The Consequence of a Shattered Safety Net: Return to the Poorhouse?

By: David Dayen Wednesday December 29, 2010 12:44 pm

Ryan Grim and Arthur Delaney do the nation another excellent service today by examining what the world would be like without Social Security. It isn’t too hard to imagine – you just have to dive back into the pre-1930s history books. And you will see the world of the poorhouse, the last refuge for the elderly and the infirm, the farms run by private charities which provided a dour and often cruel existence for those on the edges of society. Grim and Delaney begin with a fitting example of someone bound for the poorhouse back in 1896:

The woman “could not give street and number, but could ‘fotch’ the agent to her place,” according to a case study labeled “Aunt Winnie” in one of the organization’s annual reports from near the turn of the century. “Old age, with a heavy load on top and a strong wind blowing, made the walk a trying one. At last the 8×10 cabin was reached. In it was a stove in many pieces held together with wire, a bedstead with rags for mattress and rags for covering. From the leaky roof the floor was wet through and through.”

Aunt Winnie, the report said, had no income save the 50 cents she made every two weeks for taking in the wash. In summertime she raised herbs and greens, but in winter she “suffered for food and fuel.” Her children had all been sold away to slavery, and a nearby niece was too poor to offer any support. Her neighbors helped, providing money for the stove and cot, and a “colored friendly visitor was found to carry broth and other comforts to her.” The neighborly charity wasn’t enough to persuade the agent, who was essentially a private sector version of a social worker, that the old woman should be on her own.

This was a common occurrence in the days before Social Security, which basically wiped out extreme elderly poverty in America. But to a growing number of conservatives, this Gilded Age era represented the salad days, where people rose and fell on the basis of their talents without big government propping them up. They long for a return to a nation without a safety net, where private charities possibly pick up the slack, and where rugged individualism rules the day. To them, there’s no greater government than one which refuses to help people. MORE

IRONIC: Apples in top 10 list of pesticide use, Good Christians Don’t Follow Ayn Rand & more

12-31-2010

The Iraq War is a Giant Boondoggle: “I’m deployed to Kuwait right now. Most of my time is spent sitting around, or doing stuff to look busy. This is because a whole battalion (about 500 soldiers)  has been assigned to do work that could be done by a company (about 125).”

When you consider that the vehicles we’re using cost about $1 million, not counting fuel, maintenance, etc, and that it costs an average of $390,000 to keep a soldier in theatre for a year, having unnecessary troops on the ground gets expensive fast. By the way, that $390,000 is a fairly low estimate. Some have gone as high as $775,000/soldier/year.

The vehicles have already been paid for, so we won’t consider those costs for now. But those extra 375 or so soldiers cost about $146,250,000 for the year, using the conservative estimate of $390,000 apiece. The battalion commander is desperately seeking some new mission for 3/4 of his unit, because the Army sent us here without considering whether we would even contribute anything of value to the war effort.  MORE

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Predatory capitalism has invaded Mongolia — the savage western hordes overrunning the land — and but for the recent Hollywood movie spectacle Mongol and colorful travel magazine articles no one in America hears much of anything about the place. Behind the bells and whistles promoting ‘democracy’, ‘conservation’, ‘human rights’, and a ‘free press’, Mongolia is under attack and the people suffering a world of hurt. The same companies destroying Mongolia are destroying Congo and Canada and everywhere else they appear. Meanwhile, three years after winning the Goldman Environmental Prize — the ‘Green Nobel’ — Mongol herder Tsetsegee Munkhbayar shot at foreign mining operations and thus he is denounced and shunned by the same foreigners who recognized him as a hero. This is a story about the killing of the earth, the killing of truth, the killing of hope — and the killing of the nomad’s way. MORE

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Good Christians Don’t Follow Ayn Rand

Christian Leaders Say Green Movement is False Religion

Apples always make the top 10 list of fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide use

Suicide Terrorism: It’s Not About Virgins, It’s About Occupation

WikiLeaks show US frustrated with Egypt military

Boston 1775  History, analysis, and unabashed gossip about the start of the American Revolution in Massachusetts

New Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s First Act: Discriminate Against Atheists

Washington, D.C. Mayor-Elect Vincent Gray (a Democrat, if it matters to you) is having a prayer service as his first “official” event on January 2^nd. It’s called “One City… Praying Together.”

That’s a nice way to begin a term as mayor: Raise a middle finger to all the non-theistic citizens in DC.

Gray could at least reach out to our community by inviting a Humanist Celebrant to the event to deliver a secular invocation.

The Secular Coalition for America suggested just that. But they were told there was no room for non-theists in the event.

MORE

Why health freedom matters to us all

NaturalNews.com:

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 at 4:34 AM

Why are we so focused lately on health freedom and defending ourselves against the expansion of FDA power over the food supply?

Because with the federal government in a huge expansion phase, our freedoms are at risk.

In today’s article, I explain why I fight for health freedom and why NaturalNews is part of a global effort to defend our liberties against a new generation of tyrants: http://www.naturalnews.com/030872_health_freedom_natural_law.html

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Care2.com:

Frosty the Snow Pet (Cute Pet Pics)

Help Tigers With Your Choice of Paper (Video): A new investigation by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other groups reveals that one of the world’s largest paper suppliers is still cutting down the rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra – even though the company claims to have stopped doing so.

ACTION ALERT: Tell BBC: No More Commentators Who Believe Gay People Should Be Executed (NOTE: BBC informs many in the USA of what our news media will not, so I do not believe they should be thrown under the bus, unlike FOX, the BBC still has some reality fact-based reporting. I believe in free speech, I believe the Pope and the Muslim folk can run around all day and say gays should be hung and woman should be bare foot and pregnant….this is “hate speech”. However dangerous this may be they are not screaming “FIRE” in a crowded theater and they are not telling people to go out and to break the law. This will allow me to say that I believe all conservative Christians should be round up and beheaded because they are the reason the USA is hated all over the world, they are the ones that do not help the needy, in fact, they are the ones that want to have a two-class system in the USA; rich and poor, the white conservative Christian being the rich obviously. These people have infiltrated US Congress, trying to make the USA a “Christian nation” making all other religions unrepresented in the USA and Christian-based teaching in all schools and our laws based on the bible. They have infiltrated school boards all over the USA, having the power to rewrite US History, in their favor, even banning Thomas Jefferson because of his famous opinion on ‘separation of church and state’. These people have also infiltrated our Military, treating non-Christians like second class citizens, treating them differently if they do not attend conservative Christian rock concerts and other overtly Christian born-again. So, I say ALL conservative Christians should be killed, hung, lynched, burnt at the stake, beheaded….and all other horrendous ways they have treated others throughout history. Speaking of history, NO WHERE will you find positive growth in mankind that has been instilled by conservative Christianity. This ideology was against giving all children education, making work environments safe, bathroom breaks at work, a woman’s right to wear pant, and to vote, a black persons right to not be lynched when they are caught raising their eyes to look at a white person face to face. They are also the same people that first settled in the USA and believed killing Mormons and Quakers was ordered by their God, and after stopping that, Thomas Jefferson had to stop the Puritans from taxing the Quakers to pay for their churches and other such thing. Conservative Christian ideology is evil and all those who follow this ideology should be stopped, at all costs. Therefore, I will NOT be signing anything that states someone else cannot say something I would like to have the freedom to say.)

Dogged Hypocrisy: Tucker Carlson Wanted Death Penalty for Michael Vick (NOTE: Tucker Carlson is a closet case. With most conservative Christian loud-mouth closet cases, which there always seems to be many, they talk more out of their butt than their mouth because being closeted blurs their reality, and they cannot see clearly, hence, are unreliable with them present the world with their tainted opinions.)

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Alternative to the Totalitarian Self-Degeneration of Capitalism — Political-Economic Democracy

A New Year’s Resolution for the Rich

By Sam Harris, Author, Neuroscientist, December 29, 2010 05:36 PM

“While the United States has suffered the worst recession in living memory, I find that I have very few financial concerns. Many of my friends are in the same position: Most of us attended private schools and good universities, and we will be able to provide these same opportunities to our own children. No one in my immediate circle has a family member serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001, the only sacrifice we were asked to make for our beloved country was to go shopping. Nearly a decade has passed, with our nation’s influence and infrastructure crumbling by the hour, and yet those of us who have been so fortunate as to actually live the American dream–rather than merely dream it–have been spared every inconvenience. Now we are told that we will soon receive a large tax cut for all our troubles. What is the word for the feeling this provokes in me? Imagine being safely seated in lifeboat, while countless others drown, only to learn that another lifeboat has been secured to take your luggage to shore…” MORE

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Information Clearing House Newsletter

News You Won’t Find On CNN
December 29, 2010

“War provides an outlet for every evil element in man’s nature. It enfranchises cupidity and greed gives a charter to petty tyranny, glorifies cruelty and places in positions of power the vulgar and base.” ~ Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad, Guide to Modern Wickedness

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq “1,421,933″
www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America’s War On Iraq:  4,745 http://www.icasualties.org/oif/

Number Of  International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 2,279

Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
$1,128,423,265,830
http://www.costofwar.com/

Wikileaks Mirrors
Wikileaks is currently mirrored on 2194 web sites
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27007.htm

Clinton Plays Russian Roulette With JusticeBy Yvonne RidleyInstead of sticking her nose in to other countries’ judicial processes, perhaps the US Secretary of State would care to look into her own backyard and tell us why one of her soldiers was given a mere nine month sentence earlier this month after shooting unarmed civilians in Afghanistan?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27150.htm

US Drone Attacks Are No Laughing Matter, Mr Obama
By Mehdi HasanThe president’s backing of indiscriminate slaughter in Pakistan can only encourage new waves of militancy.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27154.htm

If Obama Could Put America’s Own Real Interests First
By Alan Hard
How The US can win the respect, friendship and support of not less than 95 per cent of all Arabs and very probably that of almost all Muslims everywhere.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27151.htm

Counter-terror ‘Expert’ Tells Cops: Kill Militant Muslims, ‘Including Children’
By Daniel Tence
The comment highlights growing concerns among human rights advocates that US law enforcement is turning to extremists for training in the fight against terrorism.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27148.htm

FoxNews Keeping You Safe From Terrorism?
Indy Woman Linked to Terrorist Groups
By Heather Gillers FoxNews.com has brought to the attention of authorities an Indianapolis woman accused of making anti-American comments and showing support for alleged terrorist groups.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27152.htm

US Cities at Risk of Bankruptcy
By Press TV
Next to the housing crisis, some economists say cities declaring bankruptcy is the biggest threat to the U.S. economy in 2011 More than 100 cities could go bust in the new year derailing the economy in America.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27147.htm

The Trials of Henry Kissinger – The Making Of A War Criminal
Video Documentary“A fascinating, bombshell documentary that should shame Americans, regardless of whether or not ultimate blame finally lies with Kissinger. Should be required viewing for civics classes and would-be public servants alike.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6623.htm

VIsit InformationClearinghouse.info for more articles, news and information American’s should be aware of.

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“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.

 

“We are here because some of us and our friends voted for change.  What did we get?  What we got was a more effective imperial CEO.” – Bruce A. Dixon of Black Agenda Report, Chicago, 16 October 2010

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BBC gives child rape apologist air time

The Pope had a Christmas message for the world this year: we should forgive Catholic priests for raping children because everyone else was doing it. He invented a peculiar history that bears no resemblance to the late 20th century I lived in.

“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.

“It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than’ and a ‘worse than’. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”

The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached “an unimaginable dimension” which brought “humiliation” on the Church.

I grew up in the 1970s. Some of you did, too. Does anyone remember anyone influential saying that child-rape was a reasonable practice? How about anyone on the fringe making vague suggestions that children can give permission to participate in sexual activity? I don’t know of any substantial culture at that time that would have endorsed such a thing; NAMBLA was little more than a freakish collection of perverts who got far more attention than their numbers warranted. If there was anything that was universally reviled, it was the creepy pedophile. MORE

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Bishop: A Choice Between Life Of Woman Or Fetus? Both Should Die

Thomas J. Olmsted is the bishop of Phoenix.  Today he stripped that town’s oldest Catholic hospital of its affiliation with that benighted faith.  The story began last summer:

A woman with a history of pulmonary hypertension sought treatment at the hospital when she was 11 weeks pregnant. The condition, which affects the heart and lungs, is often fatal for pregnant woman.

While at St. Joseph’s, the woman’s condition worsened to the point that doctors described her as “moribund.”

Health workers consulted with the hospital’s ethics board and agreed that terminating the pregnancy would be allowable under church health rules, because the intent was not to kill the fetus but to save the woman’s life.

Basically their choices were to save the mother or not.  Either way the baby was not going to survive.  The hospital saved the mother.  Using the Church’s famous non-relativist morality as his guide, he declared that an immoral abortion had taken place.

In addition to throwing the hospital out of the Catholic club, he also announced that a nun on its ethics board had excommunicated herself by participating in the decision.  MORE

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Creating a new boogie man

First there was the drug war. And there actually were a lot of drugs to be found and the government helped bring in more whenever it had the chance. And billions of dollars in law enforcement “make work” projects were created and civil liberties were shredded.Then there was the “War on Terror”

Not many terrorists, so lots of creative “Wag the Dog” like stories were generated to manufacture threats…to justify countless billions in domestic empire building. Now we have cyberwar.

The real threat is the Chinese, but going after real threats hasn’t been the US’s strong suit lately, so, as in the “War on Terror,” a new war had to be stage managed. Enter “W”, kind of like Zoro or “V” but with a hipper look.

Video: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/994.html

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Following stories from: FreedomsPhoenix.com

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010 1:57 pm

Baby Boomers Near 65 With Retirements In Jeopardy: Baby boomers are facing a personal finance disaster just as they’re hoping to retire. Starting in January, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years.

2011 Will Bring More de Facto Decriminalization of Elite Financial Fraud
12-28-2010 Huffington Post, William K. Black
The role of the criminal justice system with regard to financial fraud by elite bankers in 2011 is likely to reprise its role last decade — de facto decriminalization.

Almost Everything Is A Crime In America Now
12-29-2010 TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com/
#8 Back in 2008, a 13-year-old boy in Florida was actually arrested by police for farting in class.

Underneath the Happy Talk, Is This As Bad as the Great Depression?
12-29-2010 NakedCapitalism.com/ & Washingtonblog.com
The length and depth of the current housing recession is rivaling the Great Depression’s real estate downturn, and, with encouraging signs fading, will easily eclipse it in the coming months.

Oil Juggernaut Unleashed
12-29-2010 ZeroHedge.com
Over the next year we are likely to be buried in a deluge of excuses, half-truths, and lies, all meant to divert attention away from the word “inflation” as the masses begin to question just what the hell is going on.

Study: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain
12/28/2010 The Raw Story
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives’ brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other “primitive” emotions.

Pentagon’s revolving door guarantees conflicts of interest
12-28-2010 Meteor Blades
From 2004 through 2008, 80 percent of retiring three- and four-star officers went to work as consultants or defense executives, according to the Globe analysis.

America’s Gulf Disaster: Accidental or Deliberate?
Stephen Lendman
Convincing evidence suggests willful malfeasance…..

New research reveals your hand soap could kill you
Terrence Aym
Death by hand soap? It’s no joke and worried researchers are trying to get the word out to the public about this latest health risk. What is this stuff? It’s a chemical agent that’s antimicrobial called triclosan. It’s toxic.

Prosecuting Wall Street
12-28-2010 arclein
But many on Wall Street and in D.C. – and many investors – believe that we should just “go with the flow”. They hope that we can restart our economy and make some more money if we just let things continue the way they are.

Biological Hydrogen Production
12-28-2010 A seemingly unremarkable ocean microbe turns out to be a multitasker — it can not only photosynthesize, but can also produce large amounts of hydrogen, opening up a potential way to make the gas cheaply for fuel.

Army edits its history of the deadly battle of Wanat
12-28-2010 Washington Post The Army’s official history of the battle of Wanat – one of the most intensely scrutinized engagements of the Afghan war – largely absolves top commanders of the deaths of nine U.S. soldiers and instead blames the confusing and unpredictable nature…

Iraq Wants the U.S. Out
12-28-2010 wsj, Sam Dagher
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ruled out the presence of any U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011, saying his new government and the country’s security forces were capable of confronting any remaining threats to Iraq’s security……

All parties demand end to drone attacks
12-28-2010
As another drone attack killed more than 20 people on North Waziristan on Monday, all leading political parties of the country unanimously declared that these attacks were tantamount to compromising the sovereignty of Pakistan and the government….

SOURCE: http://www.american-reporter.com/

VoteAmerican.org

‘Vote American?’
What does that mean?

It was George Washington’s idea.

In his Farewell Address to Congress in 1796, after serving two terms as President, the “Father Of Our Nation” warned Americans to never let political parties dominate our national life. Heedless of his warning, we went and did just that.

Today, everything in politics revolves around two opposing political parties, the Republicans and Democrats. As a result, our nation is fast becoming paralyzed, unable to agree on or accomplish anything. Our political parties and their constant bickering have worn us out.

Many Americans are no longer able to read the words and phrases below that were eloquent even for Washington’s times. Read them slowly, for understanding. Down through the ages, George Washington’s wisdom and intelligence – and his predictions about what would happen if political parties came to control our government – shine through with clarity and truth.

Here is President George Washington’s advice on political parties for Americans of the future, excerpted from his famed Farewell Address:

. . . They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

. . .

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

Those words, from the great general who led our American Revolution to success, from the President who guided us to stability out of the chaos of the War for Independence, are the essence of the apolitical campaign to Vote American. I’m Joe Shea, founder of the Vote American campaign. We can’t expect to have much impact on the 2010 mid-term elections, when the Republicans are expected to take back control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the U.S. Senate, from Democrats.

Regardless of which party you may now support, it is our greater obligation as Americans to put our genuine personal and national interest ahead of all other considerations and political parties. I believe that when I cast my vote, I should do so to secure my rights and my heritage as an American, and to preserve those rights and that heritage for all of my countrymen forever. I hope you feel the same way.

Those I choose to vote for should be those who would not try to alter our Constitution, to change or diminish our personal and national freedoms, who are honest and hard-working, and who share my views about always putting our country first and political parties second. Many would claim to do that now, but how often do they vote against the party line?

In reality, while there may be an occasional exception, most of our elected Congressmen and Senators vote with their party almost all of the time, and only rarely vote with the interests of the entire nation first.

Please join me this year and always in putting America – not a political party – first in your thoughts when you vote. That way, we will restore the true source of leadership to our nation: the people, not the party.

To read Washington’s Farewell Address in its entirety, click here.

For more information about the Vote American campaign, and to help spread this message, write: Vote American, 4119 61st Ave. Ter. W., Unit 305C, Bradenton, FL 34210.

A remarkable new energy source from fractional hydrogen will allow a gallon of ordinary water to become the energy equivalent of 200 barrels of oil

Breakthrough
TESTING VALIDATES HYDRINO THEORY
by Joe Shea
AR Correspondent
Bradenton, Fla.

BRADENTON, Fla., Dec. 18, 2010 — A remarkable new energy source from fractional hydrogen will allow a gallon of ordinary water to become the energy equivalent of 200 barrels of oil, a team of physicists working near the onetime laboratories of Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein is saying.

“With further optimization,” Dr. K.V. Ramanujachary of Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., says, “there is no doubt that this technology will present an economically viable and environmentally benign alternate to meet global energy needs. If advanced to commercialization, it would be one of the most profound developments ever.”

The method of electricity production allows the fuel to reproduce itself by diverting part of the energy output to a catalyst that is then regenerated so fuel is only needed once. Using the process, about 10 100-watt bulbs could be lit 24 hours a day for a penny.

Hydrogen atoms of water can release an enormous amount of energy. Now BlackLight is promising an engine technology aimed at driving a car 5,000 miles on a gallon of water.

And if solar flares over the next 10 years have the power to blackout thousands of homes, as the National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration has warned, the distributed power of the new cells could keep America lit up.

MORE

New American Atheists Billboard, Editors behaving badly, Embarrassed TSA goes after whistle-blowing pilot & much more

“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”

J. Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known, pp.51-52

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The American Atheists billboard near the Lincoln Tunnel: Got more than its money’s worth of publicity over the past month

Corporations take millions of acres in Africa, displacing farmers: In countries throughout Africa, farmers are being displaced at an increasing pace as their land is being bought by or leased to multinational corporations at nominal prices. The United Nations and World Bank support the large-scale land acquisitions , arguing that, if done “equitably,” the practice could help boost worldwide food security by increasing productivity.

Editors behaving badly: The worsening journalistic disgrace at Wired – For more than six months, Wired‘s Senior Editor Kevin Poulsen has possessed — but refuses to publish — the key evidence in one of the year’s most significant political stories:  the arrest of U.S. Army PFC Bradley Manning for allegedly acting as WikiLeaks’ source.

Embarrassed TSA goes after whistle-blowing pilot: He posts YouTube videos of security loopholes at SFO, and instead of remedying them, the agency attacks him.

U.S. lies about Afghanistan health care improvement

Freedom of Expression must be respected in Wikileaks debate: In the wake of Wikileaks’ recent publications of U.S. diplomatic cables, some lawmakers have attacked newspapers’ rights to report on the information in those documents. Other government officials have cast doubt on Americans’ right to download, read, or discuss documents published by Wikileaks and even the news reporting based on those documents. Rash legislation was proposed that could limit the free speech of news reporting organizations well beyond Wikileaks. In the open letter sent Wednesday, 30 groups, including New Media Rights, urged lawmakers to remember and respect constitutional rights as Congress continues to discuss the issues at stake.

World Has Had Enough Of U.S. Imperialism: Michael Hudson concludes here with the observation that “Now that foreigners are essentially saying, we don’t want any more dollars, we’re not going to fund your deficit, all of a sudden they think: who’s going to fund the deficit if not foreign central banks? The answer is: American labor, the American middle class and working families are going to fund it, not the military.”  The rest of the world has had enough of financing it’s own encirclement and subjugation by the U.S. military.

When Atheists ‘Act Like Jesus’

Old Fat White Conservative Christian acting like Royalty, nothing new: Corpulent unreconstructed good ol’ boy Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour apparently has a “state plane” that he uses to fly to football games with corporate executives, Politco reports today.

Internal security documents show the situation in Afghanistan deteriorating: Despite Obama’s claims to the contrary.

Distinguishing Protectors from Warmongers With Henry Rollins

Education for We, the People or For Private Profit? Progressives believe that a We, the People economy works best when we act as a community where “we are all in this together,” and watch out and take care of each other. We mutually benefit from this approach: the better off we all are, the better off we all are. Conservatives, on the other hand, believe we should all be on our own, looking out for only ourselves and our families, and it is up to each of us, alone, to take “personal responsibility” for our own success.

For CIA Drone Warriors, the Future is Death

U.S. Approved Business With Blacklisted Nations: Despite sanctions and trade embargoes, over the past decade the United States government has allowed American companies to do billions of dollars in business with Iran and other countries blacklisted as state sponsors of terrorism, an examination by The New York Times has found.

Wake Up, America! War Off the Radar as Congress Fails

Prison Populism? Tea Party Populists Keep the Races Divided for the Benefit of the Rich: Glen Beck and other right-wing manipulators are great at inflaming Tea Party-types against natural alliances across skin-color-lines thus sacrificing their self-interest in furtherance of economic interests sought by the wealthy who hold all outside their class strata with contempt. Since 99 percent of Tea Party faithful are not wealthy, they are targeted for contempt by the wealthy as surely as are the blacks and other minorities that many Tea Party members hold in contempt.

How Wall Street and Washington Corrupted U.S. Democracy

Repeal the USA Patriot Act:This is a six-part series of articles on the USA Patriot Act [Also known as House Resolution 3162, a local copy is available on ratical]: “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.” This Act, passed in response to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on our country, was passed hastily and in a time of fear. It affects all of us in some very basic and important ways.

The merger of journalists and government officials

“In my country, we kill faggots”

Source: ‘Rainbow Memorial of Love’ Facebook Group & GayAmericanHeroes.com

Fighting Hate and Honoring all our friends and Family stolen from because of hate teachers and their followers…and supporters

December 25, 2010
Muslim arrested for hate crime on King County Metro bus, “In my country, we kill faggots,” and “I’m going to suicide, and everybody is going down with me; I’m not going alone.”
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/12/muslim-nebraska-man-arrested-for-hate-crime-following-confrontation-on-king-county-metro-bus-.html

December 26, 2010
Two men found MURDERED inside Wilton Manors house Sunday Police search for victims’ vehicle: a 2003 Saturn Vue
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/fl-wilton-manors-double-homicide-20101227,0,2092681.story

December 26, 2010
Austin, TX Another Gay Bashing: A shocking HATE CRIME!
26 Dec, 2010 when 5 motorists drove by yelling “faggot” at he and friends. Then the 5 men jumped out of their vehicle and took turns beating both he and one of his friends while several people stood and watched.
http://lezgetreal.com/2010/12/austin-tx-another-gay-bashing-a-shocking-hate-crime/

December 27, 2010
A man allegedly beaten up by men who told him they didn’t want gays in their Lower Valley neighborhood Full story link below

A man accused of slapping a woman who, according to police documents, he said didn’t count because she was gay after she defended a female friend in the Cincinnati Avenue Entertainment District. Aaron Levar Haynes, 32, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after an assault charge was reduced because the victim was unavailable for trial, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said.

El Paso hate crimes few, but gays are majority of victims
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_16949170

One LGBT murder every 9 days …one “Gay” Bashing every 6 hours … in America!

What’s a LGBT person’s life worth, who gets stolen from us because they were brave enough to break free from the Cage (Closet) of shame and fear and are murdered for it?

It’s time to Honor and Remember all our BRAVE and Courage’s Family and Friends who got stolen from us because hate. They would probably still be alive if they would have stayed in the CAGE (closet)…But they didn’t… They are our HEROES and need to be Remember for standing up to hate and for having a GAY TARGET on their back!

We fight Hate together … or we die alone at the hands of hate!
Love Always,
Rainbow Scott
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com

Air Force Academy Heterosexual Sex Assaults Up 150%, While Air Force Academy Alumni Group Cancels Event To Honor Gay Soldiers & 2011 Looks Even Worse For Muslim Americans

America in Decline: Why Germans Think We’re Insane 12-27-10 A look at our empire in decline through the eyes of the European media.

Even as it acknowledged the US naval prison camp is a rallying cry for Islamic extremists, no end soon for Guantanamo says the  White House The White House admitted Sunday it would be unable to shut Guantanamo Bay in the near future. 12-27-10

A Teacher Bribes a Student with Jesus 12-26-10

Republican Shamelessly Tries to Rewrite History of Financial Crash, Pushes “Austerity Measures” 12-26-10

Congress Should Defund Planned Parenthood Because of High Unemployment 12-26-10

2010: Another Hard Year For American Muslims 12-26-10 Across America, right wing radio hosts and preachers of many stripes have been cranking up their virulent rhetoric spreading hatred of Muslims. ….

Lobbyist In Charge Of ‘Trying To Kill’ Financial Reform Hired By GOP Chair To Oversee Financial Regulations 12-26-10

Faiths and fears collide over the Constitution 12-26-10 Free people fear a world in which the tyranny of a Taliban-type regime — which makes no distinction between church and state — seems more and more possible in the cities and states of this nation.

ACT! for America has, both locally and nationwide, found common ground with tea party members and extreme conservatives who helped Republicans retake the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. 12-26-10 One of its key allies, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., announced plans this month for hearings on Muslim-Americans and terrorism when he assumes the chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Christmas is Still a Religious Holiday for Majority in U.S. 12-26-10

Malaysian Homosexual Now Faces Death Threats from Muslims 12-25-10

PULPIT: Gay commitment ceremony happening at Springs synagogue 12-25-10 We are all created in God’s image, so it doesn’t matter if someone is heterosexual or homosexual….

Communism vs. Sharia… “Evil” American Leaders Sold to Uneducated Americanss 12-25-10 See no Sharia, see no evil “Mindslaughter,” historian Robert Conquest’s term for delusive Western apologetics regarding the ideology of Communism, is an apt term for today’s Western sharia apologists.

More Conservative Christians Infiltrate Congress 12-24-10 New Minnesota Judge Pick Represented Conservative Christian Groups

What God Cannot Do – Part 12-24-10

Teacher Loses Challenge To School’s Demand She Apologize For Her Class On Evolution 12-23-10 North Carolina federal district court dismissed free speech, equal protection and religious discrimination claims by an 8th grade science teacher who refused to apologize to parents over her method of teaching evolution and dealing with religious objections to evolutionary theory.

15 Dirty Big Pharma Tricks That Rip You Off and Risk Your Health for Profit 12-22-10 Even during a recession, pharma is still the nation’s third most profitable sector. 12-22-10 Here are some of the dirty tricks it employs to stay on top.

The 10 Greediest People of the Year They came, they saw, they took it all. 12-20-10 Welcome to the world where thieves have no honor, and those who hone their talents hammering the rest of us are lavishly rewarded.

Fox Slammed by L.A. Times — ‘Shouldn’t Call Itself a News Organization’ 12-20-10 After several revelations of Fox’s blatant bias, the rest of the corporate media may finally be catching on.

“Jihad” and other words from Religion, Science, and Government, intersecting.

3 Reasons Right-Wing Lies About Joblessness Stick 12-17-2010 Why do people keep insisting that unemployment has nothing to do with structural economic forces or rigged public policies and everything to do with individual motivation?

Air Force Academy Sex Assaults Up 150%, Most Among Service Academies Since 2008 12-15-10 DENVER — Sexual assault reports at the three U.S. military academies rose 64 percent in the 2009-10 academic year, but many more victims probably didn’t…

Family’s Fight Against Air Force Academy Intensifies Over “Baa Baa Sisterhood … 12-15-10

A Holiday Letter from the Family of an Air Force Academy Graduate 11-24-10 Last week, on the heels of the release of the alarming statistics on religious harassment at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Academy held a religious respect conference. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation wasn’t invited.

Air Force Academy Cites Progress In Tackling Religious Intolerance 11-2-10 By Whitney Jones Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) A recent survey on the religious climate of the U.S. Air Force Academy showed that 41 percent…

41% Of Non-Christian Air Force Cadets Cite Proselytizing 10-29-10 AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Air Force Academy reversed course on Friday and released the results of a survey that showed mixed results on…

Christianity in the Military: Are Chaplains Becoming Increasingly Fundamentalist? 10-2-10 More than two thirds of the military’s 2,900 active-duty chaplains today are affiliated with evangelical or Pentecostal denominations. Captain MeLinda Morton thinks even that figure is an underrepresentation.

USAFA: Cadets for Christ 9-30-10 “Underground” Group of Cadets Say Air Force Academy Controlled by Evangelicals

Civil Rights and Religious Groups Demand That Air Force Academy ‘Climate Survey’ Be Made Public 9-29-10 This letter demands that an immediate investigation be launched into the activities of the Christian ministries operating on the Air Force Academy campus, due to reports of cult-like tactics to recruit cadets.

Air Force Academy Alumni Group Cancels Event To Honor Gay Soldiers 9-9-10 WASHINGTON — With the ban on gays serving openly in the military inching closer to repeal, gay soldiers and their advocates scheduled a dinner this…

Air Force Academy Defends Decision Not To Release Detailed Survey Results 8-18-10 The Air Force Academy this week is defending its decision to keep large portions of its annual survey of cadets and faculty private. The Academy..

No Dominion: The Dangerous Fight Against Christian Supremacists in the Armed Forces 7-13-10 The United States military cannot favor one religious sect over another, staying true to the Constitution’s establishment clause that service members pledge to defend.

Keep Religion out of Military 3-6-09 Sadly, powerful military leaders are behaving more like missionaries than soldiers entrusted with fulfilling military missions.

A woman, of course, is destined by God to be a good wife and mother and serve her shepherd, not be an Air Force pilot and serve her country

Cadets For Christ: Women, Evangelicals, and the Air Force Academy

By Chris Rodda, Senior Research Director, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; Author, Liars For Jesus

This is the most recent development in an outrageous story that has been developing over the better part of this year, so, for those who need to be brought up to speed, here’s what’s going on in as small of a nutshell as I can put it:

There’s a fundamentalist ministry operating at the Air Force Academy called Cadets For Christ. This ministry is part of the “shepherding” movement, using cult-like tactics by which the cadets recruited by ministry leaders Don and Anna Warrick are separated from their families and anything else that might interfere with their brainwashing. In the shepherding movement, the female is the “sheep” and the male is the “shepherd,” and a woman’s sole purpose in life is to be a good wife and mother, subordinating herself to her male shepherd.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has been contacted by a number of parents of Academy cadets who have fallen prey to the Warricks’ ministry, and one of these families has been brave enough to go public with their story.

Peter and Jean Baas, the parents of 2010 Academy graduate Lauren Baas, are now completely estranged from their daughter. Why? Because the Baas family is Catholic, and therefore, according to the Warricks, unsaved. While at the Academy, Lauren Baas, who entered the Academy with dreams of becoming an Air Force pilot, was prepared for what can only be described as an arranged marriage by the Warricks, and is now engaged to her shepherd. A woman, of course, is destined by God to be a good wife and mother and serve her shepherd, not be an Air Force pilot and serve her country.

Lest anyone think that the “sheep and shepherd” terminology might be an exaggeration, just take a look at Lauren Baas’s “Baa Baa Sisterhood” cookbook.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS…..Read-up for “family” discussions on Christmas

“The right to liberty is one of the foundation rights of a free people. The idea that any US President can bypass Congress and bypass the Courts by issuing an Executive Order setting up a new legal system for indefinite detention of people should rightfully scare the hell out of the American people.” ~Nathaniel St. Clair

• Why Indefinite Detention By Executive Order Should Scare the Hell Out of People – Obama’s Liberty Problem “The right to liberty is one of the foundation rights of a free people.  The idea  that any US President can bypass Congress and bypass the Courts by issuing an  Executive Order setting up a new legal system for indefinite detention of people  should rightfully scare the hell out of the American people. Advisors in the Obama administration have floated the idea of creating a special  new legal system to indefinitely detain people by Executive Order. Why?  To do  something with the people wrongfully imprisoned in Guantanamo. Why not follow  the law and try them?  The government knows it will not be able to win  prosecutions against them because they were tortured by the US.” MORE

• The PATRIOT Act, Bradley Manning and Julian Assange – Predicting Torture “Eight-and-a-half years ago, I wrote a six-part series titled “Repeal the PATRIOT Act.” In Part III, I talked about how the PATRIOT Act opened the door for torture. I cited to an Amnesty International report that noted “cruel treatment includ[ing] prolonged solitary confinement; heavy shackling of detainees during visits . . . and lack of adequate exercise” among detainees held under the Act. Since that writing, a number of high profile suspected, so-called “unlawful enemy combatants” have been held in indefinite detention for years without due process of any kind, without a habeas corpus hearing to justify their detention, without any hearing on the merits, without charges, without trial, without a conviction. While solitary confinement itself is considered torture by many experts, the enemy combatants were also subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques” involving prolonged isolation, painful stress positions, exposure to extreme temperature, sleep deprivation, extreme sensory deprivation, and threats of violence and death.” MORE

• The Senator Who Owned Christmas: The bills he passed in the lame-duck session were unprecedented. And yet, he somehow gets almost no credit. Which is fine by him.

• If We’re Eliminating Symbols Used for Recruitment, Why Not Drones?

• Upward and downward counterfactuals: Obama campaign vs. Obama presidency

• ACLU placed on Tennessee terror map for letter to schools

• Here Comes Jeb

• The aim of Wikileaks, and Julian Assange’s strategy

• PFC Bradley Manning, Patriot

• The End of Money and the Future of Civilization

• The 12 Days of Wikileaks

• Class war in America: Senator Bernie Sanders tells it as it is.

• Waiting for a New Economic Theory

• Shoot BP: The Amazon to Arctic Investigation : “At Tatitlek Village, Alaska Native Henry Makarka told me, “If I had a machine gun I’d shoot every one of them white sons of bitches.” Makarka was talking about the executives who came to him and his tribe 40 years ago to purchase their land at Valdez.  They were from the companies now known as Exxon and BP.”

• Secrets of the Ruling Class

• President Obama’s Christmas Gift to AT&T (and Comcast and Verizon)

• The Case of the Abused Cheerleader

• That Was No Experiment; It Was Torture

• 15 Dirty Big Pharma Tricks That Rip You Off and Risk Your Health for Profit

• From Golden State to Third World Nation

• Brave New Second World – Author and political scientist Parag Khanna discusses the shifting shape of global power.

• Brutality and Poultry

• Ask, Tell, Don’t Kill

• The Tax-Payers’ Tab: a Cool $9 Trillion

• Reprising US Fantasies in Vietnam

• Cover-Ups, Coups and Drones

• “They Say He’s Queer”

• The Great Fear

• Bill Clinton’s Lies

• Reaganomics: a Defense

• Nowhere to Go But Up

• The Globalization of Militarism

• First rule of empire: dominate

• Obama’s March to Folly:the Myth of Liberal Interventionism

• The Brutal Price of Progress

• Slavery, Jim Crow and the White House

• Afghanistan: You Call This Progress?

• Insisting on Humanity

• Concentrating the Wealth

• The Drug War That Never Ends

• Letter to a Discouraged Progressive

• American Exceptionalism

• Why Julian Assange is My Hero

Create a Stress-Free Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner should be fun for everyone, but especially for the cook.

From Jen Hubley, your About Today Editor

The holidays are stressful for many reasons, but the cooking is definitely one of the big ones. Most of us just don’t prepare three-course meals every night of the year. (And if you do, let me know. I’ll be by for dessert, and I promise I’ll be less picky than your cranky aunt.)

$385 Million TSA Program Fails to Detect Terrorists … Another WikiLeaks Cable From the Bush Administration … $250 million to keep Cheney out of jail & More

$385 Million TSA Program Fails to Detect Terrorists: “Even though the TSA failed to carry out scientific testing of Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT), the TSA has allotted nearly $383 million to SPOT since 2007, rolling it out at 161 of 457 TSA-regulated airports. Despite this considerable investment, the agency didn’t even perform a cost-benefit analysis on the pilot tests that began in 2003, according to the GAO…. Maybe the most damning evidence that SPOT doesn’t work is that it has never identified a terrorist at an airport where the program has been implemented.” Read the Article

Free Trade Won’t Cure Unemployment: “Now that there seems to be no hope of using reasonable fiscal policy to fix the United States’s economy, I’ve been hearing a different idea lately: that trade can be a driver of economic recovery. Namely, the suggestion that the trade proposal South Korea and the United States recently agreed on can serve as a form of macroeconomic policy. Um, no. The problem in the United States is insufficient spending on American-produced goods and services – that is, a lack of demand.” Read the Article

Another WikiLeaks Cable From the Bush Administration: “Twice within four days, my name has popped up in the Bush-era secret cables uncovered by WikiLeaks. Lucky me. Though nowhere near as earth-shattering as the uncovering of American misdeeds in Iraq and Afghanistan, these classified cables provide a stunning and bizarre peek into the paranoid minds of the Bush White House when it came to the subject of one Michael Francis Moore. And considering how WikiLeaks has released only 1,826 cables of its planned drop of 251,287 – and I’ve already played a starring role twice – I can only say I await with bemused anticipation how the moi-storyline will play itself out.” Read the Article

Bush Sr., James Baker Instrumental in Getting Nigeria to Drop Bribery Charges Against Cheney: “Former President George H.W. Bush and ex-Secretary of State James Baker were part of a negotiating team that convinced Nigerian government officials to drop bribery charges against Dick Cheney and Halliburton, the oil services firm he led prior to becoming vice president.” Read the Article

Pope Blames Sexual Abuse of Children by Priests on Secular World: “When priests have sexually abused children for decades. It’s hard for even a Pope to try A Hail Mary pass like, “It’s all the secular world’s fault!” And really expect it to fly.” Read the Article

Obama to the Corporate Powers: I Feel Your Pain: “Guess who’s whining the loudest these days, wailing that they’re getting a raw deal from Barack Obama. Not the unemployed and barely employed – even though the White House has blithely ignored their critical need for a national jobs program. Not the poor, even though their ranks are swelling as millions of Americans fall out of the middle class.” Read the Article

Social Security’s Future at Risk With New Tax Deal “Under the radar screen, the new tax deal is threatening the livelihood of America’s present and future seniors – to line the pockets of millionaires. If made permanent, a new Social Security ‘payroll tax holiday,’ reducing the ‘match’ employers pay from 6 percent to 4 percent of salary, will drop the solvency of the program 14 years, from 2037 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. At the same time, Congress agreed to increase high-end loopholes in the estate tax, exempting 39,000 estates worth as much as $5 million.” Read the Article

Afghan Youth Supply Their Answer to US’s December Review: “Two days after the Obama administration released its December review of the war in Afghanistan to a public made increasingly skeptical by the war’s rising human and economic costs, a coalition of young Afghan peace activists issued their own review. The Global Day of Listening to Afghans brought together listeners from around the world, who joined sessions of a day-long conference call that offered a grassroots alternative to the official report, which has been criticized for its lack of hard facts or specifics on withdrawal.”  Read the Article

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• An Army Survey Biased Against Foxhole Atheists

• Disappearing Bees and Bayer: A Deadly Combo. What the EPA Doesn’t Want Us to Know

• What a War on Christmas Really Looks Like

• Glenn Beck calls us the ‘enemy within’

• AIG to Pay $100 Million in Workers’ Compensation Fines

• Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions

• U.N. to investigate treatment of Bradley Manning

• No, Jesus Wasn’t Born in Wal-Mart -The True Meaning of Christmas Has Nothing to Do with the Mall

• A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist

• Haley Barbour’s Brother: Blacks Aren’t ‘Listenin’ to White People Like They Used To’

• Walking Santa, Talking Christ – Why do Americans claim to be more religious than they are?

• Don’t go, don’t kill! – The repeal of don’t ask, don’t tell for gays in the US military is not a positive step for equality, says activist  Cindy Sheehan

We are witnessing a comeback of Scapegoatism

The Specter of Neo-Fascism

The recent rise of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe poses the greatest threat to our democracy since the rise of fascism in the 1930s. It is time for us to take to the streets and reclaim the ideals of tolerance, freedom and respect.

By Jerome E. Roos

A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of neo-fascism. From Denmark to Austria, and from Switzerland to Belgium, Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment are rapidly on the rise. With xenophobic parties making spectacular gains in recent elections in Sweden and the Netherlands, traditionally more centrist governments in Germany and France can be seen taking a desperate dash to the right. In the process, European democracy is being thrown into its deepest crisis since the rise of fascism in the 1930s. The very freedom that triumphed in World War II is today at stake.

In a move hauntingly reminiscent of Hindenburg’s fateful 1933 decision, Christian Democrats and free-market Liberals in the Netherlands earlier this month decided to form a minority government dependent on backbench support from Geert Wilders’s Freedom Party. Over the past couple of years, Wilders has successfully profiled himself as the most outspoken critic of Islam on the continent. Among his favorite slogans are the call for a complete halt on immigration from Islamic countries, the repatriation of non-working immigrants, the banning of the Quran and a tax on headscarves.

, ……. ,

“Obviously the Muslim population is a religious minority, not an ethic minority. The point, however, remains: we are witnessing a comeback of scapegoatism. The exact shape that the scapegoat ends up taking is rather irrelevant, whether it is an “ethnic” minority, like the Gypsies, a “religious” minority, like the Muslims, or even a “sexual” minority, like the gay community — the point is that people’s hatred of the system is being projected onto the weak, just as it happened in the 1930s.”

Continue

How Wall Street and Washington Corrupted U.S. Democracy

(NOTE: Conservative Christianity and Conservative political ideology work so well together because of the “profits before people” ideology and the “us against them” mind-set. Both of these are un-American, un-Constitutional and Treasonous. Unfortunately, the death penalty is no longer punishment for treasonous acts in the USA.)

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Forget about U.S. democracy — it’s a myth. By the standards of both Mussolini and Roosevelt, Wall Street’s capture of Washington turned the United States into a fascist republic a long time ago.

By Jerome E. Roos

Last week, Spencer Bachus, the incoming chairman of the Banking Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives — soon to be the no. 1 most powerful figure in Washington’s efforts to regulate Wall Street and prevent the next great capitalist crisis – made a startling statement.

Bachus urged Congress and federal regulators to play a “subservient role” with banks, telling the Birmingham News in clear and transparent language that:

In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks.”

Continue

The 10 Worst States for Retirees

by Robert Powell, MarketWatch
Sunday, December 19, 2010

Plenty of folks are aware of the best states for retirees. But what are the 10 worst states in which to spend your golden years?

People of Illinois, California, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Nevada — you probably already know the answer.

The list, with Illinois leading the pack, comes from website TopRetirements.com. According to John Brady, president of TopRetirements.com, the 10 states earn this dubious distinction largely because of three factors: fiscal health, taxation, climate.

As for fiscal health, six of the 10 worst states for retirees on TopRetirements.com’s list were among those just identified by a Pew Center for States report as being in “fiscal peril.”

The report, “Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril,” showed that “some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster are wreaking havoc in a number of other states, with potentially damaging consequences for the entire country.”

Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin joined California as the 10 most troubled states, according to Pew’s analysis.

Of note, TopRetirements.com’s Brady suggested that retirees and would-be retirees might want to avoid states in fiscal peril because these locales might be expected to face decreasing services and increasing taxation.

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One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian government is its fixation on hiding everything it does behind a wall of secrecy while simultaneously monitoring, invading and collecting files on everything its citizenry does.

The government’s one-way mirror

Glenn Greenwald, 12-20-2010

One of the hallmarks of an authoritarian government is its fixation on hiding everything it does behind a wall of secrecy while simultaneously monitoring, invading and collecting files on everything its citizenry does.  Based on the Francis Bacon aphorism that “knowledge is power,” this is the extreme imbalance that renders the ruling class omnipotent and citizens powerless.

In The Washington Post today, Dana Priest and William Arkin continue their “Top Secret America” series by describing how America’s vast and growing Surveillance State now encompasses state and local law enforcement agencies, collecting and storing always-growing amounts of information about even the most innocuous activities undertaken by citizens suspected of no wrongdoing.  As was true of the first several installments of their “Top Secret America,” there aren’t any particularly new revelations for those paying attention to such matters, but the picture it paints — and the fact that it is presented in an establishment organ such as The Washington Post — is nonetheless valuable.

Today, the Post reporters document how surveillance and enforcement methods pioneered in America’s foreign wars and occupations are being rapidly imported into domestic surveillance (wireless fingerprint scanners, military-grade infrared cameras, biometric face scanners, drones on the border).  In sum:

 

The special operations units deployed overseas to kill the al-Qaeda leadership drove technological advances that are now expanding in use across the United States. On the front lines, those advances allowed the rapid fusing of biometric identification, captured computer records and cellphone numbers so troops could launch the next surprise raid. Here at home, it’s the DHS that is enamored with collecting photos, video images and other personal information about U.S. residents in the hopes of teasing out terrorists.

Meanwhile, the Obama Department of Homeland Security has rapidly expanded the scope and invasiveness of domestic surveillance programs — justified, needless to say, in the name of Terrorism:

 

[DHS Secretary Janet] Napolitano has taken her “See Something, Say Something” campaign far beyond the traffic signs that ask drivers coming into the nation’s capital for “Terror Tips” and to “Report Suspicious Activity.”

She recently enlisted the help of Wal-Mart, Amtrak, major sports leagues, hotel chains and metro riders. In her speeches, she compares the undertaking to the Cold War fight against communists.

“This represents a shift for our country,” she told New York City police officers and firefighters on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary this fall. “In a sense, this harkens back to when we drew on the tradition of civil defense and preparedness that predated today’s concerns.”

The results are predictable.  Huge amounts of post/9-11 anti-Terrorism money flooded state and local agencies that confront virtually no Terrorism threats, and they thus use these funds to purchase technologies — bought from the private-sector industry that controls and operates government surveillance programs — for vastly increased monitoring and file-keeping on ordinary citizens suspected of no wrongdoing.

Continue

“And if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. It may be a humanitarian concern –”

The Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, has just been to the White House, where she implores President Nixon to press the Soviet Union to allow the emigration of Jews who wish to leave. In the Oval Office after she leaves, the president and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, are discussing her request.

“The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy,” Kissinger tells Nixon, tapping the table for emphasis. “And if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. It may be a humanitarian concern –”

“Well, we can’t blow up the world because of it,” Nixon responds.

That conversation, secretly recorded on March 1, 1973, is included in the latest batch of White House tapes released by the Nixon Library. Though nearly 38 years have elapsed, it is shocking to hear Kissinger’s insistence that another Holocaust ought to be a matter of indifference to the United States. That opinion would be appalling coming from any American official; coming from a German-born Jew whose family fled the Nazis and who lost at least 13 close relatives in the concentration camps, it seems almost obscenely callous.

What would prompt a man like Kissinger to say something so grotesque? Was it a “Jewish inferiority complex,” as Shmuley Boteach writes in the Jerusalem Post, that had the first Jewish secretary of state “bending over backward to show he bears no special kinship with his people”? Was it “an instinctive affection for totalitarians of all stripes,” as Christopher Hitchens poisonously claims? Was it just another instance of what Kissinger’s biographer Walter Isaacson called a “yearning to be liked” and an effort “to impress Nixon with gutsy hardline advice“?

I have no theory to offer about Kissinger’s psychology. Nor do I think one is necessary. For the simple and heartbreaking fact is that the position he took in that long-ago conversation with Nixon — that not even genocide should properly be considered “an American concern,” or be allowed to interfere with the preservation of global stability — has time and again driven US foreign policy.

When Jews in the 1940s really were being put into gas chambers, the Roosevelt administration didn’t think it urgent to stop the Nazi genocide. FDR’s State Department permitted only minuscule number of Jewish refugees to enter the United States, even as immigration quotas went unfilled. Rarely did Roosevelt denounce the extermination of Jews, and pleas to bomb the Auschwitz death camp or its rail lines were turned down the by War Department — despite the fact that US bombers were already flying over the area.

Continue….

Santa vs. Jesus

SOURCE: Atheist Revolution

List of Atheist Charities

Atheist Charities

Posted Wednesday, December 05, 2007 by Techskeptic

http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2007/12/atheist-charities.html

This is the season of giving, as they say. There are a lot of religions who use this time of year for reflection, charity and general goodwill. I dont see why atheists can’t also use this time of year to be benevolent. Any time of year is good of course, but personally I find winter solstice to be one of the most uplifting days of the year, so why not?

I’ve been asked often why there aren’t any atheist charities. Of course, as usual, people are just presuming or parroting things they heard. Of course there are atheist charities. And like in my videos post, I am considering charities that do not promote a specific religion to be an atheist charity.

I found most of these at the Internet Infidels discussion board (and copied descriptive text from there, apologies if that was a problem). But I thought a nice list would be better, plus I added a few more. There are useful sites like CharityNavigator to help you sort through all the charities out there. If there are comments proposing ones that I missed (and surely there are plenty), I will add them to this list, if they are highly rated (not that all of these are). So here goes:

UPDATE 2009: I apologize for not refreshing this list. No time this year. Please feel free to leave some more a-theist charities for me to include in future versions in the comments.Please read the comments for more and add your own! I know there are more good secular charities out there that I have missed. I also recommend donating so some of the excellent critical thinking podcasts out there.

Secular Charities and Aid groups:

DonorsChoose.org
a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack.

Kiva.org
lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.

The Union of Concerned Scientists
The leading science-based non-profit working for a healthy environment and safer world.

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The USA’s premier emergency response organization, over 91% of Red Cross spending is on charitable services.

American Civil Liberties Union
The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of constitutional protections and guarantees relating to First Amendment rights, including the freedom to practice religion and the freedom not to have religion rammed down our throats, equal protection, due process, and right to privacy.

United Nations Children’s Fund
UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a “first call for children” and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF provides emergency and disaster relief.

Doctors without Borders
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 70 countries.

Amnesty International
AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.
In pursuit of this vision, AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.

Oxfam International
Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice. The Oxfams operate in over 100 countries worldwide working with local partners to alleviate poverty and injustice.

The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth. An environmental group that protects natural habitats and the wildlife within them. Focuses on “science-based” initiatives.

Population Connection
Population Connection is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources. Works against faith-based policies that are supported by the Religious Right.

DefCon: Campaign to Defend the Constitution
DefCon is an online grassroots movement combating the growing power of the religious right. It includes a blog on religious freedom issues, action alerts, and in-depth articles on scientific, religious, and legal issues of the day.

The SEED foundation
National nonprofit that establishes urban public boarding schools to prepare students from underserved communities for success in college.

Project Peanut Butter
Project Peanut Butter is a therapeutic feeding program for malnourished children in Malawi and Sierra Leone, on the continent of Africa. It was founded by Professor Mark Manary, M.D., a pediatrician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatric medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

Electronic Frontiers Foundation
When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations.

Mercy corps
Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

Seva
Our programs serve people who have been economically, politically, or otherwise marginalized. We change our program approach to relate to their culture and circumstances, reaching out in very different ways, for example, to nomads in Tibet, women in Tanzania, or indigenous Mayans in Guatemala. Our aim is to build a bridge of compassion between our donors and the people we serve — people around the world who have the fewest resources.

International Peace Institute
The International Peace Institute (IPI) formerly International Peace Academy is an independent, international institution dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of armed conflict between and within states through policy research and development.

Issue-Specific Secularist Organizations

Anti-Discrimination
The ADSN Project.
The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia’s Anti-Discrimination support network (ADSN) is collecting narratives highlighting instances of bigotry against the nontheist community.

Southern Poverty Law Center
SPLC is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups.

The Alternatives to Marriage Project
The Alternatives to Marriage Project (AtMP) advocates for equality and fairness for unmarried people, including people who are single, choose not to marry, cannot marry, or live together before marriage.

Pro-choice organizations
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Provides reproductive health care services, advocates for women’s reproductive rights, and offers educational services for women.

NARAL Pro-choice America
Focuses mostly on the social and legal activism for women’s abortion rights.

Womens Health Organizations
EngenderHealth
an international nonprofit organization that has been working for 60 years to make reproductive health services safe, available, and sustainable for women and men worldwide.

Ipas
an international organization that works around the world to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, and to reduce abortion-related deaths and injuries.

Teen Pregnancy Reduction
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Sadly this charity is rated with only 2 stars due to low efficiency. However their goal is highly respectable and needed, to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults.

HIV/AIDS
Treatment Action Campaign
campaign for treatment for people with HIV and to reduce new HIV infections. Our efforts have resulted in many life-saving interventions, including the implementation of country-wide mother-to-child transmission prevention and antiretroviral treatment programes.

U.S. Military
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers
Challenging the myth that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” There certainly are.

Gay rights
Lambda
A national non-profit gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) agency dedicated to reducing homophobia, inequality, hate crimes, and discrimination by encouraging self-acceptance, cooperation, and non-violence.

Lambda Legal
The legal arm of the Lambda organization that protects GLBT civil rights through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Human Rights Campaign
Large organization working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equal rights.

School vouchers
National Education Association (NEA) on school vouchers
Provides several arguments for the case against private school vouchers.

Pledge of Allegiance
Restore the Pledge
Support Michael Newdow in his quest to remove the phrase “under God” from the official Pledge of Allegiance, coercively recited by millions of schoolchildren every day.

Evolution/Creationism in the science classroom
National Center for Science Education
Great resource with current news and resources (including the famous “Project Steve” list!) on defending evolution and science against pseudoscience advocates.

Texas Freedom Network
The Texas Freedom Network advances a mainstream agenda of religious freedom and individual liberties to counter the religious right

Boy Scouts of America discrimination against atheists, gays
Scouting For All
Composed of mostly former Boy Scouts, it is working to influence the BSA to include all participating youth members and leaders regardless of religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

Children in Poor countries
PlanUSA
an organization committed to helping children, their families and communities in 49 developing countries around the world.

Internet tools
Wikipedia
a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project. The name “Wikipedia” is a portmanteau (a combination of portions of two words and their meanings) of the words wiki (a type of collaborative Web site) and encyclopedia. Wikipedia’s articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.
Church/state separation and secularist organizations

Americans United for Separation of Church and State
A national watchdog organization (with local chapters all around the U.S.—find one near you!) dedicated to preserving religious liberty. It is open to theists and nontheists of all kinds, and is headed by a minister with the United Church of Christ (Rev. Barry Lynn) who can be seen often in the national media and news stories centering on church/state separation issues.

American Civil Liberties Union (click on the “Religious Liberty” link)
A favorite target of the Religious Right. The ACLU defends civil liberties on many fronts including church/state separation, personal privacy, and legal protection through due process. Look for a local chapter in your area to join.

People for the American Way
Progressive group that supports secular values in government. PFAW is an activist organization and PAC (political action committee) working to battle such groups as the Christian Coalition. Click the “Religious Freedom” link for action alerts and information.

Freedom from Religion Foundation
Great organization that defends the rights of nontheists in courtrooms, sponsors a fun-filled annual national convention, and publishes the popular “Freethought Today” (magazine written by and for freethinkers).

Godless Americans Political Action Committee
Endorses and supports U.S. political candidates that support secular values in government and the rights of “godless Americans.” We will have our “seat at the table” in formulating public policy.

Atheist Alliance
Democratic association of various individual atheists and atheist organizations. It is a great all-around resource for all-things atheist.

Interfaith Alliance
Alliance of leaders of various religions, worldviews, and beliefs that includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, agnostics, atheists, et al. It works to promote religious freedom for everyone regardless of religious beliefs as well as civic participation and civility. Nontheists can find theist allies here.

American Atheists
Controversial atheist organization started by the infamous Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Today it fights for the complete separation of church and state, as well as for the rights of atheists in America.

Secular Coalition for America
Vast coalition of secular and freethought organizations (including the Internet Infidels!) dedicated to sending lobbyists to Washington, D.C. to gain support for protecting the rights of nontheist Americans.

Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
Explores the causes of religious belief, promotes science in public schools, maintains a list of public lecturers, sells pro-secularist books and other media, and facilitates the giving of humanitarian aid to organizations that are completely secular in nature.

Europe

National Secular Society
Supports secularism in the UK, as well as church-state separation.

Rationalist Association
The Rationalist Association is a focus for rationalist thought and debate in the UK and worldwide. The RA is the UK’s leading freethought and rationalist book publisher.

Australia

Atheist Foundation of Australia, Inc.
Something for our friends Down Under — lots of good information, book lists, humor, etc.

Organizations that promote humanism/Atheism

Center For Inquiry
The purpose of the Center for Inquiry is to contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of science and reason, and their applications to human conduct.

Council for Secular Humanism
Large organization that offers support for secular humanists through activities such as magazine publishing, conducting secular ceremonies (weddings, funerals, etc.), educational courses, and summer camps for kids that teach critical thinking skills and secular ethical values.

American Humanist Association
Promotes the spread of humanism and furthering of the humanist philosophy in the U.S. by working with and/or establishing like-minded organizations.

The Continuum of Humanist Education
Online courses available for humanists in areas such as law, science, ethics, and secular humanist philosophy.

The Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS)
A think-tank that offers news, opinions, information, and humor relating to humanism. It works to spread public awareness and acceptance of humanist principles.

British Humanist Association
The largest provider of humanist ceremonies in England and Wales. Offers services for weddings, funerals, and baby-namings as well as general resources on humanism and support for humanist organizations.

Humanist Association of Canada
Provides secular officiants, information, services, and support for humanists in Canada.

Positive Atheism
Comprehensive resource for positive atheists to learn about atheism, history, philosophy, religious freedom, and responsibility.

Unitarian Universalist Assocation
A popular “church” for atheists, agnostics, deists, very liberal Christians, etc. Check your local yellow pages for one in your community or use this website’s handy Congregation locator.

The Brights
A movement endorsed by several prominent nontheists to adopt a new term (“Brights”) with an accompanying philosophy to describe secularists, freethinkers, atheists, naturalists, etc. with the intent of putting forth a positive, and less-stigmatized, perception of ourselves. Many nontheists have encouraged its use, while many others reject it.

The Objectivist Center
A controversial philosophy founded by Ayn Rand that embodies particular principles on various philosophical, political, economic, and religious issues. Objectivists generally are atheists, but atheists are generally not Objectivists.

Skeptic Society
Learn how to live life free of nonsensical beliefs, and develop your own scientific and critical thinking skills. Also publishes a popular monthly magazine, SKEPTIC, which can be found in major bookstores.

Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)
Investigates extraordinary claims from a scientific and rational perspective. CSICOP also puts out a popular monthly magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, found in major bookstores.

American Ethical Union (AEU)
The American Ethical Union (AEU) describes “Ethical Culture” as a humanistic religious and educational movement inspired by the ideal that the supreme aim of human life is working to create a more humane society.

International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU)
IHEU is the sole world umbrella organization for humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, ethical cultural, freethought and similar organizations world-wide.

Internet Infidels
A nonprofit educational organization dedicated to defending and promoting a naturalistic worldview on the Internet. They offer thousands of outstanding essays, reviews, and critiques, covering everything from articles of general interest to scholarly papers by prominent nontheistic philosophers, scientists, historians, and others. Unlike most of our opponents, we even publish responses to our own pieces to encourage readers to make up their own minds. In addition to such encyclopedic resources, other features of the site are outlined in the Secular Web pamphlet, which readers may download, print out, and distribute, as desired.

Republicans Poised to Declare War on Welfare State … The Philippines Are About to Issue Christian Money … Things about to get worse for Muslim Americans, & More….

Republicans Poised to Declare War on Welfare State: Senate Republicans scuttled a bipartisan $1.2 trillion dollar spending omnibus bill last week. Now, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is scrambling to pass a temporary funding bill to keep the federal government’s lights on. The GOP abruptly pulled the plug on the omnibus, a massive piece of legislation that Republicans and Democrats had collaborated on for months. Why? Because the Republicans want to start over in the next session of Congress when they will control the House and pick up seats in the Senate. They intend to rewrite the spending bill with much less Democratic input. In other words, bipartisanship proves once again to be a racket.

GOP Plans To Investigate Muslim-Americans: Incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is already causing quite a commotion with his plans to hold congressional hearings on what he calls the “radicalization of the American Muslim community.”  According to King, “mainstream” Muslims are being silenced by their leaders and it’s up to Congress to uncover why. Never mind that Rep. King’s belief is flat-out wrong.  Like others who have launched political careers by demonizing a specific ethnic group, King dismisses all criticism of his proposed witch hunt as “politically correct nonsense.”  King even takes it one step further and maintains that the proposed investigations are for the good of all Muslims.

The Philippines Are About to Issue Christian Money: New bills will be containing this direct quotation from the Christian Bible: “Pinagpala ang bayan na ang Diyos ay ang Panginoon (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord)”… which comes from Psalm 33:12. This statement can be found above the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

Judge orders feds to pay $2.5M in wiretapping case: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the U.S. government to pay more than $2.5 million in attorney fees and damages after he concluded investigators wiretapped the phones of a suspected terrorist organization without a warrant. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said the attorneys for the Ashland, Ore., chapter of the now-defunct Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation should receive $2.5 million for waging its nearly five-year legal challenge to the Bush administration’s so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program. Walker also awarded $20,400 each to Wendell Belew and Asim Ghafoor, two of the foundation’s Washington D.C.-based lawyers. They had their phone conversations with Al-Haramain principals monitored, the judge said.

Catholic Church ‘Punishes’ Hospital for Saving Woman’s Life: Do you need any more evidence to be convinced that hospitals should not be affiliated with the Catholic Church? In 2009, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center admitted a pregnant woman who was at nearly 100% risk of death. In order to save her life, the doctors chose to abort her baby, saving the mother’s life in the process.

GOP Delays Confirmation Of Obama Nominee Because He Might Want To Help Underwater Homeowners: The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the Obama administration has been trying to cajole Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into writing down loan principal for troubled homeowners. Incoming House Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), however, is not on-board with the effort. And he’s evidently not alone. In fact, the GOP is so dead-set against helping borrowers who are underwater on their mortgages — meaning they owe more than their house is currently worth — that they are delaying confirmation of the administration’s nominee to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency (Fannie and Freddie’s chief regulator) because he might be sympathetic to loan write-downs

“The Chamber fought to help kill the 9/11 compensation bill because it was funded by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations doing business in the United States.”

“The Chamber fought to help kill the 9/11 compensation bill because it was funded by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations doing business in the United States.”
12-17-2010

‘U.S.’ Chamber Of Commerce Lobbied To Help GOP Kill Bill To Provide Health Care To 9/11 First Responders
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/17/chamber-911-responders/

Last night, the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart skewered Republicans for killing deficit neutral legislation to provide health care to the 9/11 first responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses from working at Ground Zero. He also mocked the celebrity-obsessed media that has completely ignored the story. Republicans, like Sen. John Thune (R-SD), filibustered the bill because they said tax cuts for the richest 2 percent were a higher priority for Congress. While Republicans quietly snuffed out efforts to compensate 9/11 heroes, they were aided by a quiet lobbying campaign by the powerful lobbying front — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber fought to help kill the 9/11 compensation bill because it was funded by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations doing business in the United States. (*)

The “U.S.” part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a misnomer. As ThinkProgress reported, the Chamber represents dozens of foreign businesses in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Bahrain, India, Brazil, and other countries. An investigation of the Chamber turned up recent fundraising documents from the Chamber soliciting foreign contributions to the Chamber’s 501(c)(6), the tax entity the Chamber used to run nasty campaign ads against Democrats earlier this year.

In September, the Chamber sent a letter officially opposing the 9/11 first responders bill, called the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010.” The Chamber warned that ending the tax loophole would “damage U.S. relationships with major trading partners” and “aggravate already unsettled financial markets.” A lobbying disclosure filed with the Senate confirms the Chamber contacted lawmakers to help kill the bill.

In typical fashion, the Chamber has not revealed which of its foreign members had asked them to kill the 9/11 bill. As the Chamber CEO explained to the Washington Monthly’s James Verini, the entire purpose of the Chamber is to provide “deniability” to corporations that want to affect the outcomes of elections or of public policy. In 2009, the Chamber secretly used a $86 million donation from the health insurance industry to fight health reform. At the time, the Chamber lied and claimed to the public that they were simply acting on behalf of the entire “business community.”

Republicans are continuing to protest any renewed attempts to pass the 9/11 first responders bill because of the tax issue raised by the Chamber. Yesterday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) sent out a statement that mirrored the Chamber’s opposition to ending the foreign corporate tax loophole.

Related Posts:
The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce’s History Of Placing Narrow Corporate Interests Over Public Interest:
http://thinkprogress.org/?p=131597 

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* Enzi criticizes bill that aids 9/11 survivors, first responders
12-7-2010, Contact Jeremy Pelzer at jeremy.pelzer@trib.com or 307-632-1244.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_8471ce5c-4b0f-55ff-b257-55983d86ec9f.html

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Proponents of federal legislation to offer $7.4 billion in health care treatment and compensation for 9/11 survivors and first responders are targeting U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., for opposing the bill.

Enzi has been a leading critic of the legislation, saying lawmakers need to first find answers to unanswered questions about how current federal funding for 9/11 survivors is being spent.

The legislation, which passed the U.S. House in September, is scheduled to be voted on Wednesday in the U.S. Senate.

Under the bill, House Resolution 847, the funding would provide medical monitoring and treatment for survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. First responders who suffered long-term health effects from being exposed to toxins at the attack sites would also be eligible.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who introduced the legislation in the House, said at least 71,000 people from almost every congressional district would be eligible for treatment or compensation under her bill, including between one and 24 Wyomingites.

The funding would come by closing tax loopholes on foreign corporations.

There are 59 senators who support the bill, but under cloture rules, the legislation needs 60 aye votes to pass. And with Republicans taking over the House next year, supporters worry that the bill must pass now or never.

Enzi said in a statement Tuesday that he opposes the legislation because he and other lawmakers haven’t received adequate answers to how $475 million in existing 9/11 compensation and relief-program money is being spent.

“Sen. Enzi thinks it is reasonable to find out what happened to the money that has already been allocated before spending more,” spokeswoman Elly Pickett said.

In addition, Enzi said in a statement that he’d like to see how this legislation would be affected by a recent court settlement giving $625 million to 9/11 survivors.

Enzi isn’t the only Senate Republican to oppose the legislation. Newly sworn-in U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has been the only GOP member to come out in favor of the bill. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and at least one anti-tax group have also opposed the bill, saying the taxes imposed on companies would kill American jobs.

But many supporters of the bill — as well as at least one New York newspaper — have singled out Enzi for sending out letters against the bill. Supporters also allege that Enzi has sent out misleading information about the bill.

“He’s the lead troublemaker,” said John Feal, who lost half of his left foot on Sept. 17, 2001, at ground zero as he was working to clean up the site.

Feal, who would be eligible for money under the legislation, led a few dozen World Trade Center first responders to Enzi’s Washington, D.C., office on Tuesday to urge the senator to rethink his opposition.

At a previous Senate hearing, Feal said, Enzi initially seemed to be sympathetic to the bill.

“And then he started all with this, ‘This bill is no good. I don’t like this bill. This bill doesn’t work for me,’ “ Feal said. “But it’s not about what works for Sen. Enzi. It’s about what works for 9/11 responders that are sick and dying.”

Maloney said Enzi’s protests about not getting answers to other 9/11 compensation funding are a “gross misrepresentation,” as the money was given out in the form of block grants.

“Sen. Enzi is asking for data that he knows doesn’t exist,” she said. “Data on individual claims simply isn’t available.”

If the bill fails, Feal said he’ll take the fight to Enzi.

“I’m going to rent a Winnebago or a bus and come to Wyoming and do a rally in front of his office,” he said.

Mercenaries Role Grows In US Military Policy…Of Course the Civil War Was About Slavery…War on Christmas? What war on Christmas? & more

Mercenaries Role Grows In US Military Policy, December 20th, 2010. Mercenaries are doing the dirtywork behind the scenes around the world. They have become the private armies of US policy around the world. American taxpayers are on the hook for billions of dollars to these contractors. As this article shows they have become even more important under Obama. Source: ‘ProgressiveTalk’ Yahoo Group

America’s New Mercenaries
by Tim Shorrock

As American commanders meet this week for the Afghanistan review, Obama is hiring military contractors at a rate that would make Bush blush. Tim Shorrock on the Blackwater heirs.

Top U.S. commanders are meeting this week to plan for the next phase of the Afghanistan war. In Iraq, meanwhile, gains are tentative and in danger of unraveling.

Both wars have been fought with the help of private military and intelligence contractors. But despite the troubles of Blackwater in particular – charges of corruption and killing of civilians—and continuing controversy over military outsourcing in general, private sector armies are as involved as ever.

Without much notice or debate, the Obama administration has greatly expanded the outsourcing of key parts of the U.S.-led counterinsurgency wars in the Middle East and Africa, and as a result, for its secretive air war and special operations missions around the world, the U.S. has become increasingly reliant on a new breed of specialized companies that are virtually unknown to the American public, yet carry out vital U.S. missions abroad.

Companies such as Blackbird Technologies, Glevum Associates, K2 Solutions, and others have won hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military and intelligence contracts in recent years to provide technology, information on insurgents, Special Forces training, and personnel rescue. They win their work through the large, established prime contractors, but are tasked with missions only companies with specific skills and background in covert and counterinsurgency can accomplish.

Some observers fear that the widespread use of contractors for U.S. counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Horn of Africa could deepen the secrecy surrounding the American presence in those regions, making it harder for Congress to provide proper oversight.

Even in Iraq, where the U.S. has ended combat operations, the government is “greatly expanding” its use of private security companies, creating “an entirely new role for contractors on the battlefield,” Michael Thibault, the co-chairman of the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting, recently warned Congress.

Among the companies getting contracts is Blackbird, which is staffed by former CIA operatives, and is a key contractor in a highly classified program that sends secret teams into enemy territory to rescue downed or captured U.S. soldiers.

Glevum, meanwhile, fields a small army of analysts in Iraq and Afghanistan who provide the U.S. military with what the company opaquely describes as “information operations and influence activities.”

And K2 is a highly sought-after subcontractor and trainer for the most secretive units of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, including the SEAL team that rescued the crew of the Maersk Alabama from a gang of pirates last year. It is based near the Army’s Special Forces headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was founded by Lane Kjellsen, a former Special Forces soldier.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander of conventional and special forces in the war zones, is using contractors because “he wants an organization that reports directly to him,” said a former top aide to the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, the umbrella organization for all Special Forces. “Everyone knows Petraeus can’t execute his strategy without the private sector.” The former aide spoke on the condition that he not be identified, saying his career could be jeopardized if he went public. The International Security Assistance Force, the general’s home command, did not respond to a request for comment.

For more of this article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-15/counterinsurgency-outsourcing-americas-new-mercenaries-in-afghanistan-middle-east-africa/

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Concrete concerns about saving and expanding slavery, and not the nebulous theology of states’ rights, ignited the U.S. Civil War. Why does that message keep getting lost?

War on Christmas? What war on Christmas?

Roanoke Man Charged With Threatening To Kill President Obama

US set to back net traffic rules

Compassion & The Party Of Jesus Revisited

Here Is More Evidence That Republicans Think Americans Are Stupid

The year Washington became “business-friendly”: Under American-style capitalism, profits matter — but jobs don’t

Resolution 1734 demonstrates conclusively who governs U.S. policy regarding the Middle East, and it’s not the President, nor is it the U.S. Congress; it’s AIPAC, the foreign lobby of Israel that wrote the resolution and its stooge, Howard Berman, the professed Zionist working on behalf of Israel that engineered it to a unanimous vote.

Rove Suspected In Swedish-U.S. Political Prosecution of WikiLeaks

Is the Senate ‘Disrespecting’ Christmas? Not According to Tradition

Democrats, Obama Cave to Corporations Unwilling to Let Congress Close Tax Loophole to Help 9/11 Responders

Debunking Theories of a Terrorist Power Grab: A Penn State power-system expert cites laws of physics to pull the plug on worries that a terrorist attack on a minor substation could bring down the entire U.S. electric grid.

Baby Jesus stolen from McDonald’s manger

Fox News Chicago Sends Undercover Agents to Anti-Gay Fundraiser

A Banner Year for Islam Bashing: Why has anti-Muslim sentiment risen in lockstep in America and Europe? It’s been a bad year for Muslims in the West. The ground zero mosque uproar, the worry over halal burgers in France, Geert Wilders’ parliamentary gain in the Netherlands, an apparent anti-immigrant sniper in Sweden, a preacher in Florida planning to burn the Quran, the advance of a stridently anti-immigrant party into Sweden’s national parliament, and a bestselling polemic by a German banker, Thilo Sarrazin — who thinks Muslim immigrants are worse for his country than any other — amount to a backlash in Europe and the United States unprecedented since 2001.

Evolution and its Rivals

Jesus Guns

Waste in U.S. Afghan aid seen at billions of dollars: Waste and fraud in U.S. efforts to rebuild Afghanistan while fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban may have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, a special investigator said on Monday. Arnold Fields, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, said the cost of U.S. assistance funding diverted or squandered since 2002 could reach “well into the millions, if not billions, of dollars.” “There are no controls in place sufficient enough to ensure taxpayers’ money is used for the (intended) purpose,” said Fields, whose independent office was created in 2008 to energize oversight of what U.S. auditors have described as a giant, poorly coordinated aid effort that has sunk some $56 billion into Afghanistan since 2002.

America the sick?

The Left’s Unconscious Self-Defeat

All I Want for Christmas Is the Truth – A look at some of the mythologizing that has arisen around the West’s winter holidays, from poison plants to phantom Der Bingles: Many religious organizations, and some conservative commentators, created a furor several years ago claiming there was a “war on Christmas” brought about by such supposedly politically correct greetings as “Happy Holidays” and by failing to keep Christ in Christmas when using the shortened “Xmas.” However, the X in “Xmas” is not the same as the X in “X-Factor.” It is instead chi, the Greek letter representing Christ. Documents since at least the 11th century used X or XP to symbolize the word Christ (XP is from the Greek chi and rho, the first two letters of Christos) and Xt (for Christian). So a “Xmas” greeting actually continues that religious tradition.

Atheists Raise Over $42,000 for Doctors Without Borders

The NYT spills key military secrets on its front page

Atheists, Christians, and Santa Claus

The Globalization of Militarism The United States has been overtaken by a military-industrial-financial cabal whose representatives are firmly ensconced in both the White House and the US Congress. The ultimate goal of the cabal, according to their own military guidelines, is “full spectrum dominance” of the world; and they are willing to wage as many wars, to destroy as many countries and to kill as many people as necessary to achieve that goal.

The New Inquisition – the Roman Catholic Man Cult’s modern War on Women – Gregory S. Paul – RDFRS

Feeling The Wrath of The FRC: Republicans Rue The Day

U.S. government silent on massacre of Tamils by Sri Lanka

Monday, December 20, 2010

Advancing imperialist interests at any cost

A diplomatic cable from the embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka shows that the U.S. government is fully aware that high-raking Sri Lankan political and military officials are responsible for war crimes committed during an offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam in 2009. The embassy stated that “responsibility for many of the alleged crimes rests with … President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka.”

The LTTE, also called the Tamil Tigers, fougt for decades for self-determination for the Tamil people, who have experienced severe oppression as a result of divide-and-conquer tactics first employed during British colonial rule. The Sri Lankan government finally defeated the LTTE during an offensive last year, in which thousands of civilians were massacred and hundreds of thousands were forcibly interned.

The United States has close relations with the criminal Sri Lankan regime, which has received over $100 million of US military assistance over the last decade.

Clearly, indiscriminate slaughter means little to the U.S. government when the perpetrators advance imperialist interests.

Click here to read the full cable released by WikiLeaks.

Read more PSL WikiBriefs!

Christian Group Executes Santa – Gun totting fat-ass white trash….the best representatives of good ole’ USA

” Scare the hell out of the American people.”

~ Senator Arthur Vandenburg, telling President Truman what the he needed to do in order to to tax the American people to pay for the weapons and covert activities of the US National Security State

(Source: http://whatreallyhappened.com/)

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Repent Amarillo, a Christian extremist group with a crazy website, has a Christmas message for everyone. It involves Santa Claus getting shot at by a firing squad: MORE

U.S. Falls Behind Other Nations on LGBT Issues

Let others worry about the rapture: For the increasingly powerful Christian Reconstruction movement, the task is to establish the Kingdom of God right now….from the courthouse to the White House. By John Sugg

‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ - Gay ban repealed, but restrictions remain

The Austerity Hammer Starts to Fall on the U.S.

Scientists find gene clue to 130 brain diseases

Interactions cause seniors to drop antidepressants

The Dumbing Down of Americans: According to a new poll from Gallup, 40% of Americans believe in strict Creationism — that a god created us in our present form under 10,000 years ago.

Homeless and Alone in The Land of Milk and Honey

The FED’S stupendous crimes against the American Taxpayers EXPOSED: This was a hostile world takeover orchestrated through economic attacks by a very small group of unelected global bankers. They paralyzed the system, then were given the power to recreate it according to their own desires. No free market, no democracy of any kind. All done in secrecy. In the process, they gave themselves all-time record-breaking bonuses and impoverished tens of millions of people – they have put into motion a system that will inevitably collapse again and utterly destroy the very existence of what is left of an economic middle class. That is not hyperbole. That is what happened.

Globalists Can Win Cyber War, But Not Information War

DADT Repealed in Senate; Final Vote 65-31. Religious Right Lashes & Freaks Out: Now the President needs to sign it and implement it ASAP. Since it’s such a historic day, let’s laugh together at Bryan Fischer of the hate group American Family Association, whose response is SUPER crybaby.

Wikileaks has enlisted the architects of media disinformation to fight media disinformation: An incongruous and self-defeating procedure: America’s corporate media and more specifically The New York Times are an integral part of the economic establishment, with links to Wall Street, the Washington think tanks and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Moreover, the US corporate media has developed a longstanding relationship to the US intelligence apparatus, going back to “Operation Mocking Bird”, an initiative of the CIA’s Office of Special Projects (OSP), established in the early 1950s.

Fake Terror And The War For Your Mind

Contractors behaving badly mean headaches for US, Republicans Support Child Rape & more…

Contractors behaving badly mean headaches for US

“At two in the morning on Sept. 9, 2005, five DynCorp International security guards assigned to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s protective detail returned to their compound drunk, with a prostitute in tow. Less than a week later, three of these same guards got drunk again, this time in the VIP lounge of the Kabul airport while awaiting a flight to Thailand.”They had been intoxicated, loud and obnoxious,” according to an internal company report of the incident, which noted that Afghanistan’s deputy director for elections and a foreign diplomat were also in the lounge. “Complaints were made regarding the situation.” DynCorp fired the three guards.

Such episodes represent the headaches that U.S. contractors can cause in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. They are indispensable to the State Department’s mission overseas, handling security, transportation, construction, food service and more. But when hired hands behave badly — or break the law — they cast a cloud over the American presence.” MORE

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REPUBLICANS SUPPORT CHILD RAPE: House Republicans Block Child Marriage Prevention Act: “On Thursday, the House took up the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010. The bill would ensure that child marriage is recognized as a human rights violation, and develop comprehensive strategies to prevent such marriages around the world. The legislation seemed likely to garner strong bipartisan support in Congress, and in the Senate, it did. But last night, the bill was voted down in the House by Republicans who argued the bill is too costly and could lead to increased abortions — gripes the measure’s supporters say have no basis in reality and are just excuses to kill the popular bill.” …… “The prevalence of child marriage remains alarmingly high worldwide. As CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and supporting the child marriage prevention bill notes, “More than 60 million girls ages 17 and younger — many as young as 10 — are forced into marriage in developing countries. Many of these girls are married to men more than twice their age. Not only does this unacceptable practice thwart a girl’s education, it endangers her health and often locks her into a life of poverty.” MORE

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Sunday, December 19, 2010 – This Week In Holy Crimes – Over the last seven days…

New York: Monsignor Charles Kavanagh has been defrocked after being found guilty of child molestation by a three-priest Catholic tribunal. He is the highest-ranked New York priest so judged and has not faced criminal charges.
Oklahoma: Pastor Baron Hopgood arrested for embezzlement.
Ireland: Father Oliver O’Grady charged with possessing thousands of child porn images.
Ohio: Pastor Mark Griggs charged with more than 100 felony counts of possessing and distributing child porn.
Britain: Monsignor Michael Smith arrested for child molestation.
Colorado: Pastor Loren Ankarlo pleads guilty to multi-million dollar securities fraud.
Ontario: Father Donald Grecco found guilty on 24 counts of molesting altar boys.
Missouri: Father Gerald Howard indicted on three counts of forcible sodomy of a child. Howard was previously convicted of similar crimes in New Jersey under a different name.
Ohio: Pastor Robert Jones fails to appear at his trial for brandishing a gun at a drive-thru bank teller.
Ireland: Father Tony Walsh likely to have molested hundreds, according to a new report.
Britain: Vicar Dominic Stone convicted of possessing child porn.
Nevada: Pastor Joshua De Los Santos arrested for assaulting a member of a “competing” church for not being holy enough.
Tennessee: Pastor David Hoschar indicted for possessing child porn.

This Week’s Winner
Georgia: Bishop Eddie Long, who is already facing lawsuits from four young men who accuse him of sexual coercion, has been linked to a massive mortgage fraud operation being run from his church. According to CBS Atlanta, thousands may have lost their homes after paying $1500 during church seminars held by a company that promised to lower their house payments. CBS reports that the seminars are still being held.

SOURCE: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/12/this-week-in-holy-crimes_19.html

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Breaking News from ‘Citizens For Legitimate Government’

Officials: CIA gave waterboarders $5M legal shield: When the CIA decided to waterboard suspected terror detainees in overseas prisons, the agency turned to a pair of contractors. The men designed the CIA’s interrogation program and also personally took part in the waterboarding sessions. But to do the job, the CIA had to promise to cover at least $5 million in legal fees for them in case there was trouble down the road, former U.S. officials said. Turns out the mercenaries needed that secret agreement as taxpayers pay to defend the men in a federal investigation over an interrogation tactic the United States now says is torture.

Blackwater seeks dismissal of Iraq shooting suit : The security firm formerly known as Blackwater told a federal judge Thursday that the U.S. government – and not the company – should be held accountable for a 2007 shooting by its contractors that killed 17 Iraqis. The Moyock, N.C.-based company and several of its  mercenaries are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit that was filed on behalf of three people killed in the shooting – Ali Kinani, Abrahem Abed Al Mafraje and Mahde Sahab Naser Shamake.

Former Blackwater Bought by Investment Group: Security firm Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, bought by investment group from founder 17 Dec 2010 An investment group with ties to the founder of the company formerly known as Blackwater announced Friday that it has bought the security firm, which was heavily criticized for its mercenaries’ actions in Iraq. USTC Holdings said in a statement that the acquisition of the company now called Xe Services includes its training facility in North Carolina.

GOP Senator Calls Cops on 9/11 Responders : Republican senators were so worried about meeting with 9/11 responders who came to Washington today that at least one called the cops on them, the Daily News has learned. Even before the nine responders had a chance to start visiting senators’ offices – where they intended to stay until meeting with legislators – they were greeted by Capitol Police, who had been called by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.).

Mexican drone crashes in backyard of El Paso home: A Mexican drone crashed in El Paso’s Lower Valley, sparking a federal investigation and raising questions about why the aircraft was in U.S. airspace. Though the U.S. is known to use drones to patrol the border, this is thought to be the first time a Mexican drone has been reported operating at the border. The drone crashed Tuesday on Craddock Avenue, near the intersection with Yarbrough Drive.

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MORE STORIES

Call for widened ban after documents reveal export to American states of lethal injection cocktail

In a historic vote, the Senate overturns ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’

WikiLeaks cables lay bare US hostility to international criminal court: US embassy dispatches reveal American preoccupation with discerning court’s views on Iraq

US criticises court that may decide on Julian Assange extradition, WikiLeaks cables show: Leaked dispatches reveal diplomats’ disdain for Council of Europe’s stance against extraditions to US and secret renditions

REPUBLICANS SUPPORT CHILD RAPE: House Republicans Block Child Marriage Prevention Act:

REPUBLICANS SUPPORT CHILD RAPE: House Republicans Block Child Marriage Prevention Act:

“On Thursday, the House took up the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010. The bill would ensure that child marriage is recognized as a human rights violation, and develop comprehensive strategies to prevent such marriages around the world. The legislation seemed likely to garner strong bipartisan support in Congress, and in the Senate, it did. But last night, the bill was voted down in the House by Republicans who argued the bill is too costly and could lead to increased abortions — gripes the measure’s supporters say have no basis in reality and are just excuses to kill the popular bill.” …… “The prevalence of child marriage remains alarmingly high worldwide. As CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and supporting the child marriage prevention bill notes, “More than 60 million girls ages 17 and younger — many as young as 10 — are forced into marriage in developing countries. Many of these girls are married to men more than twice their age. Not only does this unacceptable practice thwart a girl’s education, it endangers her health and often locks her into a life of poverty.”

MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/house-republicans-block-child-marriage-prevention-act_n_798382.html

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