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06-13-09

• Laying It On The Line:
• Maher Blasts Obama on Reform Efforts: 'Not Getting the Job Done, Not What I Voted For' (bradblog) -- I had heard that someone from the gym said Obama doesn't lack for a respectable thumper, but from my observation of his actions since election, he sure does act like he has very, very small jingle bells.
• Obama Feels Compelled to Defend the DOMA Law And DNDT To the Letter Against Legal Challenge by Gays Obviously Deprived of Their Civil Rights, But Has Done Everything in His Power to DEFY the Very Clear Laws Demanding That He Hold the Bush Administration War Criminals Accountable for Their Crimes:
• Turley: Bush terror memos are 'very definition of tyranny' (rawstory) "The question is what did they do in response? We know, among other things that they created a torture program. ... I think we're going to find out that this was the mere foundation for a greater edifice that has yet to be disclosed." -- And could this yet unexposed 'edifice' be what has motivated Obama to totally defy his own duty to uphold the law - because he wants to protect that 'edifice' for his own possible use if he deems necessary? Does anyone smell a fully-fledged police state lurking somewhere in the background?
• MIC and Obama's War Profiteers:
• Scahill: "A Perfect Storm for Disaster" Brewing With Washington's "Unprecedented" Shadow Army (rebelreports) "As US troops and private contractors surge in Afghanistan, a new report reveals a system rife with abuse. Also, why is an executive of a major war contractor on the commission investigating contractors?"
• At What Cost: Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan: 351 U.S. bases now exist in Iraq (wartimecontracting - pdf pg 58) -- Download this whole government report and read it for yourself, then ask yourself why domestic services have been pinched so hard during the Bush years to the present.
• Steal That Vote:
• Taking a Page Out of the GOP Playbook, Iran's 2009 Election Results Suggest Massive Fraud...Just Like Ohio's in 2004 (bradblog - nytimes - juancole - motherjones) -- George W. Bush and the U.S. Supreme Court set the tone for the world in stealing elections - who then can criticize Iranian ayatollahs corrupted by ultimate power for following suit? Why would they EVER allow a president who was not of their own choosing to be elected legitimately?
• The GOP - They Have NOTHING Constructive to Offer, So They Only Obstruct Progress and Incite to Violence:
• Krugman: The Big Hate (nytimes) -- Exposing the links between right-wing extremist lunatics, the right-wing media and GOP leaders. Same as during the Clinton years, except now it's worse.
• A Brief History of the Radical, Violent Right: How Racist Hate Groups Joined Up with Abortion Terrorists (alternet)
• When the Hypocritical Religious Wrong And Other People's Sexual Behavior Converge, Expect Real Insanity:
• 15 Shocking Tales of How Sex Laws Are Screwing the American People (alternet)
• Consumers Are the Corporatocracy's Guinea Pigs:
• Nanoparticles Industry Flourishing And Also May Damage Lungs of Users (newsdaily)
• Obama And His Continuing Betrayal:
• Obama / Holder Betray Gays by Defending DOMA in Legal Brief in Court, and Adding Unnecessary Insult to Injury, They Had a Bush Holdover Mormon Bigot Include His Homophobic Views As Part of Their Rationale (americablog) "No wonder the brief was so filled with hate and bigoted religious right talking points, such as comparing gay marriage to incest and pederasty." -- There's a lot more at Americablog on this, yet another, Obama stab in the back of all gays.
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• The Milky Road (apod)
  

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06-12-09

• Possible Lab-Produced A-H1N1 Flu Virus Spurs First Global Pandemic in 41 Years:
• Flu pandemic? U.S. has been there for weeks (reuters) -- As reported here before, the easily contracted swine flu has so far been relatively benign, compared to the great numbers of deaths some flu seasons and epidemics have brought to humankind. However, the truth of this one will occur during the next two northern winter flu seasons, when we will be watching anxiously to see if it combines with the very virulent H5N1 that has been killing 2/3 of all who contract it, and then spread easily and rapidly throughout the world. Don't expect adequate vaccines to be available if that is the case. If this is indeed a synthetic flu virus, as some virologists believe, it has one purpose, and that purpose is not benign. Why would the Power Elite do such a thing? Consider the probable devastation to the planet caused by global warming. Between scores of thousands of factories being shut down because of the Hank Paulson triggered global financial collapse and the horrible consequences of a very virulent flu pandemic following on its heels, just consider all the global warming emissions that will not be released into the atmosphere, thus buying the Power Elite more time to work on the global broiling problem before it is absolutely too late, even though it already may be. After all, if they want to rule the world, there must be a human race left to rule.
• Hero Sibel Edmonds - Getting the Truth Out Against All Odds:
• Project EXPOSE MSM Report 2 - Major DEA Scandal & Time Magazine (123realchange) -- Time Magazine - protecting the Establishment's self-important image is more important than exposing the Establishment's ugly underbelly.
• George Bush Should Have To Pay Personally For This Kind of Travesty of Justice:
• 'Worst of the Worst'?: Gitmo's Youngest Prisoner, the 'Forgotten Child', Released Without Charges (bradblog) "Mohammed El-Gharani, captured at fourteen, mistreated by captors, never charged in over seven years, finally going home..." -- Only the president could and did designate who was an 'enemy combatant'. That monster, the illigitimate, unelected Oval Office interloper who imprisoned so many innocents, should have to personally compensate each adjudged innocent "detainee" at least $2 million for every year he imprisoned them. Although NOTHING will ever be able to erase the scars of this young man's torture and suffering, the money would help him lead a more comfortable life and George W. Bush, the real criminal behind the curtain, would finally be beginning to pay some of his dues, although, truthfully, I believe only the gallows for both him and all his top lieutenants would settle the score - after a fair and swift trial, at least as fair and swift as was afforded Saddam Hussein.
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• SNR 0104: An Unusual Suspect (apod)
  

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06-11-09

• The Poison In Our Food - All For Corporate Profits:
• Medical group calls for reducing use of BPA (usatoday) "The new report is the latest in a growing number of statements from scientific groups warning of potential harm. Although the Food and Drug Administration says BPA is safe, Canada last year declared the chemical to be toxic." -- Found in plastic bottles on store shelves and in linings of fruit, vegetable and some soft drink cans. The only way to eliminate it is to refuse to buy and consume the products packaged in such poisonous containers--and let the store manager know why you are not buying them.. See also my 05-22-09 entry (Drinking All Beverages . . .).
• Debate over a leaching chemical heats up (2005 article from USA Today reports the same danger)
• Tyranny of a Two-Party System:
• Stop Being Distracted by Loudmouths Like Limbaugh: The Real Problem Is Lousy Democrats Like Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson (alternet) "Republicans are not the obstacle to progressive governance. Instead, Democrats who refuse to support a public option are the obstacle."
• The Greatest Theft of All Time:
• Nobel Economist Stiglitz: Government's Response is WORSE than Socialism (georgewashington2) "In truth, this is not socialism, but an extension of long-standing corporate welfarism."
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• Grand Spiral Galaxy NGC 1232 (apod)
  

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06-10-09

• Obama's War Profiteers:
• Scahill: Blackwater Still Working in Iraq for the International Republican Institute, According to New Lawsuit (rebelreports)
• Obama Cairo Speech - Self-Serving, Dishonest And Pure Empty Claptrap:
• Chris Hedges: Do You Really Think Arabs in the Middle East Clapped for Obama's Speech? (truthdig) "What do words of peace and cooperation mean from us when we torture -- yes, we still torture -- Muslims?"
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• NGC 7023: A Dusty Iris Nebula (apod)
  

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06-09-09

• This Is Sick - This Man Appears So Brainwashed by Religion That It's Frightening:
• Obama Invokes Jesus More Than Bush (politico) -- Or is Obama so cynical and dishonest he'll say anything for the conservative vote?
• Tyranny of the Two-Party System:
• We're Screwed on Everything From Health Care to the Economy If the Dems Don't Shape Up (alternet) "The Dems aid and protect their free-roaming entrepreneurial politicians and don't punish those who undermine the party's larger promises."
• The Greatest Theft of All Time:
• Matt Taibbi: Let's Get It Straight, Hank Paulsen Is a Prick Who Took Down the Economy (alternet) Megabillionaire RW Rupert Murdoch's "Wall Street Journal lets a former Goldman Sachs employee write a power-worshipping ode to Bush's disastrous Treasury Secretary."
• Joseph Stiglitz: Break the banks, for the good of the people (theage/au)
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• Markarian's Chain of Galaxies in the 2000-Strong Virgo Cluster of Galaxies (apod)
  

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06-08-09

• Barack Obama's BAIT AND SWITCH Hallmark - Time to Take Off the Obama T-Shirts:
• David Sirota: President Obama has reneged on many of his campaign promises. Why are we letting him get away with it? (alternet) -- Obama's actions to date remind me so much of candidate George W. Bush's proclamations in 2000 that he himself was a "compassionate conservative". It seems clear by now that Obama's problem telling the truth and his pandering to the Establishment retrogrades is going to cost a lot of Democratic seats in Congress in 2010. After all, the Republicons lie as a unified bloc and have a bigger bullhorn in the right-biased MSM than Obama has. Distressed victims of this rich elites' theft of America's riches are going to be all the more enticed by RW lying promises of something better, since Obama will have disappointed 2008 Democratic voters on so many fundamental fronts. Lest we forget, the brilliant Obama seems completely oblivious of the Republican controlled national election machine. Maybe he thinks he can produce a tsunami of Democratic votes twice in a row and swamp the Republicons' well-oiled machinery for stealing elections -- not very likely in 2010. On a happier note, maybe just such Congressional losses (not a very cheap price) is exactly what he may need to knock some of that cocky self-assurance out of him and turn him into an American president we could really be proud of. If he smartens up a LOT and tosses out a large part of the pack of Clintonian Establishmentarians surrounding him, maybe he could even have a chance at a second term in 2012. It's a lot of if's.
• Obama's Healthcare Travesty - Continued U.S. Healthcare Disaster in the Making for the Benefit of Healthcare Profiteers:
• Robert Parry: 119 million Americans are ready to dump their private plans and jump to something more like Medicare - and that's why the choice can't be permitted (consortiumnews)
• Bill Moyers -- One of the Few Reasonable and Compassionate Members of the Broadcast Media -- on the "Single Payer" plan for health care on PBS (crooksandliars)
• The Bush/Obama Atrocities Against Innocent Men Continues:
• Greenwald: ABC News' interview with Lakhdar Boumediene and our current policies (salon with video interview) "Those who voted for the [since-ruled-unconstitutional] Military Commissions Act of 2006 -- all GOP Senators (except Chafee) and Democrats Jay Rockefeller, Ken Salazar, Tom Carper, Mark Pryor, Tim Johnson, Bob Menendez, Frank Lautenberg, Ben and Bill Nelson, Debbie Stabenow, and Joe Lieberman, plus 219 GOP and 34 Democratic House members ... Does anyone object to the term "moral depravity" being applied to those in Congress who voted to keep completely innocent people in cages for life without any opportunity to have a court review the accusations against them?"
• Obama's Cairo Speech Disappoints Muslims:
• Lendman: Obama's Outreach to Muslims - Empty Rhetoric, Same Old Policies (sjlendman)
• Life Insurers in Bed With the Devil - Given Corporate Greed, Nothing New Here:
• Canadian, U.S., U.K. life, health insurers investing heavily in tobacco companies (theprovince)
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• Possible Jet Blown Shells Near Microquasar Cygnus X-1 (apod) "Rolling your cursor over the image will bring up an annotated version."

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06-07-09

• Our 'Liberal' MSM:
• Wake Up America, the Media Treat Far-Right Views as Mainstream (alternet - washingtonpost) -- And the MSM is by no means being dragged to the right kicking and screaming. As Sumner Redstone once commented, Republican administrations are good for my business. -- Yes, all those tax breaks and deregulation are good for the corporate mogul's wallet, even if not for the country.
• Radical RW Evangenitals Want to Take Control of Government - Really. That's Why Bush Put Monica Goodling, Graduate of Pat Robertson's Law School -- And Eventually Just Another Bush Creepy Crawler -- in Charge of Selecting DOJ Personnel.
• Katherine Yurica: On Defining “Dominionism” and “The Cultural Mandate”: Is It a New Anti-Christian Religion? (yuricareport)
• Outing Creeping Dominionism - A Response to an Evangelical’s Attack (yuricareport)
• Pat Robertson, A Christian Reconstructionist? A Parallel Column Comparison of R. J. Rushdoony's Words with Pat Robertson's In Parallel Columns (yuricareport)
• Cultural mandate (wiki) - Dominionism (wiki)
• The Despoiling of America - How George W. Bush became the head of the new American Dominionist Church/State (yuricareport)
• A Mission To 'Reclaim America' (yuricareport)
• The 'Hypermodern' Foe - How the Evangelicals and Catholics Joined Forces (yuricareport)
• Apologists call it all a meer "conspiracy theory" (How many times have we heard that instant-death propaganda smear when someone challenges a brainwashed Establishment view of the world?) (yuricareport)
• Judicial Warfare: The Christian Reconstruction Movement and its Blueprints for Dominion (yuricareport) "In short, Rushdoony is the man who founded Christian Reconstructionism, of which Dominionism is a basic concept."
• More Articles On the Rise of Dominionism in America (yuricareport)
• Radical RW Evangenitals Intent on Becoming Endless Baby Factories And Ending Mankind's Existence by Overpopulation-Caused Pollution:
• Quiverfull (wiki) -- Rick Warren's church is a part of this growing movement, wouldn't you know it.
• Debunking the Lies That Lying Liars Tell:
• Debunking Canadian health care myths (denverpost)
• Hero and Still Obama-Muzzled Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds: Dissecting the Mainstream Media (Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3)
• Obama, the War President - Feeding the Insatiable Corporate War Profiteers:
• Bill Moyers Journal Video: Jeremy Scahill on Today's War (pbs) -- Various catches: The radical privatization of war has only heightened under Obama, such privatization is inaugurating a new system for waging war and illegally draws recruits from anywhere in the world to fight in U.S. wars ... New U.S. Afghanistan military chief McChrystal has a very troubling history to be placed in charge and is sending the wrong message to Afghanistan. ... Haliburton/KBR should be recognized as the greatest corporate scandal of the decade. ... It's time to take off the Obama T-shirts - he's now the most powerful man in the world and is waging wars that are indiscriminately killing innumerable innocent people ... Drones turn war into a video game that can be waged by people on the ground half a world away. There will be payback for these innocent killings - these deaths only create more people determined to punish the U.S. ... The Pentagon is planning an Afghanistan occupation, not a police action to clean out terrorists. ... U.S. now building an 80-football-field-sized fortress of an embassy to serve that occupation. ... The U.S. will be in Iraq in sizable numbers for 10 to 15 years.
• The Privatization of 'Obama's War' (buzzflash)
• Fighting Militarism’s Toxic Legacy (progressive) "One of the most pernicious effects of the U.S. government’s commitment to militarism is a toxic landscape. Current legislation pending in the House, H.R. 672, the Military Environmental Responsibility Act, would force the military to comply with environmental and public safety laws."
• No, Virginia, Man Is Not the Center of the Universe:
• Asteroid Eros Reconstructed (apod)