From Negatives to Positives

Discovery in News archives leads to publication of unseen photographs tracing progress of civil rights movement through Birmingham

Hundreds of photos from that era were lost, sold, stolen or stored in archives. Some of those pictures appear today for the first time in the newspaper, in an eight-page special section titled "Unseen. Unforgotten."
The section is the result of research by Alexander Cohn, a 30-year-old former photo intern at The News. In November 2004, Cohn went through an equipment closet at the newspaper in search of a lens and saw a cardboard box full of negatives marked, "Keep. Do Not Sell." Photos found here

A Story Straight from the Film 'The Burbs'

The NYTimes:A Haunted House, Clinging to Secrets

The husband was German and the wife stayed in most of the time, she said. She could not recall the family name. One of the sons, who appeared to be mentally handicapped, was friendly and waved when he walked to the corner store for cigarettes, she said.

Wow, what a well liked President we have!

Thousands to protect Bush on first India visit

About 5,000 personnel including snipers, commandos and U.S. marines using helicopters, bomb detectors and electronic jammers will protect President George W. Bush during his visit to India this week, officials said on Monday.

Dirty Delay Aides Back to Old Tricks

Texas Nonprofit Is Cleared After GOP-Prompted Audit

This audit was political retaliation by Tom DeLay's cronies to intimidate us for blowing the whistle on DeLay's abuses," McDonald said. "Enlisting the IRS to intimidate critics is a dirty trick reminiscent of Richard Nixon.

American gulag

Torture, force-feeding and darkness at noon -- this is Guantanamo, a lawyer for prisoners says.

THE AMERICAN PRISON CAMP at Guantanamo Bay is on the southeast corner of Cuba, a sliver of land the United States has occupied since 1903. Long ago, it was irrigated from lakes on the other side of the island, but Cuban President Fidel Castro cut off the water supply years ago. Continue reading here...

It's the Corporation, Stupid

By Molly Ivins

The government is willing to outsource American jobs for the holy grail of free trade. Why is it surprising that national security is ditto? So, aside from the fact that it's politically idiotic and at least theoretically presents a national security risk, just what is wrong with the Dubai Ports deal? Continue reading here...

Ike Saw It Coming

By Bob Herbert

Early in the documentary film "Why We Fight," Wilton Sekzer, a retired New York City police officer whose son was killed in the World Trade Center attack, describes his personal feelings in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11. Continue reading here...

What the Right has Created

Iraq warns of risk of endless civil war
Iraq's defence minister warned of the risk of an endless "civil war" as sectarian violence flared again on Saturday, killing over 40, and Sunni and Shi'ite leaders met to try to halt four days of bloodshed. Related: Vehicle bomb rocks Iraqi city
More Carnage: Two US soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Baghdad
Car bomb explosion wounds four in Kashmiri city

Government Sponsored Homophobia

More nice work from the Tennessee Guerilla Women

But bigotry is all the rage in the USA. Ballot measures against same-sex marriage will appear on ballots this year in Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Idaho and South Dakota. Also check out... Underground Railroad to Abortion Services

Where faith, work meet

It's 6:30 a.m. at the Fridley headquarters of Medtronic Inc., and a small cluster of employees is gathering in a spare conference room to praise their leader. It's not CEO Art Collins. Palms upraised and eyes closed, the workers sit in silent adoration around a conference table as religious music plays on a laptop computer. One member suddenly drops to his knees in rapt devotion.

17 Arrested at Florida Neo-Nazi Rally

None however were the neo-nazis pigs
Fistfights broke out and police made 17 arrests Saturday at a neo-Nazi rally and march through a predominantly black neighborhood. In khaki uniforms, tall black boots and red arm patches bearing swastikas

If “by their fruits…..”

By John R. Bomar

Can anyone doubt that the war in Iraq has proved to be Osama bin Laden’s sweetest dream come true? In his book on the run up to war, Richard Clarke, the counter-terrorism czar at the White House, immediately recognized this potential risk of an Iraq invasion. Continue reading here...

FBI to Gitmo: Hostile Interrogations Risky

FBI officials, whose names were blacked out, indicated that senior military officials, including former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, were aware of and in some cases had approved of putting hoods on prisoners, threatening them with violence and subjecting them to humiliating treatment. A spokeswoman for Wolfowitz, now president of the World Bank, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Rumsfeld Plagiarizes Orwell!

War in the Information Age
An opinion piece written by Rumsfeld from The LA Times

Our nation is engaged in what promises to be a long struggle in the global war on terror. In this war, some of the most critical battles may not be in the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq but in newsrooms in New York, London, Cairo and elsewhere. Although the enemy is increasingly skillful at manipulating the media and using the tools of communications to its advantage, it should be noted that we have an advantage as well. And that is, quite simply, that truth is on our side. Ultimately, the truth wins out.

Separate Oil And State!

Click on image for video
















Hat tip to my buddy The Sedition Edition for another disturbing find that the Right Wing Christo-Fascist Zombie Brigade will make fun of.

Bush's Mysterious 'New Programs'

By Nat Parry from Consortium News

Not that George W. Bush needs much encouragement, but Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a new target for the administration's domestic operations - Fifth Columnists, supposedly disloyal Americans who sympathize and collaborate with the enemy. Continue reading here...

Pentagon: Opposing ports deal means the terrorists win

Dozens of bodies discovered in Baghdad

Thank you George Bush, and Right wingers, you're responsible for this crap!

The bodies were found riddled with bullets as fears grew that the country was sliding into civil war after the attack yesterday which destroyed the golden dome on the al-Askari shrine, one of Shia Islam's most revered sites. Police and army officials said the bodies of 31 men were found at eight sites in the capital, predominantly in Shia areas. Most had their hands bound, and they had had all been shot.
More Blood on Bush's Hands: Four U.S. Soldiers Killed North Of Baghdad

Freeway Blogger

The Baby in the Gym Bag
"I was in Nasariyah and a couple came up to me on the street asking for help. They were carrying a large gym bag, an 'Adidas' bag, with their daughter inside." The city was in chaos, and they came up to me, I suppose, because I was a westerner and they thought I could help them.

Google News: I Love Dick

Blast Destroys Golden Dome

Insurgents dressed as police commandos detonated powerful explosives on Wednesday morning inside one of Shiite Islam’s most sacred shrines, destroying most of the building, located in the volatile town of Samarra, and prompting thousands of Shiites to flood into streets across the country in protest. Shiites protestors took to the streets shortly after the explosion. In Baghdad, militiamen loyal to radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who is a fervent believer in the prophecy of the Imam Mahdi, drove through the streets of Sadr City with Kalashnikovs, many accusing the Americans of carrying out the attack.
AP:Mosque Attack Pushes Iraq Toward Civil War

Bush Threatens to Veto! Would Be First!

I am trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, 'We'll treat you fairly." Fairly? Hello! Iraq War anyone!
Car Bomb in Iraq Kills 22, Injures 28
I guess this is fair isn't it Bush. You PIG!
President's aides tied to Arab firm in deal
Bush Shrugs Off Objections to Port Deal
This is not a race issue. Do not let them turn it into that. Some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used the United Arab Emirates as an operational and financial base.
Corporate Control of Ports is the Problem By John Nichols
The Dirty Little Secret Behind the UAE Port Security Flap From David Sirota

Ugly World

Troops to train at 'Little Fallujah,' USA

Olive Group, a British firm that supplies personnel and combat training for armies and corporations in the world’s scariest hot spots, plans to open the first three blocks of its mock city this summer.
“It’s been a major growth industry since 9 / 11,” Mason said. Burning cars and role players wearing Middle Eastern garb will animate the set. Olive recently won its first U. S. government contract — as a subcontractor to Bechtel Corp. providing security along the Gulf Coast.

Plan for ID Cards Drawing Criticism

Privacy advocates are particularly concerned about one option being considered, Radio Frequency Identification Technology, in which an embedded microchip contains information that can be read with a scanner. The government's planned use of the chips on U.S. passports, scheduled to start by the end of the year, has prompted a swell of panic from business travelers. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Tax Reform, American Conservative Union, National Lawyers Guild, Gun Owners of America and others sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security speaking against using it.

Bush:"I truly am not that concerned about him"

Bin Laden Vows Never to Be Captured Alive

Osama bin Laden promised never to be captured alive and declared the United States had resorted to the same "barbaric" tactics used by Saddam Hussein. Video:Bush Mishaps Hat tip to Not A Sheep

Enlisting opposition

Anti-war activists visit schools
Since last spring, Elizabeth Frank has carried her anti-war crusade to the hallways of several northwest suburban high schools. Once a month she sets up a table in the commons stacked with pamphlets and decorated with a shocking pink sign that reads: "Do You Know Enough to Enlist?"
Most of the kids in this article sound awful

The Torturers Win

By Bob Herbert

Justice? Surely you jest.
Terrible things were done to Maher Arar, and his extreme suffering was set in motion by the United States government. With the awful facts of his case carefully documented, he tried to sue for damages. But last week a federal judge waved the facts aside and told Mr. Arar, in effect, to get lost. Continue reading here...

Tapping Fears of Big Business

From The New York Times

Mr. Perkins's core message is that American corporations and government agencies employ two types of operatives: "economic hit men," who bribe emerging economies, and "jackals," who may be used to overthrow or even murder heads of state in Latin America and the Middle East to serve the greater cause of American empire. If you haven't read this book, I suggest that you do.

Advise and Assent

An LA Times Editorial

That The UNITED STATES Senate has a body called the Intelligence Committee is an irony George Orwell would have truly appreciated. In a world without Doublespeak, the panel, chaired by GOP Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, would be known by a more appropriate name—the Senate Coverup Committee. Continue reading here...

The Mensch Gap

By Paul Krugman

"Be a mensch," my parents told me. Literally, a mensch is a person. But by implication, a mensch is an upstanding person who takes responsibility for his actions.
The people now running America aren't mensches. Continue reading here...

'Little Red Wagons' by Pitchfork aka The Era

Taking a break from revealing the wreckage of our state. This song I wrote sometime ago could be related to what is happening now in some poetic way. The theft of our country, the dark alleys that are still the paths taken by our leaders in our names to create chaos through out the world and so on. The fact is, it's based upon a true event in my life when some older kid threatened to beat me up or he would steal my little red wagon. Click title to listen.

China's Cyberdissidents and the Yahoos at Yahoo

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Suppose that Anne Frank had maintained an e-mail account while in hiding in 1944, and that the Nazis had asked Yahoo for cooperation in tracking her down. It seems, based on Yahoo's behavior in China, that it might have complied.
Continue reading here...

War Profiteers

From The Washington Post:The Other Americans in Iraq
When Americans think about Iraq they tend to focus on the 137,000 U.S. troops here. But there also are 944 Defense Department civilian employees working in the country. They generally are older than the troops, with many grandparents among them, and seem to be glad they are here. "They called me 'Grambo,' " she said with a grin. Not everyone wants to be here. "It's a hellhole," said Jim Lamontagne. "Our accommodations are so nice," said John Burk. Those interviewed agreed that their biggest point of unhappiness is taxes. "If we were contractors, we would probably make $40,000 to $60,000 more," York said.
Related:Bombs, Gunmen Kill More Than 20 in Iraq
Americans Take a Stand: U.S. Church Alliance Denounces Iraq War

Compassion for Cheney as Victim Heads Home

What the Hell? Who Writes this Crap? From the NY Times:
the 78-year-old man who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney at a weekend quail hunt emerged from the hospital here Friday looking tanned, cheery, robust and speckled with bruises. "Huh? Tanned, speckled with bruises?" Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and gold tie, with only a few scratches and purplish blotches visible above his crisp collar, Mr. Whittington walked out of the hospital and spoke for slightly more than three minutes, taking no questions. "Alright, Rick Lyman & Kirk Johnson, thanks for the obvious misinformation."

The Lone Patriot

Russ Feingold, the only person in the Senate to vote against the Patriot Act
Feingold's courage needs to be honored, not by celebrating him as a brave loner, but by following his leadership. Legislators of both parties need to preserve our liberties, despite ominous claims of permanent war and unchecked power. If not, God save the Republic.

US Says has "Inoculation" Strategy to Curb Chavez

In what Rice termed an ``inoculation'' strategy, Rice said she had sought support from Europe and other Latin American nations to highlight U.S. charges that the populist Chavez abuses his power to target political opponents and business leaders.
in·oc·u·la·tion (ĭ-nŏk'yə-lā'shən) pronunciation
n. 1 The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease.
pop·u·list (pŏp'yə-lĭst) pronunciation
n. A supporter of the rights and power of the people.
adj. Of or relating to populism or its advocates: a populist aversion to business monopolies.
Related:Lawmakers Seek Info on Cheap Venezuela Oil
Update:Chavez warns US on oil after Rice remarks. Be careful Senor, the Right wingers love assassinations. They've been doing it in South America for years! Need I remind you of the Right wing religious nut job Pat Robertson calling for this exact act!

The Lord of War

Pay Close Attention to When Rummy Goes Overseas
Rumsfeld Visits Algeria:Pentagon officials admitted that arms sales were a possibility. Tunisia:Donald Rumsfeld and leaders of Tunisia pledged Saturday to build closer military ties to help combat Islamic extremism. Morocco:A strong military-to-military relationship between our two countries.
Update: Rumsfeld says US 'losing media war to al-Qaeda'
That's okay Rummy, we got 'em beat in the arms race don't we!

Democrats plan bill to block Dubai-US port deal

Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Hillary Clinton of New York said they would offer a measure to ban companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from acquiring U.S. port operations. Money for the September 11 attacks was wired through the UAE's banking system, according to U.S. officials. Two of the September 11 hijackers were UAE citizens.

Hackett Betrayed by an Old Boy Network!

The political novice withdrew under intense pressure from party leaders in Washington, clearing the field for Rep. Sherrod Brown -- a 30-year veteran of Democratic politics with more than $2.5 million in the bank. Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer act as if being in the Senate is like being in some Private Old Boys Club! I guess you aren't elected, you're invited!Screw the DLC!
Update:Economic sabotage, whisper campaigns, and threats: How the Democrats took Paul Hackett out.
Another betrayal...Thoughts from the Weed Garden

New Yorker, Suffering Memory Loss, Is Found in Chicago

Raymond Power Jr. stepped out of his life some time on Aug. 1, 2005, the last day he awoke in Westchester County as a lawyer and New Rochelle resident, a 57-year-old husband and father of two, a Boy Scout leader and churchgoer.

Some Are Enlightened: Thank You Jill

Wis. Referendums Call for Troop Withdrawal
Peace activist Jill Bussiere wants the United States to bring its troops home from Iraq immediately, so she went door-to-door in this community in the hopes of getting others to join her cause.

Era News Briefs

UnAmerican Ways: US Attacks UN Guantanamo Report
More UnAmerican Ways: Patriot Act Moves Closer to Renewal
Bullshit Gets Thick: Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales signaled the administration will sharply limit the testimony of former attorney general John D. Ashcroft and former deputy attorney general James B. Comey
Lunatics in Charge: NASA 'Pressured During '04 Campaign'

Iraq 'Death Squad Caught in Act'

Iraq has launched an investigation into claims by the US military that an Iraqi interior ministry "death squad" has been targeting Sunni Arab Iraqis. Hundreds of Sunni Arab Iraqis have been found dead since the 2003 war in what appear to have been extra-judicial killings. On Wednesday, the bodies of four unidentified men were found in Baghdad's Shia district of Shula. They had been handcuffed, blindfolded and shot in the head.

White House Defends Port Sale to UAE

The Bush administration on Thursday rebuffed criticism about potential security risks of a $6.8 billion sale that gives a company in the United Arab Emirates control over significant operations at six major American ports. Critics have cited the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Cheney Says He Can Declassify Secrets

Vice President Dick Cheney says he has the power to declassify government secrets, raising the possibility that he authorized his former chief of staff to pass along sensitive prewar data on Iraq to reporters.Cheney on Scooter:"He is a great guy. I worked with him for a long time. I have tremendous regard for him." The Law on Scooter: Libby was indicted last October on five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about how he learned of Plame's identity and what he told reporters about it.

Thoughts On National Security

From The Weed-Garden

Liberals are criticizing the president's warrantless wiretapping, most of which, they say, involves scrutinizing innocent people. But isn't it true that in order to find the real terrorists you "have to go down some blind alleys to find the tips that pay off"? Clearly, the Fourth Amendment is outdated. Continue reading here...

Rice Wants $85 mln for Democracy in Iran

The Bush administration, frustrated by Iranian defiance over its nuclear program, proposed Wednesday to spend $85 million to promote political change inside Iran by subsidizing dissident groups, unions, student fellowships and television and radio broadcasts. I think the Bush administration better stop trying to spread Democracy. Their track record sucks!

Turning the Corner, The Last Throes, Finishing Well

Bomb kills 4 children going to school in Baghdad as violence continues in Iraq

A bomb exploded in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing three girls and a boy on their way to school as violence targeted all walks of life in the capital. Nearly 20 people were killed in car bombings and shootings elsewhere. Related: Five Anti-War ‘Raging Grannies’ Arrested at Enlistment Office

Pigs in Power

Lobbyist Billed Malaysia $1.2 Million for Bush Invite
When the government of Malaysia sought to repair its tarnished image in the U.S. by arranging a meeting between President Bush and its controversial prime minister in 2002, it followed the same strategy as many other well-heeled interests in Washington: It called on lobbyist Jack Abramoff for help. In May 2002, Mahathir met with Bush in the Oval Office; his photograph with the president was beamed around the world. Abramoff received $1.2 million from the Malaysian government for his lobbying services in 2001 and 2002.

Era News Briefs

Giving into Oppression: U.S. Web Companies Defend China Policies
More Corporatocracy: U.S. Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies
The White House Jokes: Man Cheney shot has heart attack
Sickness of the mind: Virtual Reality Prepares Soldiers for Real War
US Needs More War! Army Accepting More Recruits With Criminal, Drug Histories

The Time Is Now!

Peace is what we need now. We are suppose to be entering into a new era of enlightenment but all around us there is war and oppression. Who benefits from this? I'll tell you who, large corporations like Bechtel, Enron, Haliburton, Chevron, Shell, Kellog Brown and Root, Generel Electric, Boeing, and The Carlyle Group. The list can go on and on and on. Wake up people. It's time to take our country and world back!
Click on title to see video. Hat tip to my buddy Sedition Edition for the video.

Was Cheney Tanked?

Was Cheney tanked when he shot a 78 year-old man instead of a bird? What other reason could there be for the VP to lay low for so long? From The Tennessee Guerilla Women
Related: VP Cheney seemed not to know basic safety rule taught to 12 yr. olds.

United Arab Emirates Firm May Oversee 6 U.S. Ports
Are you reading this America?
A company in the United Arab Emirates is poised to take over significant operations at six American ports as part of a corporate sale, leaving a country with ties to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers with influence over a maritime industry considered vulnerable to terrorism.

Sent on a Fools Mission

By John R. Bomar
Imagine being on foot patrol half a world away in a land where no one understands your language and everyone is by necessity a suspicious character capable of killing you. Are they friendly Shia or hostile? Insurgent Sunni or friendly Kurd?
Continue reading here...

Listen to a special audio reading of this article by The Era.

FEMA Trailers Sit Idle 450 Miles Away

Today, Hope has 10,777 wide-bodied mobile homes sitting empty at Hope Municipal Airport, a sprawling former military base. FEMA says it has been stymied by federal regulations, such as one forbidding trailers to be on flood planes -- which rules out much of the area hit by Katrina -- and by local officials in Louisiana.

Machine Gun

Where is everyone when a war is so blatantly unjust? The information is there in our newspapers and people refuse to read or listen. This is not the America I know and it's definitely NOT the American I intend to be! Click the title to listen to Jimi Hendrix & The Band of Gypsys "Machine Gun" from new years eve 1969.
Hat tip to my buddy Sedition Edition for the Rumsfeld audio clips...

UK Troops Filmed Abusing Iraqi Youth

The News of the World Newspaper said the scenes, which lasted about two minutes, were videotaped by a corporal "for fun," apparently from a nearby rooftop. On the tape, the youths' pleas for mercy are ignored. The beatings include what appears to be a British soldier kicking one of the youths, shown pinned to the ground by other soldiers, in the genitals. In another case, a soldier puts a boy in a headlock, then releases him only to butt his head against the boy's, then strike his fist on the boy's head. The youth's cries can be heard on the tape.
*The photo is not from the video. I just saw the video on CNN international and it's awful. They are just kids! Our militaries are teaching Iraqis at a very young age to hate the west.

The Messengers Are Coming!

Former CIA official says Bush misled country to war
The former CIA official charged with managing the U.S. government's secret intelligence assessments on Iraq says the Bush administration chose war first and then misleadingly used raw data to assemble a public case for its decision to invade. The Bush administration also played on the nation's fears in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, falsely linking Al Qaeda to Saddam Hussein's regime even though intelligence agencies had not produced a single analysis supporting "the notion of an alliance" between the two. How long before this guy gets "swift-boated"?

No Cheap Pills For You!

U.S. Quietly Cracks Down on Cheap Canadian Drugs
The U.S. government apparently is stepping up seizures of cheap drugs ordered by Americans, mainly seniors from abroad, Canadian pharmacies say. "It's huge we've had over 800 seizures in January," up from 15 in a typical month, said Barney Britton, president of Calgary-based MinitDrugs.
Gimme More Corporatocracy!

Maniac Mehlman Defends Domestic Wiretaps

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman yesterday accused Democratic leaders of wanting to uphold the Constitution by denying the President the tools he needs to defend against vegans and criticized them for challenging President Bush's program of warrantless surveillance of potential vegans.

Era News Briefs

Brownie Says He Alerted White House Quickly on Katrina
Patriot Act Compromise Announced
Dick Authorized Aid to Leak in CIA Case
Ex-CIA Official Intelligence 'Misused'
Bush Accidentally Explains Wiretaps
This Blogger has a Plan to Get Out of Iraq, Does Bush? I Know, Stupid Question!

The Vanishing Future

By Paul Krugman from The New York Times
At this point we've had six years to grow accustomed to Bush budget chicanery. (Yes, six years: George W. Bush's special mix of blatant dishonesty and gross irresponsibility was fully visible during the 2000 presidential campaign.) What still amazes me, however, is the sheer childishness of the administration's denials and deceptions. Continue reading here..

David Brooks: Barbarians at the Gate

Excellent analysis from egalia over at Tennessee Guerilla Women on David Brooks most recent op-ed 'Drafting Hitler'
"In his latest column, Drafting Hitler (link to free column below), David Brooks analyzes the Danish cartoon riots and has nary a word to say about the role of U.S. foreign policy, or modern day colonialism, in the provocation of the seething rage against all things Western."

Dumb 'em Down & Keep 'em 'n Line
Educators face blowback for protesting Iraq war in schools
Just over three years ago, as the nation readied for war with Iraq, elementary school teacher Deb Mayer stood in front of her class and uttered the word that would get her blacklisted from her profession.

My Fellow Americans Welcome to Stupid

Poll: Surveillance wins some more backers
President Bush's campaign to convince Americans that the government's spying program is essential to the war on terrorism has made an impact. Bush has been particularly successful at making his case to core supporters, including Republicans, white evangelicals and suburban men. Support in each category grew more than 10 percentage points in the last month.

Makes Sense Doesn't It

Delay Lands Seat on the Subcommittee Overseeing the Justice Department
Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee. The Justice Department is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers.

News Briefs

More than Half of Gitmo Detainees Not Accused of Hostile Acts
United States military force-feed detainees engaged in hunger strikes
Anti-McDonalds Activist Deported
McDonald's says its fries fattier than reported
Chavez rejects 'attack' by Blair
A Rock and a Hard Place:A Demarkracy Analysis

Illegal and Inept

By Bob Herbert from The New York Times
While testifying about the Bush administration's warrantless eavesdropping program, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked to explain how the program had been damaged by the disclosure of its existence in the press. Continue reading here...

A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said. Mr. Deutsch's resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted. Officials at NASA headquarters declined to discuss the reason for the resignation.

Iraqi Voices Are Drowned Out

The deception that launched the invasion of Iraq now increasingly shapes media coverage of the occupation.
by Sami Ramadani
Three years after invading Iraq, George Bush and Tony Blair are still dipping into the trough of deception and disinformation that launched the war: hailing non-existent progress, declaring sanctimonious satisfaction with sectarian elections, and holding out the mirage of early withdrawal. Continue reading here...

New Orleans will seek aid from other nations

Shortcomings in aid from the U.S. government are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city. Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of the areas hardest hit by the storm. This is outrageous and clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration could care less about New Orleans.

Vonnegut's Blues for America

by Kurt Vonnegut
No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful. Continue reading here...

Gonzales Defends Surveillance

Alberto R. Gonzales spent more than seven hours defending its legality while refusing to answer dozens of questions about its operations or whether President Bush has authorized other types of warrantless searches or surveillance in the United States. I wonder why The Washington Post left this out of their article? The Republicans refused to put Gonzales under oath!

The Killings Continue...

Four U.S. Marines died in a pair of roadside bombings in western Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the military said Tuesday. Thank you Mr. President for The Long War!

Related: Terror risk from WMD exaggerated, experts say
Suicide bomber kills 13 in attack on Afghan police

Helping Bill O'Reilly

By Nicholas Kristof from The New York Times
Please, readers, help Bill O'Reilly! Continue reading here...
It's a sad state of affairs that Bill O'Reilly is the only News person you can turn to for help in Sudan...Do you really think he has the heart for it? I don't, but let's hope I'm wrong...The Era

What is Wrong with our Country?

Found via Raw Story/Think Progress:Republican senators refused to put Attorney General Alberto Gonzales under oath in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about President Bush's clandestine wiretap program. Video found here

A Strange Symbiosis

Bin Laden, Bush both want Iraq war to continue.
A dozen days before the 2006 State of the Union Message, Osama bin Laden reached out from some cave halfway around the world to give the president a much-needed public-relations boost for the second time in about 15 months. "I couldn't agree more with this article. I mean isn't it obvious."

The Power of the President

Bush says he has 'inherent authority' to act during wartime. A Senate hearing on domestic spying will debate that contention. In the controversies over the use of torture, the detention of "enemy combatants" and wiretapping in the United States, he and his lawyers have maintained the commander in chief has an "inherent authority" to act regardless of the law.
This man has turned his back on the Constitution. It is our duty as Americans to remove the Bastard!

The Effectiveness Thing

By Paul Krugman from The New York Times
We are ruled by bunglers. Every major venture by the Bush administration, from the occupation of Iraq to the Medicare drug program, has turned into an epic saga of incompetence. Continue reading here...

The Lunatics Vs. The Lunatics!

Two Die in Afghan Cartoon Protest
Lebanon Protesters Set Embassy Afire
Lebanon Apologizes to Denmark for Protest
European Tribune Reports: Saudia Arabia the One Who Fanned the Flames "I think it's all insane, the cartoons are offensive and I don't agree with them. They do have a right to print them though. The protests are ridiculous and it only fuels the fire of the Right Wing War Mongering nut jobs in the U.S."

News Briefs

Suspect in Bar Attack Dies After Shootout
Cole Attack Planner Escapes Yemen Prison
Specter Says Bush Violated the Law
Cost of Wars Soars to $440 Billion for US

Surveillance Net Yields Few Suspects

Little Bushie's Super Secret Spying Program Nabs Few Suspects. Intelligence officers who eavesdropped "SPIED" on thousands of Americans in overseas calls under authority from President Bush have dismissed nearly all of them as potential suspects after hearing nothing pertinent to a terrorist threat.

100-M.P.G. Cars: It's a Start

By Nicholas D. Kristof from The New York Times
Imagine if we could develop a passenger car that averaged more than 100 miles per gallon — or, if used only for short trips, 1,000 miles per gallon. What if it could cost the equivalent of only 75 cents a gallon to operate and needed to go to a filling station only every other month? Continue reading here...

Ability to Wage 'Long War' Is Key To Pentagon Plan

What the Hell?
"The War on Terror!"

"The War Against Islamofascism!"

"The LONG War!"

Okay got it...The Pentagon, readying for what it calls a "long war," yesterday laid out a new 20-year defense strategy that envisions U.S. troops deployed, often clandestinely, in dozens of countries at once to fight terrorism and other nontraditional threats.

Down With Torture! Gimme Torture!

By Sarah Vowell from The New York Times
Whenever I hear the president mention, oh, every 12 minutes, that his greatest responsibility is "to protect the American people," the insufferable civics robot inside my head mutters: "Actually, sir, your oath, the one with the Bible and the chief justice and the Jumbotron, is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Continue reading here...

Era News Briefs

Syria Protestors Set Danish Embassy on Fire
1,000 ferry passengers missing in Red Sea
Afghans flee scene of biggest battle in months
'Arrested men' killed in Baghdad
Bloody attack on Massachusetts gay bar
White Anti-Gay Group to Protest King Funeral

Oilman Plays Ozone Man

By Maureen Dowd from The New York Times
The Saudi ambassador summoned me to the embassy on Thursday, across the street from the Watergate.He wanted to know if Americans were still addicted to oil.
Continue reading here...

Heaven's Gate

By John R. Bomar
There’s a howling mob at the gate and the chains are rattling. Their rage is echoed in the screaming-high-pitch.
Cointinue reading here...

Pentagon Plans Increase in Special Operations Forces

''We know we cannot win this long war by ourselves, Building the capacity of others to fight terrorism is now essential to U.S. strategy.''The number of soldiers assigned to psychological warfare and civil affairs units will increase by 3,700
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Bush to Request $70 Billion for War Funding

Pentagon Plans Increase in Special Operations Forces
Bush to Request $439.3B Defense Budget
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.


Dwight D. Eisenhower

Secret Memo :Blair-Bush deal before Iraq war

Tony Blair told President George Bush that he was "solidly" behind US plans to invade Iraq before he sought advice about the invasion's legality and despite the absence of a second UN resolution, according to a new account of the build-up to the war published today.

State of Delusion

By Paul Krugman from The New York Times
So President Bush's plan to reduce imports of Middle East oil turns out to be no more substantial than his plan — floated two years ago, then flushed down the memory hole — to send humans to Mars. Continue reading here...

Finishing Well? ERA News Briefs

Five American Servicemen Killed in Iraq
Suicide bombers a growing threat in Afghanistan
Rumsfeld Compares Venezuela's Chavez to Hitler
Cheney, Libby knew Niger story false before leak

Halliburton Detention Camps For Political Subversives

In another shining example of modern day corporate fascism, it was announced recently that Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root had been awarded a $385 million dollar contract by Homeland Security to construct detention and processing facilities in the event of a national emergency.

Nashville Protests Bushie's Visit

Two hundred citizens showed up in the middle of the work week to protest Bushie's visit to Nashville. The Boy King was in town to regurgitate his SOTU, or to kick off yet another long year of election campaigning. Go here to read and see more pics from The Nashville Protest!

An American Obsession

By Bob Herbert from The New York Times
"I am going to keep on marching for justice, equality, peace and reconciliation of the human family until I am called home."— Coretta Scott King
Continue reading here...

Are You Reading This My Fellow Americans?

Congress Narrowly Approves $39 Billion in Budget Cuts
House Republicans pushed through a measure today to rein in spending by nearly $40 billion over the next five years, with cuts in student loans, crop subsidies and Medicaid, the government's health insurance program for the poor.

Exporting Our Democracy, Corruption after Corruption

A former American occupation official in Iraq is expected to plead guilty to bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and other charges in federal court on Thursday for his actions in a scheme to use sexual favors, jewelry and millions of dollars in cash to steer reconstruction work to a corrupt contractor, according to papers filed with the court.

House Extends Patriot Act

First passed after the September 11 attacks, the act expanded the power of federal authorities on such fronts as wiretaps and secret searches. With a number of provisions set to expire on Friday, the House approved a measure on a voice vote to extend them until March 10. Related! Official: Army Has Authority to Spy on Americans

Danish Newspaper Cartoons Outrage Muslims

Libya has shut down its embassy in Denmark because the Danish authorities have failed to act against the newspaper for running the cartoons, some of which depicted the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist. Related! Bomb Targets Danish Military in Iraq! Update! French paper reprints Danish Mohammad cartoon Muhammad Cartoon Row Intensifies:Newspapers across Europe have reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to show support for a Danish paper whose cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage
By the way, lfg, the Right Wing Hate Machine, Applauds their Efforts!

Bush In Nashville Today

Support the Protest! Tennessee Guerilla Women!

U.S. Capitol police arrest Sheehan for T-shirt!

Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested in the House chamber on Tuesday shortly before President Bush gave his State of the Union address because she refused to cover up an anti-war slogan on her shirt. Update!Police apologize, drop charge against Sheehan

No One Will Fill Her Shoes

By Eugene Robinson from the Washington Post
The passing of Coretta Scott King, the formidable "first lady" of the civil rights movement, makes it impossible to ignore a difficult fact: The era in which the phrase "black leadership" had real meaning is long gone. Continue reading here...

Suicide Bomber Kills at least Eight in Baghdad

At least eight people were killed on Wednesday when a suicide bomber strapped with explosives attacked a crowd of labourers in central Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. Hospital sources said at least 65 people were wounded. Related:ABC Journalists Hurt in Iraq Arrive in Maryland.

Didn't See It Coming, Again

By Maureen Dowd from The New York Times
The White House should hire an anthropologist. Corporations have begun hiring anthropologists to help them improve product designs and interpret markets. Continue reading here...

Addicted to Oil

By Thomas Friedman from The New York Times
So far the democracy wave the Bush team has helped to unleash in the Arab-Muslim world since 9/11 has brought to power hard-line Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq, Palestine and Iran, and paved the way for a record showing by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Continue reading here...

Kerry Responds to Bush

“President Bush tonight described a very different state of our union than the one most Americans live with every day. In fact, he described a fantasyland. In Republican Washington, the rhetoric continues to mislead and the promises continue to be broken. It’s going to take more than poll-tested lines in a speech to strengthen our union. It’s going to take change in Washington to make America stronger.

“President Bush refuses to tell the truth about America’s dependence on oil. It’s the Bush Administration and Washington Republicans who are addicted to oil, and this Administration refuses to break the dependence that undermines our economy and threatens our security. America’s dependence on oil has gotten worse on this President’s watch. He won’t acknowledge that Vice President Cheney let lobbyists write an energy bill behind closed doors that’s helped the big oil companies earn record profits while Americans are squeezed at the pump. We can’t drill our way to energy independence, we must invent our way there, but we can’t do it if this President won’t tell the truth about our energy future.

Alito Confirmed, Senators now on Watchlist!

Akaka (D-HI)*, Baucus (D-MT), Bingaman (D-NM)*, Byrd (D-WV)*, Cantwell (D-WA)*, Carper (D-DE)*, Conrad (D-ND)*, Dorgan (D-ND), Inouye (D-HI), Johnson (D-SD), Kohl (D-LA)*, Landrieu (D-LA), Lieberman (D-CT)*, Lincoln (D-AR), Nelson (D-FL)*, Nelson (D-NE)*, Pryor (D-AR), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO). Hat Tip to Demarkracy