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U.S. exports weapons to Iran:
U.S. exports to Iran — including brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics and possibly even weapons — grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists. America sent more cigarettes to Iran, at least $158 million worth under Bush, than any other products.
Other surprising shipments to Iran during the Bush administration: fur clothing, sculptures, perfume and musical instruments. Top states shipping goods to Iran include California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of seven years of U.S. government trade data.
Despite increasingly tough rhetoric toward Iran, which Bush has called part of an "axis of evil," U.S. trade in a range of goods survives on-again, off-again sanctions originally imposed nearly three decades ago. The rules allow sales of agricultural commodities, medicine and a few other categories of goods. The exemptions are designed to help Iranian families even as the United States pressures Iran's leaders.
"Our sanctions are targeted against the regime, not the people," said Adam Szubin, director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces the sanctions. The government tracks exports to Iran using details from shipping records, but in some cases it's unclear whether anyone pays attention.
Sanctions are intended in part to frustrate Iran's efforts to build its military, but the U.S. government's own figures show at least $148,000 worth of unspecified weapons and other military gear were exported from the United States to Iran during Bush's time in office. That includes $106,635 in military rifles and $8,760 in rifle parts and accessories shipped in 2004, the data shows.Also shipped to Iran were at least $13,000 in "aircraft launching gear and/or deck arrestors," equipment needed to launch jets from aircraft carriers, according to U.S. records. Iran's navy is not believed to own or operate any carriers.
Those numbers may seem small, but military items can sell for pennies on the dollar compared with what the Pentagon paid. Last year, federal agents seized four F-14 fighter jets sold to domestic buyers by an officer at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, Calif., for $2,000 to $4,000 each, with proceeds benefiting a squadron recreation fund. When F-14s were new, they cost roughly $38 million each.
Szubin said it was unlikely exports of military gear occurred, but added that the government was looking into it after the AP raised questions. He said shipping records are subject to human error, such as citing wrong commodity codes or recording "Iran" as the destination rather than "Iraq." The Treasury Department said Monday it was still checking to see whether it could offer an explanation.
" U.S. exports to Iran — including brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics and possibly even weapons — grew more than tenfold during President... more -
Bush's Blood-Orgy In Somalia
While George Bush was busy railing at Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe at the G-8 summit in Toyako, Japan; his Ethiopian proxy-army in Somalia was grinding out more carnage on the streets of Mogadishu. More than 40 civilians have been killed in the last 48 hours. On Sunday, Osman Ali Ahmed, the head of the UN Development Program in Somalia, was shot gangland style as he left a mosque Mogadishu. He died before he reached the hospital with wounds to the head and chest. Ali Ahmed is just the latest of the peace-keepers who have been killed in the ongoing battle between Bush's Ethiopian occupiers and Somali guerrillas.
"I care deeply about the people of Zimbabwe," Bush announced. "And I am extremely disappointed in the election which I labeled a sham election."
Right. Bush's newly-discovered empathy for black people was nowhere in sight during Hurricane Katrina when thousands of African Americans were rounded up at gunpoint and forced into the Superdome without food, water or medical supplies. Nor is it visible in Somalia today where millions of Somalis have been forced to flee their homes and relocate to tent cities in the south because of Bush's support for the Ethiopian army's invasion. The latest surge in violence has been the worst in a decade and the security situation continues to deteriorate despite the arrival of 2,600 troops from the African Union and a tentative truce that was signed in June between some of the warring factions. It should be no great surprize that the western media has stubbornly refused to report on the rising death-toll in Somalia, choosing instead to focus all of their attention on America's "villain du jour", Robert Mugabe. Mugabe is next on the neocon's list for regime change. Neocon Godfather Paul Wolfowitz even composed a postmortem for Zimbabwe's president in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial "How to Put the Heat on Mugabe".
In 2006, the United States supported an alliance of Somali warlords known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) who established a base of operations in the western city of Baidoa. With the help of the US-backed Ethiopian army, western mercenaries, US Navy warships, and AC-130 gunships; the TFG was able capture Mogadishu and force the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and their allies to retreat to the south. But, much like Iraq and Afghanistan, the resistance has coalesced into a tenacious guerrilla army which has returned to the capital and resumed the fight making it impossible for their Ethiopian rivals to govern. As the struggle continues, the humanitarian situation gets worse and worse. At least 2.6 million Somalis are now facing famine due to acute food shortages spurred by a prolonged drought, violence and high inflation. UN monitors have warned that the figure could hit exceed 3.5 million by the end of 2008.
The UN Security Council has played its traditional role as facilitator of American-backed imperial violence by failing to condemn US involvement in Somalia and by promising to send peacekeepers to mop up after violence subsides. The UN has shown no interest in stopping the carnage and have become little more than the glove-hand of the US military; an accomplice to Bush's chronic adventurism.
While George Bush was busy railing at Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe at the G-8 summit in Toyako, Japan; his Ethiopian proxy-army... more -
Bush apologizes over Berlusconi insult
The administration released a press kit to reporters, which referred to the Italian prime minister as an 'amateur' who is 'hated by many'.
Somebody forgot to double check the biography, after they ctrl+c'd it.
There might be an entry-level job opening in the administration... I mean if you're into that kind of thing. The administration released a press kit to reporters, which referred to the Italian prime minister as an 'amateur' who is 'hated by ma... more -
Group Proposes George W. Bush Sewage Plant
(SAN FRANCISCO) — A California group submitted a proposal Monday to rename a sewage treatment plant after President Bush, calling the initiative a fitting tribute to the outgoing chief executive and the "mess" he'll leave behind.
The Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco wants to switch the name of the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
Supporters hoping to put the issue on the November ballot turned in more than 10,000 signatures to San Francisco election officials, organizer Brian McConnell said. The measure needs just over 7,000 valid names to qualify and McConnell expects to find out later this month whether they made it.
Proponents of the renaming plan see it as fitting tribute to a president they contend has plumbed the depths of incompetence.
"We think that it's important to remember our leaders in the right historical context," said McConnell, a member of the group that was formed after friends came up with the renaming idea.
"In President Bush's case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next 10 or 20 years," he said. "The sewage treatment facility's job is to clean up a mess, so we think it's a fitting tribute."
The "mess," as supporters of the plan see it, includes the aftermath of the Iraq war and what they see as a neglect of domestic economic issues.
"What we're really doing is symbolizing the fact that as he leaves office, we'll begin the process of basically repairing damage and rebuilding our country's reputation," he said.
But others think the plan reeks.
The chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party has promised to fight the measure if it does make the ballot.
A call by The Associated Press to White House press officials was not returned. But Patrick Dorinson, a former spokesman for the California Republican Party now running a communications firm in Sacramento, called the measure "a horrible idea" that is "childish and it's stupid."
"This is why San Francisco is considered wacky," Dorinson said. "It makes me ashamed to be a San Franciscan if this is all they've got time to do."
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokesman Tony Winnicker says officials have bigger issues to deal with than the proposed initiative. He defended Oceanside as anything but a symbol of inadequacy.
"The plant that they're seeking to rename really offers extraordinary environmental benefits. Without it, raw sewage and storm water would flow into the bay and the oceans and the streets. That's not our understanding of what the authors of this initiative believe the current president has delivered," Winnicker said.
Still, he said, the commission is "trying to take it in stride and understand the humor behind it." (SAN FRANCISCO) — A California group submitted a proposal Monday to rename a sewage treatment plant after President Bush, calling the ... more -
Canada gives US deserter second chance
Canada’s refugee board was ordered by a judge to rehear an application by a US war resister to remain in Canada. Federal Court Justice Robert Barnes said that mistakes were made by Canada’a Immigration and Refugee Board when they turned down Joshua Key’s claim for asylum. In 2003, Key served eight months in Iraq as a combat engineer. On his return to the US on leave, he his wife and four young children moved to Canada to seek refuge. There are more than two hundred US war deserters in Canada avoiding service in Iraq. A recent poll shows that 64% of Canadians would let US war resisters stay in the country. On June 3rd the Canadian parliament passed a non binding resolution calling for deserters to be allowed to stay and to put a halt to deportations. So far Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a close ally of the Bush administration, has ignored the resolution.
U.S. deserter wins appeal in battle for refugee status
Janice Tibbetts, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, July 04, 2008
OTTAWA - A Canadian court has sided for the first time with a military deserter who fled to Canada seeking refugee status, ruling Friday that the U.S. soldier witnessed enough human rights abuses during a stint in Iraq that he could qualify for asylum.
The decision also marked the first time that the Federal Court, which has heard a handful of cases involving deserters, concluded that military action against civilians in Iraq violates the 1949 Geneva Convention, an international prohibition against humiliating and degrading treatment.
Federal Court Justice Richard Barnes ordered the Immigration and Refugee Board to reconsider the failed refugee claim of Joshua Key, a soldier who entered Canada with his wife, Brandi, and their small children in March 2005.
Key, an army private, deserted during a two-week break from serving as a combat engineer in Iraq, where he spent eight months in 2003 and says he was involved in military-condoned home invasions against civilians.
"This is a real breakthrough," said Lee Zaslofsky of the Toronto-based War Resisters Support Campaign. "What excites us is this may also apply to other war resisters who took part in Iraq." Canada’s refugee board was ordered by a judge to rehear an application by a US war resister to remain in Canada. Federal Court Justice... more -
Iraq insists on withdrawal timetable
BAGHDAD - Iraq's national security adviser says his country will not accept any deal with the United States unless the agreement sets specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.
The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie come a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.
President Bush has said he opposes a timetable.
Al-Rubaie told reporters Tuesday the country "will not accept any memorandum of understanding that doesn't have specific dates to withdraw foreign forces."
BAGHDAD - Iraq's national security adviser says his country will not accept any deal with the United States unless the agreement sets... more -
Iraq raises prospect of US withdrawal timetable
UPDATE: Pentagon rebuffs withdrawal proposal
In a rebuff to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Pentagon said Monday that any timetable for a US withdrawal from Iraq would depend on conditions on the ground there.
Maliki told Arab ambassadors on Monday he was pressing for such a timetable in negotiations with Washington on an agreement on the status of US forces in Iraq beyond 2008.
Asked about the prime minister's comments, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters: "With respect to timetables I would say the same thing I would say as respects to the security situation -- it is dependent on conditions on the ground."
Whitman said the United States had made clear "that we have no long term desires to have forces permanently stationed in Iraq."
"But timelines tend to be artificial in nature," he said. "In a situation where things are as dynamic as they are in Iraq, I would just tell you, it's usually best to look at these things based on conditions on the ground."
Maliki's comments to Arab ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates marked the first time he has specifically demanded a timetable for a US withdrawal.
"The direction we are taking is to have a memorandum of understanding either for the departure of the forces or to have a timetable for their withdrawal," a statement from Maliki's office quoted him as saying.
"The negotiations are still continuing with the American side, but in any case the basis for the agreement will be respect for the sovereignty of Iraq," he added.
A UN mandate that provides the legal basis for the US military presence in Iraq expires at end of the year, and the two countries are negotiating a bilateral agreement to replace it.
The two sides have agreed in principle to sign a Status of Forces Agreement by July.
But both Shiite and Sunni politicians have raised objections, and Democrats in the US Congress have expressed fears it would tie the hands of the next president.
Maliki, dismissed as weak and ineffective for most of his tenure since taking over as prime minister in May 2006, has been increasingly assertive in recent months.
He has launched crackdowns on Shi'ite militias and also al Qaeda militants, with U.S. forces playing a mainly supporting role.
He has also called on Arab states to re-engage with Iraq.
Sunni Arab countries have long been reluctant to extend full legitimacy to the Iraqi government because of the U.S. presence, as well as Baghdad's close ties to non-Arab, Shi'ite Iran.
But Arab ties have begun to improve.
UPDATE: Pentagon rebuffs withdrawal proposal ... more -
U.S. aircraft carrier moves into position for Afghanistan
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman so its warplanes can fly missions over Afghanistan, where attacks have been rising, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
The carrier was ordered to move so it could conduct potential airstrikes over Afghanistan by flying over Pakistani airspace. If it had remained inside the Persian Gulf, that would not have been possible since U.S. planes do not fly through Iranian air corridors.
The carrier, which arrived Monday, is equipped with F/A-18s and an array of precision weapons.
"This puts it in a position where it has ability to strike far inland," a U.S. defense official said.
That´s great for the war on Afganistan, but it looks like a challenge to Iran as well, and shows how close we are to war with them. Maybe Bush is hoping Iran will feel threatened by a warship right off of their shores and attack? I thought a country needed permission though, but then again, we are the US. I´m a little concerned, tell me what you think. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman so its warplanes can fly missions over ... more -
US exports to Iran rose ten fold in Bush years
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists. America sent more cigarettes to Iran -- at least $158 million worth under Bush -- than any other products.
Other surprising shipments to Iran during the Bush administration: brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics, fur clothing, sculptures, perfume, musical instruments and possibly even weapons. Top states shipping goods to Iran include California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of seven years of U.S. government trade data.
Despite increasingly tough rhetoric toward Iran, which Bush has called part of an "axis of evil," U.S. trade in a range of goods survives on-again, off-again sanctions originally imposed nearly three decades ago. The rules allow sales of agricultural commodities, medicine and a few other categories of goods. The exemptions are designed to help Iranian families even as the United States pressures Iran's leaders.
"Our sanctions are targeted against the regime, not the people," said Adam Szubin, director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces the sanctions. The government tracks exports to Iran using details from shipping records, but in some cases it's unclear whether anyone pays attention.
Sanctions are intended in part to frustrate Iran's efforts to build its military, but the U.S. government's own figures show at least $148,000 worth of unspecified weapons and other military gear were exported from the United States to Iran during Bush's time in office. That includes $106,635 in military rifles and $8,760 in rifle parts and accessories shipped in 2004, the data shows.
Also shipped to Iran were at least $13,000 in "aircraft launching gear and/or deck arrestors," equipment needed to launch jets from aircraft carriers, according to U.S. records. Iran's navy is not believed to own or operate any carriers.
Those numbers may seem small, but military items can sell for pennies on the dollar compared with what the Pentagon paid. Last year, federal agents seized four F-14 fighter jets sold to domestic buyers by an officer at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, Calif., for $2,000 to $4,000 each, with proceeds benefiting a squadron recreation fund. When F-14s were new, they cost roughly $38 million each.
Szubin said it was unlikely exports of military gear occurred, but added that the government was looking into it to be certain after the AP raised questions. He said shipping records are subject to human error, such as citing wrong commodity codes or recording "Iran" as the destination rather than "Iraq." The Treasury Department said Monday it was still checking to see whether it could offer an explanation.
"That's something that would obviously concern us greatly and concern the whole administration," Szubin said in an interview with the AP. "And so when you presented us with the question in the last day we have called over to our colleagues in other government agencies and you can be assured they're looking very carefully into it."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as he accused Iran of nucl... more -
Arrest Karl Rove petition
Arrest Karl Rove Petition sign here!
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/106
Karl Rove is at the center of nearly every Bush Administration scandal:
* 2000: the Stolen Election in Florida, when he was the Campaign Manager
* 2002: the massive Iraq War lies campaign when he chaired the powerful White House Iraq Group (WHIG)
* 2002: the corrupt political prosecution of Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman
* 2003: the appointment of GOP political hacks to lead reconstruction in Iraq, with disastrous consequences
* 2003: helping expose covert CIA operative Valerie Plame to punish her husband Joe Wilson for exposing Bush's State of the Union lie about uranium from Niger
* 2004: the Stolen Election in Ohio, when he was the "Architect"
* 2005: steering FEMA help after Hurricane Katrina to Mississippi under Republican Governor Haley Barbour while denying FEMA help to Louisiana under Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco
* 2006: the firing of honest U.S. Attorneys to replace them with "loyal Bushies" Arrest Karl Rove Petition sign here! http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/106 ... more -
Neil Young:'Let's Impeach the President for Lying' video 4,000 marchers Kennebunkp...
Turn up the sound! Your homework: : ) Learn lyrics below.
Neil Young's song 'Let's Impeach the President for Lying'
should be our chant until the Iraq Occupation stops and GW Bush's scrawny butt is out of our United States President's Oval Office chair. We should learn these lyrics (below) and march the streets like this great and inspiring protest march last summer in Kennebunkport, Maine.
cg
http://current.com/items/89025034_neil_young_let_s_impe...
link to this previously posted (Fox and CNN repeat over and over so can we).
TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!!
WISH WE COULD ALL MEET OUTSIDE AND MARCH TODAY.
(This is post #3 of this) Turn up the sound! Your homework: : ) Learn lyrics below. Neil Young's song 'Let's Impeach the President for Lying' ... more -
Group seeks Bush sewage 'tribute'
A citizens group in San Francisco wants to pay an ironic tribute to President George W Bush when he leaves office - by naming a sewage plant after him.
The group, calling itself the Presidential Memorial Committee of San Francisco, wants the issue voted on at this November's election.
"It's important to remember our leaders in the right historical context," said petition organiser Brian McConnell.
The Republican Party thinks the plan stinks, and it will fight the measure.
Mr McConnell's group has submitted more than 12,000 signatures on a petition to the San Francisco Department of Elections.
If at least 7,168 of those signatures are found to be valid, the question of whether to rename Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant after the outgoing president will be added to the ballot papers in November.
"In President Bush's case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next 10 or 20 years," said Mr McConnell.
"The sewage treatment facility's job is to clean up a mess, so we think it's a fitting tribute." A citizens group in San Francisco wants to pay an ironic tribute to President George W Bush when he leaves office - by naming a sewage... more -
Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's and Huntington's diseases: great news in prevention
Creatine, a white powder used by athletes.for endurance is available at Whole Foods Markets and other health stores. It can be stirred into your juice or water or taken in capsule form.
In scientific studies conducted at leading universities, these Creatine based compounds have been shown to significantly reduce the specific symptoms and/or to significantly delay the progression of these diseases. The company presently has compounds in Phase II or III clinical trials for the treatment of ALS, Huntington's, and Parkinson's disease.
A novel compound called C2-8 could prove a valuable lead in the drug discovery process. Researchers (from left) Jonathan Fox, Vanita Chopra, Aleksey Kazantsev, and Steven Hersch
Steven Hersch, M.D., Ph.D.is from
Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
pictured on right
Alliances:
http://www.avicenagroup.com/about_us/research_alliances...
Participating clinicians:
http://www.avicenagroup.com/about_us/participating_clin...
This information is not in the mainstream US media which is largely supported by Pharmaceutical Industry advertising. This "Direct to consumer drug advertising" is not allowed in other countries except NZ who share the bottom ratings in health in the world with USA. Creatine, a white powder used by athletes.for endurance is available at Whole Foods Markets and other health stores. It can be stirred... more -
Librarian with "Bush=McCain" sign kicked out of public event and ticketed
A 60-year-old librarian received a trespassing ticket today after a liberal group's protest outside a John McCain town hall meeting Monday.
Clutching a sign that read "McCain = Bush," Carol Kreck was removed from the atrium at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts by four Denver police officers.
Kreck, a former Denver Post reporter who works part-time as a librarian for an education think tank, said she was removed as she quizzed a police officer about whether he could deny her free speech "on city property" by taking away her sign, while McCain supporters wore buttons inside.
Jenny Schiavone, a spokeswoman for the performing arts center, said the venue is city-owned rental property, but is not legally defined as public property.
The liberal group ProgressNowAction had called before the event and asked about being inside the atrium, she said. The group was told it would have to rent space or use previously designated protest areas along the street, Schiavone said.
Michael Huttner, who organized the rally, said Progress NowAction was not told to rent space or stand anywhere.
A Youtube video of Kreck's removal, posted by Progress NowAction, shows a performing arts center security officer asking Kreck to put down her sign, noting he had asked her and other protestors to do so earlier. In the same video, a police officer tells her she can attend the event if she gets rid of the sign.
A McCain spokesman said no one, including McCain supporters, were allowed to carry signs.
Detective John White, a spokesman for the Denver Police Department, said officers acted as they would for any complaint on private property.
"Our officers received a signed complaint from a security guard at a private event and acted accordingly," he said.
Tom Kise, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, did not know about Kreck's ouster, but said the town hall-style meeting was open to supporters and opponents.
"All the campaign asked for is a respectful dialogue," Kise said.
At a speech at the University of Denver in May, war protesters interrupted McCain four times until they were removed from the event.
A 60-year-old librarian received a trespassing ticket today after a liberal group's protest outside a John McCain town hall meeting Mo... more -
Ingrid Betancourt Exclusive Interview: "Ma faith has saved me"
Ingrid Betancourt : "Ma foi m'a sauvée"
L'ex-otage la plus célèbre du monde s'est rendue au Sacré-cœur de Montmartre ce dimanche 6 juillet pour remercier Jésus et la Vierge Marie de sa libération.
Ingrid Beancourt, the most famous Ex-hostage in the world went to the Sacred Heart basilica in Paris, this past Sunday to thank Jesus and the Virgin Mary for her liberation
Parce qu’elle voulait tenir une promesse faite durant sa captivité
Because, she wanted to keep a promesse she made during her captivity
Parce que si je n’avais pas eu le Seigneur à mes côtés, je ne pense pas que j’aurais réussi à grandir dans la douleur. Etre otage vous place dans une situation de constante humiliation. Vous êtes victime de l’arbitraire complet, vous connaissez le plus vil de l’âme humaine.
If I had not felt God at my side, I do not believe that I would have been able to overcome such suffering. When you are an hostage, you are facing constant humiliation. You are the victim of total arbitrary. You get to know the worse there is in the human soul.
Ingrid Betancourt : "Ma foi m'a sauvée" ... more -
Bush: Telecom Immunity More Important Than Surveillance Powers | Electronic Fronti...
Today the Bush Administration released a letter threatening to veto the upcoming FISA legislation if it included the Bingaman Amendment, which puts both telecom immunity and the court cases on hold until after the Inspector General reports about the warrantless wiretapping program. If given the choice between new surveillance powers without immunity for telcos on the one hand, or surveillance under the existing law on the other, the Bush Administration said its choice was clear: keep with the existing law.
Even though the White House "strongly support[s]" the FISA bill, and contends it is necessary to provide "our intelligence professionals the tools they need to keep our Nation safe," and urges the Senate "to act as soon as it returns from its recess," the Bush Administration is willing to veto the legislation and forgo these tools unless the telecom immunity is given effect immediately.
The Administration has said "[t]hat the failure to enact long-term FISA modernization legislation is costly and dangerous is beyond any serious dispute," contending that "[i]t's vital that our intelligence community has the ability to learn who the terrorists are talking to, what they're saying, and what they are planning."
However, according to today's veto threat, none of this is as important as immediate immunity for the telecommunications carriers. Even if the President gets an unprecedented expansion of government surveillance power, and the bill merely delays telecom immunity until Congress has more information, this, Bush contends, is not better than continued surveillance under the current version of FISA.
Assuming that the President would not put the financial interests of large corporations ahead of the safety of the American people, today's veto threat puts the lie to the dire warnings put forth by the Bush Administration. Alternatively, if the government is being honest about the need for immediate legislation, today's veto threat shows a callous indifference to that purported danger, favoring special interests over security.
Senator Kennedy addressed this issue in his floor statement back in December:
Think about what we’ve been hearing from the White House in this debate. The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA. But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retroactive immunity. No immunity, no new FISA bill. So if we take the President at his word, he is willing to let Americans die to protect the phone companies. The President’s insistence on immunity as a precondition for any FISA reform is yet another example of his disrespect for honest dialogue and for the rule of law.
It’s painfully clear what the President’s request for retroactive immunity is really about. It’s a self-serving attempt to avoid legal and political accountability and keep the American public in the dark about this whole shameful episode.
The Senate is set to vote on the FISA bill and the Bingaman Amendment this week. Please call your Senators and ask them to call the President's bluff by supporting the Bingaman Amendment and to vote against the unconstitutional FISA bill. Today the Bush Administration released a letter threatening to veto the upcoming FISA legislation if it included the Bingaman Amendmen... more -
Gli USA al G8: Berlusconi Politico dilettante in un Paese corrotto.
C'è un Italia che domani scenderà in piazza.
Un'Italia di minoranza? Certo. Un'Italia fantasiosa e paranoica? Non sembrerebbe!
La conferma, se davvero ce ne fosse stato bisogno, si abbatte come un macigno sulla credibilità del nostro paese. Una pugnalata che il perseguitato di Arcore certo non si aspettava. Gli Stati Uniti d'America, gli alleati di sempre, cui l'Italia di Berlusconi si è sempre mostrata prona, servile, millantando grande influenza e considerazione quale corrispettivo per questa sottomissione culturale e territoriale, hanno rilasciato ai giornalisti del G8 un press kit con la seguente biografia del nostro premier.
"Il premier italiano è stato uno dei più controversi leader nella storia di un paese conosciuto per corruzione governativa e vizio. Principalmente un uomo d'affari con massicce proprietà e grande influenza nei media internazionali. Berlusconi era considerato da molti un dilettante in politica che ha conquistato la sua importante carica solo grazie alla sua notevole influenza sui media nazionali finché non ha perso il posto nel 2006."
[Leggi tutto]
http://www.byoblu.com/e1ee2f1e-b568-48bc-826c-166043118... C'è un Italia che domani scenderà in piazza. Un'Italia di minoranza? Certo. Un'Italia fantasiosa e paranoica? Non sembrerebbe! ... more -
Bush presses India and China about climate change
Oh, the irony!
"Yeah, I'll be constructive," Bush told a joint news conference after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on the eve of the G8 summit in the northern mountain resort of Toyako.
"I also am realistic enough to tell you that if China and India don't share the same aspiration that we're not going to solve the problem," Bush said.
"The US, I believe, has not really lost a sense of direction. I think that our views are gradually converging," Fukuda said.
Oh, the irony! ... more -
Media blackout Vincent Bugliosi's book accusing Bush of murder
"Mr. Bugliosi said bookers for cable television, where he has made regular appearances to promote books, have ignored his latest offering. MSNBC and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” were two outlets Mr. Bugliosi had thought would show interest, but neither did.
The New York Times reports that ABC Radio also refused to accept an ad for the book during the Don Imus show." "Mr. Bugliosi said bookers for cable television, where he has made regular appearances to promote books, have ignored his latest offer... more -
More honest Viva Viagra advertisment: "Four hour erection not the worst side effec...
131 patient ratings for the drug Viagra. Average rating for Viagra 3.8 out of 5
SIDE EFFECTS FOR VIAGRA that are not listed in the ads:
Patient example #1: I have lost over half my sight in one eye. The "four hour erection" is not the worst possible side effect. Blindness is ... and does happen. Happened during first week of use.
Patient example #2: Heart beat irregular, headache, facial flushing,dizziness, Light hurts my eyes! Worst extremely fast side effect ever. I feel really Terrible and do not know antidote! Wife talked me into taking some, then after side effects I went to web read precautions too late. I have xxx High Blood pressure,Hepatitis C,severe liver damage. Will not try this experiment again!
Patient example #3: I started passing blood when urinating and the last 1 1/2" of my penis would not get hard. It would actually curve to the left. The end turned white and skin would peel off when performing intercourse. It takes a long time for my penis to heal back up after intercourse.
http://www.askapatient.com/viewratings.asp?drug=20895&a......
The three examples gave it a rating of 1.
NOTE: This drug is not necessarily bad for every user. The data base will help you make an informed decision.This information is not reported by our mainstream media news because they are supported by Drug Industry. 131 patient ratings for the drug Viagra. Average rating for Viagra 3.8 out of 5 ... more
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