Did you hear the latest?

On March 17, 2006, Cindy Sheehan got arrested for her tee shirt again...

It read: Happy St. Paddy's Day!

(JUST KIDDING!)

In the "Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid" Department

A college student took a 60s report on the assassination of President Kennedy and substituted Kennedy’s name with Bush and sent it to a fellow student. The Feds came and seized both computers!

Art the Ashcroft Way

If Ashcroft is planning a visit to the Louvre, the Prado, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Greece, or Rome, Italy…Mr. Ashcroft, don't even think about it...do you think he calls ahead to have offensive masterpieces pre-draped?? Just wondering.

A word from one of my favorite independent media sources and watchdogs: TV News Lies (TVNL)

AP president proposes media lobby to fight government secrecy - Denouncing increased official secrecy, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley unveiled a plan Friday for a media advocacy center to lobby in Washington for open government. - "The powerful have to be watched, and we are the watchers," Curley said, "and you don't need to have your notebook snatched by a policeman to know that keeping an eye on government activities has lately gotten a lot harder." - At every level of government, records are being sealed and requests for information denied, and courts are imposing gag orders and sealing documents, Curley said, speaking in the Hays Press-Enterprise Lecture series. - "The point I want to make with these brief examples is an elemental one: The government's power is overwhelming. Its agents are armed and authorized to use force if they have to," Curley said. - "News is our business. We are the watchers," Curley said. "Open government is the personal interest and constitutional right of every citizen. But we of the fourth estate have by far the greatest means and incentive to speak and fight for it." - TVNL Comment: BRAVO! Simply BRAVO!

A brutal double standard

This weekend, I read about a young woman who was brutally raped and killed after leaving a bar at 4:00 in the morning. Like so many other Americans, she was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with her friends.

What struck me about the news coverage was that the first thing the investigators did was to blame the victim. Her skirt was too short. Too long. She had no right to be outside alone at 4:00 in the morning.

I can’t help but wonder: what if the victim had been a man? Would people analyze what he was wearing and then blame him for having been murdered? Would he have been blamed for his death because he was alone outside at 4:00 in the morning?

Any psychologist worth his or her salt will tell you: it is not the victim’s fault for being raped. It has nothing to do with the clothes she is wearing. Years ago, I saw a popular media personality interview a rapist. She was wearing a conservative, almost dowdy, business suit. She asked the rapist if what she was wearing was “provocative.” “Yes,” said the man. He admitted that pretty much anything a woman could wear would be provocative to him.

I also find it disturbing that, just because she is not a man, a woman has “no right” to be out alone at night without risking her life.

Personally, I am disgusted by all the double standards that govern men and women in American society. We blame women when they become victims of violent crime. We label them as temptresses and seducers and sluts. By reducing and, in many cases, eliminating access to sex education, birth control, and abortion, we have made women solely responsible for pregnancy — but, last time I looked, it still takes two to tango. And we are insisting more and more that each pregnancy result in a live birth without regard to the needs, health, or situation of the woman involved.

Meanwhile, as women are struggling to retain what few rights they have left to govern their own bodies, men can not only get recreational drugs like Viagra, but, unlike birth control, it is paid for by insurance. Way to go, America — let’s make sure we put ALL the burden on women!

I don’t know about you, but I am sick of always hearing it from the man’s point of view.

A letter from Dot Calm to Indiana state representative Tim Harris

You have a bill suggesting doctors tell women that “life begins at conception”?

Do you realize that, if enacted, your bill will open the door to the CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF ALL WOMEN WHO HAVE EVER HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE AT ANY TIME DURING THEIR REPRODUCTIVE YEARS?

Wow! That's mighty ambitious. Do you think we're up to it? And, what is your suggestion for men? I say, IMMEDIATE CASTRATION OF ALL AMERICAN MEN! That's only fair play, don't you think?

Why, I'll bet you have a solution for all those sinning women in Saipan, don't you? Of course, their forced abortions aren't as important as precious aborted American fetuses, are they?

My, my...I'm not sure I can take much more of your exemplary self-righteousness.

America in trouble

Our democracy is at risk. American media are not upholding their role as fourth estate — the watchdog of the people — and are letting the foxes run loose in the henhouse. The poor are being robbed blind to further enrich the already rich. The American vote is no longer free or fair enough to obey the will of the people. The ever dwindling tax revenues (being levied on those shamefully rich waitresses and cabbies) and collected by Bush’s junta are being squandered and wasted to fuel corporate crony pork barrels that, in the end, are costing American lives. And Republican’s only solution to America’s skyrocketing, out-of-control deficit is to raise the debt ceiling!

There are developments in our country’s recent history worth discussing openly. The rhetoric Fox News spouts day after day has a devastating effect on the critical thinking of otherwise fair-minded Americans; the result is less than stellar. CSPAN and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman are good sources of unbiased news. Al Jazeera is invaluable for taking the pulse of how the US is regarded in the Muslim world and features many fine articles that appear verbatim in the BBC. Since both sides of any conflict usually end up criticizing al Jazeera, it stands to reason that al Jazeera must truly be fair and balanced. Buzzflash, while not always impartial, covers the subjects the mainstream news media tends to ignore. And Mother Jones breaks more stories that are ultimately picked up in the mainstream press than any other independent media outlet.

The short list of issues that require immediate attention includes health care, equitable distribution of wealth, jobs, and education. These social issues should be of the utmost concern to Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians, not to mention those simply purged from voting lists at the moment.

Americans purged from voting lists? you ask. Yes, of course, didn’t you know? While minorities, the elderly, and other poor and Democratic voters are frequently discouraged or deterred from voting by lack of machines or active intimidation, Blacks have been systematically purged from voting lists for decades. The practice was mainstreamed during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, as you can read on www.gregpalast.com. The most recent additions to the list of America’s disenfranchised: the poor and Black Katrina victims who have been scattered all over the country. As a result, New Orleans has been redistricted as a much whiter town.

It is the responsibility of every American to get eligible voters registered and active in this democracy. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that our voting systems are completely secure, transparent, and available and accessible to all Americans; we need non-partisan teams especially appointed for that purpose. We must reinforce the truth behind the belief that every vote is important and every vote is counted. Democracy depends on those very basic beliefs being upheld with complete integrity.

In his farewell speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) warned against the over-development of the military-industrial complex. He cautioned future generations not to wield US power irresponsibly. He warned us not to spend precious resources on military might or any whimsical idea like Star Wars. This country is blessed with an abundance of resources; it must distribute them wisely.

Recently, the House voted whether or not to provide critical funding for African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. At this time, the US must continue to provide the funding and resources Darfur so desperately needs. Although Darfur represents a significant financial burden, it is the moral responsibility of nations with stable economies to support Darfur’s needs. The US must set the example, but it won’t. Our coffers were raided as soon as this administration set foot in the White House. The surplus accumulated by the previous administration was quickly gutted and redistributed to the wealthy. A token part of that surplus was distributed to the masses despite a swell of protestation by some. After all, instilling a feeling of well-being in the masses is imperative for a functioning fascist state.

But the problem goes deeper than that. Congress did eventually provide $389 million for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid programs in Darfur. An additional $100 million will be required. Events there have made it clear.

Do you remember the initial pledge this country made to the victims of the tsunami? It was a paltry $25 million…until the US was shamed into increasing the contribution.

The tsunami was one of any number of natural disasters. They will be with us til the end of time. We must always be prepared for them. My concern is our behavior in the global community, which, at the moment is that of a bully. We must refrain from forcing “democracy” (which usually ends up being a US industry-friendly dictatorship) on other governments, especially when our democracy has become a fascist theocracy. We must stop our wasteful use of precious natural resources, both at home and around the world.

Finally, as a good global neighbor, we must end our aggressive behavior and learn to respect and cooperate with leaders of other countries. We MUST end our warring! We must respect and treasure those who volunteer in our armies. Our military should be called upon only to defend our democracy, as set forth in the Constitution. And it should be activated only if attacked or if our democracy is threatened. We must never charge our GIs for their meals, or their body armor, or the hospital costs they incur in serving our nation!

Yes, friends, these are a few of the things America must do to set things right. But our government, which is sitting fat and happy on all the money and power it could possibly gorge itself on, won’t lift a finger to do the right thing. It is up to each of us to make the groundswell of protest that will save our democracy and restore a much-needed sense of justice and balance in our world.

Attention, Wal-mart shoppers!

Do you shop Wal-mart? Just love those low, low prices? Love those Made in America labels? Oops! That was only in the start-up years.

Ever think about the Wal-mart employees? The ones who scrape by because Wal-mart refuses to pay decent wages? The ones with no health insurance? Wal-mart has an ingenious health care plan: stick the tab to the taxpayer. (This shouldn’t be a surprise because Wal-mart also sticks the taxpayer with the bill for feeding its employees: every Wal-mart job application comes with an application for food stamps.) Hope you have Wal-mart stock.

More and more employers are choosing the Wal-mart health care model. Working families have been forced to rely on public health care, exploding Medicaid costs and breaking state budgets. Three states have enacted the Health Care Disclosure Act requiring them to report which employers’ workers are relying on taxpayer-funded health care programs to cover their families.

As a result of public pressure, 23 states have issued public reports, which uniformly show that Wal-mart employees rely on public-funded health care more than employees from any other business sector.

Without citing further shameful statistics, suffice it to say that Wal-mart, the nation’s largest employer, enjoys profits at a rate of $21,000 per minute! Its CEO earned $17.5 million last year, and five members of the Walton family are on the list of the 10 wealthiest Americans.

Read the Wal-mart success story. No, not the one Sam Walton envisioned.
Sam probably didn’t see fascism coming to America. Not convinced yet? Review the definition of fascism, which was posted recently on my blog. Now compare the rise of Wal-mart’s unparalleled success with the economic conditions pervading our America today. Hear that loud sucking sound? It’s the sound of wealth being sucked from the states and relocated to the credit side of Walton family balance sheets — wealth being sucked from the pockets of the poor and middle classes into the already fat pockets of the rich. Scary, isn’t it? I hate the connect-the-dots analogy, but, in this case, all the dots connect and lead straight to fascism!

Bush repeats second grade

Remember My Pet Goat? Do you wonder how many times President Bush has been back to a second grade class to read the kiddies a story? Just wondering.

A word from Harry Reid…and a word from Dot Calm

“This past weekend, I continued my ‘Give 'Em Hell Harry Red State Tour’ heading to Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

“Today, I want to tell you what I saw in Arkansas.

“At the Hope Airport, there is a sea of 11,000 mobile homes set up for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. These dwellings are costing FEMA hundreds of millions of dollars; yet they remain empty even as thousands remain homeless. FEMA has been unable to use the trailers because regulations prohibit placing them in flood plains. Seeing those trailers, I was mystified, disappointed, and appalled. And this is just one example of dangerous mismanagement and costly incompetence.”

Senator Reid saw first hand the reckless waste and lack of coordination going into the Katrina response. He saw how people are suffering from the unwillingness or inability of the Bush administration to protect them or provide for their basic needs. He knows how much money is being pork-barreled into no-bid contracts for Bush-buddy contractors like Halliburton. He knows that the Republican majority is absolutely delighted with how things are going — they wouldn’t have it any other way.

I know a few things, too.

I know that, despite Senator Reid’s nice words, Americans can’t rely on the Democratic party to uphold its role as opposition or at least check and balance to the steamrolling Republicans. I know that the only thing that seems to have any effect these days is vociferous and voluminous public protest. So I’m asking you, my fellow Americans, to follow my lead and write, fax, e-mail, and call your elected officials to set things right for the Gulf Coast victims of Katrina and Rita. Stop by their offices and let them know in person how you feel — even better, get a group of your friends and neighbors together and visit your Senators’ and Representatives’ offices en masse. Our government must stop the cronyism and start showing some compassion for the people for a change. And we must continue to donate and volunteer all we can to help our fellow Americans in their need.

Please see recent posts on my blog for where to send your donation.

Now You See It...Now You Don’t!

Wow! We must be rolling in it. Such prosperity. Such plenitude. Why, it’s as if a giant money tree umbrellas our whole blessed country. Pick off what you need, whenever you need it. A few thousand here, a million or two there, and 9 BILLION just plain MISSING!

Missing?

Do the math.
Let’s see. Suppose we’re dealing in thousand dollar bills. It would take 1000 bills to make a million, which would use up a roomful of space, stacked up to an 8 ft. ceiling. 1000 stacks of $1000 bills represents 1 million.

It would take 1000 stacks of 1 million $1000 bills to make 1 billion. It would take 9 stacks of 1 billion each to reach 9 billion. And don’t say the dog ate it! Leave Fido out of this debacle. It just vanished. Gone! Poof! Adios!

Attention all taxpayers!
Get your pen and checkbook ready, and nobody gets hurt.

Bremer, ma’ am.
As of January 31, 2005, the 9 bil was still missing, unless you heard something I didn’t. It was earmarked for Iraqi reconstruction. Paul Bremer, that Medal of Freedom guy, seems to have misplaced it. Bremer, you’re doin’ a heck of a job!

Severe inefficiencies by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) were cited by auditors as the cause for the missing 9 billion. Is that an understatement, or is it my imagination?

Bremer disputes the findings. According to a Pentagon spokesman, the CPA was operating under extraordinary conditions and relied on Iraqi ministries to manage development money that was transferred to them. Those silly Iraqis, it was all their fault. Hmm, hope they’ll make better soldiers than baby sitters of a pile o’ money.

The CPA established major reforms in Iraq’s budgeting system, setting up a transparent system. Guess it was very successful: $9 billion has gone completely transparent.

Did you hear that?

Click, click. Yeah, what was that? I dunno. What were we saying? So, how are the kids? Fine. How are you feeling? Click, click. There’s that sound again. What do you suppose it is? I dunno. The kids are fine. It’s raining here today. Is it raining there? Click, click. There it goes again. No, it’s sunny and warm here. Click, click. I’m going to hang up now...I can’t stand all that clicking. Is this a party line?

No. This is not a party line. Welcome to the Halliburton Phone Tapping Service. Your conversation is being monitored, and anything you say can and will be held against you. Have a Nice Day.

Psychological Warfare in Afghanistan

Atrocities committed under US Command
by John Martinkus

October 21, 2005
SBS Australia Dateline (Transcript)

Since September 11, we've all become uncomfortably familiar with names like Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, and maybe even Bagram in Afghanistan. They're all places we now associate with human rights violations or worse-- military atrocities and possibly potential war crimes. You can add another place to that list: Gonbaz in southern Afghanistan, about a 100km from the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. In recent months, the former Muslim extremist Taliban and their al Qa'ida allies have launched more attacks against US forces than at any time since the Americans first invaded in 2001.

Earlier this month, Dateline's John Martinkus was in Afghanistan to cover their elections, but his story tonight actually starts with some startling footage from another Australian, photojournalist Stephen Dupont, who, while he was embedded with the Americans, managed to record some of the grotesque tactics being used by Australia's allies in that part of the world. Dateline should warn you that this report does include some pretty disturbing scenes, particularly for any Muslim viewers.

I chose not to view the film. You can find it by searching John Martinkus.

Iraqi police report details civilians' deaths at hands of U.S. troops

By Matthew Schofield
Knight Ridder Newspapers

BAGHDAD, Iraq. Iraqi police have accused American troops of executing 11 people, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old infant, in the aftermath of a raid last Wednesday on a house about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

The villagers were killed after American troops herded them into a single room of the house, according to a police document obtained by Knight Ridder Newspapers. The soldiers also burned three vehicles, killed the villagers' animals, and blew up the house, the document said.

A U.S. military spokesman, Major Tim Keefe, said that the U.S. military has no information to support the allegations and that he had not heard of them before a reporter brought them to his attention Sunday.

There is more to this article--check BuzzFlash.

I just don’t want us to be taken by surprise if/when bad things happen to America. Good Lord! Has America become neo-Nazis?