United urged that the religious display be removed or that secular items be added. Citing federal court precedent, Americans United noted that it is “impermissible to erect a display in which religious elements predominate or that otherwise communicates a message of governmental endorsement of religion.”
Americans United has also urged other localities to correct or remove their religiously themed holiday displays.
Those incidents include:
Webster, Mass., officials own and display a nativity scene on public property near town hall. Americans United has urged city officials to remove the display.
Exmore, Va., owns and displays a nativity scene on public property at an intersection of Lincoln and Main Streets. The city also illuminates the religious symbol in the evenings. Americans United has called on the city to remove the display.
Dallas, Ga., displays a crèche in a city triangle two blocks from city hall and across the street from First Baptist Church. “Given the size, visibility, and isolation of the crèche, and the fact that the crèche is both owned and erected by the city,” many citizens will view the display as city endorsement of a religion, Americans United wrote to Dallas officials, urging them to stop using city resources to promote religion.
Menominee, Mich., has in the past erected a nativity scene alone in a public park. Americans United advised city officials that they may “display a religious symbol only when it appears among other items that, together, communicate a secular message.”
DeFuniak Springs, Fla., has displayed an illuminated crèche on the courthouse lawn. Responding to complaints, Americans United wrote to the county officials urging them to avoid erecting an unconstitutional display this year.
Olean, N.Y., has allowed a private group to install a nativity scene in front of the Olean Municipal Building. Americans United urged the city council to remove the constitutionally suspect religious display.
Columbiana, Ala., ordered city workers to install a city-owned nativity scene on public property in early December. Americans United has warned city officials that the display is unconstitutional.
From: Americans United for Separation of Church and State www.au.org
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
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Continued Display Of Nativity Scene Is Unconstitutional, Americans United Tells Green Bay Officials
December 20, 2007
Watchdog Group Urges Removal Of Religious Symbol From City Hall
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged officials in Green Bay, Wisc., to remove a nativity scene from government property.
The display, Americans United points out, amounts to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by government. Although officials in the city initially allowed other religious symbols to be displayed on an overhang of the city hall, they have since voted to allow only the nativity scene to remain with several council members expressing the belief that the city should be able to endorse the religious aspects of Christmas.
“There are several courses Green Bay officials could have taken to resolve this matter,” said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Unfortunately, they rejected them all and chose to go down an unconstitutional path.”
AU’s letter, written by Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan, Assistant Legal Director Richard B. Katskee and Litigation Counsel Aram A. Schvey, cites U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal court precedent to buttress its claim that the religious display is unconstitutional.
“Placing a nativity scene above the entrance to Green Bay’s City Hall sends a strong, unequivocal message to those entering the building that the City favors and aligns itself with Christians, to the exclusion of those who adhere to different faiths,” reads the letter.
The letter notes that Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt recently told National Public Radio that he would not allow other religious groups to erect symbols at city hall. Schmitt said it was his job to “put together a display that reflects what our community is looking for, and . . . I believe that this is what represents the Christmas holiday in the City of Green Bay.”
The letter rejects the city’s argument that the display is permissible because there are secular Christmas decorations elsewhere around the building. It cites a ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Wisconsin, rejecting a similar argument in Chicago.
Lynn said the city would do best to start from scratch.
“The city needs to remove the nativity scene and begin working toward a new holiday display policy for next year that is in line with the commands of the Constitution,” he said.
From: Americans United for Separation of Church and State www.au.org
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
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Post columnist compares ‘Christianized’ GOP to hypocrisy of KKK
Jason Rhyne
Wednesday December 19, 2007
The GOP’s clamor to identify itself as a party of Christian piety has failed to include some key elements of the faith — namely Christian principles, according to a Washington Post columnist who says modern Republicans recall the hypocrisy of the Ku Klux Klan.
“As Christians across the world prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it’s a fitting moment to contemplate the mountain of moral, and mortal, hypocrisy that is our Christianized Republican Party,” writes the Post’s Harold Meyerson, who is also executive editor of The American Prospect. “My concern isn’t the rift that has opened between Republican political practice and the vision of the nation’s Founders…it’s the gap between the teaching of the Gospels and the preachings of the Gospel’s Own Party that has widened past the point of absurdity…”
That gap, according to Meyerson, is particularly visible when it comes to GOP stances on torture.
“Virtually the entire Republican House delegation opposed the ban on waterboarding,” he writes. “Among the Republican presidential candidates, only Huckabee and the not-very-religious John McCain have come out against torture, while only libertarian Ron Paul has questioned the doctrine of preemptive war.”
But the columnist says that the issue of illegal immigration most profoundly highlights what he believes is a vast disconnect between Republicans’ proclaimed faith and their real-world policy positions.
“The Bible isn’t big on immigrant documentation,” he continues. “‘Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him,’ Exodus says the Lord told Moses on Mount Sinai, ‘for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’”
…
Complete article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/18/AR2007121801634.html?nav=hcmodule
From: http://rawstory.com/
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Abortion isn’t a religious issue
Evangelicals are adamant, but religion really has nothing to say about the issue.
By Garry Wills
November 4, 2007
What makes opposition to abortion the issue it is for each of the GOP presidential candidates is the fact that it is the ultimate “wedge issue” — it is nonnegotiable. The right-to-life people hold that it is as strong a point of religion as any can be. It is religious because the Sixth Commandment (or the Fifth by Catholic count) says, “Thou shalt not kill.” For evangelical Christians, in general, abortion is murder. That is why what others think, what polls say, what looks practical does not matter for them. One must oppose murder, however much rancor or controversy may ensue.
But is abortion murder? Most people think not. Evangelicals may argue that most people in Germany thought it was all right to kill Jews. But the parallel is not valid. Killing Jews was killing persons. It is not demonstrable that killing fetuses is killing persons. Not even evangelicals act as if it were. If so, a woman seeking an abortion would be the most culpable person. She is killing her own child. But the evangelical community does not call for her execution.
About 10% of evangelicals, according to polls, allow for abortion in the case of rape or incest. But the circumstances of conception should not change the nature of the thing conceived. If it is a human person, killing it is punishing it for something it had nothing to do with. We do not kill people because they had a criminal parent.
…
Complete article at:
Garry Wills is the author of numerous books, most recently “Head and Heart: American Christianities,” from which this article is adapted.
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It’s all in how you read it
By Ed Quillen
Denver Post columnist
12/17/2007
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, providing that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States,” has been in effect since 1789. But the news apparently hasn’t reached the Republican presidential candidates as they hustle for votes in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Their efforts to appeal to “values voters” by proclaiming their faith and piety can be rather confusing, though, especially if one is not familiar with modern Republican interpretations of the New Testament.
For instance, there is the well-known statement in Matthew 19:24, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
There’s the obvious traditional interpretation that avarice might well keep one out of Heaven. But a good GOP spinmeister could point out that there’s no need for a rich guy to “enter into the kingdom of God” because as one of the blessed (as evidenced by his wealth), he must already be inside the kingdom, and thus has no need to enter it. Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether a lumbering dromedary will fit through a hole made for thread; that’s a distraction from the real point of the saying.
Or consider the account of Jesus healing the leper in Mark 1:40-43. The leper came forth, knelt and asked to be cured. “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him and saith unto him, ‘I will; be thou clean.’ And
…
Complete article at:
http://www.denverpost.com/quillen/ci_7744715
Ed Quillen (ed@cozine.com) is a freelance writer, history buff, publisher of Colorado Central Magazine in Salida and frequent contributor to The Post
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Preacher guilty in sex abuse … and more
The Oregonian – OregonLive.com – Portland,OR,USA
A 32-year-old Portland street preacher known for haranguing passers-by about their souls will spend more than five years in prison for having sex with a …
http://tinyurl.com/yplgyl (www.oregonlive.com)
Minister faces sex assault charges
Toronto Star – Ontario, Canada
A Toronto minister is charged with two counts of sexual assault linked to alleged incidents at his small north-end Toronto church. …
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/284484
Woman sues Stockton diocese over alleged priest sex abuse
San Jose Mercury News – CA, USA
A 43-year-old woman has filed suit against the Diocese of Stockton, claiming a former Catholic priest defrocked for sexual abuse molested her.
…
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7761082
Alleged sex abuse victims sue Kansas City diocese
Blue Springs Examiner – MO, USA
By Toriano L. Porter toriano.porter@examiner.net
Two victims of alleged sex abuse by a former Roman Catholic priest have filed lawsuits against
the priest …
http://www.examiner.net/stories/122107/new_227636103.shtml
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three thousand words
Chuck Asay: it’s a good thing god didn’t wait until today …
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/ASAYC/2007/ASAYC20071217_low.jpg
Chris Harding: An atheist, damned to hell
http://www.wetherobots.com/comics/2007-12-19-Atheist.jpg
Mike Luckovich: is that mike huckabee?
http://www.ajc.com/shared-blogs/ajc/luckovich/luckovich1219.jpg
Saturday December 22, 2007 – Obviously crime pays, or there’d be no crime. – G. Gordon Liddy
Saturday, December 22nd, 2007Yahoo Launches Dashboard For 2008 Elections
http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008
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Beck: Environmentalists “took the wolves out of Yellowstone Park,” “absolutely hate people”
Glenn Beck guest host Joe Pagliarulo described an Australian professor’s proposal as “a baby tax to help save the planet,” about which Beck said: “[A] lot of these environmentalists absolutely hate people.” Beck also claimed that “it’s these same kind of environmentalists that took the wolves out of Yellowstone Park.” In fact, the gray wolf population in Yellowstone National Park was eradicated in the late 1800s and early 1900s by federally funded predator-elimination programs.
Read more
http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200712200005?src=other
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Here’s a scary thought:
Dec. 20, 2007
Rupert Murdoch and Fox News could gain a stranglehold on the news you get from your local TV stations and newspapers. The Federal Communications Commission reversed a long-standing ban against a single corporation owning both a broadcast and newspaper operation in the nation’s 20 biggest media markets. The ruling means far less competition and less content diversity. Says Tom Carpenter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists: “As the ownership rules are relaxed, we will see even further consolidation and editorial control by just a few corporations.” And we can trust the Murdoch’s of the world to give us the news straight, can’t we?
http://tinyurl.com/ynox4p (blog.aflcio.org)
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I Am America (And So Can Hughes?)
Source: Business for Diplomatic Action, December 10, 2007
As one of her last acts as Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Karen Hughes unveiled a new short film that will be shown in “the waiting areas of more than 200 American embassies and consulates around the world.” Titled “I am America,” the film was commissioned by the group Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), created by the Omnicom-owned ad agency GSD&M Idea City, and donated to the U.S. State Department. The State Department explains that “the idea for the film emerged from brainstorming sessions involving … Karen Hughes, her staffers and BDA. U.S. officials wanted to correct misperceptions of the United States as an unfriendly and insular place.” In addition to the video, Hughes announced “a photo book called ‘America Is’ for young people overseas; and a new America.gov website providing information for audiences around the world.” Walt Disney recently donated a similar film to the State Department, called “Welcome: Portraits of America,” which is being shown in the international arrivals areas of major U.S. airports.
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Iraq’s Kurdish leader shuns Rice
Dec 20 2007
Iraq’s Kurdish leader and other Kurd officials have refused to meet the US secretary of state to show their anger at Washington policies. Massoud Barzani refused to meet Condoleezza Rice in Baghdad on Tuesday, because of the US support for Turkey’s army in its attack against the Kurdish militia.
At:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=35668§ionid=351020201
From: CLG News
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Iraq Oil Report – ‘Pentagon report: Iraq Oil Ministry spending a little more on capital budgets, ranks production and electricity too
… New deals by 2008 for Iraq’s oil sector … Turkey’s invasion unfolds …’
A new Pentagon report says the Iraqi Oil Ministry’s ability to administer its capital budget is slowly improving, Ben Lando reports for United Press International.
The report, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,” released Tuesday by the U.S. Defense Department, said the ministry spent 36 percent, or $727 million, of its $2.4 billion capital budget through [...]
You may view the latest post at
http://tinyurl.com/2khqnl (iraqoilreport.com)
Iraq Oil Report – ‘Kurds threaten to break from coalition government in Baghdad … UNSC and IMF give another year in Iraq … The future of Basra …’
The success of the coalition government in Baghdad has always demanded a Kurdish presence, which has prevented Shiite and Sunni Arab political parties from criticizing the northern region, especially for their oil sector moves.
But lately this has changed, with political leaders claiming the Kurdistan Regional Governments oil deals need to be addressed. A hearing with
[...]
You may view the latest post at
http://tinyurl.com/3443dz (iraqoilreport.com)
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Ex-Fannie boss fingers White House –Says administration orchestrated accounting scandal that led to his downfall
20 Dec 2007
The former chief executive officer of Fannie Mae says the Bush administration helped orchestrate an accounting scandal that cost him his job and that he wants to use White House documents to defend himself in a shareholder lawsuit.
At:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/19/news/newsmakers/fannie.ap/index.htm
From: CLG News
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Obey Lost – Taxpayers Won!
After a wave of protest from CAGW and other public policy groups across the political spectrum, House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) backed down from announced plans to conceal more than 30,000 earmark requests submitted to his committee until the last minute when he and his staff would have chosen which ones to insert into un-amendable House-Senate conference reports. “Democrats promised real earmark reform, but then took the first opportunity they could to find a loophole and get back to pork-barrel business as usual,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz. “The American people are sick and tired of the bait and switch from Congress, especially when it comes to their tax dollars.”
Read more about Chairman Obey’s failed attempt to block earmark transparency.
http://tinyurl.com/2pvzt4 (www.cagw.org)
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And now for the important news ….
By Argus Hamilton
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com
Bill Clinton said Tuesday that once Hillary’s elected president she’ll send him and former President Bush around the world to repair America’s destroyed image. It was a very presumptuous thing to say. Former President Bush is not going to go around the world and apologize for his son’s foreign policy, he’s only going to Saudi Arabia.
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three thousand words
Rob Rogers: this is horrific and unacceptable …
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/RogerR/2007/RogerR20071221_low.jpg
Deb Milbrath: that’s my boy!
http://www.milbrathdraws.com/archives/2007/12/20.jpg
Jeff Danziger: Debt, Recession, Bush
http://danzigercartoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/dancart3454.jpg
Friday December 21, 2007 – “Sit down – Shut up – Listen” – Joni Beard, White Elephant Saloon
Friday, December 21st, 2007December 2007 issue of New England Economic Indicators
The December 2007 issue of New England Economic Indicators is now available on the Boston Fed’s web site:
http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/neei/neei.htm
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Beck suggested watching news story about GE bulbs on GE-owned NBC makes viewers “feel a little like Farrah Fawcett in a Lifetime movie”
After asking viewers to imagine that CNN had hyped “the new Harry Potter movie,” produced by Warner Bros., a subsidiary of CNN’s parent, Time Warner, Glenn Beck stated that viewers “should be outraged” that NBC’s Nightly News had run a segment on the long-run cost-effectiveness of LED lights without noting that NBC’s parent, General Electric, manufactures LED light bulbs. But CNN.com posted a largely positive review by Time Warner-owned Entertainment Weekly of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD that gave the movie a grade of B+. The Entertainment Weekly Goblet of Fire review noted that the Harry Potter movies are made by Warner Bros., but not that CNN, Entertainment Weekly and Warner Bros. are all owned by Time Warner.
Read more
http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200712190009?src=other
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THE MAD CORPORATE WORLD OF GLENN BECK
By Norman Solomon, AlterNet
Glenn Beck has a selective enthusiasm for the issue of “full disclosure.”
At:
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/71150/
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Turkey says U.S. intelligence led to Iraq raids
Dec 19 2007
U.S. intelligence shared with Turkey led to the weekend raids in northern Iraq on Kurdish militants, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday. “There is no doubt that this operation was possible due to, of course, the information shared by the United States of America,” Turkey’s Ambassador Nabi Sensoy told reporters.
At:
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1961029220071219
From: CLG News
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Iraq Oil Report – ‘Pentagon report: Iraq Oil Ministry spending a little more on capital budgets, ranks production and electricity too
… New deals by 2008 for Iraq’s oil sector … Turkey’s invasion unfolds …’
A new Pentagon report says the Iraqi Oil Ministry’s ability to administer its capital budget is slowly improving, Ben Lando reports for United Press International.
The report, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,” released Tuesday by the U.S. Defense Department, said the ministry spent 36 percent, or $727 million, of its $2.4 billion capital budget through [...]
You may view the latest post at
http://tinyurl.com/2khqnl (iraqoilreport.com)
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Non Peak Oil Update
December 20, 2007
by George Giles
In 2006 I wrote a little op-ed piece for Lew Rockwell about the fallacies of Peak Oil. I asserted that proven oil reserves seem to go up every year in spite of both the warnings that we are running out, and that we are consuming it at an every increasing rate. Let’s Google a little and see what the state of the reserves is at the end of 2007.
In June of 2006 I asserted: “According to oil industry sources,
http://planetforlife.com/oilcrisis/oilreserves.html the commonly accepted proven reserves are 1.226 trillion barrels of oil.” What do we find today (December of 2007)?
Radford University offers up a nice comparison of “proven resources and recoverable resources”.
http://www.radford.edu/~wkovarik/oil/2worldoil.mideast.html The high is 2272.5 billion barrels with a low of 981.4. This gives us a median of 1060, an average of 1343, a variance of 386, and standard deviation of 621. Not exactly accurate data, but these are government statistics and may be prone to some inaccuracy. I can interpret this data as either proving or disproving my assertion depending on whether we like the mean, high end of the low end. A variance of 25% of the average might be considered unsure. This is an elegant web page that even Edward Tufte would be proud of.
The Department of Energy has web data on oil reserves. One of them states that total world oil reserves at the end of 2007 is 1.317 trillion barrels of oil. I am a clear winner on this one, assuming we accept the statistics as factual.
Canada is a major producer of oil. This Canadian web site (not official) has a nice, albeit hodgepodge, compendium of statistics that can be found here.
http://www.trendlines.ca/energy.htm This site represents that Saudi Reserves could be as high as 900 billion barrels of oil which is more than half the currently accepted figure of 1.2–1.3 trillion barrels of oil. Graphics representing the difference between proven, probable and contingent resources, which hint at the fact that market forces will determine capacity as a function of price and recovery techniques.
The Oil Crisis is a Chicken Little (the sky is falling, i.e. wells are drying up) web site that advocates solar energy as a savior for civilization. This clearly demonstrates that they have no understanding of the concept of energy density. Energy density shows that fossil and nuclear (fission/fusion) are the only feasible techniques given current technology.
…
Complete article at:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/giles/giles18.html
George Giles thinks heavily, drinks heavily, and makes many heavy notes in Nashville.
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SANTA CLAUS IS CHINESE – Or – Why China Is Rising and the United States Is Declining
Lester R. Brown
I know Santa Claus is Chinese because each Christmas morning after all the gifts are unwrapped and things settle down I systematically go through the presents to see where they are made. The results are almost always the same: roughly 70 percent are from China. After some research, it seems that my one-family survey is representative of the country as a whole.
Let’s start with toys. Some 80 percent of the toys sold in the United States–from Barbie dolls to video games–are made in China. Talking toys that speak English learned the language from Chinese workers. Electronic goods–from Apple’s iPod to Microsoft’s Xbox–are made in China. Clothing–from the latest cashmere sweaters to gym suits–is also likely to have a “Made in China” label.
The Christmas tree itself may come from China. While real Christmas trees are grown in every state in the United States and are marketed locally, many families now gather around artificial Christmas trees. Eight out of every 10 artificial Christmas trees sold in the United States are made in China. Last year Americans spent over $130 million on plastic Christmas trees from China.
This year Americans will spend over $1 billion on Christmas ornaments from China. And in perhaps the greatest irony of all, even nativity scenes are made in China. Last year Americans spent more than $39 million buying nativity scenes shipped in from the East. China’s success in attracting foreign investment capital and mobilizing this huge workforce has made it the workshop of the world.
That the U.S. Christmas is made in China is a metaphor for a far deeper set of economic issues affecting the United States. Today Christmas is celebrated in both the United States and China–but for different reasons and with far different economic consequences. For the Chinese, the manufacturing bonanza means record profits, rising incomes, and, in a society where people save some 40 percent of their income, a sharp jump in savings. In the United States, Christmas shopping expenditures, headed for another record high this year, contribute to rising credit card debt and a soaring trade deficit.
…
Complete article at:
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update62.htm
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The Santa Delusion
Michael Marshall, Online Editorial Assistant
Should Santa be unmasked? It’s a long held cultural conspiracy, but one that’s still going strong. Children all around the world write letters to Santa Claus, visit his grotto, and leave a glass of milk and a mince pie beside the fire on Christmas Eve. So is it a harmless fantasy that children benefit from, or a cruel deception that encourages materialism?….
MORE
http://tinyurl.com/252hg3 (www.newscientist.com)
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Borowitz Report – Cheney Inferno Shocker
Attempting to Destroy CIA Tapes, Cheney Burns Down White House
Veep Apologizes for Accidental Inferno
The White House, one of the most historic structures in the nation’s capital, burnt to the ground today after Vice President Dick Cheney attempted to incinerate a cache of CIA interrogation tapes in his office.
According to White House aides, the blaze started shortly after twelve noon, minutes after Mr. Cheney slipped out of a cabinet meeting, saying that he had to “hit the head.”
But rather than using the bathroom as he had stated, the vice president instead went to his office and put a blowtorch to a pile of CIA interrogation tapes which the White House had feared might be subpoenaed in the near future.
“I started burning those things and boom, they went up like a rocket,” an apologetic Mr. Cheney later told reporters.
The accidental blaze quickly spread from the videotapes to a nearby stack of transcripts of phone conversations involving Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and singer Barbra Streisand that Mr. Cheney had obtained via a warantless wiretap.
“Once those transcripts caught on fire, I knew the building was a goner,” Mr. Cheney said. “There were literally thousands and thousands of pages of that stuff.”
Speaking in front of the charred remains of the historic building, administration spokesperson Dana Perino said that the White House might have been saved had it not been for an unfortunate bureaucratic mix-up: “Instead of calling the fire department, President Bush called FEMA.”
Andy with Amy Sedaris, John Oliver and Christian Finnegan – January 17
Andy hosts an all-new edition of “Next Week’s News” starring Amy Sedaris. John Oliver (The Daily Show) and Christian Finnegan (VH1’s Best Week Ever) at Comix on Thursday January 17 at 8 PM. Comix is located at 353 West 14th Street, just east of Ninth Avenue. For tickets, call 212-524-2500 or go to www.comixny.com . For a $5 discount, use the promotional code ANDY.
http://www.borowitzreport.com/
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three thouand words
Tony Auth: surprise running mate
http://img.slate.com/media/55/071219_ed.gif
Steve Benson: ask not what your country can do for you …
http://azcentral.com/sshow/News/Benson/5089_87104.jpg
Gary Varvel: huckabee 2008
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoons/VarveG/2007/VarveG20071220_low.jpg
Thursday December 20, 2007 – “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. ” – Thomas Jefferson
Thursday, December 20th, 2007BUYERS AT RISK: CHRISTMAS SEASON OF TOXIC RECALLS
By Mark Schapiro, AlterNet
Who is out there protecting Americans from these hidden hazards? Practically no one.
At:
http://www.alternet.org/stories/71031/
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Horowitz’s FrontPageMag.com yet to correct false Princeton assault story
FrontPageMag.com, the “online magazine” of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, posted an excerpt from a New York Sun article published that day detailing allegations by a Princeton University student who claimed he had been assaulted because of his conservative views. However, while the Sun updated its story to report that Nava admitted to police that “he fabricated the assault,” FrontPageMag.com has yet to acknowledge that the entire story was fabricated.
Read more
http://mediamatters.org/items/dailyemail/200712190001?src=other
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“When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.” –Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), quoting Sinclair Lewis regarding Mike Huckabee’s subliminal ‘floating cross’ ad entitled, ‘What really matters.,’ on Fox & Friends 18 Dec 2007 (video)
At:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrkltetQ0x4
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Congressman Ron Paul’s Texas Straight Talk
The Importance of Fiscal Responsibility in Government
“We are at a crucial point in history right now. We must think very carefully about our next moves. There is coming a time, if we continue on this path, when all that our tax dollars and government revenues will be able to do is pay interest on the mountain of debt we have compiled in the past few decades. That will mean no government programs or services of any kind will be funded, yet future generations of Americans will still struggle under a crushing tax burden with nothing to show for it. That is why fiscal restraint and common sense with the budget are so vitally important in government.”
Click here for the full article: http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst121607.htm
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Christians Divided: What Will Resolve The Conflict?
December 14, 2007
By Joseph J. Adamson
This piece of Adamson’s message settles the conflict between right-wing “conservative Christians,” as opposed to liberal progressive Christians who understand that the core teaching of the Christ Jesus are universal and common to all religions. And his web page, which contains this piece, reminds us that the leading Founding Fathers of America were Deists who called for religious pluralism.
…
Complete article at:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_joseph_j_071212_christians_divided_3a_.htm
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FOX News Becomes Almost Silent As Violence Escalates All Across Iraq
By Bill Corcoran
Dec 16 2007
FOX News has fallen back into their pre-”surge” days when finding news about the Iraq war was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. A few months back, the “surge” started to show signs of improving conditions in Iraq and suddenly FOX News discovered there really was a war going on in Iraq. However, in the past week the violence has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, thus making arguments about the “success” of the Bush policies harder to justify. Some might even say there has been a news blackout on the Iraq war at FOX News, except for a few mentions…
At:
http://tinyurl.com/ypxd5y (www.newshounds.us)
From: CLG News
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Iraq Oil Report – ‘No deals yet in Baghdad oil meetings with Iraqi Kurds … ‘
No agreements have been reached yet in ongoing meetings between top ministers of the Iraqi national and Kurdistan regional governments, the top spokesman for the Iraqi government told United Press International.
”We stand on the same situation that all the oil contracts need to be
[...]
You may view the latest post at
http://tinyurl.com/38byxm (iraqoilreport.com)
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Peak Soil + Peak Oil = Peak Spoils
In the name of moving “beyond petroleum,” Big Oil, Gene Giants, governments, start-ups and others are forming partnerships that will extend corporate control over more resources in every part of the globe – while keeping the root causes of climate change intact. With grudging recognition that first-generation agrofuels are neither economical nor ecological, investors turn to other life-based technologies, including synthetic biology, for the next alternative fuel fix.
Go here to view the full 14-page report: http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=668
From: ETC Group www.etcgroup.org
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House Poised to Pass FOIA Reform Bill; Measure Cleared Senate December 14
House Poised to Pass FOIA Reform Bill; Measure Cleared Senate December 14
Bill Provides “Common Sense” Solutions for Openness Problems:
Penalties for Delays, Tracking Systems for Requests,
Ombuds-style Office to Mediate Disputes, Better Agency Reporting
Reforms Recommended by Archive Audits and Testimony
For more information contact:
Thomas Blanton / Meredith Fuchs / Kristin Adair: 202/994-7000
Washington, DC, December 18, 2007 – The House of Representatives will vote today on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reform bill (S. 2488) that passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 14. The bill aims to fix some of the most persistent problems in the FOIA system, including excessive delay, lack of responsiveness, and litigation gamesmanship by federal agencies. If passed by the House today, it will be sent to the President’s desk for approval.
“Our six government-wide audits of FOIA performance show that these bipartisan changes to the Freedom of Information Act are common sense solutions,” remarked Meredith Fuchs, general counsel of the National Security Archive. “This bill establishes tracking systems for FOIA requests like FedEx uses for packages, actually penalizes agencies for the first time for delays that our audits found could reach 20 years, and sets up an office to mediate disputes as an alternative to litigation.”
The bill in front of the House today represents a bipartisan effort that has stretched over several years, spearheaded by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and John Cornyn (R-TX), the original co-sponsors of the OPEN Government Act of 2007, Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), and Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA). Efforts to amend the FOIA have faced stumbling blocks in part because of strong administration opposition to passage of earlier versions of this FOIA reform bill in both the House and the Senate.
“This is the bill that President Bush wrote an executive order to try to prevent,” said Tom Blanton, director of the Archive, referring to E.O. 13392 (December 14, 2005), which called for a “citizen-centered and results-oriented approach” to FOIA, established Chief FOIA Officers at each of 92 major agencies, and required agencies to evaluate their FOIA programs and draft improvement plans.
The new law would mandate tracking numbers for FOIA requests that take longer than 10 days to process to ensure they will no longer fall through the cracks, require agencies to report more accurately to Congress and the public on their FOIA programs, create a new ombuds office at the National Archives to mediate conflicts between agencies and requesters, clarify the purpose of FOIA to encourage dissemination of government information, and provide incentives to agencies to avoid litigation and processing delays.
“Congress is acting to improve the FOIA for the first time in more than a decade, since the electronic FOIA amendments of 1996, but Congressional and public oversight will be essential for the law’s success,” Blanton noted. “Our Knight Open Government Survey in 2007 found that only one in five federal agencies fully complied with the 1996 law, even after 10 years of implementation.”
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three thousand words
Tom Tomorrow: The Trouble with Hillary
http://action.credomobile.com/comics/2007/12/the_trouble_with_hillary.html
Jim Morin: golly, we don’t want to be known as a do-nothing congress!
http://img.slate.com/media/52/071218_ed.gif
Mike Keefe: Guns to Sociopaths
