PROGRESSIVE NEWS DIGEST - Volume V, Issue 09
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songster7
Aug 3, 2008, 10:13:07 PM8/3/08
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PROGRESSIVE NEWS DIGEST - Volume V, Issue 09
PROGRESSIVE NEWS DIGEST
The latest news, commentary & event listings
(from slightly left of center)
updated daily on the web at
http://rationalreview.com/pnd
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Volume V, Issue #09 Monday, August 04, 2008
Welcome to another edition of Progressive News Digest, still rolling
along and now in YEAR FIVE ...
*** FIRST, a sincere apology for all those of you who've missed this
thing recently. In addition to being the editor of PND, I also have a
real-world life, and lately it's been a bit chaotic. Moving physical
location, connecting to a wireless (rather than dialup or coax)
Internet setup, seeking income sources, ending a relationship,
figuring out what I wanna do when I grow up ...
All that stuff has combined to make getting this out each Sunday night
not only a lesser priority, but a damn-near impossibility at times. SO
for a few weeks, there was none; then last weekend, a partial success;
this time ... who knows? Get a Grip ... and give it my best shot!
*** Next, a mesage from "my" editor, Tom Knapp (who's also a (declared
and party-endorsed) candidate for both Congress ... and Vice President
of the United States ... but I digress!). Tom is the Editor-In-Chief,
Publisher, Hardest Working Member and Creative Geinus Behind ...
Rational Review News Digest, without which PND would be, well, nothing
but an interesting idea!
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Publisher
Rational Review
=====
And now ... this week's edition of Progressive News Digest:
NEWS
01 - Battle over Confederate flag hits highways
02 - ND: Towns unfazed by overturned missile
03 - For Chinese, much more than medals is at stake
04 - OH: Angry landlord posts "drugs & sex" sign
05 - FCC: Comcast violated ‘net neutrality' principles
06 - Paris Hilton's mom offended by McCain ad
07 - CA: Newsom proposes fine for unsorted trash
08 - Black Crowes: Gretchen Wilson stole our song!
09 - Stimulus "somewhat helped" economy
10 - Report: VP pondered military scam to provoke Iran war
11 - Higher ed bill draws bead on tuition costs
12 - MA: Adult smoking rate plunges
13 - Report: Number of illegal migrants plummets
14 - Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
15 - Conservationists seek limits on Gulf dead zone pollution
16 - CA: SF Supes pass tobacco ban in pharmacies
17 - 30-ft.-high rat may greet Lieberman at GOP Convention
18 - India: Weavers sidelined by "market forces"
19 - MA: Curb on gay marriage about to fall
20 - AZ: Big money, not citizens, driving initiatives
21 - AZ: State to get first wind-power farm
22 - TN: Williamson County is nation's third "skinniest"
23 - Canada: Berry-pickers report Sasquatch sighting in Ontario Woods
24 - Taliban war of words undermining Afghan nation building
25 - NH: Governor seeks disaster declaration
26 - IA: Citizens' arrest of Rove fails again
27 - Mexico: Military losing support for drug war
28 - TX: $1 billion reward for breast cancer cure
29 - CA: State eyes "soak the ‘rich' more" tax scheme
30 - AZ: 11th-hour effort to save a native tongue
COMMENTARY
31 - In defense of the ‘60s
32 - Republicans experts when it comes to "race card"
33 - The U.N. can end these wars
34 - Is an ex-Senator's alleged "love child" news?
35 - Darfur's development gap
36 - Truth & consequences under the Israeli occupation
37 - Education as a civil rights issue
38 - America's $53 trillion jumbo loan
39 - Party crasher
40 - Hunting season is open on polar bears' ESA listing
41 - Legalize marijuana - if only for the votes
42 - Tap has 1/100 impact of bottled water
43 - Big media hectors Obama on "surge"
44 - Economic free fall?
45 - Pickens gives new meaning to "self-government"
46 - Interview: The flex fuel solution
47 - Time running out for US in Iraq
48 - The impeachment hearing
49 - Mitt Romney just wants John McCain to love him
50 - The rat trap
51 - Government - won't save you, may screw you
52 - A bipartisan lovefest with bankers
53 - Berlin speech reveals Obama's worldview
54 - Obama needs to make nice on all sides
55 - Why Starbucks lost its mojo
57 - A new attack on birth control
58 - The Iraq equation
59 - There's something about Mary
60 - America is already committing acts of war against Iran
NEWS
01 - Battle over Confederate flag hits highways
Christian Science Monitor
"Chip Witte doesn't consider himself a Rebel. He doesn't hang Dixie
battle flags in his living room, nor does he wear one on the back of
his leather jacket. Yet when the Tampa motorcycle mechanic saw the
world's largest Confederate battle flag unfurl above the intersection
of I-10 and I-4 in June, he felt a jolt of solidarity with the lost
cause and lost rights that he says the battle flag represents. ‘I
think it's great that they're allowed to fly it,' says Mr. Witte.
Despite years of boycotts, schoolyard bans, and banishment from
capitol domes, the Southern battle colors are flying, higher than
ever." (08/04/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0804/p03s02-ussc.html
=====
02 - ND: Towns unfazed by overturned missile
Arizona Republic
"There's plenty to talk about at the weekly women's coffee klatch in
the small town of Parshall, and no one bothered to mention the unarmed
booster rocket for an intercontinental ballistic missile lying in a
ditch where an Air Force truck overturned. ‘We talked about the oil
boom, weddings - everything under the sun,' Arlene Zacher said
Saturday. ‘But nobody ever mentioned that missile. I guess that shows
that people aren't worried about it - I'm certainly not.' The Air
Force said a truck carrying the booster for a Minuteman III overturned
Thursday a few miles east of Parshall in northwestern North Dakota,
but there was no danger to the public." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6zd23g
=====
03 - For Chinese, much more than medals is at stake
Boston Globe
"No Olympic host has been more invested in the success of the Games
and its athletes than China. And no athlete understands that better
than champion Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, who wryly calls himself the
‘Yellow Tornado.' Liu and other top Chinese athletes like NBA All-Star
Yao Ming are the face of a strong, commercially thriving nation ready
to compete with the world's best in Beijing and beyond. Hoping to
capitalize on the moment, China has changed its traditional,
semimilitarized approach to building teams and training athletes in
preparation for the Games, especially in sports where China has seldom
excelled in past international competitions. But much more than medal
totals rides on the performances of Chinese athletes in Beijing. These
Olympics are a coming-out party of almost unfathomable scale for
China." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5ukce9
=====
04 - OH: Angry landlord posts "drugs & sex" sign
Fox News
"One Cincinnati landlord is so exasperated by street crime outside his
building that he's posted a large sign announcing ‘Drugs & Sex For
Sale 24/7.' John Wallen says most tenants have fled his apartment
building because of drug-dealing and prostitution on the street. The
large sign that he put up on Friday urges passers-by to call the City
Council to help get the area cleaned up. Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls
says Wallen has every right to be angry." (08/03/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,396601,00.html
=====
05 - FCC: Comcast violated ‘net neutrality' principles
eSchool News
"In a victory for advocates of ‘net neutrality,' a divided Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has ruled that Comcast Corp. violated
federal policy when it blocked Internet traffic for some subscribers
and has ordered the cable giant to change the way it manages its
network. In a precedent-setting move on Aug. 1, the FCC by a 3-2 vote
enforced a policy that guarantees customers open access to the
Internet." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5eb8z2
=====
06 - Paris Hilton's mom offended by McCain ad
San Francisco Chronicle
"Paris Hilton's mother doesn't share John McCain's sense of humor.
McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, said last week that his
campaign ad mocking Democrat Barack Obama with images of Hilton and
singer Britney Spears was part of an attempt to inject humor into the
presidential race. On Sunday, Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, a McCain
donor, registered her disapproval. ‘It is a complete waste of the
country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of
people are losing their homes and their jobs,' Kathy Hilton said in a
short article posted on the liberal Huffington Post website. ‘And it
is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the
United States.'" [editor's note: Nice to know someone in that family
has half a clue - SAT] (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5gu3qa
=====
07 - CA: Newsom proposes fine for unsorted trash
San Francisco Chronicle
"Garbage collectors would inspect San Francisco residents' trash to
make sure pizza crusts aren't mixed in with chip bags or wine bottles
under a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom. And if residents or businesses
don't separate the coffee grounds from the newspapers, they would face
fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service
stopped. The plan to require proper sorting of refuse would be the
nation's first mandatory recycling and composting law." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5qg99p
=====
08 - Black Crowes: Gretchen Wilson stole our song!
Tennessean
"Billboard reports that attorneys for the Black Crowes have accused
country singer Gretchen Wilson of copyright infringement for including
part of their 1991 song, Jealous Again, in her recording of Work Hard,
Play Harder. Although the song hasn't been released as a single, it's
being used in TV ads promoting the Holly Hunter show Saving Grace, on
TNT. The Black Crowes' attorneys have served copyright infringement
notices to Wilson, Wilson's label, Sony BMG, and Nashville-based music
publisher J. Money Music, the music industry magazine says. Wilson co-
wrote Work Hard, Play Harder with John Rich and Vicky McGehee. Jealous
Again was written by Black Crowes Chris and Rich Robinson." [editor's
note: Not quite as obvious as "He's So Fine"/"My Sweet Lord" ... but
pretty evident - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5garn9
=====
09 - Stimulus "somewhat helped" economy
Fox News
"The prospects for a quick economic recovery dimmed Thursday, with new
data showing the economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate this
spring despite some oomph from tax rebate checks - and actually shrank
late last year. Democrats called for a second economic stimulus
package, while the Bush administration said the growth was proof the
checks helped. Armed with government stimulus checks of up to $600 per
person, Americans boosted spending on food, clothing and other items
in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported. But the gross
domestic product still increased at a 1.9 percent annual rate, up from
0.9 percent in the first quarter but less than the 2.4 percent
economists were looking for." (07/31/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395644,00.html
=====
10 - Report: VP pondered military scam to provoke Iran war
Think Progress
"Speaking at the Campus Progress journalism conference earlier this
month, Seymour Hersh - a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist for The New
Yorker - revealed that Bush administration officials held a meeting
recently in the Vice President's office to discuss ways to provoke a
war with Iran. ... Hersh explained that, during the meeting in
Cheney's office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as
Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This
idea, intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately
rejected." (07/31/08)
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/31/cheney-proposal-for-iran-war/
=====
11 - Higher ed bill draws bead on tuition costs
Christian Science Monitor
"The rapid rise in college costs has caught the attention of Congress,
which is taking steps to at least give the public reason to hope for a
break on tuition bills. New legislation, expected to clear the House
and Senate after press time on July 31, includes provisions designed
to put pressure on colleges, universities, and states to rein in the
escalating price of a college education. ... One set of lists would
spotlight the 5 percent of institutions with the largest percentage
tuition increase over the past three years. ... They would have to
report to the Ed Department the reasons for the tuition
hikes." [editor's note: This would bring totalitarian rule to "higher
ed" the way it has to the rest of schooling - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0801/p03s01-usgn.html
=====
12 - MA: Adult smoking rate plunges
Boston Globe
"Nearly 8 percent fewer Massachusetts adults smoked in 2007 than the
year before, the steepest decline in cigarette use in more than a
decade, state health authorities reported yesterday. The drop
coincided with the revival of the state's tobacco-control program,
which was slashed under the administrations of Jane Swift and Mitt
Romney. The Department of Public Health, for example, in boosting its
spending by 50 percent, resurrected in-your-face television ads
starring former smokers whose health was affected by cigarettes. At
the same time, the state's quest to insure nearly every resident,
which has extended coverage to more than 350,000 adults, may have
contributed to the decline." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6z2tu5
=====
13 - Report: Number of illegal migrants plummets
Arizona Republic
"The illegal-immigrant population has fallen an estimated 11 percent
nationwide over the past year and perhaps even more in Arizona, with
stricter law enforcement a likely cause, according to a report issued
Wednesday by a Washington organization that promotes less immigration.
The apparent drop preceded a spike in unemployment claims, suggesting
enforcement, not the nation's faltering economy, is responsible, said
Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration
Studies. ... In Arizona, the number of illegal immigrants may have
fallen as much as 18 percent since August, Camarota said, though the
data is too spotty to say with confidence." [editor's note: A
"report" ... from the agency whose job it is to shut the border ...
showing they're succeeding! Suspect data, perhaps? - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5vvul4
=====
14 - Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
CNN
"The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep.
Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal
penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a
quarter-pound, of the substance. ... Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, likened
Frank's proposal - co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas - to current
laws dealing with alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is permitted, and
the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse
alcohol or drive under its influence, he said. ... Rob Kampia,
director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests
outnumber arrests for ‘all violent crimes combined,' meaning police
are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.
‘Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform,' he said. Reps.
William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said
that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana
laws unfairly target African-Americans." (07/30/08)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/30/frank.marijuana/
=====
15 - Conservationists seek limits on Gulf dead zone pollution
Environment News Service
"Conservation groups from nine states along the Mississippi River and
two national groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency today to set and enforce numeric standards to limit nutrient
pollution in the river basin because it contributes to the dead zone
in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf dead zone, a stretch of water covering
nearly 8,000 square miles where oxygen levels are too low to support
marine life, is the second largest in the world. It is caused every
year when farmers fertilize their fields. ... The dead zone will
continue to grow, the petitioners argue, unless the EPA sets numeric
standards for nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and requires all
states in the river basin to meet those standards. The petition
follows Monday's announcement of the Gulf of Mexico's second largest
dead zone to date, measuring 7,988 square miles." (07/30/08)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2008/2008-07-30-095.asp
=====
16 - CA: SF Supes pass tobacco ban in pharmacies
San Francisco Chronicle
"San Francisco lawmakers voted Tuesday to make the city the first in
the nation to ban the sale of tobacco products at most pharmacies, a
move that backers hope will lead to similar laws across the country.
The ban has already attracted the attention of Marin County leaders,
who may push forward with their own proposal. The ban passed the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors on an 8-3 vote, with some supervisors
predicting it would be a ‘first step' toward additional bans on the
sale of tobacco in the city. ‘Whatever we can do to make this country
a smoke-free zone, we should do it,' said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi,
who voted in favor of the ban first proposed by Mayor Gavin
Newsom." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5ugest
=====
17 - 30-ft.-high rat may greet Lieberman at GOP Convention
The Raw Story
"If some Connecticut Democrats get their way, Sen. Joe Lieberman will
be greeted at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul,
Minnesota by a gigantic inflatable rat. Stamford's The Advocate
reports: Joseph Lieberman might want to pack some rodenticide if he
decides to stump for John McCain at the upcoming Republican National
Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Some of the same Connecticut Democrats
who stalked the senator on the re-election trail two years ago with
the famous ‘kiss' float - a papier mache likeness of President Bush
kissing Lieberman after the 2005 State of the Union address - are
hoping to make a similar splash at the GOP fete Sept. 1-4." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6yforh
=====
18 - India: Weavers sidelined by "market forces"
Christian Science Monitor
"In a windowless hut lit only by the sunlight pouring through an open
door, a bone-thin man bends over his wooden hand loom, weaving a
shimmering silk sari with violet, turquoise, and gold threads. The
beautiful six-meter-long garment will take 10 days to complete and
will fetch the weaver, Abdul Majid, 600 rupees (approximately $14),
which is little more than he would have earned for the same work a
decade ago. Diminishing demand for handwoven saris coupled with
competition from power looms - which belt out several garments a day -
in other parts of India as well as China have left the 300,000 hand
loom weavers of Varanasi, a city in northern India, wretchedly poor.
Once prosperous, craftsmen like Mr. Majid are now struggling to
survive." (07/31/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0731/p07s01-wosc.html
=====
19 - MA: Curb on gay marriage about to fall
Boston Globe
"In a major victory for advocates of same-sex marriage rights, the
House voted by a wide margin yesterday to repeal a 95-year-old law
that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from
marrying here, setting the stage for Massachusetts to join just one
other state, California, in allowing same-sex couples to marry
regardless of residence. The repeal passed swiftly in the Senate
earlier this month on a unanimous voice vote, but some wondered if the
issue would stall in the larger House, where a handful of lawmakers
wanted to avoid voting on a gay marriage question just before the
election season." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/68wsc4
=====
20 - AZ: Big money, not citizens, driving initiatives
Arizona Republic
"So much for the ‘citizens' with this year's batch of citizens
initiatives. For most of the nine initiatives planned for the November
ballot, financial backing from individual donors has been scarce. The
money has flowed almost exclusively from corporations, political
committees and a relative handful of wealthy individuals. Grass-roots?
Nope. Not yet anyway. Take the transportation campaign in favor of a 1
cent-per-dollar hike in the state sales tax. Of the nearly $1 million
received by the ballot effort, just $100 has thus far been donated by
individuals. ... Likewise, nearly every cent of the $8.7 million
dumped into a ballot effort benefiting the payday-loan industry has
been donated by - guess who? - a trade group representing payday
lenders: the Arizona Community Financial Services
Association." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5d9kbx
=====
21 - AZ: State to get first wind-power farm
Arizona Republic
"The state's first wind-energy farm could be operating by late next
year, filling a gap in Arizona's alternative-power offerings. Salt
River Project officials said the proposed plant, to be built about 18
miles northwest of Snowflake with turbines stretching more than 300
feet high, finally offered the utility an affordable wind-power
option. Utility officials said Monday that they have agreed to buy
electricity from the plant's operator, enough to power more than
15,000 homes. The Dry Lake Wind Project, to be east of Arizona 377, is
expected to cost about $100 million and be the first commercial wind-
energy farm in Arizona. It will be developed by Iberdrola Renewables,
a global energy company with headquarters in Spain." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/59xho3
=====
22 - TN: Williamson County is nation's third "skinniest"
Tennessean
"Williamson County has been named the third 'skinniest' place to live
nationwide, according to a study conducted by CNN Money.com. The poll
compared the average body mass index of cities and counties across the
country to assemble the list of 25 top counties, which is topped by
Marin County in California at No. 1 and San Francisco County in
California at No. 2. The list mentions the cities of Brentwood,
Franklin and Spring Hill specifically, citing a body mass index
average of 24.9 for the three cities. The list is from the magazine's
August 2008 issue." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5tmjye
=====
23 - Canada: Berry-pickers report Sasquatch sighting in Ontario Woods
Fox News
"A mother and daughter on a berry-picking excursion in northwestern
Ontario, Canada, claim the giant, black, hulking figure they saw last
week might be the legendary sasquatch, the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation reported Monday. Helen Pahpasay and her mother say they
were scared stiff when they saw the mysterious creature spot them in
their truck and then run into the woods near Grassy Narrows, Ont.,
about 140 miles east of Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... The women considered
chasing the figure to get a better look, but were so shaken they
abandoned berry picking altogether and returned home. Pahpasay claims
others later found a large, six-toed footprint in the
area." (07/29/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,393301,00.html
=====
24 - Taliban war of words undermining Afghan nation building
Christian Science Monitor
"Arbitrary detentions by United States forces in Afghanistan and the
aerial bombardment by the international forces has not only increased
public discontent, it has also given the Taliban opportunities to cash
in on a sophisticated media strategy, observers say. The International
Crisis Group (ICG) has pointed to the dangers of the Taliban's
successful propaganda in a July 24 report and argues that the result
is ‘weakening public support for nation building, even though few
actively support the Taliban.' While Taliban propaganda is often
rudimentary and crude, the ICG report says, the Taliban is adept at
exploiting local disenfranchisement." (07/29/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0730/p04s01-wosc.html
=====
25 - NH: Governor seeks disaster declaration
Boston Globe
"Governor John Lynch is asking President Bush to make a major disaster
declaration as a step toward securing federal assistance for those
affected by last week's tornado. Lynch spent yesterday morning with
federal, state, and local officials to assess the response to the
tornado, which tore through 11 communities and 8,400 acres on Thursday
and killed a woman in Deerfield. He said the state is focused on
coordinating efforts by state agencies and volunteer organizations to
ensure that victims find shelter, food, and clothing." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/695nno
=====
26 - IA: Citizens' arrest of Rove fails again
Raw Story
"Four peace activists were arrested on Friday as they attempted to
make a ‘citizens arrest' of Karl Rove, Reuters reported. Protesters
let police know of their intentions to arrest Rove while he was in Des
Moines for a private fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa.
Police arrested the protesters after they stepped through the gate at
the entrance of the private club where Rove was speaking. ‘It should
be Karl Rove in that van. War criminal!' one demonstrator shouted as
police rounded up the four men. Chet Guinn, a retired Methodist
Minister, was among those led away. ‘To be silent when major crimes
are being committed against all humanity makes us accomplices,' Gwinn
said." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6cerzt
=====
27 - Mexico: Military losing support for drug war
Arizona Republic
"This hardscrabble Mexican border town [of Ojinaga] welcomed 400
soldiers when they arrived four months ago to stop a wave of drug
violence that brought daytime gunbattles to its main street. But then
the soldiers themselves turned violent, townspeople say, ransacking
homes and even torturing people. The frustration boiled over last
week. More than 1,000 people marched through the streets carrying
signs begging President Felipe Calderon for protection from his own
troops. ... Mexico's National Human Rights Commission says it has
documented more than 600 cases of abuse since Calderon sent 20,000
soldiers across the nation to take back territory controlled by drug
lords." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/66367e
=====
28 - TX: $1 billion reward for breast cancer cure
Fox News
"Mike Dewey has a plan to eliminate breast cancer: He's offering $1
billion to the person who discovers the cure. Never mind the fact the
48-year-old Austin consultant has nothing close to that much money.
Dewey, whose daughters are at increased risk for the disease because
his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, says he'll come up with the
cash. ‘I get pretty fired up about this because I've got girls in
danger,' said Dewey, who says he's raised about $22 million in pledges
so far and about $90,000 in actual donations through his nonprofit
foundation. While he's still quite a bit short of $1 billion and some
experts are critical of his idea, the energetic Dewey is unfazed - and
certain money will roll in if there's a cure." (07/27/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391787,00.html
=====
29 - CA: State eyes "soak the ‘rich' more" tax scheme
Christian Science Monitor
"For the ‘have-mores' of California, the tax man cometh. Facing a $15
billion budget shortfall, Californian legislators are calling for tax
hikes on the rich. That's despite the Golden State already having one
of the most progressive tax structures, meaning the wealthy pay much
higher rates than the poorest. Top earners here could face a double
whammy if Democratic leaders in Washington succeed next year in
rolling back President Bush's tax cuts and allow Social Security
withholding on income beyond the current $102,000 cap. ... The
strategy isn't without risks: Just as globalization has enriched the
elite, it has also increased their ability to relocate if the tax
climate gets too uncomfortable." (07/27/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0726/p25s34-uspo.html
=====
30 - AZ: 11th-hour effort to save a native tongue
Arizona Republic
"Several dozen children stand atop a bluff to face the morning sun as
it peeks over a distant ridge. Nyims thava hmado we'e, they chant,
meaning ‘Boys greet the morning sun.' And then for girls: Nyima thava
masi:yo we'e. Jorigine Bender, the teacher, urges them to repeat the
dawn greeting with raised hands. ‘Everybody, turn toward your brother,
the sun.' The youths, Hualapai and Yavapai, recite the phrases in self-
conscious, uncertain unison. The language is Pai, passed down to them
through generations but unintelligible to the children. In an America
dominated by computers, TV and video games, a decreasing number of
Native Americans, especially younger ones, can speak or understand
their Native tongues." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5s7lwd
COMMENTARY
31 - In defense of the ‘60s
In These Times
Peter Marcuse
"The protests of 1968 - symbolically, the occupation of the Columbia
University buildings, the student uprisings in Paris and the street
protests in Berlin - are now in danger of being denigrated as the
actions of spoiled, confused, if not neurotic, students and rebellious
youth who were ‘finding' themselves in making trivial demands of their
uncomprehending and benevolent societies. An April 23 op-ed by Paul
Auster in the >em>New York Times calls 1968 ‘the year of the crazies.'
Another op-ed, by Jean-Claude Guillebaud, on May 24, calls the
protesters ‘useful idiots,' and the current attention on them a
‘frenzy of nostalgia.' In the process, the serious changes brought
about by the events of ‘68, the substance of the protests, the reasons
for the discontent, and the desire for change, are either ignored or
superciliously dismissed as childish daydreams." [editor's note: As
one who was there at the time (one of those "useful idiots trying to
"find myself" as a college freshman), I've mixed reactions to the
revisionist history - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3805/in_defense_of_the_60s/
=====
32 - Republicans experts when it comes to "race card"
Tennessean
Dwight Lewis
"Who dat playing the ‘race card?' Surely, that's not Sen. Barack Obama
playing the race card, is it? Not the man who has called for Americans
to come together? Not Barack Obama, the man who stands a good chance
of becoming America's first black president, but whose mother was
white? But there was Sen. John McCain's campaign on Thursday accusing
Obama of playing the race card while the presumptive Democratic
nominee for president gave a speech in Missouri. The charge by the
campaign for the presumptive Republican presidential candidate came
after Obama told an audience that McCain and his allies will try to
scare voters by saying Obama ‘doesn't look like all those other
presidents on the dollar bills.'" (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/56h8vn
=====
33 - The U.N. can end these wars
Christian Science Monitor
Helena Cobban
"After long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, how can the
United States plan to win in either country? What would an achievable
victory look like? This question has new urgency, given the recent
upswing in violence in Afghanistan and the sense emerging among many
US leaders - from both parties - that military resources need to be
speedily diverted there from Iraq. One thing is clear. Neither of
these victories will look like your grandfather's victory in the
Pacific in 1945. Back then, Japan's army chief and top-hatted foreign
minister traveled to the USS Missouri to sign a surrender document and
hand it with full pomp to Gen. Douglas MacArthur." (08/04/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0804/p09s03-coop.html
=====
34 - Is an ex-Senator's alleged "love child" news?
Fox News
Susan Estrich
"Does anyone care if a former United States senator and presidential
candidate ducked into a Beverly Hills hotel two weeks ago for a
furtive meeting with his (alleged) mistress and his (alleged) love
child? Almost certainly. But does that make it news? That is a
question that the mainstream media, as it is called, has been
struggling with since the National Enquirer first broke the story of
the men's room standoff at the Beverly Hilton, as the former senator
tried to leave the hotel unobserved (no such luck) at 2:30 in the
morning." (08/03/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,396381,00.html
=====
35 - Darfur's development gap
Boston Globe
David L. Phillips
"By accusing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan of genocide, the
International Criminal Court has caused Khartoum to change its
approach to Darfur, where 200,000 people have died and millions have
been displaced since 2003. Hoping to defer the court's charges, Bashir
is promising peace, development, and restitution to Darfurians. The
United Nations Security Council should leverage efforts by Russia and
China to defer charges against Bashir by securing an agreement with
Khartoum to cooperate with the international community in a
development plan for Darfur. The initiative would address a root cause
of the conflict, which lies in Darfur's poverty and historic
marginalization." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6doswj
=====
36 - Truth & consequences under the Israeli occupation
The Nation
Mohammed Omer
"I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. At the age of 17, I armed
myself with a camera and a pen, committed to report accurately on
events in Gaza. I have filed reports as Israeli fighter jets bombed
Gaza City. ... I have been recognized for my reporting, even in the
United States and United Kingdom, where I have won two international
awards. I have also been beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers. ...
Dutch MP Hans Van Baalen lobbied the Israeli government to let me
leave Gaza to receive my award in person. Upon my return from London,
I was surrounded by Israeli security officers. I was stripped naked at
gunpoint, interrogated, kicked and beaten for more than four hours. At
one point I fainted and then awakened to fingernails gouging at the
flesh beneath my eyes. ... They dragged me by my feet, sweeping my
head through my own vomit. I lost consciousness. I was told later that
they transferred me to a hospital only when they thought I might
die." (07/31/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/omer
=====
37 - Education as a civil rights issue
NY Times
staff
"Civil rights groups have begun a welcome attack on a House bill that
would temporarily exempt the states from the all-important
accountability requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act, which was
signed into law in 2002. The attack, led by powerful groups like the
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, was unexpected, given that the
nation's two big teachers' unions actually hold seats on the
conference's executive committee. Recent events suggest that the civil
rights establishment generally is ready to break with the teachers'
unions and take an independent stand on education reform." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5lmdaj
=====
38 - America's $53 trillion jumbo loan
Christian Science Monitor
staff
"Americans are now tasting the sour fruits of unaffordable mortgages:
foreclosure, bankruptcy, falling markets. The nation, too, is staring
at overwhelming debt, made worse by this week's forecast of a whopper
federal deficit. ... It's true that the $482 billion deficit chasm
estimated for fiscal year 2009 doesn't look so deep when taken as a
percentage of the overall economy - 3.3 percent of gross domestic
product compared to the 1983 nadir of about 6 percent. But this is
just one ‘mortgage' that the federal government (i.e., taxpayers) must
meet. It owes on all the deficits it has accumulated over the years
(the national debt), and it has jumbo liabilities to come in the form
of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." [editor's note: Always
nice to see someone in the MSM who gets this concept - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0801/p08s01-comv.html
=====
39 - Party crasher
Slate
John Dickerson
"In recent polls, the majority of respondents believe that McCain, as
president, would continue Mr. Bush's policies in Iraq and on the
economy. How much of a liability is Bush? One McCain aide refers to
him as kryptonite. The irony, says a McCain supporter, is that Bush
could end up beating McCain on both his runs for the presidency.
Conventions are usually a place to finesse a candidate's liabilities.
And yet McCain has to give kryptonite a prime-time speaking spot. When
I asked GOP veterans whether there was any way to minimize the damage
for McCain, their first reaction was to laugh. Since the convention
starts on a Monday, one member of the McCain campaign joked that Bush
could speak on Sunday night. Another veteran Republican suggested
putting up an onstage dunking booth for the president." (07/31/08)
http://www.slate.com/id/2196272/
=====
40 - Hunting season is open on polar bears' ESA listing
Mother Jones
Daniel Schulman
"Even before the polar bear received ‘threatened' status under the
Endangered Species Act in May, a host of organizations were already
laying the groundwork for a legal challenge. As early as last January,
Jim Sims, the president and CEO of the Western Business Roundtable,
which reps for oil and mining interests, sent an email to colleagues
detailing a strategy to ‘quite possibly reverse' the ruling, if the
worst came to pass. Part of it would involve litigation filed by a
‘truly extraordinary plaintiff': Roy Innis, the chairman of the
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a decades-old civil rights group
that has taken a sharp turn to the right under his leadership, joining
forces with conservative activists particularly on issues related to
the environment. It looks like the plan is finally in
motion." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5dgcnl
=====
41 - Legalize marijuana - if only for the votes
Disloyal Opposition
JD Tuccille
"Even Rep. Barney Frank doesn't think much of the chances for his
proposal to legalize the possession and non-commercial transfer of
small quantities of marijuana, a measure co-sponsored by Rep. Ron
Paul. Frank reportedly joked that the bill doesn't have a ‘high
chance' of passing. That's a shame, because it's a good step toward
getting the government out of the business of telling consenting
adults what they can and can't buy, sell and - most importantly - put
into their own bodies." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5lm6hj
=====
42 - Tap has 1/100 impact of bottled water
AlterNet
Graham Hill
"We have forgotten about our closest source of water at home - the
tap. Yet one of the simplest ways to reduce our environmental impact,
to save money (not a ton ... yet!) and to free ourselves from shopping
and storage hassle, is by saying goodbye to bottled water. A life
cycle assessment commissioned by the Swiss Gas and Water Association
traced the entire life cycle from water extraction to serving it up in
a glass. Their findings showed that tap water has less than one
percent of the impacts of un-refrigerated bottled water. Even when the
tap water is refrigerated its impact is only one quarter of that of
bottled water. These astonishing figures show that tap water is hands-
down the greenest and most responsible choice." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/55lgcv
=====
43 - Big media hectors Obama on "surge"
In These Times
Robert Parry
"For six years, with few exceptions, the Washington press corps has
been cheerleading for the Iraq War - and the pattern is continuing in
Campaign 2008 with the endless demands that Barack Obama apologize for
not supporting the troop 'surge.' ... Obama's efforts to point to
other factors that predated the 'surge' - such as the Anbar Awakening
(the Sunni tribal rejection of al-Qaeda extremists) and cease-fires
ordered by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - fall on deaf
ears." [editor's note: What wil be just as disturbing is how quickly
the Fourth Estate jumps into line BEHIND B.O. once he ascends to the
throne! - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/59b4uv
=====
44 - Economic free fall?
The Nation
William Greider
"Washington can act with breathtaking urgency when the right people
want something done. In this case, the people are Wall Street's
titans, who are scared witless at the prospect of their historic
implosion. Congress quickly agreed to enact a gargantuan bailout, with
more to come, to calm the anxieties and halt the deflation of Wall
Street giants. Put aside partisan bickering, no time for hearings, no
need to think through the deeper implications. We haven't seen
‘bipartisan cooperation' like this since Washington decided to invade
Iraq." (07/31/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/greider
=====
45 - Pickens gives new meaning to "self-government"
Fox News
Steven Milloy
"The more you learn about T. Boone Pickens' plan to switch America to
wind power, the more you realize that he seems willing to say and do
just about anything to make another billion or two. This column
previously discussed the plan's technical and economic shortcomings
and marketing ruses. Today, we'll look into the diabolical
machinations behind it. Simply put, Pickens' pitch is ‘embrace wind
power to help break our ‘addiction' to foreign oil.' There is,
however, another intriguing component to Pickens' plan that goes
unmentioned in his TV commercials, media interviews and website -
water rights, which he owns more of than any other
American." (07/31/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395304,00.html
=====
46 - Interview: The flex fuel solution
The American Prospect
Rachel Stern
"Drive smaller cars. Drill for more oil. Many such solutions have been
proposed to wean the United States off of our dependence on foreign
oil, but - at least according to Dr. Gal Luft, the executive director
of The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security - flex-fuel
vehicles are the only plan of action that will yield lasting results.
According to Luft, the U.S. government needs to mandate the
manufacture of cars that will run on not only a combination of gas and
ethanol but also other alternative fuels such as methanol and butanol.
Luft has gained widespread recognition for his advocacy." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/68yu85
=====
47 - Time running out for US in Iraq
Boston Globe
Bill Delahunt & Rosa DeLauro
"A timetable for the withdrawal of US troops has long been a priority
for Iraqis - 70 percent want the United States out, according to the
latest polls. This sentiment is also reflected in Parliament - the
only directly elected branch of government. Two months ago, the
political parties representing a majority sent a letter to Congress
opposing any US-Iraq security agreement without a timetable. The Iraqi
executive branch, usually allied with the Bush administration on this
issue, has joined this consensus. ... But the Bush administration
continues to resist, even as the clock ticks toward Dec. 31 - when the
current UN mandate expires and US troops lose their legal authority to
fight and their immunity from prosecution in Iraq." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6d5jtz
=====
48 - The impeachment hearing
CounterPunch
Dave Lindorff
"Time is short, but even at this late date, it would be a simple
matter to impeach the president on some issues. As several of Friday's
witnesses pointed out, President Bush has essentially dared Congress
to act, admitting that he openly violated the FISA law - a felony, and
openly admitting that he has refused to enact laws passed by the
Congress, claiming a power - unitary executive authority - not even
mentioned in the Constitution. He has openly admitted to having known
about, and approved, ‘enhanced interrogation techniques' devised by
his subordinates - techniques like waterboarding which clearly violate
the Geneva Conventions and US law. No hearings would be required to
establish these high crimes and misdemeanors. They could simply be
voted on by an Impeachment Committee and sent to the full House for a
vote. Even if there were no time for a Senate trial, the simple act of
impeaching the president for one or more abuses of power would serve
notice on future presidents that future such abuses would not be
tolerated. Failure to do so, and allowing this administration to leave
office unimpeached, would send the opposite message: that Congress is
no longer a co-equal branch of government, but is merely a
consultative body, at best, and that a president is in effect a
dictator." (07/30/08)
http://counterpunch.org/lindorff07302008.html
=====
49 - Mitt Romney just wants John McCain to love him
Salon
Mike Madden
"By the time McCain was finished with him this winter, you'd have
figured the last thing Romney would want to do would be help out his
former rival. McCain had taunted and bullied Romney through the
primary season, beating him handily in almost every state they
competed in and, finally, showing up to campaign in Romney's adopted
hometown for no apparent reason other than to be obnoxious. But a
funny thing has happened over the past few months: Romney has become
one of McCain's biggest fans. Within a week of dropping out of the
race, Romney sent word out through his organization to get on board
with the nominee." (07/30/08)
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/30/romney/
=====
50 - The rat trap
In These Times
Christopher Moraff
"Levon Jones is supposed to be dead. If the state of North Carolina
had its way, Jones, 49, would have been strapped to a gurney years
ago, hooked to an IV and pumped full of a lethal, three-drug cocktail
until he asphyxiated. Instead, on May 2, he walked out of prison a
free man after spending 13 years on death row, and another 24 months
locked up awaiting retrial - all for a murder he almost certainly did
not commit." (07/30/08)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3804/the_rat_trap/
=====
51 - Government - won't save you, may screw you
The Liberty Papers
Brad Warbiany
"One of the key ideas that I find myself discussing in any election
cycle is the desire of Americans to elect a savior. Not gonna happen.
The system is bigger than the players, and the system is flawed. But
that doesn't stop the average voter from trying to elect someone who
will ‘run the country,' ‘fix the economy,' and ‘encourage
growth.'" (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5w3pz7
=====
52 - A bipartisan lovefest with bankers
The Nation
Robert Scheer
"This is a time to condemn the bankers, not to embrace them. They are
the scoundrels who got us into the biggest economic mess since the
Great Depression, lining their own pockets while destroying the life
savings of those who trusted them. Yet both of our leading
presidential candidates are scrambling to enlist not only the big-
dollar contributions but, more frighteningly, the ‘expertise' of the
very folks who advocated the financial industry deregulations at the
heart of this meltdown." (07/30/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/scheer2
=====
53 - Berlin speech reveals Obama's worldview
Arizona Republic
Robert Robb
"Barack Obama's speech in Berlin was a phenomenal event. For a U.S.
presidential candidate to draw a crowd of over 200,000 in a foreign
country to hear him speak is truly remarkable. So, Europe likes Obama
and Berliners loved his speech. In the United States, however, the
question is what does what Obama said in Berlin mean for us and for
the direction of his leadership should he become president? There were
two significant points about the speech. The first is that it wasn't
apologetic. There is a strong consensus in Europe that the United
States is too backward to wield the power and influence it has in the
world. ... Most American liberals tend to defer to the European
judgment, at least implicitly. Obama didn't." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5esbvy
=====
54 - Obama needs to make nice on all sides
Fox News
Susan Estrich
"Spare me the true believers. I don't mean the people who support
Barack Obama for president. I support Barack Obama for president. I
mean the people who worship him to the point that anyone who says
anything raising questions about the inevitability of his rise to
sainthood, much less the perfection of him and his wife and his
campaign, is deserving of damnation. I wrote a column last week about
how the Obama campaign needed to guard against the arrogance that many
people tell me they have detected in dealing with them. I didn't
condemn the candidate. I didn't say he doesn't deserve to be
president. I just made the point, which seems almost obvious to me,
that he isn't president yet." (07/29/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395141,00.html
=====
55 - Why Starbucks lost its mojo
Christian Science Monitor
Bryant Simon
"Bad news has been pouring down on Starbucks for a year. The price of
the company's stock has been cut in half - and then some. Fewer people
come through store doors and those who do buy less. Still when
Starbucks, that longtime engine of growth, announced that it planned
to close 600 US stores - 50 of them by the end of July - and lay off
12,000 employees, company watchers reacted with surprise. One
journalist called it the 'sudden shocking end to the long and gilded
age of Starbucks.'" [editor's note: This seems to show that if you
build a business based on its "trendiness" ... you need to keep it
less than ubiquitous, settling for millions instead of billions. ...
Well, DUH! - SAT] (07/30/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0730/p09s02-coop.html
=====
57 - A new attack on birth control
Boston Globe
staff
"With just a few months left in office, President Bush is still doing
the bidding of social conservatives who oppose women's reproductive
freedoms. Under the guise of rules to protect antiabortion nurses and
doctors from discrimination in hiring, a proposed new regulation would
expand the definition of abortion to include any form of contraception
that can work by stopping implantation of a fertilized egg in the
uterus. This can include common birth-control pills, emergency
contraception, and the intra-uterine device, or IUD. ... The rule
could also undercut many state laws - including one in Massachusetts
requiring hospitals to provide emergency contraception for rape
victims." [editor's note: Oh no, these folks aren't REALLY seeking to
outlaw all sexuality not aimed solely at conception; that's just in
your warped minds! - SAT] [additional editor's note: Perhaps, Steve,
perhaps ... but that doesn't change the basic dishonesty of this
piece. "Conception" is the fertilization of the egg; "contraception"
would be anything that prevents fertilization; destruction of the egg
after fertilization is not "contraception," "emergency" or otherwise,
but "abortion" - and always has been - TLK] (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5skcst
=====
58 - The Iraq equation
Slate
John Dickerson and Chris Wilson
"Over the last few weeks, Barack Obama and John McCain have seemed to
get perilously close to agreeing on what to do in Iraq. Obama
continues to talk about a 16-month withdrawal but would let military
commanders determine the pace of the withdrawal. McCain is also now in
favor of a 16-month timeline - as long as the commanders determine the
pace of the withdrawal. After the withdrawal, how many soldiers would
be left and what would they do? Both candidates agree on that, too.
U.S. forces would continue to train Iraqi soldiers, fight al-Qaida,
assist Sunni tribal leaders, and fight Shiite militias. How long they
would do all of this, and in what numbers, would be up to the
commanders on the ground. How close are the two candidates? Below are
two mathematical formulas derived from their public
statements." (07/30/08)
http://www.slate.com/id/2196229/
=====
59 - There's something about Mary
Mother Jones
James Ridgeway, Daniel Schulman, and David Corn
"Mary McFate was a prominent gun control activist. Mary Lou Sapone was
a freelance spy with an NRA connection. They are the same
person." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/66orm5
=====
60 - America is already committing acts of war against Iran
AlterNet
Scott Ritter
"The war between the United States and Iran is on. American taxpayer
dollars are being used, with the permission of Congress, to fund
activities that result in Iranians being killed and wounded, and
Iranian property destroyed. This wanton violation of a nation's
sovereignty would not be tolerated if the tables were turned and
Americans were being subjected to Iranian-funded covert actions that
took the lives of Americans, on American soil, and destroyed American
property and livelihood. Many Americans remain unaware of what is
transpiring abroad in their name." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/56a4cl
See ya next week ...
Peace, Love and Liberty
Steve Trinward, Editor
PROGRESSIVE NEWS DIGEST
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Volume V, Issue #09 Monday, August 04, 2008
Welcome to another edition of Progressive News Digest, still rolling
along and now in YEAR FIVE ...
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=====
And now ... this week's edition of Progressive News Digest:
NEWS
01 - Battle over Confederate flag hits highways
02 - ND: Towns unfazed by overturned missile
03 - For Chinese, much more than medals is at stake
04 - OH: Angry landlord posts "drugs & sex" sign
05 - FCC: Comcast violated ‘net neutrality' principles
06 - Paris Hilton's mom offended by McCain ad
07 - CA: Newsom proposes fine for unsorted trash
08 - Black Crowes: Gretchen Wilson stole our song!
09 - Stimulus "somewhat helped" economy
10 - Report: VP pondered military scam to provoke Iran war
11 - Higher ed bill draws bead on tuition costs
12 - MA: Adult smoking rate plunges
13 - Report: Number of illegal migrants plummets
14 - Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
15 - Conservationists seek limits on Gulf dead zone pollution
16 - CA: SF Supes pass tobacco ban in pharmacies
17 - 30-ft.-high rat may greet Lieberman at GOP Convention
18 - India: Weavers sidelined by "market forces"
19 - MA: Curb on gay marriage about to fall
20 - AZ: Big money, not citizens, driving initiatives
21 - AZ: State to get first wind-power farm
22 - TN: Williamson County is nation's third "skinniest"
23 - Canada: Berry-pickers report Sasquatch sighting in Ontario Woods
24 - Taliban war of words undermining Afghan nation building
25 - NH: Governor seeks disaster declaration
26 - IA: Citizens' arrest of Rove fails again
27 - Mexico: Military losing support for drug war
28 - TX: $1 billion reward for breast cancer cure
29 - CA: State eyes "soak the ‘rich' more" tax scheme
30 - AZ: 11th-hour effort to save a native tongue
COMMENTARY
31 - In defense of the ‘60s
32 - Republicans experts when it comes to "race card"
33 - The U.N. can end these wars
34 - Is an ex-Senator's alleged "love child" news?
35 - Darfur's development gap
36 - Truth & consequences under the Israeli occupation
37 - Education as a civil rights issue
38 - America's $53 trillion jumbo loan
39 - Party crasher
40 - Hunting season is open on polar bears' ESA listing
41 - Legalize marijuana - if only for the votes
42 - Tap has 1/100 impact of bottled water
43 - Big media hectors Obama on "surge"
44 - Economic free fall?
45 - Pickens gives new meaning to "self-government"
46 - Interview: The flex fuel solution
47 - Time running out for US in Iraq
48 - The impeachment hearing
49 - Mitt Romney just wants John McCain to love him
50 - The rat trap
51 - Government - won't save you, may screw you
52 - A bipartisan lovefest with bankers
53 - Berlin speech reveals Obama's worldview
54 - Obama needs to make nice on all sides
55 - Why Starbucks lost its mojo
57 - A new attack on birth control
58 - The Iraq equation
59 - There's something about Mary
60 - America is already committing acts of war against Iran
NEWS
01 - Battle over Confederate flag hits highways
Christian Science Monitor
"Chip Witte doesn't consider himself a Rebel. He doesn't hang Dixie
battle flags in his living room, nor does he wear one on the back of
his leather jacket. Yet when the Tampa motorcycle mechanic saw the
world's largest Confederate battle flag unfurl above the intersection
of I-10 and I-4 in June, he felt a jolt of solidarity with the lost
cause and lost rights that he says the battle flag represents. ‘I
think it's great that they're allowed to fly it,' says Mr. Witte.
Despite years of boycotts, schoolyard bans, and banishment from
capitol domes, the Southern battle colors are flying, higher than
ever." (08/04/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0804/p03s02-ussc.html
=====
02 - ND: Towns unfazed by overturned missile
Arizona Republic
"There's plenty to talk about at the weekly women's coffee klatch in
the small town of Parshall, and no one bothered to mention the unarmed
booster rocket for an intercontinental ballistic missile lying in a
ditch where an Air Force truck overturned. ‘We talked about the oil
boom, weddings - everything under the sun,' Arlene Zacher said
Saturday. ‘But nobody ever mentioned that missile. I guess that shows
that people aren't worried about it - I'm certainly not.' The Air
Force said a truck carrying the booster for a Minuteman III overturned
Thursday a few miles east of Parshall in northwestern North Dakota,
but there was no danger to the public." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6zd23g
=====
03 - For Chinese, much more than medals is at stake
Boston Globe
"No Olympic host has been more invested in the success of the Games
and its athletes than China. And no athlete understands that better
than champion Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, who wryly calls himself the
‘Yellow Tornado.' Liu and other top Chinese athletes like NBA All-Star
Yao Ming are the face of a strong, commercially thriving nation ready
to compete with the world's best in Beijing and beyond. Hoping to
capitalize on the moment, China has changed its traditional,
semimilitarized approach to building teams and training athletes in
preparation for the Games, especially in sports where China has seldom
excelled in past international competitions. But much more than medal
totals rides on the performances of Chinese athletes in Beijing. These
Olympics are a coming-out party of almost unfathomable scale for
China." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5ukce9
=====
04 - OH: Angry landlord posts "drugs & sex" sign
Fox News
"One Cincinnati landlord is so exasperated by street crime outside his
building that he's posted a large sign announcing ‘Drugs & Sex For
Sale 24/7.' John Wallen says most tenants have fled his apartment
building because of drug-dealing and prostitution on the street. The
large sign that he put up on Friday urges passers-by to call the City
Council to help get the area cleaned up. Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls
says Wallen has every right to be angry." (08/03/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,396601,00.html
=====
05 - FCC: Comcast violated ‘net neutrality' principles
eSchool News
"In a victory for advocates of ‘net neutrality,' a divided Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has ruled that Comcast Corp. violated
federal policy when it blocked Internet traffic for some subscribers
and has ordered the cable giant to change the way it manages its
network. In a precedent-setting move on Aug. 1, the FCC by a 3-2 vote
enforced a policy that guarantees customers open access to the
Internet." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5eb8z2
=====
06 - Paris Hilton's mom offended by McCain ad
San Francisco Chronicle
"Paris Hilton's mother doesn't share John McCain's sense of humor.
McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, said last week that his
campaign ad mocking Democrat Barack Obama with images of Hilton and
singer Britney Spears was part of an attempt to inject humor into the
presidential race. On Sunday, Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, a McCain
donor, registered her disapproval. ‘It is a complete waste of the
country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of
people are losing their homes and their jobs,' Kathy Hilton said in a
short article posted on the liberal Huffington Post website. ‘And it
is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the
United States.'" [editor's note: Nice to know someone in that family
has half a clue - SAT] (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5gu3qa
=====
07 - CA: Newsom proposes fine for unsorted trash
San Francisco Chronicle
"Garbage collectors would inspect San Francisco residents' trash to
make sure pizza crusts aren't mixed in with chip bags or wine bottles
under a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom. And if residents or businesses
don't separate the coffee grounds from the newspapers, they would face
fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service
stopped. The plan to require proper sorting of refuse would be the
nation's first mandatory recycling and composting law." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5qg99p
=====
08 - Black Crowes: Gretchen Wilson stole our song!
Tennessean
"Billboard reports that attorneys for the Black Crowes have accused
country singer Gretchen Wilson of copyright infringement for including
part of their 1991 song, Jealous Again, in her recording of Work Hard,
Play Harder. Although the song hasn't been released as a single, it's
being used in TV ads promoting the Holly Hunter show Saving Grace, on
TNT. The Black Crowes' attorneys have served copyright infringement
notices to Wilson, Wilson's label, Sony BMG, and Nashville-based music
publisher J. Money Music, the music industry magazine says. Wilson co-
wrote Work Hard, Play Harder with John Rich and Vicky McGehee. Jealous
Again was written by Black Crowes Chris and Rich Robinson." [editor's
note: Not quite as obvious as "He's So Fine"/"My Sweet Lord" ... but
pretty evident - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5garn9
=====
09 - Stimulus "somewhat helped" economy
Fox News
"The prospects for a quick economic recovery dimmed Thursday, with new
data showing the economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate this
spring despite some oomph from tax rebate checks - and actually shrank
late last year. Democrats called for a second economic stimulus
package, while the Bush administration said the growth was proof the
checks helped. Armed with government stimulus checks of up to $600 per
person, Americans boosted spending on food, clothing and other items
in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported. But the gross
domestic product still increased at a 1.9 percent annual rate, up from
0.9 percent in the first quarter but less than the 2.4 percent
economists were looking for." (07/31/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395644,00.html
=====
10 - Report: VP pondered military scam to provoke Iran war
Think Progress
"Speaking at the Campus Progress journalism conference earlier this
month, Seymour Hersh - a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist for The New
Yorker - revealed that Bush administration officials held a meeting
recently in the Vice President's office to discuss ways to provoke a
war with Iran. ... Hersh explained that, during the meeting in
Cheney's office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as
Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This
idea, intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately
rejected." (07/31/08)
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/31/cheney-proposal-for-iran-war/
=====
11 - Higher ed bill draws bead on tuition costs
Christian Science Monitor
"The rapid rise in college costs has caught the attention of Congress,
which is taking steps to at least give the public reason to hope for a
break on tuition bills. New legislation, expected to clear the House
and Senate after press time on July 31, includes provisions designed
to put pressure on colleges, universities, and states to rein in the
escalating price of a college education. ... One set of lists would
spotlight the 5 percent of institutions with the largest percentage
tuition increase over the past three years. ... They would have to
report to the Ed Department the reasons for the tuition
hikes." [editor's note: This would bring totalitarian rule to "higher
ed" the way it has to the rest of schooling - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0801/p03s01-usgn.html
=====
12 - MA: Adult smoking rate plunges
Boston Globe
"Nearly 8 percent fewer Massachusetts adults smoked in 2007 than the
year before, the steepest decline in cigarette use in more than a
decade, state health authorities reported yesterday. The drop
coincided with the revival of the state's tobacco-control program,
which was slashed under the administrations of Jane Swift and Mitt
Romney. The Department of Public Health, for example, in boosting its
spending by 50 percent, resurrected in-your-face television ads
starring former smokers whose health was affected by cigarettes. At
the same time, the state's quest to insure nearly every resident,
which has extended coverage to more than 350,000 adults, may have
contributed to the decline." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6z2tu5
=====
13 - Report: Number of illegal migrants plummets
Arizona Republic
"The illegal-immigrant population has fallen an estimated 11 percent
nationwide over the past year and perhaps even more in Arizona, with
stricter law enforcement a likely cause, according to a report issued
Wednesday by a Washington organization that promotes less immigration.
The apparent drop preceded a spike in unemployment claims, suggesting
enforcement, not the nation's faltering economy, is responsible, said
Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration
Studies. ... In Arizona, the number of illegal immigrants may have
fallen as much as 18 percent since August, Camarota said, though the
data is too spotty to say with confidence." [editor's note: A
"report" ... from the agency whose job it is to shut the border ...
showing they're succeeding! Suspect data, perhaps? - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5vvul4
=====
14 - Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
CNN
"The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep.
Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal
penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a
quarter-pound, of the substance. ... Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, likened
Frank's proposal - co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas - to current
laws dealing with alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is permitted, and
the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse
alcohol or drive under its influence, he said. ... Rob Kampia,
director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests
outnumber arrests for ‘all violent crimes combined,' meaning police
are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.
‘Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform,' he said. Reps.
William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said
that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana
laws unfairly target African-Americans." (07/30/08)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/30/frank.marijuana/
=====
15 - Conservationists seek limits on Gulf dead zone pollution
Environment News Service
"Conservation groups from nine states along the Mississippi River and
two national groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency today to set and enforce numeric standards to limit nutrient
pollution in the river basin because it contributes to the dead zone
in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf dead zone, a stretch of water covering
nearly 8,000 square miles where oxygen levels are too low to support
marine life, is the second largest in the world. It is caused every
year when farmers fertilize their fields. ... The dead zone will
continue to grow, the petitioners argue, unless the EPA sets numeric
standards for nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and requires all
states in the river basin to meet those standards. The petition
follows Monday's announcement of the Gulf of Mexico's second largest
dead zone to date, measuring 7,988 square miles." (07/30/08)
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2008/2008-07-30-095.asp
=====
16 - CA: SF Supes pass tobacco ban in pharmacies
San Francisco Chronicle
"San Francisco lawmakers voted Tuesday to make the city the first in
the nation to ban the sale of tobacco products at most pharmacies, a
move that backers hope will lead to similar laws across the country.
The ban has already attracted the attention of Marin County leaders,
who may push forward with their own proposal. The ban passed the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors on an 8-3 vote, with some supervisors
predicting it would be a ‘first step' toward additional bans on the
sale of tobacco in the city. ‘Whatever we can do to make this country
a smoke-free zone, we should do it,' said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi,
who voted in favor of the ban first proposed by Mayor Gavin
Newsom." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5ugest
=====
17 - 30-ft.-high rat may greet Lieberman at GOP Convention
The Raw Story
"If some Connecticut Democrats get their way, Sen. Joe Lieberman will
be greeted at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul,
Minnesota by a gigantic inflatable rat. Stamford's The Advocate
reports: Joseph Lieberman might want to pack some rodenticide if he
decides to stump for John McCain at the upcoming Republican National
Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Some of the same Connecticut Democrats
who stalked the senator on the re-election trail two years ago with
the famous ‘kiss' float - a papier mache likeness of President Bush
kissing Lieberman after the 2005 State of the Union address - are
hoping to make a similar splash at the GOP fete Sept. 1-4." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6yforh
=====
18 - India: Weavers sidelined by "market forces"
Christian Science Monitor
"In a windowless hut lit only by the sunlight pouring through an open
door, a bone-thin man bends over his wooden hand loom, weaving a
shimmering silk sari with violet, turquoise, and gold threads. The
beautiful six-meter-long garment will take 10 days to complete and
will fetch the weaver, Abdul Majid, 600 rupees (approximately $14),
which is little more than he would have earned for the same work a
decade ago. Diminishing demand for handwoven saris coupled with
competition from power looms - which belt out several garments a day -
in other parts of India as well as China have left the 300,000 hand
loom weavers of Varanasi, a city in northern India, wretchedly poor.
Once prosperous, craftsmen like Mr. Majid are now struggling to
survive." (07/31/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0731/p07s01-wosc.html
=====
19 - MA: Curb on gay marriage about to fall
Boston Globe
"In a major victory for advocates of same-sex marriage rights, the
House voted by a wide margin yesterday to repeal a 95-year-old law
that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from
marrying here, setting the stage for Massachusetts to join just one
other state, California, in allowing same-sex couples to marry
regardless of residence. The repeal passed swiftly in the Senate
earlier this month on a unanimous voice vote, but some wondered if the
issue would stall in the larger House, where a handful of lawmakers
wanted to avoid voting on a gay marriage question just before the
election season." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/68wsc4
=====
20 - AZ: Big money, not citizens, driving initiatives
Arizona Republic
"So much for the ‘citizens' with this year's batch of citizens
initiatives. For most of the nine initiatives planned for the November
ballot, financial backing from individual donors has been scarce. The
money has flowed almost exclusively from corporations, political
committees and a relative handful of wealthy individuals. Grass-roots?
Nope. Not yet anyway. Take the transportation campaign in favor of a 1
cent-per-dollar hike in the state sales tax. Of the nearly $1 million
received by the ballot effort, just $100 has thus far been donated by
individuals. ... Likewise, nearly every cent of the $8.7 million
dumped into a ballot effort benefiting the payday-loan industry has
been donated by - guess who? - a trade group representing payday
lenders: the Arizona Community Financial Services
Association." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5d9kbx
=====
21 - AZ: State to get first wind-power farm
Arizona Republic
"The state's first wind-energy farm could be operating by late next
year, filling a gap in Arizona's alternative-power offerings. Salt
River Project officials said the proposed plant, to be built about 18
miles northwest of Snowflake with turbines stretching more than 300
feet high, finally offered the utility an affordable wind-power
option. Utility officials said Monday that they have agreed to buy
electricity from the plant's operator, enough to power more than
15,000 homes. The Dry Lake Wind Project, to be east of Arizona 377, is
expected to cost about $100 million and be the first commercial wind-
energy farm in Arizona. It will be developed by Iberdrola Renewables,
a global energy company with headquarters in Spain." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/59xho3
=====
22 - TN: Williamson County is nation's third "skinniest"
Tennessean
"Williamson County has been named the third 'skinniest' place to live
nationwide, according to a study conducted by CNN Money.com. The poll
compared the average body mass index of cities and counties across the
country to assemble the list of 25 top counties, which is topped by
Marin County in California at No. 1 and San Francisco County in
California at No. 2. The list mentions the cities of Brentwood,
Franklin and Spring Hill specifically, citing a body mass index
average of 24.9 for the three cities. The list is from the magazine's
August 2008 issue." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5tmjye
=====
23 - Canada: Berry-pickers report Sasquatch sighting in Ontario Woods
Fox News
"A mother and daughter on a berry-picking excursion in northwestern
Ontario, Canada, claim the giant, black, hulking figure they saw last
week might be the legendary sasquatch, the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation reported Monday. Helen Pahpasay and her mother say they
were scared stiff when they saw the mysterious creature spot them in
their truck and then run into the woods near Grassy Narrows, Ont.,
about 140 miles east of Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... The women considered
chasing the figure to get a better look, but were so shaken they
abandoned berry picking altogether and returned home. Pahpasay claims
others later found a large, six-toed footprint in the
area." (07/29/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,393301,00.html
=====
24 - Taliban war of words undermining Afghan nation building
Christian Science Monitor
"Arbitrary detentions by United States forces in Afghanistan and the
aerial bombardment by the international forces has not only increased
public discontent, it has also given the Taliban opportunities to cash
in on a sophisticated media strategy, observers say. The International
Crisis Group (ICG) has pointed to the dangers of the Taliban's
successful propaganda in a July 24 report and argues that the result
is ‘weakening public support for nation building, even though few
actively support the Taliban.' While Taliban propaganda is often
rudimentary and crude, the ICG report says, the Taliban is adept at
exploiting local disenfranchisement." (07/29/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0730/p04s01-wosc.html
=====
25 - NH: Governor seeks disaster declaration
Boston Globe
"Governor John Lynch is asking President Bush to make a major disaster
declaration as a step toward securing federal assistance for those
affected by last week's tornado. Lynch spent yesterday morning with
federal, state, and local officials to assess the response to the
tornado, which tore through 11 communities and 8,400 acres on Thursday
and killed a woman in Deerfield. He said the state is focused on
coordinating efforts by state agencies and volunteer organizations to
ensure that victims find shelter, food, and clothing." (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/695nno
=====
26 - IA: Citizens' arrest of Rove fails again
Raw Story
"Four peace activists were arrested on Friday as they attempted to
make a ‘citizens arrest' of Karl Rove, Reuters reported. Protesters
let police know of their intentions to arrest Rove while he was in Des
Moines for a private fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa.
Police arrested the protesters after they stepped through the gate at
the entrance of the private club where Rove was speaking. ‘It should
be Karl Rove in that van. War criminal!' one demonstrator shouted as
police rounded up the four men. Chet Guinn, a retired Methodist
Minister, was among those led away. ‘To be silent when major crimes
are being committed against all humanity makes us accomplices,' Gwinn
said." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6cerzt
=====
27 - Mexico: Military losing support for drug war
Arizona Republic
"This hardscrabble Mexican border town [of Ojinaga] welcomed 400
soldiers when they arrived four months ago to stop a wave of drug
violence that brought daytime gunbattles to its main street. But then
the soldiers themselves turned violent, townspeople say, ransacking
homes and even torturing people. The frustration boiled over last
week. More than 1,000 people marched through the streets carrying
signs begging President Felipe Calderon for protection from his own
troops. ... Mexico's National Human Rights Commission says it has
documented more than 600 cases of abuse since Calderon sent 20,000
soldiers across the nation to take back territory controlled by drug
lords." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/66367e
=====
28 - TX: $1 billion reward for breast cancer cure
Fox News
"Mike Dewey has a plan to eliminate breast cancer: He's offering $1
billion to the person who discovers the cure. Never mind the fact the
48-year-old Austin consultant has nothing close to that much money.
Dewey, whose daughters are at increased risk for the disease because
his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, says he'll come up with the
cash. ‘I get pretty fired up about this because I've got girls in
danger,' said Dewey, who says he's raised about $22 million in pledges
so far and about $90,000 in actual donations through his nonprofit
foundation. While he's still quite a bit short of $1 billion and some
experts are critical of his idea, the energetic Dewey is unfazed - and
certain money will roll in if there's a cure." (07/27/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391787,00.html
=====
29 - CA: State eyes "soak the ‘rich' more" tax scheme
Christian Science Monitor
"For the ‘have-mores' of California, the tax man cometh. Facing a $15
billion budget shortfall, Californian legislators are calling for tax
hikes on the rich. That's despite the Golden State already having one
of the most progressive tax structures, meaning the wealthy pay much
higher rates than the poorest. Top earners here could face a double
whammy if Democratic leaders in Washington succeed next year in
rolling back President Bush's tax cuts and allow Social Security
withholding on income beyond the current $102,000 cap. ... The
strategy isn't without risks: Just as globalization has enriched the
elite, it has also increased their ability to relocate if the tax
climate gets too uncomfortable." (07/27/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0726/p25s34-uspo.html
=====
30 - AZ: 11th-hour effort to save a native tongue
Arizona Republic
"Several dozen children stand atop a bluff to face the morning sun as
it peeks over a distant ridge. Nyims thava hmado we'e, they chant,
meaning ‘Boys greet the morning sun.' And then for girls: Nyima thava
masi:yo we'e. Jorigine Bender, the teacher, urges them to repeat the
dawn greeting with raised hands. ‘Everybody, turn toward your brother,
the sun.' The youths, Hualapai and Yavapai, recite the phrases in self-
conscious, uncertain unison. The language is Pai, passed down to them
through generations but unintelligible to the children. In an America
dominated by computers, TV and video games, a decreasing number of
Native Americans, especially younger ones, can speak or understand
their Native tongues." (07/27/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5s7lwd
COMMENTARY
31 - In defense of the ‘60s
In These Times
Peter Marcuse
"The protests of 1968 - symbolically, the occupation of the Columbia
University buildings, the student uprisings in Paris and the street
protests in Berlin - are now in danger of being denigrated as the
actions of spoiled, confused, if not neurotic, students and rebellious
youth who were ‘finding' themselves in making trivial demands of their
uncomprehending and benevolent societies. An April 23 op-ed by Paul
Auster in the >em>New York Times calls 1968 ‘the year of the crazies.'
Another op-ed, by Jean-Claude Guillebaud, on May 24, calls the
protesters ‘useful idiots,' and the current attention on them a
‘frenzy of nostalgia.' In the process, the serious changes brought
about by the events of ‘68, the substance of the protests, the reasons
for the discontent, and the desire for change, are either ignored or
superciliously dismissed as childish daydreams." [editor's note: As
one who was there at the time (one of those "useful idiots trying to
"find myself" as a college freshman), I've mixed reactions to the
revisionist history - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3805/in_defense_of_the_60s/
=====
32 - Republicans experts when it comes to "race card"
Tennessean
Dwight Lewis
"Who dat playing the ‘race card?' Surely, that's not Sen. Barack Obama
playing the race card, is it? Not the man who has called for Americans
to come together? Not Barack Obama, the man who stands a good chance
of becoming America's first black president, but whose mother was
white? But there was Sen. John McCain's campaign on Thursday accusing
Obama of playing the race card while the presumptive Democratic
nominee for president gave a speech in Missouri. The charge by the
campaign for the presumptive Republican presidential candidate came
after Obama told an audience that McCain and his allies will try to
scare voters by saying Obama ‘doesn't look like all those other
presidents on the dollar bills.'" (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/56h8vn
=====
33 - The U.N. can end these wars
Christian Science Monitor
Helena Cobban
"After long and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, how can the
United States plan to win in either country? What would an achievable
victory look like? This question has new urgency, given the recent
upswing in violence in Afghanistan and the sense emerging among many
US leaders - from both parties - that military resources need to be
speedily diverted there from Iraq. One thing is clear. Neither of
these victories will look like your grandfather's victory in the
Pacific in 1945. Back then, Japan's army chief and top-hatted foreign
minister traveled to the USS Missouri to sign a surrender document and
hand it with full pomp to Gen. Douglas MacArthur." (08/04/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0804/p09s03-coop.html
=====
34 - Is an ex-Senator's alleged "love child" news?
Fox News
Susan Estrich
"Does anyone care if a former United States senator and presidential
candidate ducked into a Beverly Hills hotel two weeks ago for a
furtive meeting with his (alleged) mistress and his (alleged) love
child? Almost certainly. But does that make it news? That is a
question that the mainstream media, as it is called, has been
struggling with since the National Enquirer first broke the story of
the men's room standoff at the Beverly Hilton, as the former senator
tried to leave the hotel unobserved (no such luck) at 2:30 in the
morning." (08/03/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,396381,00.html
=====
35 - Darfur's development gap
Boston Globe
David L. Phillips
"By accusing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan of genocide, the
International Criminal Court has caused Khartoum to change its
approach to Darfur, where 200,000 people have died and millions have
been displaced since 2003. Hoping to defer the court's charges, Bashir
is promising peace, development, and restitution to Darfurians. The
United Nations Security Council should leverage efforts by Russia and
China to defer charges against Bashir by securing an agreement with
Khartoum to cooperate with the international community in a
development plan for Darfur. The initiative would address a root cause
of the conflict, which lies in Darfur's poverty and historic
marginalization." (08/03/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6doswj
=====
36 - Truth & consequences under the Israeli occupation
The Nation
Mohammed Omer
"I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. At the age of 17, I armed
myself with a camera and a pen, committed to report accurately on
events in Gaza. I have filed reports as Israeli fighter jets bombed
Gaza City. ... I have been recognized for my reporting, even in the
United States and United Kingdom, where I have won two international
awards. I have also been beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers. ...
Dutch MP Hans Van Baalen lobbied the Israeli government to let me
leave Gaza to receive my award in person. Upon my return from London,
I was surrounded by Israeli security officers. I was stripped naked at
gunpoint, interrogated, kicked and beaten for more than four hours. At
one point I fainted and then awakened to fingernails gouging at the
flesh beneath my eyes. ... They dragged me by my feet, sweeping my
head through my own vomit. I lost consciousness. I was told later that
they transferred me to a hospital only when they thought I might
die." (07/31/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/omer
=====
37 - Education as a civil rights issue
NY Times
staff
"Civil rights groups have begun a welcome attack on a House bill that
would temporarily exempt the states from the all-important
accountability requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act, which was
signed into law in 2002. The attack, led by powerful groups like the
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, was unexpected, given that the
nation's two big teachers' unions actually hold seats on the
conference's executive committee. Recent events suggest that the civil
rights establishment generally is ready to break with the teachers'
unions and take an independent stand on education reform." (08/01/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5lmdaj
=====
38 - America's $53 trillion jumbo loan
Christian Science Monitor
staff
"Americans are now tasting the sour fruits of unaffordable mortgages:
foreclosure, bankruptcy, falling markets. The nation, too, is staring
at overwhelming debt, made worse by this week's forecast of a whopper
federal deficit. ... It's true that the $482 billion deficit chasm
estimated for fiscal year 2009 doesn't look so deep when taken as a
percentage of the overall economy - 3.3 percent of gross domestic
product compared to the 1983 nadir of about 6 percent. But this is
just one ‘mortgage' that the federal government (i.e., taxpayers) must
meet. It owes on all the deficits it has accumulated over the years
(the national debt), and it has jumbo liabilities to come in the form
of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid." [editor's note: Always
nice to see someone in the MSM who gets this concept - SAT] (08/01/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0801/p08s01-comv.html
=====
39 - Party crasher
Slate
John Dickerson
"In recent polls, the majority of respondents believe that McCain, as
president, would continue Mr. Bush's policies in Iraq and on the
economy. How much of a liability is Bush? One McCain aide refers to
him as kryptonite. The irony, says a McCain supporter, is that Bush
could end up beating McCain on both his runs for the presidency.
Conventions are usually a place to finesse a candidate's liabilities.
And yet McCain has to give kryptonite a prime-time speaking spot. When
I asked GOP veterans whether there was any way to minimize the damage
for McCain, their first reaction was to laugh. Since the convention
starts on a Monday, one member of the McCain campaign joked that Bush
could speak on Sunday night. Another veteran Republican suggested
putting up an onstage dunking booth for the president." (07/31/08)
http://www.slate.com/id/2196272/
=====
40 - Hunting season is open on polar bears' ESA listing
Mother Jones
Daniel Schulman
"Even before the polar bear received ‘threatened' status under the
Endangered Species Act in May, a host of organizations were already
laying the groundwork for a legal challenge. As early as last January,
Jim Sims, the president and CEO of the Western Business Roundtable,
which reps for oil and mining interests, sent an email to colleagues
detailing a strategy to ‘quite possibly reverse' the ruling, if the
worst came to pass. Part of it would involve litigation filed by a
‘truly extraordinary plaintiff': Roy Innis, the chairman of the
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a decades-old civil rights group
that has taken a sharp turn to the right under his leadership, joining
forces with conservative activists particularly on issues related to
the environment. It looks like the plan is finally in
motion." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5dgcnl
=====
41 - Legalize marijuana - if only for the votes
Disloyal Opposition
JD Tuccille
"Even Rep. Barney Frank doesn't think much of the chances for his
proposal to legalize the possession and non-commercial transfer of
small quantities of marijuana, a measure co-sponsored by Rep. Ron
Paul. Frank reportedly joked that the bill doesn't have a ‘high
chance' of passing. That's a shame, because it's a good step toward
getting the government out of the business of telling consenting
adults what they can and can't buy, sell and - most importantly - put
into their own bodies." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5lm6hj
=====
42 - Tap has 1/100 impact of bottled water
AlterNet
Graham Hill
"We have forgotten about our closest source of water at home - the
tap. Yet one of the simplest ways to reduce our environmental impact,
to save money (not a ton ... yet!) and to free ourselves from shopping
and storage hassle, is by saying goodbye to bottled water. A life
cycle assessment commissioned by the Swiss Gas and Water Association
traced the entire life cycle from water extraction to serving it up in
a glass. Their findings showed that tap water has less than one
percent of the impacts of un-refrigerated bottled water. Even when the
tap water is refrigerated its impact is only one quarter of that of
bottled water. These astonishing figures show that tap water is hands-
down the greenest and most responsible choice." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/55lgcv
=====
43 - Big media hectors Obama on "surge"
In These Times
Robert Parry
"For six years, with few exceptions, the Washington press corps has
been cheerleading for the Iraq War - and the pattern is continuing in
Campaign 2008 with the endless demands that Barack Obama apologize for
not supporting the troop 'surge.' ... Obama's efforts to point to
other factors that predated the 'surge' - such as the Anbar Awakening
(the Sunni tribal rejection of al-Qaeda extremists) and cease-fires
ordered by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - fall on deaf
ears." [editor's note: What wil be just as disturbing is how quickly
the Fourth Estate jumps into line BEHIND B.O. once he ascends to the
throne! - SAT] (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/59b4uv
=====
44 - Economic free fall?
The Nation
William Greider
"Washington can act with breathtaking urgency when the right people
want something done. In this case, the people are Wall Street's
titans, who are scared witless at the prospect of their historic
implosion. Congress quickly agreed to enact a gargantuan bailout, with
more to come, to calm the anxieties and halt the deflation of Wall
Street giants. Put aside partisan bickering, no time for hearings, no
need to think through the deeper implications. We haven't seen
‘bipartisan cooperation' like this since Washington decided to invade
Iraq." (07/31/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080818/greider
=====
45 - Pickens gives new meaning to "self-government"
Fox News
Steven Milloy
"The more you learn about T. Boone Pickens' plan to switch America to
wind power, the more you realize that he seems willing to say and do
just about anything to make another billion or two. This column
previously discussed the plan's technical and economic shortcomings
and marketing ruses. Today, we'll look into the diabolical
machinations behind it. Simply put, Pickens' pitch is ‘embrace wind
power to help break our ‘addiction' to foreign oil.' There is,
however, another intriguing component to Pickens' plan that goes
unmentioned in his TV commercials, media interviews and website -
water rights, which he owns more of than any other
American." (07/31/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395304,00.html
=====
46 - Interview: The flex fuel solution
The American Prospect
Rachel Stern
"Drive smaller cars. Drill for more oil. Many such solutions have been
proposed to wean the United States off of our dependence on foreign
oil, but - at least according to Dr. Gal Luft, the executive director
of The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security - flex-fuel
vehicles are the only plan of action that will yield lasting results.
According to Luft, the U.S. government needs to mandate the
manufacture of cars that will run on not only a combination of gas and
ethanol but also other alternative fuels such as methanol and butanol.
Luft has gained widespread recognition for his advocacy." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/68yu85
=====
47 - Time running out for US in Iraq
Boston Globe
Bill Delahunt & Rosa DeLauro
"A timetable for the withdrawal of US troops has long been a priority
for Iraqis - 70 percent want the United States out, according to the
latest polls. This sentiment is also reflected in Parliament - the
only directly elected branch of government. Two months ago, the
political parties representing a majority sent a letter to Congress
opposing any US-Iraq security agreement without a timetable. The Iraqi
executive branch, usually allied with the Bush administration on this
issue, has joined this consensus. ... But the Bush administration
continues to resist, even as the clock ticks toward Dec. 31 - when the
current UN mandate expires and US troops lose their legal authority to
fight and their immunity from prosecution in Iraq." (07/31/08)
http://tinyurl.com/6d5jtz
=====
48 - The impeachment hearing
CounterPunch
Dave Lindorff
"Time is short, but even at this late date, it would be a simple
matter to impeach the president on some issues. As several of Friday's
witnesses pointed out, President Bush has essentially dared Congress
to act, admitting that he openly violated the FISA law - a felony, and
openly admitting that he has refused to enact laws passed by the
Congress, claiming a power - unitary executive authority - not even
mentioned in the Constitution. He has openly admitted to having known
about, and approved, ‘enhanced interrogation techniques' devised by
his subordinates - techniques like waterboarding which clearly violate
the Geneva Conventions and US law. No hearings would be required to
establish these high crimes and misdemeanors. They could simply be
voted on by an Impeachment Committee and sent to the full House for a
vote. Even if there were no time for a Senate trial, the simple act of
impeaching the president for one or more abuses of power would serve
notice on future presidents that future such abuses would not be
tolerated. Failure to do so, and allowing this administration to leave
office unimpeached, would send the opposite message: that Congress is
no longer a co-equal branch of government, but is merely a
consultative body, at best, and that a president is in effect a
dictator." (07/30/08)
http://counterpunch.org/lindorff07302008.html
=====
49 - Mitt Romney just wants John McCain to love him
Salon
Mike Madden
"By the time McCain was finished with him this winter, you'd have
figured the last thing Romney would want to do would be help out his
former rival. McCain had taunted and bullied Romney through the
primary season, beating him handily in almost every state they
competed in and, finally, showing up to campaign in Romney's adopted
hometown for no apparent reason other than to be obnoxious. But a
funny thing has happened over the past few months: Romney has become
one of McCain's biggest fans. Within a week of dropping out of the
race, Romney sent word out through his organization to get on board
with the nominee." (07/30/08)
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/07/30/romney/
=====
50 - The rat trap
In These Times
Christopher Moraff
"Levon Jones is supposed to be dead. If the state of North Carolina
had its way, Jones, 49, would have been strapped to a gurney years
ago, hooked to an IV and pumped full of a lethal, three-drug cocktail
until he asphyxiated. Instead, on May 2, he walked out of prison a
free man after spending 13 years on death row, and another 24 months
locked up awaiting retrial - all for a murder he almost certainly did
not commit." (07/30/08)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3804/the_rat_trap/
=====
51 - Government - won't save you, may screw you
The Liberty Papers
Brad Warbiany
"One of the key ideas that I find myself discussing in any election
cycle is the desire of Americans to elect a savior. Not gonna happen.
The system is bigger than the players, and the system is flawed. But
that doesn't stop the average voter from trying to elect someone who
will ‘run the country,' ‘fix the economy,' and ‘encourage
growth.'" (07/29/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5w3pz7
=====
52 - A bipartisan lovefest with bankers
The Nation
Robert Scheer
"This is a time to condemn the bankers, not to embrace them. They are
the scoundrels who got us into the biggest economic mess since the
Great Depression, lining their own pockets while destroying the life
savings of those who trusted them. Yet both of our leading
presidential candidates are scrambling to enlist not only the big-
dollar contributions but, more frighteningly, the ‘expertise' of the
very folks who advocated the financial industry deregulations at the
heart of this meltdown." (07/30/08)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/scheer2
=====
53 - Berlin speech reveals Obama's worldview
Arizona Republic
Robert Robb
"Barack Obama's speech in Berlin was a phenomenal event. For a U.S.
presidential candidate to draw a crowd of over 200,000 in a foreign
country to hear him speak is truly remarkable. So, Europe likes Obama
and Berliners loved his speech. In the United States, however, the
question is what does what Obama said in Berlin mean for us and for
the direction of his leadership should he become president? There were
two significant points about the speech. The first is that it wasn't
apologetic. There is a strong consensus in Europe that the United
States is too backward to wield the power and influence it has in the
world. ... Most American liberals tend to defer to the European
judgment, at least implicitly. Obama didn't." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5esbvy
=====
54 - Obama needs to make nice on all sides
Fox News
Susan Estrich
"Spare me the true believers. I don't mean the people who support
Barack Obama for president. I support Barack Obama for president. I
mean the people who worship him to the point that anyone who says
anything raising questions about the inevitability of his rise to
sainthood, much less the perfection of him and his wife and his
campaign, is deserving of damnation. I wrote a column last week about
how the Obama campaign needed to guard against the arrogance that many
people tell me they have detected in dealing with them. I didn't
condemn the candidate. I didn't say he doesn't deserve to be
president. I just made the point, which seems almost obvious to me,
that he isn't president yet." (07/29/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395141,00.html
=====
55 - Why Starbucks lost its mojo
Christian Science Monitor
Bryant Simon
"Bad news has been pouring down on Starbucks for a year. The price of
the company's stock has been cut in half - and then some. Fewer people
come through store doors and those who do buy less. Still when
Starbucks, that longtime engine of growth, announced that it planned
to close 600 US stores - 50 of them by the end of July - and lay off
12,000 employees, company watchers reacted with surprise. One
journalist called it the 'sudden shocking end to the long and gilded
age of Starbucks.'" [editor's note: This seems to show that if you
build a business based on its "trendiness" ... you need to keep it
less than ubiquitous, settling for millions instead of billions. ...
Well, DUH! - SAT] (07/30/08)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0730/p09s02-coop.html
=====
57 - A new attack on birth control
Boston Globe
staff
"With just a few months left in office, President Bush is still doing
the bidding of social conservatives who oppose women's reproductive
freedoms. Under the guise of rules to protect antiabortion nurses and
doctors from discrimination in hiring, a proposed new regulation would
expand the definition of abortion to include any form of contraception
that can work by stopping implantation of a fertilized egg in the
uterus. This can include common birth-control pills, emergency
contraception, and the intra-uterine device, or IUD. ... The rule
could also undercut many state laws - including one in Massachusetts
requiring hospitals to provide emergency contraception for rape
victims." [editor's note: Oh no, these folks aren't REALLY seeking to
outlaw all sexuality not aimed solely at conception; that's just in
your warped minds! - SAT] [additional editor's note: Perhaps, Steve,
perhaps ... but that doesn't change the basic dishonesty of this
piece. "Conception" is the fertilization of the egg; "contraception"
would be anything that prevents fertilization; destruction of the egg
after fertilization is not "contraception," "emergency" or otherwise,
but "abortion" - and always has been - TLK] (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/5skcst
=====
58 - The Iraq equation
Slate
John Dickerson and Chris Wilson
"Over the last few weeks, Barack Obama and John McCain have seemed to
get perilously close to agreeing on what to do in Iraq. Obama
continues to talk about a 16-month withdrawal but would let military
commanders determine the pace of the withdrawal. McCain is also now in
favor of a 16-month timeline - as long as the commanders determine the
pace of the withdrawal. After the withdrawal, how many soldiers would
be left and what would they do? Both candidates agree on that, too.
U.S. forces would continue to train Iraqi soldiers, fight al-Qaida,
assist Sunni tribal leaders, and fight Shiite militias. How long they
would do all of this, and in what numbers, would be up to the
commanders on the ground. How close are the two candidates? Below are
two mathematical formulas derived from their public
statements." (07/30/08)
http://www.slate.com/id/2196229/
=====
59 - There's something about Mary
Mother Jones
James Ridgeway, Daniel Schulman, and David Corn
"Mary McFate was a prominent gun control activist. Mary Lou Sapone was
a freelance spy with an NRA connection. They are the same
person." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/66orm5
=====
60 - America is already committing acts of war against Iran
AlterNet
Scott Ritter
"The war between the United States and Iran is on. American taxpayer
dollars are being used, with the permission of Congress, to fund
activities that result in Iranians being killed and wounded, and
Iranian property destroyed. This wanton violation of a nation's
sovereignty would not be tolerated if the tables were turned and
Americans were being subjected to Iranian-funded covert actions that
took the lives of Americans, on American soil, and destroyed American
property and livelihood. Many Americans remain unaware of what is
transpiring abroad in their name." (07/30/08)
http://tinyurl.com/56a4cl
See ya next week ...
Peace, Love and Liberty
Steve Trinward, Editor
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