| final
hurdle passed, what? FDA declares cloned meat so safe they won't mark it! From James Joiner for An Average American Patriot
FDA declares Cloned meat Safe! Are we supposed to feel good about that with their track record? I was researching this morning to do an update on the degradation of the middle east including Iraq while Bush is declaring victory and over there talking Peace that will never happen. However, the issue of cloning resurfaced this morning so I thought that even more important to talk about today. I will get back to Bush's destruction of the middle east tomorrow. Today just one aspect on the destruction of average American's. You don't think the affluent is goint to eat this stuff do you? This isn't for our benefit it is for business. I set out to update a story I did on this years ago but nothing has changed. We still do not know if cloned meat is safe but now supposedly the final hurdle has been passed and it is being declared safe for average American's. If it is so safe mark it! If I thought vegetables were any safer today I would swear off meat! Anyway I am sticking with my original story but I recommend you read this so called new update and watch the video of The FDA saying cloned Beef safe More about the FDA shortly and I do want to know what you think about the FDA and the idea of eating cloned, unmarked, meat? The FDA assures us after a supposed 6 year study for your safety they concluded that cloned livestock is "virtually indistinguishable" from conventional livestock. I really don't know what I think about this yet but I have learned not to trust the FDA. I have to ask how virtual is this virtually indistinguishable difference? and we don't need special labels? I understand the verdict is out for 3 months until a final decision is made on disclosure issue . While Joseph Mendelson, legal director of the Center for Food Safety says we are going to be having a product that has potential safety issues and has a whole load of ethical issues tied to it, without any labeling. Also the director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America said the FDA is ignoring research that shows cloning results in more deaths and deformed animals than other reproductive technologies. They have announced that they feel so good about this cloned meat that they will ask food companies and supermarkets to refuse to sell food from clones. Looking at the process used in the cloning it appears to be innocent enough but I don't know? How are we supposed to believe the FDA with their track record? we're supposed to feel better because they are only going to use these manufactured animals for breeding! Where the hell is the security in that? Cloned Food I have to ask once again but who are we supposed to trust? I thought the FDA worked for the people but now I know otherwise. They have misled us many times in the past. Look at some examples of their corruption and you will know why. Then tell me how you feel about this "virtually indistinguishable meat" First a regulating Government Body should be Governing, Regulating, and protecting us from Food and Drug Companies. We can't realistically expect this to be the case when all sides work together? This idea that the FDA tells us we don't have to know which meat is cloned is not in our interest. Personally I don't trust it and I wouldn't buy it. I believe many of you feel the same way. As they have put the pharmaceutical industry before our health many times. this idea of not letting us know which meat is cloned is not for us, it is for the industry that the FDA works for. Also a law was quietly passed in Congress a while back to increase the FDA's dependency for funding on the very companies they are supposed to honestly regulate. Not identifying cloned meat is another example of this. Sounds like a setup to me! they can't seriously expect honesty under these conditions can they? To be fair I wrote this about the FDA 4 years ago and the FDA being funded by the companies they were supposed to be inspecting, along with many other inequities was supposed to be regulated. However I haven't heard anything have you? Seriously, can we expect the FDA to regulate themselves or for that matter, this Congress? Knowing the FDA's track record how safe do you feel with cloned meat out there marked or unmarked? It seems to me like this should be our decision. we know we can not trust the Government! Do you trust the FDA? If it is so safe why don't they mark it? We're friggen Guinea pigs! What's new? Complete Independence? 61 years ago, on the 3rd January 1947 on his way to London General Aung San stopped off in New Delhi to discuss and study. General Aung San spoke at a reception given by the Committee of the Inter-Asian Relations Conference. On the 5th he met the press and replied to questions at the press conference. The following is extracted from his informal speech and replies, as published in “ THE HINDU” of Madras, dated on the 5th and 7th January respectively. We want complete independence. There is no question of dominion status. The AFPFL has directed those of us who are in the Governor’s Executive Council to leave the Council if, by the 31st of January no satisfactory settlement could be reached with the British Government. So, in London, we must either reach an agreement before the end of the month, or there will be a deadlock. Burma wants a Constituent Assembly to be elected, and no intermediate stages. We want the present Government in Burma to be invested with the powers of an interim Cabinet Government. Question: On the Indian model? Answer: After coming to India, I would hesitate to say on the Indian model (laughter). We are not going to ask for anything on the Indian model or any other model. We are just going to tell them what we want. Question: Will you be asking in London for the withdrawal of British troops from Burma? Answer: I don’t think we will. Most of the “British” troops in Burma happen to be Indian anyway (laughter). We have already asked for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. We have raised the question of withdrawal of Indian troops with Pandit Nehry and the Commander-in-Chief here. Question Before you left Rangoon you indicated that if your demands were not satisfactorily met you would have to launch another struggle for independence. Are you contemplating a violent or a non-violent struggle, or both? Answer: We have no inhibitions of any kind (laughter). Replying to another question, U Aung San said that the position of members of the Executive Council was very “funny”. He was Defence Counsellor to the Governor who himself had no control over the armed forces. These forces came under the control of the Commender-in-Chief, Allied Land Forces, Southeast Asia. Similarly, he was in charge of External Affairs, but that was a subject controlled by the Burma Office in London. Question: That may well be the constitutional position, but has there been any advice tendered by you that has been rejected? Answer No, but then I haven’t tendered any yet. (laughter). Our policy towards the frontier areas peoples is to offer them the option of joining us with a great measure of autnomy. I have been to some parts of the frontier areas and I have met some of their leaders and I can say that all this propaganda about the loyalty of the frontier peoples to the Brithis Government is not true. If there is a struggle for the independence of Burma, I shall not be surprised if there is a deep stir among the peoples all over the country. Question Do you apprehend that your delegation may not meet with the success you seek? Answer I hope for the best but I am prepared for the worst. …………………………………… After I read Bo Gyoke’s (General Aung San) speech and replies extracted above, I am thinking whether the national consolidation built by Bo Gyoke is still exist in today Burma and if Burma really reached the complete independence that Bo Gyoke aimed and struggled. ... Know a blog that deserves to be featured on the Blog World Report? Contact Robert.
Local Story on Vets for Peace There was a story last week in the local paper about the Vets for Peace vigil on Tuesdays in Pack Square in Asheville. It included the photo here, which is of Kindra, dressed in a Statue of Liberty costume (which came from the McDowells in Chapel Hill). Credit for the photo is Steve Dixon of the Asheville Citizen Times. Basically, the story is about the local Vets for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War and their upcoming weekly radio show on WPVM. I read news stories for the Asheville Global Report on that community FM radio station. Here is a clip of what the paper had to say:
I wish them the best in this new project! The Vets for Peace, Chapter 99, have been standing at Vance Monument in downtown Asheville for years now. They have been joined by the Iraq Veterans Against the War. They started with the start of the invasion of Iraq. Women in Black also hold a weekly vigil in Pack Square, and they have been doing that for over six years. Both of these groups are awesome! There is a couple of other weekly vigils in Asheville, and about four more in the surrounding mountains. Reality Check
Tuesday, January 15,2008: 15 Iraqis Killed, 38 Wounded At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 38 were wounded in mostly small bombings. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq and praised reconciliation efforts there. Also, Turkish jets resumed attacks on targets in northern Iraq. In Baghdad, a top judicial official failed to stop his convoy at a checkpoint in al-Salhiyah; an ensuing gunbattle left five schoolchildren dead.Clashes in the Fadhil district left the head of a neighborhood patrol dead and six others wounded. In Karrada, a pair of roadside bombs wounded eight people. Police said that five civilians were wounded during a U.S. air attack, but U.S. force denied this. No casualties were reported after mortars fell on the Green Zone. Also, six dumped bodies were recovered. Security forces in Shurqat killed a suicide bomber before he could stage his attack. In a separate incident, one policeman was killed and eight others were wounded when a bomb on a truck carrying onions was detonated. An oil refinery near Basra was set ablaze after Katyusha rockets or other explosives were expoded at the installation; at least 10 people were wounded. An oil spokesman, however, said that sparks from a Coalition helicopter were to blame for the accidental fire. In a separate incident, an unmanned British plane went down due to bad weather conditions. A Kirkuk police official was wounded during a roadside bombing in Hawija. In Mosul, no casualties were reported after police detonated a car bomb in the Nablus neighborhood. A car bomb in al-Mithaq was set ablaze when police fired upon it, but no casualties were reported in that incident either. Also, a body found in al-Intasar belongs to a man who was kidnapped last week in Somer. A vehicle ban was imposed in Karbala for the rest of the Ashuraa holidays. No casualties were reported when mortars fell on a home next to a police station in Fallujah. Security forces arrested 35 suspects in Kirkuk and Hawija. Ten were detained in al-Masalma. Two gunmen were arrested in Mosul as well. Wednesday, January 16, 2008 Baghdad: #1: About 10 a.m., two mortar rounds slammed into Palestine Street in east Baghdad. Three pedestrians were wounded, police said. The target was unclear, but the neighborhood is dominated by Shiites. #2: a roadside bomb exploded at 8 a.m. in the commercial Bab al-Muadham district of Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding four. The blast appeared to target a passing police car but instead hit a civilian car, a police officer said. 'A bomb planted near a bus station went off in the early hours on Wednesday in Bab al-Muazim in central Baghdad, killing three people and injuring seven,' a security official told the news agency. #3: another roadside bomb went off southeast of Baghdad at an intersection where U.S. and Iraqi troops often pass, police said. The attack killed one civilian and wounded four others. In southern Baghdad, two bombs went off at the same time in Zafaranyah, leaving one person dead and four injured, the official said. #4: several mortar rounds struck the building of a deserted super market, which houses a base of U.S. and Iraqi troops, in Baghdad's northeastern neighborhood of Shaab, he said. The source could not tell whether the troops sustained any casualty, as the Iraqi police forces are prevented from approaching the area. #5: Around 7,30, gunmen driving a car threw a grenade nearby Sardar car lot near the high way in Nahdha neighborhood east Baghdad. No casualties were reported. #6: Two civilians were killed and ten others were injured in an IED explosion in Waziriyah neighborhood east Baghdad around 8,00 am #7: Two mortar shells hit the green zone downtown Baghdad around 7,00 pm. No casualties were reported. #8: Police found five anonymous bodies in Baghdad. Three of the bodies were found in Rusafa, the eastern side of Baghdad in the following neighborhoods (2 bodies in Jisr Diyala and a body in Shaab). The two others bodies were found in Karkh, the western side of Baghdad in the following neighborhoods (1 body Bayaa and 1 body in Doura) ***************************************************** LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ?
Quote of the day: The rhetoric and propaganda about the occupation from hacks like Petraeus and Bush administration officials would make Orwell proud. – Dahr Jamail In late 2003, Weary of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers, Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself. His dispatches were quickly recognized as an important media resource. He is now writing for the Inter Press Service, The Asia Times and many other outlets. His reports have also been published with The Nation, The Sunday Herald, Islam Online, the Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, and the Independent to name just a few. Dahr's dispatches and hard news stories have been translated into French, Polish, German, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Turkish. On radio as well as television, Dahr reports for Democracy Now!, the BBC, and numerous other stations around the globe. Dahr is also special correspondent for Flashpoints. Dahr has spent a total of 8 months in occupied Iraq as one of only a few independent US journalists in the country. In the MidEast, Dahr has also has reported from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Dahr uses the DahrJamailIraq.com website and his popular mailing list to disseminate his dispatches. *****************************************************
U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3923 Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 3 Total 3926 DoD Confirmation List Latest Coalition Fatality: Jan 16, 2008 01/16/08 MNF: MND-North Soldiers attacked by small arms (3 killed, 2 wounded) Three Multi-National Division - North Soldiers were killed by small arms fire while conducting operations in Salah ad Din province Jan. 16. Additionally, two other Soldiers were wounded and evacuated to a Coalition hospital. Post Iraq Deaths Not Confirmed By the DoD Name Date Richards, Jack D. 29-Jul-2007 Cassidy, Gerald J. 25-Sep-2007 Smith, John "Bill" 01-Oct-2005 Wasielewsk, Anthony Raymond 08-Oct-2007 Salerno III, Raymond A. 16-Jul-2006 Note: The soldiers listed above died from wounds received in Iraq, however, the DoD has not included their deaths in their official count. Alone Lying, thinking Alone, all alone There are some millionaires Alone, all alone Now if you listen closely Alone, all alone Maya Angelou wrote that. I wonder what she was thinking – where she was in her life. I call this poem to mind whenever I look back at certain parts of myself. That’s me in the picture, by the way. I had just turned 13. God! That girl seems such a stranger. I look into her face - that mask - hiding her emotions – placidly impenetrable. Who was I? I look so detached, so alone – all alone. But as Maya Angelou said – nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone. So how did I survive? I look at the curve of my shoulder, those long, elegant fingers. I’m posed, Gibson-like, all sinuous curves and pillowy glances. Inviting, yet alone – all alone. Ms. Angelou was right about that. You know, I had the privilege of hearing Maya Angelou rehearse once. I had stopped by a theatre I used to work in as an actor. I was checking to see if they were interested in hiring me back again, but as a director. I had just begun to direct, really. 22, fresh out of college, broke, and desperately in need of a job. So I dropped by the theatre in hopes of scaring up one. If not – it was McDonald’s time. No paycheck, no rent. There was a woman on stage rehearsing her show. Striking – tall, formidable, dressed in African clothing, her hair encased in a jewel-tone turban. She was reciting when I came in, so I sat in the back of the theatre, trying not to disturb her. Initially I wasn’t really listening – I was much too concerned about the work. This was an Equity house. Getting a job in an Equity house wasn’t easy back in 1978. I had just come off working as Assistant Director in a nearby Equity theatre (though I’d yet to earn enough points for my card) – so I was hopeful the Artistic Director would at least give me a tumble – but it wasn’t guaranteed. The theatre was and is an insular society, totally self-supporting. Breaking into the inner circle is a stone bitch. As you can imagine, I was much too caught up in my own little head drama to pay complete attention to that woman on the stage. But the cadence of her words tugged at me. They rolled through the theatre, crashing like boulders, breaking into my reverie. I began to really listen, and soon I was rapt with attention. She spoke of women, of herself, of life. Through her words I saw my own life and experience (such as it was). She commanded the stage – prowling like a lioness, filling it with her strength. I was completely blown away. Later, I asked a friend who she was. “Maya Angelou”, he said. Maya Angelou. I’ve always remembered. Nevada Voter Disenfranchise
Suit Likely to be Heard Today The Nevada voter disenfranchisement suit is likely to be heard today as a U.S. District Court judge considers a legal challenge to plans to provide at-large caucus sites for workers on the Las Vegas Strip. The lawsuit was filed by five Democrats and the Nevada State Education Association, and the teachers union. The teachers union has ties to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The state Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee have filed legal arguments Wednesday opposing the lawsuit which seeks to stop nine casino caucus sites from operating during Saturday’s Democratic caucus because they allegedly give casino workers – mostly members of the Culinary Union an unfair advantage over other caucus goers across the state. The case will be heard by Judge James C. Mahan. Plaintiffs filed the lawsuit on Friday, just two days after the Culinary endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. The union represents many Las Vega Strip workers. Former President Bill Clinton stepped up his criticism of at-large precincts Wednesday arguing that votes there would be worth five times those at off-Strip sites. He repeated that neither he nor his wife’s campaign had anything to do with the lawsuit. The Clintons seem to embrace voter disenfranchisement, as long as it benefits Hillary Clinton in her battle for the White House. SOURCE: Associated Press 1 Nation ... Over God
About once a year an atheist somewhere makes headlines by suggesting that the phrase “under god” be omitted from the Pledge of Allegiance. Unfailingly such appeals are met by a chorus of bitching from the pious, the uneducated and the uninformed: “What is this world coming to? These liberal atheists have no respect for history or tradition! How dare they suggest we take god out of the pledge!“ Actually, no one is suggesting that god be taken out of the pledge, merely that he never should have been inserted into it in the first place. The original pledge was written in James B. Upham in 1892, and read as follows: “I pledge allegiance to my flag
That’s it! No “god.” In fact there wasn’t even a specific mention of which flag until the Ellis Island era, when President Eisenhower worried that immigrants might misinterpret the words’ intentions as a pledge of loyalty to their original flags in the Old World, thus stalling their assimilation.
Michigan's Exit Numbers
Hillary Clinton won yesterday's Michigan primary. Not a big surprise, as it was a win by default. The other two "top tier" candidates bowed to DNC wishes and removed themselves from the ballot in the Wolverine State. What WAS a surprise were the exit numbers. . .
Even setting the black vote aside, young voters are veering hard towards Barack Obama's message of change. These young voters were a major part of Obama's win in the state of Iowa, where black voters are quite scarce. As was the case in 2004, the kids are getting it right. This year however, unlike 2004, they seem to be turning out en masse and participating in the process. . . The Kiss of Death
White House may have erased
email records
The disclosure came minutes before midnight Tuesday under a court-ordered deadline that forced the White House to reveal information it has previously refused to provide. Among the e-mails that could be lost are messages swapped by any White House officials involved in discussions about leaking a CIA officer's identity to reporters. Before October 2003, the White House recycled its backup tapes "consistent with industry best practices," according to a sworn statement by a White House aide. Backup tapes are the last line of defense for saving electronic records... [emphasis added] Inserted from <USA Today> Best industry practices?!!? Bullshit! Because backup tapes are the last media in redundant backup systems, they are virtually never recycled. There is only one reason to recycle tapes, and that is to destroy the data they contain. I, Me, Mine
Harrison has aptly described the essential problem of our times. All I can hear, I me mine What is Defense Secretary
Robert Gates sure of these days?
(photo found on Google Images) Well, for starters:
Oh, but when asked whose voice is on the audio of one of our US Naval warships, he’s not sure! Oh yes, Robert Gates is sure of lots of things, but he has no clue how that ominous, threatening (*rolling eyes*) voice got on the video of Iranian vacation speedboats joyriding around one of our warships. Spit. Uh Robert? Is it possible the English speaking person on the audio was one of our soldiers talking like he was playing a war video game when he saw the Iranian speedboats? Oh that’s right! You’re not sure and you will not say. In fact, you’ll do what you and the Bush Regime do best: YOU’LL CONTINUE TO USE YOUR LIES, DECEITS, MANIPULATIONS, AND PROPAGANDA AS YOUR OWN FORM OF WHITE NOISE TO COVER UP THE TRUTH. Isn’t that right, you warmongering bastard? I’m thinking…when Robert Gates, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice and the rest of the Warmongers Inc. aren’t sure of something, you can bet your sweet bippy that is what we Americans should be investigating!
|
"You
Don't Have to Be Wrong For Me to Be Right" From Fran for FranIAm
The title of this post comes from a book that I am reading. Now that book focuses on faith, but this post does not. The words just work however. You do not have to be wrong for me to be right- that is how I roll. One of the things that is really on my mind now is how, despite last night's "nicey nice" debate in Las Vegas, the Democrats are really splintered. This must stop if we are going to win. Now I don't expect everyone - or maybe anyone, to agree with some of the things I am going to say, but I hope that you will read this post and respond with what you think will help us galvanize ourselves collectively as progressive thinkers in this country. I have been disheartened by how the so-called leading Democratic candidates have been handling themselves and one another. For the record, I was supporting Dennis Kucinich and have since switched to John Edwards. Also for the record, my enthusiasm for any of the Democrats is tempered. I am not "in love" completely with anyone. I wish that I was, I can assure you. However, the candidates are one thing and our society is another. We as bloggers are part of that society. One of the goals of this blog is an important value for me personally and that is a place for the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas. I do not ever think that I have all the answers. Hell, I don't know if I have any answers let alone all. Yes, there are things I think I know, but I try to use my critical thinking skills every moment of every day to further discern, understand and live my life. It is an on-going process. There has been one commenter who has been thrown off this blog and honestly, it is not his different viewpoint that caused that. It is his arrogance and presumption in how he expresses his opinion that causes me to delete his comments. One more thought on critical thinking skills... I spent the bulk of my adult life at one big company, which I recently left. I spent a big chunk of time there as a manager and leader, with primary focus on people development for our division. If there was one thing that I saw lacking in many, nascent but crying out to be developed in others, was just this. We are not taught to think very well in our society. We are taught to react. We are taught know all the answers and never ask questions. It is my experience that anything worth believing in is worth scrutinizing. It should be able to stand the heat or at least produce a new result for you. Enough about that. It has caught my eye lately, that here among the blogs, there is some really negative talk and nasty words. Now your blogs are your blogs, but I have seen comments that startled me and I know I am not alone in that. And in more than one place and from more than one person. For those of us who are of a similar mind can't find ways to work together, what are we going to do the day after the Democratic convention? When the die is cast, only one of them are going to be the candidate... Can we unite then after such vitriol now? Believe in your people, believe in your ideals but I am hoping that the levels of acerbic talk are toned down. This does not mean to say that false niceness is called for. No. But to refer to the post, you can defend your own position and your candidate I hope, without taking down another from the same party. In one comment thread on one blog I brought up the point that I thought that there was a certain level of viciousness towards a candidate that I do not even support. My comment was basically met with several that said something to the effect of this, "but that candidate started it first and deserves this." Fine - that may be your opinion, so be it. However, I would caution one and all to pause and think about how those types of ideological positions are used against you. "If you were not gay, if you were not a baby killer, if you were not a pinko peace loving pussy" is the mentality of so many on the right. It is too cheap and too easy in my estimation to blame the other side. No real mental work, no real exercise of thought or discernment or dare I say intellect. It is just anger. It is bullying in some cases. And I think it is terribly sad. That is the mentality that brought forth this sick war we are in. They started it! They are bad! We are good! It is really far too simplistic. So to revert to the title of the post - can we find ways to have conversation that furthers our cause? This is not at all meant to discourage healthy disagreement or debate! In fact some anger is needed. But if it is gratuitous and just used to put down another, it is a sad day when our candidates do it and a sad day when we do too. I can remember a post when I was made kind of an ass of myself. I got quite a few contentious comments on it! One of my regular readers and commenters wrote a strong comment to me. It took my breath away and I wrote that person a note saying thank you. I needed to hear that, I wanted to be right that day, at any cost. I'm glad that I got called on it. Even if I had disagreed however, how I would respect someone that called me on my shit and backed it up with their own critical thinking skills! Maybe you think I am just full of shit. I am sorry if you do, but please feel free to say so if that is how you do feel. I just have found that in life, most things are not black or white, good or bad, right or wrong. Oh yes- many, many things are... However, the solutions to those things may not be as absolute as they seem. In general, it is a lot of good questions that bring forth and elucidate great answers. The reality is that no matter who wins this election, we are all going to have to figure out how to live here and try to make life better for all. This is when I reflect on some of my real heroes- Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Jesus. Not one of them was about being right all the time, they were (are in Mandela's case. No matter what Bush said, Nelson is alive!) all rather dualistic thinkers who were not locked in some dogmatic or ideological box. Idealistic? Yes I am. A dualistic thinker who really does believe and wants to work for a more collaborative planet. Call me crazy, but you don't have to be sane in order for me to be so! I am hoping for some lively comments here... Am I the only one noticing this phenomenon of vitriol and anger? Maybe you are angry? Got something to say? I hope that you will say it! Bush -
No Conservation Needed - Just Ask Saudis To Boost Oil Production
He craftily made oil the centerpiece of his public communication on Tuesday as he reminded the Saudis that “we” are their biggest consumer, and, gosh, if our economy suffers, it will mean “less purchases, less oil and gas sold.” Never mind his hypocritical talk about conservation. After all, why worry about conservation - just ask our buddies, the Saudis, to increase oil production so we Americans don’t have to think about our energy devouring society and how we can work on becoming energy independent. The Saudi oil minister, Ali al Naimi, said although Bush raised valid concerns about the effect on the U.S. economy, the Saudis would “raise production when the market justifies it.” Whoops, I think Bush tipped his hand, and he lost. The Saudis aren’t worried about increasing oil production to benefit us. The biggest reason? China. China has become the world’s fastest growing economy, and they are sucking up energy at an alarming pace. Its middle class, roughly 100 million will increase to 700 million by 2020 - just 12 years away. And, its increasing middle class is developing a taste for the better things in life. China’s citizens are rapidly moving into a society based on consumerism and instant gratification. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no shoving it back in. With 1.3 billion people, China has four times the population of the United States. China is the second largest consumer of oil, right behind the United States. But, its oil consumption is growing at seven times that of the United States. Today, 58% of China’s oil comes from the Middle East, putting it in direct competition with the United States. The thirst for oil will drive China into co-existence with oil-producing countries - those that are terrorist havens and those that are not. When an energy resource is necessary, stopping to moralize will not be an option. China’s government thinks nothing of denying its own citizens human rights, so it surely wouldn’t stop to think about how its hunger for energy might impact other nations around the world. Bush preaches his goal of conservation here, yet all the while begging the Saudis to increase oil production. His tactic didn’t get him very far. But, in his short-term logic, it beats the alternative - that of making the hard choices necessary to curb and redirect our insatiable appetite for oil.
BLOG RECOMMENDATION
Can a Man be an Obama
Girl? Jay Lassiter of Blue Jersey interviews Obama Girl to find out "Can a man be an Obama Girl?" Its pretty funny and a smart effort to appeal to young voters in NJ via new media. If you don't know who Obama Girl is, where the heck have you been? She did the political ballad I Got a Crush on Obama. I've posted the video after the interview. Jay interviews Obama Girl
Obama Girl - I Got a Crush on Obama
Terminator: The Sarah Conner
Chronicles
I think I would cheerfully let Terminators try to kill me if I could have Summer Glau as my protector. Is it too weird to have a crush on a robot? Now I’m starting to finally understand LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. Summer Glau (pictured above) plays a “good” Terminator, assigned to protect teenager John Connor from the “bad” Terminators who are trying to whack him before he can grow up and save the world. Scientologists believe the same is true of the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes baby. The Terminator legend is more grounded. TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (which premiered to big numbers against no competition on Fox) is essentially THE BIONIC WOMAN meets THE FUGITIVE. But unlike THE BIONIC WOMAN, which is a dreary saga only Harlan Ellison would love, THE TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES is kind of fun. Don’t confuse it with a mini series about Supreme Court Justice Sandra O’Conner, this is an action show in the spirit of HEROES, 24, and the last two minutes of MONK. And Summer Glau steals the show. She’s everything Bionic Woman, Michelle Ryan is and a bag of (computer) chips. Sure THE TERMINATOR defies the laws of physics, nature, gravity, and time but they follow PRISON BREAK so logic is obviously a complete non-issue. A few things I worry about: Leah Headley, who plays Sarah, needs some of Roger Clemens’ steroids. She’s trying her best to act tough but it’s like Calista Flockhart: Bad Ass. I miss Arnold Schwarzenegger, the original Terminator. Who can ever forget his great line, “Fuck yooo, asshorrr!” In this TV version will John Conner be hunted down each week by a different Oakland Raider lineman? When they time travel they must do so naked. Is Summer Glau anatomically correct? And here’s the only thing I think would make the show better: If they’re going to use different Terminators, why not have celebrity Terminators? Wouldn’t you just love to see Ann Coulter shot with bazookas, hit by a truck, electrocuted with a million volts, and crushed in a vice? Throw in slow-motion and you have multiple Emmys. THE TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES has promise. But I’m now a cyborg chaser so you can’t completely go by me. And I thought the New York Sun sucked then I read Investor's Business Daily. Maybe their business and investment articles are worthwhile and informative, but their editorial staff makes the National Enquirer look like it was written by William Faulkner. I realize this paper is out of the main-main stream (but it is main enough), but a friend brought the article to my attention. Yesterday Investor's Business Daily printed an editorial which is so filled with viciousness (and probably a lot of half-truths and innuendo) toward Barack Obama --- you wonder how a paper like this can actually educate people to make smart investing decisions. I was going to do a whole write up on this editorial, but each time I read it in preparation of analysis and comment, I just got sicker and angrier. Muckraking to the nth degree. Investor's Business Daily Tue January 15, 2008 You can read it on your own (it isn't that long) and leave comments here. I will respond. But I just couldn't bring myself to write anything coherent, logical or rationale about this without every other word being fuck, drek, shit, or Bush (which is a synonym for the first three). p.s. The New York Sun really does suck. Bush Think: A Nuclear War Can be Fought
and Won
A clue to Bush's thinking may be found in Bush's remarks to Matt Lauer of NBC Sept. 2, 2004. The topic was the War on Terrorism that Bush committed the US to fight.
That would appear not to have been the case or the outcome. By GOP definitions, terrorism is worse as it has always been worse under GOP administrations. There is no reason to believe that 'terrorism' is in any 'less acceptable' especially those to whom Bush had addressed his remarks at the outset of his foreign adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps as a result of his failures, Bush has resorted to dragging out a scenario that had been 'gamed' by the Rand corporation at the height of the cold war. According to Mother Jones, the robber barons of big oil, Bush's base, began planning for the war some thirty years ago. They has been 'inspired' by the Arab Oil Embargo. It was certainly an act of war: spoiled Americans had been grievously inconvenienced!
The Orwellian nightmare, the state of perpetual war, has come true but cannot be sustained. Worse than "mutually assured destruction", this universal exploitation of nightmare spells an end to those dreams that make life worth living. The grim vision offered by the GOP is --or had been --an avoidable choice. It was forced upon us by incompetent and cowardly. [See: Terrorism is worse under GOP regimes] Dragging out Rand's Nuclear War Version 1.0 is not a good idea. Times have changed. Iran is not the Soviet Union. And, contrary to GOP tactics of exploitation of various threats and 'boogie men', terrorism is a tactic --not an ideology like communism. Terrorism is not a 'state' that can be identified. Terrorism, rather, is a tactic and, as such, it is inspired among many nations and many peoples at many and various times. An act of terrorism is a crime --not an act of war. Bush think is wrong and Rand's old scenario Version 1.0 is made obsolete by Reality Version 6.0. Bush makes claims about Iranian nuclear capabilities are without independent and/or credible verification. The world has not forgotten the lies told about how Saddam Hussein was making chemical weapons in a beat up trailer, how Saddam tried to buy 'yellow cake' in Niger. Realistically --an anything said by Bush be believed? Desperate to wage war on Saddam, Bushco told the world that Saddam was supporting terrorists. It was a lie. As the failed war dragged on, millions came to understand that Saddam's regime had not supported bona fide 'terrorists' in any way. According to the Pew Research Center, American skepticism about the war in Iraq increased steadily from its inception. It is increasingly seen as harming the "war on terrorism".
Having lied about Iraq, Bush will certainly lie about Iran in order to justify an attack. There is a danger of massive over-response to provocation, a 'scenario' perhaps just recently was narrowly avoided in the Straits of Horumuz. The question now is: will the world surface the remainder of his tenure? But, as long as Bush continues to occupy the Oval Office, Americans must ask the question: is there any rational basis for fearing Iran when every credible and independent source has said that Iran is years away from developing nukes that the US had previously made available to other nations? With the collapse of the Soviet Union, old 'cold warriors' had been overtaken by events and reality. Their very jobs depended upon scaring the beejebers out of Americans.
Hartman's source was a BBC piece called "The Power of Nightmares".
In the US, more have begun to question the Bush modus operandi of exploiting our nightmares, our fears of "radical Islam", a prospect at least as terrifying as "radical Christianity" and the equally ideological, rabid "Christianist" movement which overtly seeks to make of the US a theocracy. Should either side "win", people themselves will be enslaved to nonsense, claptrap and ideology, nothing less than a new dark age. What is the date of America's descent into madness? It might have been Pearl Harbor. Certainly, the US helped meet the very real threat posed by Hitler's Third Reich, but, in retrospect, our leaders may have learned all the wrong lessons. Did they learn only that FDR grew in strength by promising to protect Americans from the spectres of world wide fascism and Nazism? Certainly, GOP regimes, having propped up Saddam, tried to make of him --Hitler! The GOP hated FDR but learned from him all the wrong lessons. The GOP never forgive FDR for winning World War II but have been eagerly to exploit war and manufacture crises in times of peace. That's why the GOP became the party of wars, endless wars on drugs, wars on porn, wars on immigration, the 90s war Murphy Brown and now --Bush's war on terrorism? It is a war against which Bush would love to use nukes. But how? "Terrorism" is not a geographical location. It is, rather, a phantom menace that is whatever the right wing says it is.
A related story:
The "government" is not our "country". Bush is not the sovereign. We are the nation; we are the sovereign. Whatever "government" is in Washington, its only job is to protect and defend the country. The country is us! We can fire the government when it fails to do its job. New Orleans is merely the most graphic proof, the most dramatic illustration of how this government has failed the people of America and should be fired. Not just Bush --I envision a mass layoff! It is time the country changed its government. It is time to bring this government to its knees for having betrayed us --the nation. Obama Shows His Vision in Nevada
Interview Barack Obama has an excellent forty-nine minute interview available on line at the Reno Gazette-Journal’s web site. It would be much better to watch the entire interview as opposed to the clip above from Talking Points Memo which is obtaining the most interest in the liberal blogosphere. Obama is receiving some criticism for praising Ronald Reagan. To the degree that Obama is praising Reagan, it is for his leadership skills, not political positions. Obama said:
Opponents of Obama are taking this out of context, confusing Obama’s praise for Reagan’s role as a transformative president with agreement with his policies. They ignore the fact that Obama also praised yet another transformative president, John Kennedy:
Obama discussed many additional topics, beginning with how he would have handled Katrina differently than Bush did. The discussion gives a better feeling for how Obama would be a leader with vision as opposed to merely a chief operating officer for the federal bureaucracy. I am increasingly seeing parallels in this race with the 1992 race between Bill Clinton and Paul Tsongas. I’ve recently quoted from an article which shows the value of Obama’s education at the University of Chicago in overcoming some of the economic weaknesses of the Democratic Party, which I also believe are responsible for the Democrats being out of power for much of the past generation. In this interview, Obama shows that he’s a Democratic fiscal conservative in the tradition of Paul Tsongas, Howard Dean and John Kerry. A Democratic fiscal conservative is quite different from a Republican conservative as Obama repeatedly demonstrates in his discussion of economic matters. While some on the far left of the Democratic Party is upset that Obama spoke of “dynamism and entrepreneurship” in the clip above, Republicans will condemn the economic positions described by Obama as sounding like a “tax and spend” liberal. To place things into perspective, Obama will increase taxes on some of us. The marginal tax rate will go up a whole three percent, and most likely some other taxes will also rise. Most Americans will not see a tax increase. While nobody enjoys paying higher taxes, we must consider the type of society we will have and look beyond tax rates when choosing a president. Waging a war on credit like George Bush did is hardly sound fiscal policy. Seeing the government so frequently ignore the values of liberty which this nation was founded upon under Republican rule is far worse than a modest increase in taxes. Besides, if we are to look at this solely on materialistic grounds, even though like Obama I will wind up with a higher tax rate should he be elected, I believe that the stronger economies typically seen under Democratic presidents will result in more after tax money in my pocket despite the slightly higher marginal rates. Obama was asked about potential vice presidential choices and discussed the qualities he hopes a running mate will add. He is realistic in downplaying the chances of a bipartisan ticket but does indicate a willingness to have Republicans in his cabinet. Late in the interview Obama gave an excellent example of his managerial skills as he discussed how he started his campaign from scratch last January. Since then he has organized a political organization to rival or perhaps surpass the organization developed by the Clintons over the past twenty years. The full debate is well worth seeing. In talking about the economy, Obama shows how he can improve our economic well being without resorting to the populism and anti-business demagoguery of John Edwards. Obama also shows how his vision would be better for this country than Hillary Clinton, who might make a better chief operating officer of the federal bureaucracy, but lacks his vision and principles. You're Getting Mugged by American
Corporations If it seems like all of those hidden fees and surcharges are nickel-and-diming you to death — they are. Every time you turn around it’s $5 for this banking transaction, $10 added to your phone and cable bills for God knows what. These hidden fees cost Americans $45 billion dollars a year. That’s roughly the same as the amount lost to Identity Theft each year. Unlike ID theft, these hidden fees are perfectly legal. After all, our legislators and regulatory agencies are fully owned and operated by the industries they're supposedly “regulating.” This $45 billion doesn’t include penalties or late fees; these are simply the hidden charges you automatically pay every time you purchase a product or use a service. These hidden fees cost the average American almost a thousand dollars a year. Ah heck, you weren’t planning to use that thousand for anything, were you? These hidden surcharges also don't include anything "extra" like vacations. This article is only based on the mundane everyday things you do: making phone calls, going to the bank, watching TV, using the Internet, saving for your retirement, buying groceries, etc. If you're some sort of spendthrift who likes to take fancy vacations, you might be paying closer to $4,000 a year in hidden fees. The author of this article says: “Sneaky fees peck away at us like a swarm of mosquitoes that ruin an otherwise beautiful summer evening. And like mosquitoes, an individual bite might seem trivial, barely more than a nuisance, but repeated bites can actually change the way you live. They chase you inside, make you build a screened porch, and in extreme cases make you sick.” He uses the term “Gotcha Capitalism.” “Gotchas are everywhere you turn, now. They are a way of life for consumers. They are our economic system, one that has replaced our former system, the free market economy. Gotcha Capitalism — your personal finances, under siege. Mosquitoes might threaten your life with death by 1,000 bites; Gotcha Capitalism threatens your finances with death by a thousand fees.” |
WASHINGTON
(AP) — The White House has acknowledged recycling its backup computer
tapes of e-mail before October 2003, raising the possibility that many
electronic messages — including those pertaining to the CIA leak case —
have been taped over and are gone forever. 
George
W. Bush speaks with a forked tongue; he speaks dishonestly, and he does it
so well. His trip to the Middle East, while giving him an opportunity to
strut around with the various heads of government, has also given him the
chance to urge the Saudis to up their oil production. Ever the consummate
Texan with his swagger and blather, Bush turned from the topic of his
peace mission to the topic of oil production. 
Foodies
out there might
enjoy Vanessa
Balchen's blog
about food.
Chock full of
recipes and
other food
related posts,
everyone should
get a kick out
of
The
origin of 'Bush think' may be found in a scenario dreamed up at the Rand
Corporation at the height of the Cold War. Rand had designed mathematical
models that dared think the unthinkable: a nuclear war can be won!
Typically, the scenario relied heavily on 'game theory'. It proposed to
use 'nukes' like poker chips, so-called 'rational incentives', to
manipulate the other side. Rand theorists 'gamed' how many megatons might
be dropped on a city, which cities would be nuked, how many deaths it
would take to bring the Russians to the bargaining table.