Published on Sunday, July 15, 2007
by CommonDreams.org
They Are Not Just Stealing from Media Companies But Stealing the Media From Us
by Danny Schechter
Internet radio firms hear a sour note from appeals court
Federal panel rejects request to stay royalty rate increase for music webcasters
Linda Rosencrance
July 12, 2007 (Computerworld) -- A federal appeals court yesterday denied a petition from music webcaster associations for an emergency stay of new royalty rates that Internet radio companies have to start paying on Sunday. (Today)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
How timely was this?
Last night I watched Bill Moyers' Journal.
It was a fascinating discussion,mostly about this administration's acting as if they are all above the law. Impeachment was mentioned. The Constitution was mentioned. Moyers, Fein and Nichols carried on quite an interesting exchange. It was energizing.
This morning I picked up the book I've been reading and eventually came across this passage on page 360:
Many other "minor" innovations in the Constitution--the difficult yet workable procedure for amending it, impeachment, the the requirement that the Senate concur on presidential appointments, a narrow definition of treason, the power sharing by states that has allowed territories to organize a new states---help explain its success. It is now the world's oldest written constitutions still in effect. All this is the "what" of the Constitution, and Americans need to be reminded of it because many do not understand it. Diane Skvarla, curator for the Senate, says many visitors to the Capitol have no understanding even of the three branches of government and are forever asking "Where is the president's office?" and "What does Congress do?" Their visit to Independence Hall won't help.
After reading this book and two other books by Loewen, I have no desire to see (white) small town America (North and South) or to visit any of the glorified plantations that won't inform visitors that they (and this country) were built on slavery.
I do want to know more about the Constitution though.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Peak Oil vs. Industry Study
"Peak oil" advocates blast U.S. industry study
By Chris Baltimore
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Proponents of "peak oil" -- the theory that global crude oil production has hit its zenith and is headed for a steep decline -- are steamed with a U.S. oil industry group's findings that the world has plenty of oil.
Next week the U.S. National Petroleum Council -- a board of high-level U.S. oil industry executives -- releases its study titled "Facing the Hard Truths about Energy," conducted at the behest of Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.
According to the report's executive summary obtained by Reuters, the world is not running out of oil but there are "accumulating risks" to securing supply through 2030.
Peak oil theorists say such findings gloss over Bodman's request to study the issue in detail.
"They've labored mightily and come up with a mouse," said Randy Udall at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, whose group dismisses the report as "petro Prozac."
"Give me four college students and two weeks, and I could do better," Udall said.
With crude oil futures prices in London at 11-month highs above $77 a barrel, the International Energy Agency, adviser to 26 industrialized countries, predicts a supply crunch in 2012.
The IEA now expects global demand to reach 95.8 million barrels per day (bpd) from 86.1 million bpd in 2007, assuming average global GDP growth of 4.5 percent annually.
In a draft letter to Bodman outlining its findings, the National Petroleum Council says, "The world is not running out of energy resources, but there are accumulating risks to continuing expansion of oil and natural gas production from the conventional sources relied upon historically."
Those risks include "political hurdles, infrastructure requirements and availability of trained work force," according to the findings of the panel, which includes executives of oil companies like ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp.
The council, chaired by former ExxonMobil Chief Executive Lee Raymond, could not be reached for comment.
CHICKEN LITTLE
There is no shortage of rhetoric in the debate.
One U.S. oil executive hires people to don chicken suits and hand out flyers at peak oil conferences, calling its advocates "Chicken Littles" - most recently in Italy in 2006.
"The abundance side of the debate needs something that grabs attention too," said Alex Cranberg, chairman of Denver-based Aspect Energy LLC, an independent oil company, referring to the chicken suits. "It is almost equal to, but not equal to, the power of fear."
Daniel Yergin, chairman of oil consultancy Cambridge Energy Research Associates and the panel's vice chairman of demand issues, has dismissed the idea of peak oil.
(That would be this Daniel Yergin )
Instead, Yergin's group has predicted an "undulating plateau" of crude oil production over several decades, followed by a slow decline.
Such findings irk Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, the Maryland Republican and co-chairman of the Congressional peak oil caucus, who has hounded the Bush administration on the peak oil issue.
"I don't think (the council) did what they asked them to do," Bartlett said in his office this week, brandishing a closet-full of charts and graphs that map out various world oil consumption scenarios. "We're disappointed."
By Chris Baltimore
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Proponents of "peak oil" -- the theory that global crude oil production has hit its zenith and is headed for a steep decline -- are steamed with a U.S. oil industry group's findings that the world has plenty of oil.
Next week the U.S. National Petroleum Council -- a board of high-level U.S. oil industry executives -- releases its study titled "Facing the Hard Truths about Energy," conducted at the behest of Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.
According to the report's executive summary obtained by Reuters, the world is not running out of oil but there are "accumulating risks" to securing supply through 2030.
Peak oil theorists say such findings gloss over Bodman's request to study the issue in detail.
"They've labored mightily and come up with a mouse," said Randy Udall at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, whose group dismisses the report as "petro Prozac."
"Give me four college students and two weeks, and I could do better," Udall said.
With crude oil futures prices in London at 11-month highs above $77 a barrel, the International Energy Agency, adviser to 26 industrialized countries, predicts a supply crunch in 2012.
The IEA now expects global demand to reach 95.8 million barrels per day (bpd) from 86.1 million bpd in 2007, assuming average global GDP growth of 4.5 percent annually.
In a draft letter to Bodman outlining its findings, the National Petroleum Council says, "The world is not running out of energy resources, but there are accumulating risks to continuing expansion of oil and natural gas production from the conventional sources relied upon historically."
Those risks include "political hurdles, infrastructure requirements and availability of trained work force," according to the findings of the panel, which includes executives of oil companies like ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp.
The council, chaired by former ExxonMobil Chief Executive Lee Raymond, could not be reached for comment.
CHICKEN LITTLE
There is no shortage of rhetoric in the debate.
One U.S. oil executive hires people to don chicken suits and hand out flyers at peak oil conferences, calling its advocates "Chicken Littles" - most recently in Italy in 2006.
"The abundance side of the debate needs something that grabs attention too," said Alex Cranberg, chairman of Denver-based Aspect Energy LLC, an independent oil company, referring to the chicken suits. "It is almost equal to, but not equal to, the power of fear."
Daniel Yergin, chairman of oil consultancy Cambridge Energy Research Associates and the panel's vice chairman of demand issues, has dismissed the idea of peak oil.
(That would be this Daniel Yergin )
Instead, Yergin's group has predicted an "undulating plateau" of crude oil production over several decades, followed by a slow decline.
Such findings irk Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, the Maryland Republican and co-chairman of the Congressional peak oil caucus, who has hounded the Bush administration on the peak oil issue.
"I don't think (the council) did what they asked them to do," Bartlett said in his office this week, brandishing a closet-full of charts and graphs that map out various world oil consumption scenarios. "We're disappointed."
Big Telecom stifles innovation
See how here: "Free the iPhone"
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sick of getting screwed by Big Telecom.
Go here BEFORE MONDAY JULY 16, 2007 to take action.
Verizon Asks Congress to Just Say No to ‘Open Access’
From ars technica, July 13, 2007
By Nate Anderson
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sick of getting screwed by Big Telecom.
Go here BEFORE MONDAY JULY 16, 2007 to take action.
Verizon Asks Congress to Just Say No to ‘Open Access’
From ars technica, July 13, 2007
By Nate Anderson
Stupid men
In China.
In India.
And in the US male domination can be destructive.
How about let's try something different?
We, women of many nations, cultures and creeds, of different colours and classes, have come together to voice our concern for the health of our living planet and all its interdependent life forms.
New Fox show: ‘Can women effectively rule society?’
Fox is planning a new show this fall called “When Women Rule The World.” From the description:
Aaaahhhh, yes, from the people who brought you "fair and balanced."
Let's see how the editing works out on this show, eh?
In India.
And in the US male domination can be destructive.
How about let's try something different?
We, women of many nations, cultures and creeds, of different colours and classes, have come together to voice our concern for the health of our living planet and all its interdependent life forms.
New Fox show: ‘Can women effectively rule society?’
Fox is planning a new show this fall called “When Women Rule The World.” From the description:
Aaaahhhh, yes, from the people who brought you "fair and balanced."
Let's see how the editing works out on this show, eh?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Population Growth
After a “lost decade,” experts call for renewed focus on population growth
July 1st, 2007
Major growth spurt to hit S.J.
County projected to grow by 242,000 residents per decade
By Jennifer Torres
Record Staff Writer
July 10, 2007 6:00 AM
My take on the population growth issue is actually pretty simple. As long as the human race is concerned with no more than their family, their tribe, their power--- the ecological disaster looms. Until political leaders actually decide to lead and controlling population growth becomes a priority, the death resulting from population growth will grow also.
...While studying these subjects is important, scientists may never fully resolve an answer to the question of carrying capacity before the earth informs the human population what its carrying capacity is through less than polite means of communication...
So, for those of you religious nutjobs who keep telling people to breed more of whatever brand of religion you are pushing Shut The Fuck Up, you're not helping the human race, you're hurting it.
For those of you dingbatty females who can't wait to squirt out a shitload of brats, or fawn over a crapload of grandkids, come closer, let me bitchslap your dumb ass.
If only the leaders of my country would take that in mind, eh?
Just a tiny portion of the $12 billion a month spent on this ridiculous war might be spent on birth control, education and health care for poor women all over the planet could literally make a world of difference to those (approximately) three-hundred sixty thousand people born on the planet today .
July 1st, 2007
Major growth spurt to hit S.J.
County projected to grow by 242,000 residents per decade
By Jennifer Torres
Record Staff Writer
July 10, 2007 6:00 AM
My take on the population growth issue is actually pretty simple. As long as the human race is concerned with no more than their family, their tribe, their power--- the ecological disaster looms. Until political leaders actually decide to lead and controlling population growth becomes a priority, the death resulting from population growth will grow also.
...While studying these subjects is important, scientists may never fully resolve an answer to the question of carrying capacity before the earth informs the human population what its carrying capacity is through less than polite means of communication...
So, for those of you religious nutjobs who keep telling people to breed more of whatever brand of religion you are pushing Shut The Fuck Up, you're not helping the human race, you're hurting it.
For those of you dingbatty females who can't wait to squirt out a shitload of brats, or fawn over a crapload of grandkids, come closer, let me bitchslap your dumb ass.
If only the leaders of my country would take that in mind, eh?
Just a tiny portion of the $12 billion a month spent on this ridiculous war might be spent on birth control, education and health care for poor women all over the planet could literally make a world of difference to those (approximately) three-hundred sixty thousand people born on the planet today .
Monday, July 09, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Lil ol me got tagged
Lil ol me got tagged
Question is; are there eight things about me that anyone would care to know – that I am willing to post on a blog that I haven’t already?
1) I know that people are stupid enough to destroy the earth
2)I discovered that I was a liberal while taking business classes.
3) I think I have a pretty good understanding of what my country has become
4) I think people who bring children into this world now are stupid, ignorant, or selfish, because the kids are going to suffer.
5) Greed makes me sick
6) I'm obsessed with the out of control world population.
7) The only fiction series I have enjoyed in the last 5 years is the Plum series.
8) I am proud to say that my family and friends are reproducing at less than replacement level. (My obsession again)
Question is; are there eight things about me that anyone would care to know – that I am willing to post on a blog that I haven’t already?
1) I know that people are stupid enough to destroy the earth
2)I discovered that I was a liberal while taking business classes.
3) I think I have a pretty good understanding of what my country has become
4) I think people who bring children into this world now are stupid, ignorant, or selfish, because the kids are going to suffer.
5) Greed makes me sick
6) I'm obsessed with the out of control world population.
7) The only fiction series I have enjoyed in the last 5 years is the Plum series.
8) I am proud to say that my family and friends are reproducing at less than replacement level. (My obsession again)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
My personal 4th
If you're looking for jingoistic, feel-good happy talk, go visit someone else's blog today.
I finished Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen this morning and immediately started reading Sundown Towns by the same author.
Nine freaking pages into Sundown Towns I came across this:
That evening in Decatur revolutionized my thinking. I now perceived that in the normal course of human events, most and perhaps all towns would not be all-white. Racial exclusion was required. "If they did not have such a policy,"observed an African American resident of Du Quoin, Illinois, about the all-white towns around Du Quoin, "surely blacks would be in them."I came to understand that he was right. "If people of color aren't around,"writes commentator Time Wise, "there's a reason, having something to do with history, and exclusion..." (#16 footnote)
Though mind-boggling to me, this insight proved hardly new. As early as 1858, before the dispersal of African Americans throughout the North prompted by the Civl War, the Wyandotte Herald in Wyandotte, in Southeastern Michigan, stated, "Wyandotte is again without a single colored inhabitant, something remarkable for a city of over 6,000 people." Even then, tThe Herald understood that a city of over 6,000 people as "remarkable"for being all-white. We shall see that a series of riots and threats was required to keep Wyandotte white over the years.
Why would these two paragraphs stand out to me?
Because I wondered about the longer history of Wyandotte, in Southeastern Michigan.
You see, I have Wyandotte blood in me.
On the other hand, being a proud, patriotic (mostly white) American, I can't help but wonder how many Iraq war veterans (that we are sending to make some rich white fucks richer) are going to hit the deck once the fireworks start tonight?
Hmmm, maybe I'll skip the fireworks, they kind of make me jumpy. Maybe I'll go see Michael Moore's Sicko, although I don't really need to, my parents are fighting with their insurance companies all the time.
Happy fucking "Independence Day" folks. At least Scooter Libby has something to celebrate
And here's a nice wrap up for today, even though I missed it a couple of days ago:
San Diego Public Schools Grapple with Muslim Prayer by: Lucas O'Connor
Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 08:44:03 AM PD
Uhhh, Lucas, isn't Hirsi Ali from Somalia?
Let me be clear. Fundamentalist Islam is not something I want invited in to my country, my city, my home. Like any form of fundamentalist religion, I flat out hate the motherfuckers.
I finished Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen this morning and immediately started reading Sundown Towns by the same author.
Nine freaking pages into Sundown Towns I came across this:
That evening in Decatur revolutionized my thinking. I now perceived that in the normal course of human events, most and perhaps all towns would not be all-white. Racial exclusion was required. "If they did not have such a policy,"observed an African American resident of Du Quoin, Illinois, about the all-white towns around Du Quoin, "surely blacks would be in them."I came to understand that he was right. "If people of color aren't around,"writes commentator Time Wise, "there's a reason, having something to do with history, and exclusion..." (#16 footnote)
Though mind-boggling to me, this insight proved hardly new. As early as 1858, before the dispersal of African Americans throughout the North prompted by the Civl War, the Wyandotte Herald in Wyandotte, in Southeastern Michigan, stated, "Wyandotte is again without a single colored inhabitant, something remarkable for a city of over 6,000 people." Even then, tThe Herald understood that a city of over 6,000 people as "remarkable"for being all-white. We shall see that a series of riots and threats was required to keep Wyandotte white over the years.
Why would these two paragraphs stand out to me?
Because I wondered about the longer history of Wyandotte, in Southeastern Michigan.
You see, I have Wyandotte blood in me.
On the other hand, being a proud, patriotic (mostly white) American, I can't help but wonder how many Iraq war veterans (that we are sending to make some rich white fucks richer) are going to hit the deck once the fireworks start tonight?
Hmmm, maybe I'll skip the fireworks, they kind of make me jumpy. Maybe I'll go see Michael Moore's Sicko, although I don't really need to, my parents are fighting with their insurance companies all the time.
Happy fucking "Independence Day" folks. At least Scooter Libby has something to celebrate
And here's a nice wrap up for today, even though I missed it a couple of days ago:
San Diego Public Schools Grapple with Muslim Prayer by: Lucas O'Connor
Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 08:44:03 AM PD
Uhhh, Lucas, isn't Hirsi Ali from Somalia?
Let me be clear. Fundamentalist Islam is not something I want invited in to my country, my city, my home. Like any form of fundamentalist religion, I flat out hate the motherfuckers.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Put away the flags
Published on Sunday, July 1, 2007 by The Progressive
by Howard Zinn
On this July 4, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols: its flags, its pledges of allegiance, its anthems, its insistence in song that God must single out America to be blessed.
Is not nationalism — that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce it engenders mass murder — one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred?
These ways of thinking — cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on — have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.
National spirit can be benign in a country that is small and lacking both in military power and a hunger for expansion (Switzerland, Norway, Costa Rica and many more). But in a nation like ours — huge, possessing thousands of weapons of mass destruction — what might have been harmless pride becomes an arrogant nationalism dangerous to others and to ourselves.
Our citizenry has been brought up to see our nation as different from others, an exception in the world, uniquely moral, expanding into other lands in order to bring civilization, liberty, democracy.
That self-deception started early.
When the first English settlers moved into Indian land in Massachusetts Bay and were resisted, the violence escalated into war with the Pequot Indians. The killing of Indians was seen as approved by God, the taking of land as commanded by the Bible. The Puritans cited one of the Psalms, which says: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession.”
When the English set fire to a Pequot village and massacred men, women and children, the Puritan theologian Cotton Mather said: “It was supposed that no less than 600 Pequot souls were brought down to hell that day.”
On the eve of the Mexican War, an American journalist declared it our “Manifest Destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence.” After the invasion of Mexico began, The New York Herald announced: “We believe it is a part of our destiny to civilize that beautiful country.”
It was always supposedly for benign purposes that our country went towar.
We invaded Cuba in 1898 to liberate the Cubans, and went to war in the Philippines shortly after, as President McKinley put it, “to civilize and Christianize” the Filipino people.
As our armies were committing massacres in the Philippines (at least 600,000 Filipinos died in a few years of conflict), Elihu Root, our secretary of war, was saying: “The American soldier is different from all other soldiers of all other countries since the war began. He is the advance guard of liberty and justice, of law and order, and of peace and happiness.”
We see in Iraq that our soldiers are not different. They have, perhaps against their better nature, killed thousands of Iraq civilians. And some soldiers have shown themselves capable of brutality, of torture.
Yet they are victims, too, of our government’s lies.
How many times have we heard President Bush tell the troops that if they die, if they return without arms or legs, or blinded, it is for “liberty,” for “democracy”?
One of the effects of nationalist thinking is a loss of a sense of proportion. The killing of 2,300 people at Pearl Harbor becomes the justification for killing 240,000 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The killing of 3,000 people on Sept. 11 becomes the justification for killing tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan and Iraq.
And nationalism is given a special virulence when it is said to be blessed by Providence. Today we have a president, invading two countries in four years, who announced on the campaign trail in 2004 that God speaks through him.
We need to refute the idea that our nation is different from, morally superior to, the other imperial powers of world history.
We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.
Howard Zinn, a World War II bombardier, is the author of the best-selling “A People’s History of the United States” (Perennial Classics, 2003, latest edition). This piece was distributed by the Progressive Media Project.
©2007 The Progressive Magazine
by Howard Zinn
On this July 4, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols: its flags, its pledges of allegiance, its anthems, its insistence in song that God must single out America to be blessed.
Is not nationalism — that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce it engenders mass murder — one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred?
These ways of thinking — cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on — have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.
National spirit can be benign in a country that is small and lacking both in military power and a hunger for expansion (Switzerland, Norway, Costa Rica and many more). But in a nation like ours — huge, possessing thousands of weapons of mass destruction — what might have been harmless pride becomes an arrogant nationalism dangerous to others and to ourselves.
Our citizenry has been brought up to see our nation as different from others, an exception in the world, uniquely moral, expanding into other lands in order to bring civilization, liberty, democracy.
That self-deception started early.
When the first English settlers moved into Indian land in Massachusetts Bay and were resisted, the violence escalated into war with the Pequot Indians. The killing of Indians was seen as approved by God, the taking of land as commanded by the Bible. The Puritans cited one of the Psalms, which says: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession.”
When the English set fire to a Pequot village and massacred men, women and children, the Puritan theologian Cotton Mather said: “It was supposed that no less than 600 Pequot souls were brought down to hell that day.”
On the eve of the Mexican War, an American journalist declared it our “Manifest Destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence.” After the invasion of Mexico began, The New York Herald announced: “We believe it is a part of our destiny to civilize that beautiful country.”
It was always supposedly for benign purposes that our country went towar.
We invaded Cuba in 1898 to liberate the Cubans, and went to war in the Philippines shortly after, as President McKinley put it, “to civilize and Christianize” the Filipino people.
As our armies were committing massacres in the Philippines (at least 600,000 Filipinos died in a few years of conflict), Elihu Root, our secretary of war, was saying: “The American soldier is different from all other soldiers of all other countries since the war began. He is the advance guard of liberty and justice, of law and order, and of peace and happiness.”
We see in Iraq that our soldiers are not different. They have, perhaps against their better nature, killed thousands of Iraq civilians. And some soldiers have shown themselves capable of brutality, of torture.
Yet they are victims, too, of our government’s lies.
How many times have we heard President Bush tell the troops that if they die, if they return without arms or legs, or blinded, it is for “liberty,” for “democracy”?
One of the effects of nationalist thinking is a loss of a sense of proportion. The killing of 2,300 people at Pearl Harbor becomes the justification for killing 240,000 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The killing of 3,000 people on Sept. 11 becomes the justification for killing tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan and Iraq.
And nationalism is given a special virulence when it is said to be blessed by Providence. Today we have a president, invading two countries in four years, who announced on the campaign trail in 2004 that God speaks through him.
We need to refute the idea that our nation is different from, morally superior to, the other imperial powers of world history.
We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.
Howard Zinn, a World War II bombardier, is the author of the best-selling “A People’s History of the United States” (Perennial Classics, 2003, latest edition). This piece was distributed by the Progressive Media Project.
©2007 The Progressive Magazine
Sunday, July 01, 2007
What's that giant sucking sound I hear?
Fluor, Dyncorp, KBR win contract
From Times Wire Services
June 29, 2007
Irvine-based Fluor Corp., Dyncorp International Inc. and KBR Inc., a former unit of Halliburton Co., were awarded parts of a U.S. Army contract with a combined potential value of as much as $150 billion to provide services to the military in the Middle East.
The contract, the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) IV, would be worth as much as $5 billion a year in business for each of the companies, with the potential duration of 10 years.
The Army said the contract was parceled out to three companies rather than just one to "more effectively manage the number and scope of LOGCAP actions required to fight the global war on terror."
Fluor Corp.
DynCorp in Colombia: Outsourcing the Drug War
by Jeremy Bigwood, Special to CorpWatch
May 23rd, 2001
Oh, that giant sucking sound.
That's just the sound of military-industrial-congressional-complex bankrupting the next few generations, Yeesh, you'd think that I'd never heard that before.
From Times Wire Services
June 29, 2007
Irvine-based Fluor Corp., Dyncorp International Inc. and KBR Inc., a former unit of Halliburton Co., were awarded parts of a U.S. Army contract with a combined potential value of as much as $150 billion to provide services to the military in the Middle East.
The contract, the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) IV, would be worth as much as $5 billion a year in business for each of the companies, with the potential duration of 10 years.
The Army said the contract was parceled out to three companies rather than just one to "more effectively manage the number and scope of LOGCAP actions required to fight the global war on terror."
Fluor Corp.
DynCorp in Colombia: Outsourcing the Drug War
by Jeremy Bigwood, Special to CorpWatch
May 23rd, 2001
Oh, that giant sucking sound.
That's just the sound of military-industrial-congressional-complex bankrupting the next few generations, Yeesh, you'd think that I'd never heard that before.
Friday, June 29, 2007
I told you I wanted books, right?
(click on pics for info)
Umm yeah, moderation has never really been my strong point. Gonna go read now.
Umm yeah, moderation has never really been my strong point. Gonna go read now.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
PADD
Political Attention Deficit Disorder – New Psychiatric Condition
Humor
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
06/27/07 "ICH" -- - -According to a report not yet released, the Council on Science and Public Health of the American Medical Association has recommended that a chronic and widespread affliction of Americans be officially declared a psychiatric disorder. It has been named the Political Attention Deficit Disorder (PADD). It is recommended that the disorder be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association. The current manual was published in 1994; the next edition is to be completed in 2012. The benefit to people of an official classification is coverage by health insurance.
Mmmm, hmmm, I got another one for the DSM V
L.I.P.
Lobbyist Induced Pshychosis.
Characterized by "glazed donut eyes", while lost in fantasies of slitting the throat thereby cutting off the annoying mosqito buzzing of the corporate lobbyist seated in front of afflicted politician.
Treatment usually involves cash, alcohol, cars, planes, prostitutes and pork barrell projects.
Humor
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
06/27/07 "ICH" -- - -According to a report not yet released, the Council on Science and Public Health of the American Medical Association has recommended that a chronic and widespread affliction of Americans be officially declared a psychiatric disorder. It has been named the Political Attention Deficit Disorder (PADD). It is recommended that the disorder be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association. The current manual was published in 1994; the next edition is to be completed in 2012. The benefit to people of an official classification is coverage by health insurance.
Mmmm, hmmm, I got another one for the DSM V
L.I.P.
Lobbyist Induced Pshychosis.
Characterized by "glazed donut eyes", while lost in fantasies of slitting the throat thereby cutting off the annoying mosqito buzzing of the corporate lobbyist seated in front of afflicted politician.
Treatment usually involves cash, alcohol, cars, planes, prostitutes and pork barrell projects.
suprise suprise
Senate hands Bush major defeat on immigration
By Donna Smith
Reuters
Thursday, June 28, 2007; 12:52 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate delivered an apparently fatal blow on Thursday to President George W. Bush's planned immigration overhaul and dashed the hopes of millions of immigrants seeking legal status.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
luv it luv it luv it
How do you make a politickybitch happy? BOOKS!
I uh, sorta got a hankering for new books while watching this talk by John Perkins
I bought Confessions of an Economic Hit Man three years ago.
I uh, sorta got a hankering for new books while watching this talk by John Perkins
I bought Confessions of an Economic Hit Man three years ago.
June 26, 2007 at 19:20:53
You will vote the way we tell you to vote! Verstehen!
by Charles Corry Page 1 of 1 page(s)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Current events being CIA blowback
Tomgram: Roger Morris, The CIA and the Gates Legacy
posted June 25, 2007 3:08 pm
CIA's "family jewels" pdf files (8:34 PM 6/26/2007 after cursory scans, I've decided that these fuckers are definitely going to require copious amounts of tequila to get through)
Senator Mike Gravel says "The Military-Industrial-Complex owns our Congress lock, stock and barrel... We (The American people) want fundamental change!!... TV is the most superficial facet of our media...they've dumbed (it) down..." (from the Randi Rhodes Show today )
Randi Rhodes of Air America, No Holds Barred
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 05/29/2007 - 6:02am. Interviews
A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW
I was a woman and in the Air Force. ...
posted June 25, 2007 3:08 pm
CIA's "family jewels" pdf files (8:34 PM 6/26/2007 after cursory scans, I've decided that these fuckers are definitely going to require copious amounts of tequila to get through)
Senator Mike Gravel says "The Military-Industrial-Complex owns our Congress lock, stock and barrel... We (The American people) want fundamental change!!... TV is the most superficial facet of our media...they've dumbed (it) down..." (from the Randi Rhodes Show today )
Randi Rhodes of Air America, No Holds Barred
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 05/29/2007 - 6:02am. Interviews
A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW
I was a woman and in the Air Force. ...
And Justice for All (or the Rich fuck us in the ass)
Court Loosens Limits on Campaign Ads
MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer
Monday, June 25, 2007
U.S. Supreme Court turns down case on generic pharmaceuticals
Monday, June 25, 2007
AP) - WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a lawsuit alleging two pharmaceutical companies conspired to monopolize the market for a drug used to treat breast cancer.
Consumers who filed the suit asked the justices to consider when an agreement not to market a generic drug is a violation of federal law.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge, who concluded the agreement between the two companies did not restrain trade in violation of federal law.
Suit Says Mortgage Firm Paid CEO $10M More Than It Disclosed
Monday, Jun. 25, 2007
By JODINE MAYBERRY, Andrews Publications Staff Writer
A shareholder suit filed in a Delaware federal court alleges that the directors of Countrywide Financial Corp. filed false and misleading proxy statements concealing that they had paid the company's CEO $10 million more in stock options than they claimed.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 Pension Fund filed the suit against board of the financial and mortgage services company just one day before Countrywide's annual shareholder meeting in an attempt to enjoin the re-election of three directors...
Justices bar ordinary U.S. taxpayers from suing over White House's religion-based programs
Monday, June 25, 2007
PETE YOST Associated Press Writer
(AP) - WASHINGTON-The Bush administration's religion-based initiatives got a boost from the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling that says ordinary taxpayers cannot sue to stop White House-sponsored conferences that help religious charities apply for federal grants.
Justices take no action on Enron liability case, for now
(AP) - WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Monday put off deciding on the Enron scandal, taking no action in a securities fraud case with billions of dollars at stake for victimized investors.
The case asks whether Enron shareholders can pursue a lawsuit against Wall Street investment banks that did business with the Texas energy company.
The justices have already agreed to consider a similar suit accusing two equipment manufacturers of colluding with a cable TV company to deceive investors.
The administration decided against filing a brief on behalf of the investors in the case, with both President George W. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson weighing on the side of the investment banks.
Three months ago, a federal appeals court blocked the $40 billion (€29.7 billion) Enron investors' suit against Merrill Lynch & Co., Credit Suisse First Boston and Barclays Bank PLC.
The suit alleged that they played roles in the accounting fraud that led to Enron's collapse.
Shareholders and investors in the class-action lawsuit had asked the Supreme Court to review the ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That court reversed a decision by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon in Houston, who had said shareholders could sue as a class.
Attorneys general from 30 states have sided with Enron shareholders in their bid for a class action.
The appeals court decision put the case on hold, which was set to go to trial April 16.
So far Enron plaintiffs have recouped $7.3 billion (€5.4 billion), mostly from such financial institutions as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Besides Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and Barclays, the remaining defendants include several former Enron officers: Jeff Skilling, the chief executive; Richard Causey, chief accounting officer; Richard Buy, chief risk officer; Jeff McMahon, treasurer; and Mark Koenig, executive vice president of investor relations.
Enron Corp., once the seventh-largest U.S. company, crumbled into bankruptcy in December 2001 after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The collapse wiped out thousands of jobs, more than $60 billion (€44.57 billion) in market value and more than $2 billion (€1.5 billion) in pension plans.
2007-06-25T15:23:56Z
But wait!!!!Lookee here, the little guy won!!!!
MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Writer
Monday, June 25, 2007
U.S. Supreme Court turns down case on generic pharmaceuticals
Monday, June 25, 2007
AP) - WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a lawsuit alleging two pharmaceutical companies conspired to monopolize the market for a drug used to treat breast cancer.
Consumers who filed the suit asked the justices to consider when an agreement not to market a generic drug is a violation of federal law.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge, who concluded the agreement between the two companies did not restrain trade in violation of federal law.
Suit Says Mortgage Firm Paid CEO $10M More Than It Disclosed
Monday, Jun. 25, 2007
By JODINE MAYBERRY, Andrews Publications Staff Writer
A shareholder suit filed in a Delaware federal court alleges that the directors of Countrywide Financial Corp. filed false and misleading proxy statements concealing that they had paid the company's CEO $10 million more in stock options than they claimed.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 Pension Fund filed the suit against board of the financial and mortgage services company just one day before Countrywide's annual shareholder meeting in an attempt to enjoin the re-election of three directors...
Justices bar ordinary U.S. taxpayers from suing over White House's religion-based programs
Monday, June 25, 2007
PETE YOST Associated Press Writer
(AP) - WASHINGTON-The Bush administration's religion-based initiatives got a boost from the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling that says ordinary taxpayers cannot sue to stop White House-sponsored conferences that help religious charities apply for federal grants.
Justices take no action on Enron liability case, for now
(AP) - WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Monday put off deciding on the Enron scandal, taking no action in a securities fraud case with billions of dollars at stake for victimized investors.
The case asks whether Enron shareholders can pursue a lawsuit against Wall Street investment banks that did business with the Texas energy company.
The justices have already agreed to consider a similar suit accusing two equipment manufacturers of colluding with a cable TV company to deceive investors.
The administration decided against filing a brief on behalf of the investors in the case, with both President George W. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson weighing on the side of the investment banks.
Three months ago, a federal appeals court blocked the $40 billion (€29.7 billion) Enron investors' suit against Merrill Lynch & Co., Credit Suisse First Boston and Barclays Bank PLC.
The suit alleged that they played roles in the accounting fraud that led to Enron's collapse.
Shareholders and investors in the class-action lawsuit had asked the Supreme Court to review the ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That court reversed a decision by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon in Houston, who had said shareholders could sue as a class.
Attorneys general from 30 states have sided with Enron shareholders in their bid for a class action.
The appeals court decision put the case on hold, which was set to go to trial April 16.
So far Enron plaintiffs have recouped $7.3 billion (€5.4 billion), mostly from such financial institutions as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Besides Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and Barclays, the remaining defendants include several former Enron officers: Jeff Skilling, the chief executive; Richard Causey, chief accounting officer; Richard Buy, chief risk officer; Jeff McMahon, treasurer; and Mark Koenig, executive vice president of investor relations.
Enron Corp., once the seventh-largest U.S. company, crumbled into bankruptcy in December 2001 after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The collapse wiped out thousands of jobs, more than $60 billion (€44.57 billion) in market value and more than $2 billion (€1.5 billion) in pension plans.
2007-06-25T15:23:56Z
But wait!!!!Lookee here, the little guy won!!!!
Monday, June 25, 2007
In Sudan, China focuses on oil wells, not local needs
China has invested billions in oil facilities and pipelines, but not in much else, say Sudanese locals.
By Danna Harman | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Page 1 of 4
Nah, say it ain't so....
Oh, what's this?
Australian killed in terror raids: report
June 25, 2007 03:45am
AN Australian man is believed to be among seven Islamist militants killed in a raid on their hideout in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, and three other Australians have been arrested in Lebanon over suspected links to hardline groups.
I find this amusing:
Major Hollywood movie to be filmed in Dubai
By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
Published: June 25, 2007, 23:31
...The new Dubai film is said to be about a young economist who gets used by Iranian operatives in a scheme to damage the American economy. He has to go on the run in order to prove himself innocent....
Especially because of this:
Halliburton Moving C.E.O. From Houston to Dubai
By Clifford Krauss
The New York Times
Published: March 12, 2007
Denmark tolerates these Islamofacist fucktards, why?
By Danna Harman | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Page 1 of 4
Nah, say it ain't so....
Oh, what's this?
Australian killed in terror raids: report
June 25, 2007 03:45am
AN Australian man is believed to be among seven Islamist militants killed in a raid on their hideout in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, and three other Australians have been arrested in Lebanon over suspected links to hardline groups.
I find this amusing:
Major Hollywood movie to be filmed in Dubai
By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
Published: June 25, 2007, 23:31
...The new Dubai film is said to be about a young economist who gets used by Iranian operatives in a scheme to damage the American economy. He has to go on the run in order to prove himself innocent....
Especially because of this:
Halliburton Moving C.E.O. From Houston to Dubai
By Clifford Krauss
The New York Times
Published: March 12, 2007
Denmark tolerates these Islamofacist fucktards, why?
If you're American, these will piss you off
Gov't struggles to care for wounded GI's
How Fake Job Ads Defraud Americans To Secure Green Cards For Immigrants:
Immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explains how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers. See what Bush and Congress really mean by a "shortage of skilled U.S. workers." Microsoft, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and thousands of other companies are running fake ads in Sunday newspapers across the country each week
Posted - 06/21/07
New World Bank chief is confirmed
Who?
Larry King bumps Michael Moore to interview Paris Hilton.
at least he was re-scheduled for Friday
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.
And if you live in Europe, this should piss you off.
The truth is tough to deal with, no two ways about it.
How Fake Job Ads Defraud Americans To Secure Green Cards For Immigrants:
Immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explains how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers. See what Bush and Congress really mean by a "shortage of skilled U.S. workers." Microsoft, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and thousands of other companies are running fake ads in Sunday newspapers across the country each week
Posted - 06/21/07
New World Bank chief is confirmed
Who?
Larry King bumps Michael Moore to interview Paris Hilton.
at least he was re-scheduled for Friday
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.
And if you live in Europe, this should piss you off.
The truth is tough to deal with, no two ways about it.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
This made my day
Thursday:
Cheney tells agency that Vice President's office is not part of the executive branch
Michael Roston
Published: Thursday June 21, 2007
Saturday:
Democrats plan to cut Cheney out of executive funding bill
Josh Catone
Published: Saturday June 23, 2007
Man, I love Raw Story. This made my day.
Ummm, Ok, so maybye oilmen aren't much fun, but when the fun is at their expense, (bwaaaaa haaa haa ha ha ha)
Cheney tells agency that Vice President's office is not part of the executive branch
Michael Roston
Published: Thursday June 21, 2007
Saturday:
Democrats plan to cut Cheney out of executive funding bill
Josh Catone
Published: Saturday June 23, 2007
Man, I love Raw Story. This made my day.
Ummm, Ok, so maybye oilmen aren't much fun, but when the fun is at their expense, (bwaaaaa haaa haa ha ha ha)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Dysfunction Junction: How the New Energy Bill Adds Fuel to a Bloomberg Candidacy [Updated]
...Raising CAFE standards should be a no-brainer. It's the fastest and most efficient way to reduce our dependence on oil -- especially foreign oil. An increase of just 3 mpg nationwide would save one million barrels of oil per day. But for close to 25 years, the U.S. auto industry and its allies in Congress have repeatedly fought back any and all efforts to raise mileage standards...
Ummmm, allies?
I have another question:
When was the last time anybody in Congress worote a bill that offered tax incentives to land developers for sustainable housing that incorporated public mass transit?
Fuck Detroit. Goddamned arrogant dinosaurs. Haven't they caused enough damage?
Ummmm, allies?
I have another question:
When was the last time anybody in Congress worote a bill that offered tax incentives to land developers for sustainable housing that incorporated public mass transit?
Fuck Detroit. Goddamned arrogant dinosaurs. Haven't they caused enough damage?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Very enlightening
GO Watch this
Sicko.
and as if we needed any more proof that George W. Bush is an idiot and a cruel hypocrite:
Bush again vetoes stem cell legislation
What does President SociopathicFucktard say?
and "Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical. And it is not the only option before us,'' the president said.
How does that man justify the Iraq war in that tiny little pea brain of his?
Speaking of pea brains, Oh My God, every time I see a report on Pakistan they are burning a flag, or an effigy, and a bunch of men are raving madly about some slight to Islam. Now they are all bent out of shape about the Salman Rushdie Knighting.
Guess all that money the Saudis send over to rile up the jihadis with hatred in those madrassas is accomplishing something. Congratulations Osama, you fucking dickhead, there's still plenty of pisssed off, ignorant assholes who will blow themseslves up cause they got nothing else to live for. God, what a shithole Pakistan is.
Sicko.
and as if we needed any more proof that George W. Bush is an idiot and a cruel hypocrite:
Bush again vetoes stem cell legislation
What does President SociopathicFucktard say?
and "Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical. And it is not the only option before us,'' the president said.
How does that man justify the Iraq war in that tiny little pea brain of his?
Speaking of pea brains, Oh My God, every time I see a report on Pakistan they are burning a flag, or an effigy, and a bunch of men are raving madly about some slight to Islam. Now they are all bent out of shape about the Salman Rushdie Knighting.Guess all that money the Saudis send over to rile up the jihadis with hatred in those madrassas is accomplishing something. Congratulations Osama, you fucking dickhead, there's still plenty of pisssed off, ignorant assholes who will blow themseslves up cause they got nothing else to live for. God, what a shithole Pakistan is.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Clinging to hope
(click on pics for info that keeps me hoping)
Greg Palast
and John Conyers
and Henry Waxman
As disgusted as I am with the business of politics in my country, I still have hope.
Even though Republicans suck. Really suck.
Fred Thompson seeks Thatcher's blessing
I'll let Marge tell you what I'm thinking about Fred Thompson and Margaret Thatcher's blessing.
Here's one of my favorite lines from Fargo
But this gives me lots and lots of hope: This farm runs on sun power
Greg Palast
and John Conyers
and Henry Waxman
As disgusted as I am with the business of politics in my country, I still have hope.
Even though Republicans suck. Really suck.
Fred Thompson seeks Thatcher's blessing
I'll let Marge tell you what I'm thinking about Fred Thompson and Margaret Thatcher's blessing.
Here's one of my favorite lines from Fargo
But this gives me lots and lots of hope: This farm runs on sun power
Saturday, June 16, 2007
What were they thinking?
The 'Untold Details' of Recent Iranian-U.S. Talks
Baztab News, Islamic Republic of Iran
Thursday May 31,2007
..."The Iranian team made the case that the presence of occupying troops, their disrespect for Iraq's Constitution and religious beliefs, their undermining of the Al-Maliki Government, the slackened trend of infrastructure reconstruction and facilities and the lack of equipment and training - and hence marginalization - of the Iraqi police and army, are the principal causes of insecurity in Iraq. "..
Hmmm, where do I start with this hucky pucky?
CBS: Iraqi PM doesn't trust his military, says coup possible
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Sabotage attacks target Iraq infrastructure
Saturday, May 26, 2007 09:23 GMT
On the other hand, joint forces arrested a suspect thought to have links with an officer of Iran Revolutionary Guards caught during a combat operation in Sadr City where joint forces found a cache of weapons.
Iraqi police selling weapons on black market
05 Feb 2007 10:35:55 GMT
Source: Reuters
The lack of security in Iraq has everything to do with the fact that Iraqis are trying to hold onto their own oil, and we managed to bumble into fight between the Arabs and the Persians that's been going on for centuries, made worse by their own depletion of oil, and the world's consumption of it.
The US being a leader in the consumption of oil.
If there ever was such a thing in the US as a cohesive group of leaders, they never would have arrogantly allowed our "way of life" to become so dependent on oil that they ever thought that this was an option.
Baztab News, Islamic Republic of Iran
Thursday May 31,2007
..."The Iranian team made the case that the presence of occupying troops, their disrespect for Iraq's Constitution and religious beliefs, their undermining of the Al-Maliki Government, the slackened trend of infrastructure reconstruction and facilities and the lack of equipment and training - and hence marginalization - of the Iraqi police and army, are the principal causes of insecurity in Iraq. "..
Hmmm, where do I start with this hucky pucky?
CBS: Iraqi PM doesn't trust his military, says coup possible
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Sabotage attacks target Iraq infrastructure
Saturday, May 26, 2007 09:23 GMT
On the other hand, joint forces arrested a suspect thought to have links with an officer of Iran Revolutionary Guards caught during a combat operation in Sadr City where joint forces found a cache of weapons.
Iraqi police selling weapons on black market
05 Feb 2007 10:35:55 GMT
Source: Reuters
The lack of security in Iraq has everything to do with the fact that Iraqis are trying to hold onto their own oil, and we managed to bumble into fight between the Arabs and the Persians that's been going on for centuries, made worse by their own depletion of oil, and the world's consumption of it.
The US being a leader in the consumption of oil.
If there ever was such a thing in the US as a cohesive group of leaders, they never would have arrogantly allowed our "way of life" to become so dependent on oil that they ever thought that this was an option.
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