Apple sues over Tiger leak
Interesting stuff...
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
"Lightning" to tightly integrate calendar functionality into Thunderbird
Mike Shaver has announced the "Lightning" project
GREAT news for those of us who would like to shake our dependency on Outlook. Should see something sometime next year...
Mad props to John Donaghy for the link!
GREAT news for those of us who would like to shake our dependency on Outlook. Should see something sometime next year...
Mad props to John Donaghy for the link!
Monday, December 20, 2004
God designed women for homemaking...
OBJECTIVE: Creation Education: Creation Science Fair
Some highlights:
"Elementary School Level
Cassidy and her uncle, Steve
Cassidy Turnbull and her uncle, Steve, who is not a monkey according to Cassidy's research.
1st Place: "My Uncle Is A Man Named Steve (Not A Monkey)"
Cassidy Turnbull (grade 5) presented her uncle, Steve. She also showed photographs of monkeys and invited fairgoers to note the differences between her uncle and the monkeys. She tried to feed her uncle bananas, but he declined to eat them. Cassidy has conclusively shown that her uncle is no monkey."
"Middle School Level
Patricia Lewis
Patricia Lewis displays her jar of non-living material, still non-living after three weeks.
1st Place: "Life Doesn't Come From Non-Life"
Patricia Lewis (grade 8) did an experiment to see if life can evolve from non-life. Patricia placed all the non-living ingredients of life - carbon (a charcoal briquet), purified water, and assorted minerals (a multi-vitamin) - into a sealed glass jar. The jar was left undisturbed, being exposed only to sunlight, for three weeks. (Patricia also prayed to God not to do anything miraculous during the course of the experiment, so as not to disqualify the findings.) No life evolved. This shows that life cannot come from non-life through natural processes.
2nd Place: "Women Were Designed For Homemaking"
Jonathan Goode (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker."
Thanks to Garrett for passing this along...
Some highlights:
"Elementary School Level
Cassidy and her uncle, Steve
Cassidy Turnbull and her uncle, Steve, who is not a monkey according to Cassidy's research.
1st Place: "My Uncle Is A Man Named Steve (Not A Monkey)"
Cassidy Turnbull (grade 5) presented her uncle, Steve. She also showed photographs of monkeys and invited fairgoers to note the differences between her uncle and the monkeys. She tried to feed her uncle bananas, but he declined to eat them. Cassidy has conclusively shown that her uncle is no monkey."
"Middle School Level
Patricia Lewis
Patricia Lewis displays her jar of non-living material, still non-living after three weeks.
1st Place: "Life Doesn't Come From Non-Life"
Patricia Lewis (grade 8) did an experiment to see if life can evolve from non-life. Patricia placed all the non-living ingredients of life - carbon (a charcoal briquet), purified water, and assorted minerals (a multi-vitamin) - into a sealed glass jar. The jar was left undisturbed, being exposed only to sunlight, for three weeks. (Patricia also prayed to God not to do anything miraculous during the course of the experiment, so as not to disqualify the findings.) No life evolved. This shows that life cannot come from non-life through natural processes.
2nd Place: "Women Were Designed For Homemaking"
Jonathan Goode (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker."
Thanks to Garrett for passing this along...
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Are the troops upset with Sec. Rumsfeld?
Here is the whole thing as transcripted by the DoD.
There has been a lot of posturing about how the armoring question was staged and dishonest -- and that the troops are overall happy with Rumsfeld.
"Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary. My question is more logistical. We’ve had troops in Iraq for coming up on three years and we’ve always staged here out of Kuwait. Now why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromise ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles and why don’t we have those resources readily available to us? [Applause]"
Note the applause. I'm assuming this has been painted as staged as well.
"SEC. RUMSFELD: I missed the first part of your question. And could you repeat it for me?
Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary. Our soldiers have been fighting in Iraq for coming up on three years. A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We’re digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that’s already been shot up, dropped, busted, picking the best out of this scrap to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north.
SEC. RUMSFELD: I talked to the General coming out here about the pace at which the vehicles are being armored. They have been brought from all over the world, wherever they’re not needed, to a place here where they are needed. I’m told that they are being – the Army is – I think it’s something like 400 a month are being done. And it’s essentially a matter of physics. It isn’t a matter of money. It isn’t a matter on the part of the Army of desire. It’s a matter of production and capability of doing it."
... and then the rest of his reply which has been splashed all over the news cycle.
...
"Q: Yes, sir. Specialist Anderson, Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon. And my question is I was curious to know why I, as a single soldier, cannot enlist in the regular Army, but I can enlist in the National Guard and be deployed with a family care plan?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Your voice was dropping off on me and I’ve got an aviator’s ear.
Q: Yes, sir. I was wanting to know why I cannot enlist as a single parent in the regular Army, but I can enlist in the National Guard and be deployed?
SEC. RUMSFELD: I don’t have the vaguest idea. But by golly, we’re looking for folks in the Army. You ought to be able to enlist in the Army and I’ll try and figure out how in the world you ought to be able to do it. [Applause] We want people who want to serve and we’ve got ‘em and God bless you for it. Yes."
This question was really about pay and benefits. Why can't a single parent be in the Regular Army (where the pay and promotion are better and both health and long term benefits are so much better) but can be part of the NG and be deployed even though I qualify for the family care plan (a program in the NG that allows single parents to receive special consideration before being deployed).
Notice there was no understanding or action promised here. Just a "dunno, that sounds stupid" pass...
next question
"Q: Mr. Secretary, Specialist McKobiak (sp), 116th Calvary Brigade. My question is what is the Department of Defense, more specifically, the Army side of the house, doing to address shortages and antiquated equipment that National Guard soldiers, such as the 116th Calvary Brigade and the 278th ACR are going to roll into Iraq with?
SEC. RUMSFELD: The – now settle down. Settle down. [Laughter] Hell, I’m an old man and it’s early in the morning. I didn’t take – just gathering my thoughts here. In any organization you’re going to have equipment and materials and spare parts of different ages. And I am told – and no way I can prove it, but I’m told – that the Army is breaking its neck to see that there is not a differentiation as to who gets what aged materials in the military, in the Army, as between the active force, the Guard and the Reserve. I’m told that they are, instead, trying to see that the equipment goes to those that are in the most need and who are most likely to be using it - the equipment. And that varies among the Guard and Reserve and the active force. So any organization, any element of the Army is going to end up, at some point, with – you characterize it as “antiquated.” I would say the older equipment, whatever it may be, in any category. Somebody is always going to be at that level as things are constantly replaced. And things are being constantly replaced. I mean, I believe them when they tell me that they have made a major effort to see that they’re dealing equitably as between the forces and seeing that the ones who are likely to be going into combat and have the greatest needs are the ones that have the best equipment. Yes, sir."
Doesn't sound like a happy trooper to me.
"Q: Chaplain Malone (sp), the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion. Mr. Secretary, my job is to support the spiritual fitness of the soldiers that you see in the room today. I am also here to support the morale of these soldiers. And the soldiers that you see here today have asked me to ask you this question on their behalf. Would you be kind enough, sir, to put us on your aircraft today and take us to Disneyland? [Cheers]
SEC. RUMSFELD: [Laughter] Oh, Chaplain, you did it. [Laughter] You asked it, you knocked it right out of the park and the answer is sorry. [Laughter] We’ve got more important things for you to do [Laughter] and we appreciate it. We’ve got time for a couple more questions right here."
Um... this sounds like a plea for help. WE DON"T WANT TO DIE -- WE WANT TO FLY BACK TO DISNEYLAND WHERE YOU LIVE AND WORK...
"Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary, Specialist McCullough (sp), Alpha Company 1st of the 112th Infantry. There’s a lot of soldiers here from Western Pennsylvania and we were wondering if we were going to be given the opportunity to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl this year? [Cheers] [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: I can’t answer the question about outcomes [Laughter], but General, they’re going to have access to the…
GEN. WHITCOMB: Absolutely, sir.
SEC. RUMSFELD: Yes, you’ll have access to the television, but you’re going to have to figure out a way to encourage that to happen. [Laughter] Yes."
This was an easy one Don, and you had to turn and get fact checked. At least ACT like you call the shots.
"Q: Mr. Secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Kronolog (sp). I’m the Inspector General for the 116th Brigade Combat team. We’re helping – or trying to help about 150 soldiers get their contingency travel pay. We’ve gone through the chain of command; we’ve tried IG channels. These soldiers have gone – some since July – without getting travel pay. Thousands of dollars, they’re having creditors call them at home, call their spouses at home, threatening collection action. We have a big problem. There seems to be a problem with the Defense Finance Accounting Service. Can you help us to understand that problem, Mr. Secretary or even better, can you point us to a resource that will help us get these soldiers paid? [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: Can someone here get the details of the unit he’s talking about? That’s just not right. Folks have earned money and are due money, ought to be able to get the money and they ought not to have to put their families under stress while they’re waiting for the money. Thank you. [Applause] We’ll take a note and see what we can do. Yes, sir."
Another unhappy trooper.
"Q: Specialist Skarwin (Sp?) HHD 42nd Engineer Brigade. Mr. Secretary [Cheers] my question is with the current mission of the National Guard and Reserves being the same as our active duty counterparts, when are more of our benefits going to line up to the same as theirs, for example, retirement? [Cheers] [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: [Laughter] I can’t imagine anyone your age worrying about retirement. [Laughter] Good grief. It’s the last thing I want to do is retire. The pay and benefits for the Guard and the Reserve relative to the active force have been going up unevenly at a rate faster than the active force. If you go back over four years – matter of fact, I just went over this with the senior person in the department who looks at pay and benefits. And apparently, what’s happened is that for a variety of reasons, the incremental changes that are made each year, in terms of pay and benefits and health care and retirement and what have you, have brought the Guard and Reserve up at a faster level than the active force. And what one has to do in managing the total force and the total force is critically important. We need the Guard and Reserve as well as the active force. And we have to see that we have the incentives arranged in a way that we can attract and retain the people that are needed to defend the country. At the moment, we are doing well in terms of attracting and retaining the people we need. And if anything, I think the data suggests that the Guard and Reserve forces had been advantaged relatively compared to the active force over the past four years. Question."
I wouldn't be too worried about your retirement at your age and given your current occupation. You'll be in a war zone for the next 8 years of your contract son.
So far I've only skipped one question. These troops are scared, and many are already focusing their anger on the chain of command. This is not a group that is being demoralized by the media, they are fighting under a demoralizing command.
And here is the final blow:
"Q: Good morning, sir. Staff Sergeant Latazinsky (sp), 1st COSCOM (sp), Fort Bragg, [Cheers] North Carolina. Yes, sir. My husband and myself, we both joined a volunteer Army. Currently, I’m serving under the Stop Loss Program. I would like to know how much longer do you foresee the military using this program?
SEC. RUMSFELD: The Stop Loss has been used by the military for years and years and years. It’s all well understood when someone volunteers to join the service. It is something that you prefer not to have to use, obviously, in a perfect world. But if you think about it, the whole principle of stop loss is based on unit cohesion. And the principle is that in the event that there is something that requires a unit to be involved and people are in a personal situation where their time was ending, they put a stop loss on it, so that the cohesion can be maintained. It’s basically a sound principle. It’s nothing new. It’s been well understood. It’s been used as little as possible. And my guess is that it will continue to be used as little as possible, but that it will continue to be used."
Tranlated: "Hey -- you understood what you were getting into, deal with it. My guess is that..."
Your best hope, Staff Sergeant Latazinsky is a guess that you're SOL.
Here is the whole thing as transcripted by the DoD.
There has been a lot of posturing about how the armoring question was staged and dishonest -- and that the troops are overall happy with Rumsfeld.
"Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary. My question is more logistical. We’ve had troops in Iraq for coming up on three years and we’ve always staged here out of Kuwait. Now why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromise ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles and why don’t we have those resources readily available to us? [Applause]"
Note the applause. I'm assuming this has been painted as staged as well.
"SEC. RUMSFELD: I missed the first part of your question. And could you repeat it for me?
Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary. Our soldiers have been fighting in Iraq for coming up on three years. A lot of us are getting ready to move north relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We’re digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that’s already been shot up, dropped, busted, picking the best out of this scrap to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north.
SEC. RUMSFELD: I talked to the General coming out here about the pace at which the vehicles are being armored. They have been brought from all over the world, wherever they’re not needed, to a place here where they are needed. I’m told that they are being – the Army is – I think it’s something like 400 a month are being done. And it’s essentially a matter of physics. It isn’t a matter of money. It isn’t a matter on the part of the Army of desire. It’s a matter of production and capability of doing it."
... and then the rest of his reply which has been splashed all over the news cycle.
...
"Q: Yes, sir. Specialist Anderson, Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon. And my question is I was curious to know why I, as a single soldier, cannot enlist in the regular Army, but I can enlist in the National Guard and be deployed with a family care plan?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Your voice was dropping off on me and I’ve got an aviator’s ear.
Q: Yes, sir. I was wanting to know why I cannot enlist as a single parent in the regular Army, but I can enlist in the National Guard and be deployed?
SEC. RUMSFELD: I don’t have the vaguest idea. But by golly, we’re looking for folks in the Army. You ought to be able to enlist in the Army and I’ll try and figure out how in the world you ought to be able to do it. [Applause] We want people who want to serve and we’ve got ‘em and God bless you for it. Yes."
This question was really about pay and benefits. Why can't a single parent be in the Regular Army (where the pay and promotion are better and both health and long term benefits are so much better) but can be part of the NG and be deployed even though I qualify for the family care plan (a program in the NG that allows single parents to receive special consideration before being deployed).
Notice there was no understanding or action promised here. Just a "dunno, that sounds stupid" pass...
next question
"Q: Mr. Secretary, Specialist McKobiak (sp), 116th Calvary Brigade. My question is what is the Department of Defense, more specifically, the Army side of the house, doing to address shortages and antiquated equipment that National Guard soldiers, such as the 116th Calvary Brigade and the 278th ACR are going to roll into Iraq with?
SEC. RUMSFELD: The – now settle down. Settle down. [Laughter] Hell, I’m an old man and it’s early in the morning. I didn’t take – just gathering my thoughts here. In any organization you’re going to have equipment and materials and spare parts of different ages. And I am told – and no way I can prove it, but I’m told – that the Army is breaking its neck to see that there is not a differentiation as to who gets what aged materials in the military, in the Army, as between the active force, the Guard and the Reserve. I’m told that they are, instead, trying to see that the equipment goes to those that are in the most need and who are most likely to be using it - the equipment. And that varies among the Guard and Reserve and the active force. So any organization, any element of the Army is going to end up, at some point, with – you characterize it as “antiquated.” I would say the older equipment, whatever it may be, in any category. Somebody is always going to be at that level as things are constantly replaced. And things are being constantly replaced. I mean, I believe them when they tell me that they have made a major effort to see that they’re dealing equitably as between the forces and seeing that the ones who are likely to be going into combat and have the greatest needs are the ones that have the best equipment. Yes, sir."
Doesn't sound like a happy trooper to me.
"Q: Chaplain Malone (sp), the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion. Mr. Secretary, my job is to support the spiritual fitness of the soldiers that you see in the room today. I am also here to support the morale of these soldiers. And the soldiers that you see here today have asked me to ask you this question on their behalf. Would you be kind enough, sir, to put us on your aircraft today and take us to Disneyland? [Cheers]
SEC. RUMSFELD: [Laughter] Oh, Chaplain, you did it. [Laughter] You asked it, you knocked it right out of the park and the answer is sorry. [Laughter] We’ve got more important things for you to do [Laughter] and we appreciate it. We’ve got time for a couple more questions right here."
Um... this sounds like a plea for help. WE DON"T WANT TO DIE -- WE WANT TO FLY BACK TO DISNEYLAND WHERE YOU LIVE AND WORK...
"Q: Yes, Mr. Secretary, Specialist McCullough (sp), Alpha Company 1st of the 112th Infantry. There’s a lot of soldiers here from Western Pennsylvania and we were wondering if we were going to be given the opportunity to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl this year? [Cheers] [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: I can’t answer the question about outcomes [Laughter], but General, they’re going to have access to the…
GEN. WHITCOMB: Absolutely, sir.
SEC. RUMSFELD: Yes, you’ll have access to the television, but you’re going to have to figure out a way to encourage that to happen. [Laughter] Yes."
This was an easy one Don, and you had to turn and get fact checked. At least ACT like you call the shots.
"Q: Mr. Secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Kronolog (sp). I’m the Inspector General for the 116th Brigade Combat team. We’re helping – or trying to help about 150 soldiers get their contingency travel pay. We’ve gone through the chain of command; we’ve tried IG channels. These soldiers have gone – some since July – without getting travel pay. Thousands of dollars, they’re having creditors call them at home, call their spouses at home, threatening collection action. We have a big problem. There seems to be a problem with the Defense Finance Accounting Service. Can you help us to understand that problem, Mr. Secretary or even better, can you point us to a resource that will help us get these soldiers paid? [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: Can someone here get the details of the unit he’s talking about? That’s just not right. Folks have earned money and are due money, ought to be able to get the money and they ought not to have to put their families under stress while they’re waiting for the money. Thank you. [Applause] We’ll take a note and see what we can do. Yes, sir."
Another unhappy trooper.
"Q: Specialist Skarwin (Sp?) HHD 42nd Engineer Brigade. Mr. Secretary [Cheers] my question is with the current mission of the National Guard and Reserves being the same as our active duty counterparts, when are more of our benefits going to line up to the same as theirs, for example, retirement? [Cheers] [Applause]
SEC. RUMSFELD: [Laughter] I can’t imagine anyone your age worrying about retirement. [Laughter] Good grief. It’s the last thing I want to do is retire. The pay and benefits for the Guard and the Reserve relative to the active force have been going up unevenly at a rate faster than the active force. If you go back over four years – matter of fact, I just went over this with the senior person in the department who looks at pay and benefits. And apparently, what’s happened is that for a variety of reasons, the incremental changes that are made each year, in terms of pay and benefits and health care and retirement and what have you, have brought the Guard and Reserve up at a faster level than the active force. And what one has to do in managing the total force and the total force is critically important. We need the Guard and Reserve as well as the active force. And we have to see that we have the incentives arranged in a way that we can attract and retain the people that are needed to defend the country. At the moment, we are doing well in terms of attracting and retaining the people we need. And if anything, I think the data suggests that the Guard and Reserve forces had been advantaged relatively compared to the active force over the past four years. Question."
I wouldn't be too worried about your retirement at your age and given your current occupation. You'll be in a war zone for the next 8 years of your contract son.
So far I've only skipped one question. These troops are scared, and many are already focusing their anger on the chain of command. This is not a group that is being demoralized by the media, they are fighting under a demoralizing command.
And here is the final blow:
"Q: Good morning, sir. Staff Sergeant Latazinsky (sp), 1st COSCOM (sp), Fort Bragg, [Cheers] North Carolina. Yes, sir. My husband and myself, we both joined a volunteer Army. Currently, I’m serving under the Stop Loss Program. I would like to know how much longer do you foresee the military using this program?
SEC. RUMSFELD: The Stop Loss has been used by the military for years and years and years. It’s all well understood when someone volunteers to join the service. It is something that you prefer not to have to use, obviously, in a perfect world. But if you think about it, the whole principle of stop loss is based on unit cohesion. And the principle is that in the event that there is something that requires a unit to be involved and people are in a personal situation where their time was ending, they put a stop loss on it, so that the cohesion can be maintained. It’s basically a sound principle. It’s nothing new. It’s been well understood. It’s been used as little as possible. And my guess is that it will continue to be used as little as possible, but that it will continue to be used."
Tranlated: "Hey -- you understood what you were getting into, deal with it. My guess is that..."
Your best hope, Staff Sergeant Latazinsky is a guess that you're SOL.
SOCIAL SECURITY NOT IN CRISIS?...[Washtington Monthly]
"Imagine that. Social Security might not be in crisis after all. May this meme spread joyously across the land...."
link thru to LA Times article
"Imagine that. Social Security might not be in crisis after all. May this meme spread joyously across the land...."
link thru to LA Times article
Bush Hatred, Redux
Exactly. I think the same applies largely to the DNC as well.
"And maybe that's the bottom line. I think today's Republican Party, and its leader, are built on a foundation of fundamental dishonesty about who they are, what they want, and where they are taking the country. As a Christian, I will endeavor not to hate them for that. As an American, I will endeavor to respect those who voted for Bush, because after all, they have as much right to the franchise as I do. But until they demonstrate the ability to walk, or perhaps I should say swagger, in a straight line, I will continue to hold the president, his advisors, and his allies in Congress in minimum high regard. That did not change on November 3."
Exactly. I think the same applies largely to the DNC as well.
"And maybe that's the bottom line. I think today's Republican Party, and its leader, are built on a foundation of fundamental dishonesty about who they are, what they want, and where they are taking the country. As a Christian, I will endeavor not to hate them for that. As an American, I will endeavor to respect those who voted for Bush, because after all, they have as much right to the franchise as I do. But until they demonstrate the ability to walk, or perhaps I should say swagger, in a straight line, I will continue to hold the president, his advisors, and his allies in Congress in minimum high regard. That did not change on November 3."
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Disgruntled Troops Complain to Rumsfeld:
This is the response of a man who has never worn a uniform:
"'You go to war with the Army you have,' he said in a rare public airing of rank-and-file concerns among the troops."
...
"Rumsfeld replied that troops should make the best of the conditions they face and said the Army was pushing manufacturers of vehicle armor to produce it as fast as humanly possible."
...
"And, the defense chief added, armor is not always a savior in the kind of combat U.S. troops face in Iraq, where the insurgents' weapon of choice is the roadside bomb, or improvised explosive device that has killed and maimed hundreds, if not thousands, of American troops since the summer of 2003.
"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up," Rumsfeld said."
This is the response of a man who has never worn a uniform:
"'You go to war with the Army you have,' he said in a rare public airing of rank-and-file concerns among the troops."
...
"Rumsfeld replied that troops should make the best of the conditions they face and said the Army was pushing manufacturers of vehicle armor to produce it as fast as humanly possible."
...
"And, the defense chief added, armor is not always a savior in the kind of combat U.S. troops face in Iraq, where the insurgents' weapon of choice is the roadside bomb, or improvised explosive device that has killed and maimed hundreds, if not thousands, of American troops since the summer of 2003.
"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up," Rumsfeld said."
Project for the New American Century - Wikipedia
Required reading. If you don't know who the PNAC is - you know their most prominent members.
Required reading. If you don't know who the PNAC is - you know their most prominent members.
MyDD :: Inventing Reform:
"Make no mistake. The huge budget deficits that are repeatedly run up by conservative administrations are not just attempts to 'starve the beast' and force massive cuts in the social safety net. They are equally attempts to position the conservative agenda as a reformist agenda to the status quo. If they can convince a majority of the population people that the budget shortfall is caused by Social Security rather than by tax cuts they will succeed. Without the reformers, the Republicans would be out of power. Thus, even in power, they need to invent ways to make certain that they can keep this crucial voting block in their coalition. A fake Social Security crisis is one such invention. "
"Make no mistake. The huge budget deficits that are repeatedly run up by conservative administrations are not just attempts to 'starve the beast' and force massive cuts in the social safety net. They are equally attempts to position the conservative agenda as a reformist agenda to the status quo. If they can convince a majority of the population people that the budget shortfall is caused by Social Security rather than by tax cuts they will succeed. Without the reformers, the Republicans would be out of power. Thus, even in power, they need to invent ways to make certain that they can keep this crucial voting block in their coalition. A fake Social Security crisis is one such invention. "
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Conservatives use oil-for-food to hammer U.N.
The price of containment through sanctions? Look the other way when key Allies are part of the corruption. Of course, blame the UN for the poor oversight... and probably the previous administration. Those who control the past...
From the article:
"The Washington Post reported on November 13 that Edward Mortimer, communications director for the U.N. Secretary-General's office, claimed that the 661 Committee chose to approve 70 separate contracts beginning in late 2001 that were 'potentially overpriced':
Over the next 18 months [after 'the Greek captain of the oil tanker Essex admitted conspiring with Iraq to smuggle $10 million worth of crude oil' in October 2001], U.N. officials presented the sanctions committee with 70 contracts that were potentially overpriced, Mortimer said. But 'nobody placed a single contract on hold,' he said -- including the United States and Britain, Baghdad's toughest critics on the Security Council."
....
"FOX News host Bill O'Reilly expressed outrage on the December 6 edition of The O'Reilly Factor that "the U.N. oil-for-food program degenerated into a criminal enterprise, feeding Saddam more than $20 billion in illegal revenue." On the December 3 edition of the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show, radio host Limbaugh put the figure at "$22.3 billion at last count." In fact, the amount is, at most, one-fourth of what O'Reilly and Limbaugh claimed. And Saddam obtained a much larger portion of the illicit revenue he used to prop up his regime through oil smuggling outside U.N. auspices.
The GAO report estimated that of the $10.1 billion in illegal oil revenues, only $4.4 billion came from "surcharges against oil sales and illicit commissions from commodity suppliers," i.e., kickbacks, compared to $5.7 billion from oil smuggling that was outside of U.N. control.
The Central Intelligence Agency's Duelfer report similarly estimated that of the nearly $11 billion in illicit income that Saddam obtained from August 1990 until March 2003, only $1.5 billion, or 16 percent, came through oil-for-food [Volume 1, PDF p. 158]. According to the U.N. Office of the Iraq Program (OIP), sales of oil under oil-for-food generated $65 billion in revenue."
....
"Former assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Robert Pelletreau spoke more bluntly about the U.S. position on Iraqi oil smuggling to Turkey in an the December 2004 Harper's Magazine article by Joy Gordon. Gordon wrote: "Turkey, like Jordan, complained that that the sanctions were harming its economy. And Turkey, like Jordan, was a crucial ally the United States needed to appease. The result was a decision by the United States 'to close our eyes to leakage via Turkey,' according to ... Pelletreau."
The price of containment through sanctions? Look the other way when key Allies are part of the corruption. Of course, blame the UN for the poor oversight... and probably the previous administration. Those who control the past...
From the article:
"The Washington Post reported on November 13 that Edward Mortimer, communications director for the U.N. Secretary-General's office, claimed that the 661 Committee chose to approve 70 separate contracts beginning in late 2001 that were 'potentially overpriced':
Over the next 18 months [after 'the Greek captain of the oil tanker Essex admitted conspiring with Iraq to smuggle $10 million worth of crude oil' in October 2001], U.N. officials presented the sanctions committee with 70 contracts that were potentially overpriced, Mortimer said. But 'nobody placed a single contract on hold,' he said -- including the United States and Britain, Baghdad's toughest critics on the Security Council."
....
"FOX News host Bill O'Reilly expressed outrage on the December 6 edition of The O'Reilly Factor that "the U.N. oil-for-food program degenerated into a criminal enterprise, feeding Saddam more than $20 billion in illegal revenue." On the December 3 edition of the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show, radio host Limbaugh put the figure at "$22.3 billion at last count." In fact, the amount is, at most, one-fourth of what O'Reilly and Limbaugh claimed. And Saddam obtained a much larger portion of the illicit revenue he used to prop up his regime through oil smuggling outside U.N. auspices.
The GAO report estimated that of the $10.1 billion in illegal oil revenues, only $4.4 billion came from "surcharges against oil sales and illicit commissions from commodity suppliers," i.e., kickbacks, compared to $5.7 billion from oil smuggling that was outside of U.N. control.
The Central Intelligence Agency's Duelfer report similarly estimated that of the nearly $11 billion in illicit income that Saddam obtained from August 1990 until March 2003, only $1.5 billion, or 16 percent, came through oil-for-food [Volume 1, PDF p. 158]. According to the U.N. Office of the Iraq Program (OIP), sales of oil under oil-for-food generated $65 billion in revenue."
....
"Former assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Robert Pelletreau spoke more bluntly about the U.S. position on Iraqi oil smuggling to Turkey in an the December 2004 Harper's Magazine article by Joy Gordon. Gordon wrote: "Turkey, like Jordan, complained that that the sanctions were harming its economy. And Turkey, like Jordan, was a crucial ally the United States needed to appease. The result was a decision by the United States 'to close our eyes to leakage via Turkey,' according to ... Pelletreau."
Friday, November 26, 2004
SCAPEGOAT
We had a lovely feast yesterday. My fabulous wife made an amazing dinner, all the classics done to perfection. We were joined by some friends who added their own wondrous contributions – we ate, drank and were merry. Talked late into the evening… it was truly a blessing and …
Why do I feel so, so sad today?
Manic depressive? Bi-Polar? Qi imbalance?
No. I feel guilty. Undeserving. But not the usual level… my heart physically aches.
As I hit the political blogs I’ve followed and shared my emotional roller coaster with… trying to find someone to … blame… just remove this hole from my chest…
It’s Iraq. It’s the next 7 Marines that will die defending my right to enjoy a day like yesterday.
It’s Tom DeLay. It’s the next billion dollars that gets spent by the media trashing/sanctifying this jerk.
It’s Donald Rumsfeld. It’s the victory of the DOD over the CIA, and the cementing of “groupthink” within the Government.
It’s Republican. It’s my Blue State with a Red Governor by 42 votes.
It’s Condi. and “the way you’re given knowledge slow with thought control and subtle hints
It's rubbing it, itching it, It's applying cream
It's the foreigners sight seeing with high beams, It's in my dreams
It's the monsters that I conjure, It's the marijuana
It's the embarrassment, displacement, It's where I wander
It's my genre, It's Madonna's videos
It's game shows, its cheap liquor, blunts, its bumper stickers with rainbows
It's angels, demons, gods, it's the white devils
It's the monitor, the soundman, it's the motherfucking mic levels
It's gas fumes, fast food, Tommy Hil, mommy's pill
Columbia House music club, designer drugs and rhyming thugs
It's bloods, cripts, fives, six,
It's stick up kids, It's christian conservative terrorists, it's porno
flicks
It's the east coast, no it's the west coast
It's public schools, it's asbestos
It's mentholated, It's techno
It's sleep, life, and death
It's speed, coke, and meth
It's hay fever, pain relievers, oral sex, and smokers breath
It stretches for as far as the eye can see
It's reality, fuck it , it's everything but me
”*
*Sean (Say My Name) Daley
So. It’s everything but me. I’m guessing not.
What do I need to change my mind about?
We had a lovely feast yesterday. My fabulous wife made an amazing dinner, all the classics done to perfection. We were joined by some friends who added their own wondrous contributions – we ate, drank and were merry. Talked late into the evening… it was truly a blessing and …
Why do I feel so, so sad today?
Manic depressive? Bi-Polar? Qi imbalance?
No. I feel guilty. Undeserving. But not the usual level… my heart physically aches.
As I hit the political blogs I’ve followed and shared my emotional roller coaster with… trying to find someone to … blame… just remove this hole from my chest…
It’s Iraq. It’s the next 7 Marines that will die defending my right to enjoy a day like yesterday.
It’s Tom DeLay. It’s the next billion dollars that gets spent by the media trashing/sanctifying this jerk.
It’s Donald Rumsfeld. It’s the victory of the DOD over the CIA, and the cementing of “groupthink” within the Government.
It’s Republican. It’s my Blue State with a Red Governor by 42 votes.
It’s Condi. and “the way you’re given knowledge slow with thought control and subtle hints
It's rubbing it, itching it, It's applying cream
It's the foreigners sight seeing with high beams, It's in my dreams
It's the monsters that I conjure, It's the marijuana
It's the embarrassment, displacement, It's where I wander
It's my genre, It's Madonna's videos
It's game shows, its cheap liquor, blunts, its bumper stickers with rainbows
It's angels, demons, gods, it's the white devils
It's the monitor, the soundman, it's the motherfucking mic levels
It's gas fumes, fast food, Tommy Hil, mommy's pill
Columbia House music club, designer drugs and rhyming thugs
It's bloods, cripts, fives, six,
It's stick up kids, It's christian conservative terrorists, it's porno
flicks
It's the east coast, no it's the west coast
It's public schools, it's asbestos
It's mentholated, It's techno
It's sleep, life, and death
It's speed, coke, and meth
It's hay fever, pain relievers, oral sex, and smokers breath
It stretches for as far as the eye can see
It's reality, fuck it , it's everything but me
”*
*Sean (Say My Name) Daley
So. It’s everything but me. I’m guessing not.
What do I need to change my mind about?
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Baghdad's spiralling transport costs: "A 15-mile stretch between Baghdad airport and the city centre is said to be the world's most expensive taxi ride."
That's $5,108 a ride for us yanks.
That's $5,108 a ride for us yanks.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Small comforts
Not to worry. With the Blue States in hand, the Democrats have firm control of 80% of the world's fresh water, over 90% of our pineapple and lettuce, 93% of the artichoke production, 95% of America's export quality wines, 90% of all cheese production, most of the US low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Stanford, CalTech and MIT. We can live simply but well.
The Red States, on the other hand, now have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care cost spike), 92% of all US mosquitoes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, 100% of all Televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
A high price to pay for controlling the presidency.
(From a HippoCampus email, thanks Caroline)
Not to worry. With the Blue States in hand, the Democrats have firm control of 80% of the world's fresh water, over 90% of our pineapple and lettuce, 93% of the artichoke production, 95% of America's export quality wines, 90% of all cheese production, most of the US low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Stanford, CalTech and MIT. We can live simply but well.
The Red States, on the other hand, now have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care cost spike), 92% of all US mosquitoes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, 100% of all Televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
A high price to pay for controlling the presidency.
(From a HippoCampus email, thanks Caroline)
Monday, November 22, 2004
God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America 'You are too arrogant!'
From William Gibson's Blog:
'I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today ...to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. Don't let anyone make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force, to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America 'You are too arrogant! If you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power! And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I am God.''
-- Martin Luther King, 4 April 1967
A subsequent post reveals:
"After doublechecking the dates, Jack Womack points out that "That extremely prescient King quote (regarding Vietnam, I assume) was made one year to the day he was assassinated."
From William Gibson's Blog:
'I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today ...to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. Don't let anyone make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force, to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America 'You are too arrogant! If you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power! And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I am God.''
-- Martin Luther King, 4 April 1967
A subsequent post reveals:
"After doublechecking the dates, Jack Womack points out that "That extremely prescient King quote (regarding Vietnam, I assume) was made one year to the day he was assassinated."
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
It's 9:43 am, November 3, 2004. Do you know where your country is?
First talking point:
Moral values boost President Bush AP writer CONNIE CASS states: "Moral values - heavily emphasized by the president - edged terrorism and the economy as the top issue." ... "Bush carried white men, voters with family income over $50,000 and weekly churchgoers. Three-fourths of white voters who described themselves as born-again Christians or evangelicals supported Bush. Those white evangelicals - a crucial voting block for the president - represented about a fifth of all voters. Their top issue was moral values."
No mention as to what moral values, apparently war, deceit and bigotry aren't part of the watchlist.
First talking point:
Moral values boost President Bush AP writer CONNIE CASS states: "Moral values - heavily emphasized by the president - edged terrorism and the economy as the top issue." ... "Bush carried white men, voters with family income over $50,000 and weekly churchgoers. Three-fourths of white voters who described themselves as born-again Christians or evangelicals supported Bush. Those white evangelicals - a crucial voting block for the president - represented about a fifth of all voters. Their top issue was moral values."
No mention as to what moral values, apparently war, deceit and bigotry aren't part of the watchlist.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
(Twas the Eve of Election: a bad parody of Night Before Christmas)
By John Koziol
‘Twas the eve of election
and await in their houses
were sisters and brothers,
and nail-biting spouses.
TVs were tuned in to CNN and Fox,
Some had just radios; no idiot box.
As old Sol vanished below western mounts,
pundits spoke knowingly of irregular counts.
Most voters scoffed and awaited real tallies
Some stayed home private; some went to rallies.
Six o’clock, seven, and eight PM came,
Vote counts were even, both men had the same!
From Florida, from Georgia, Ohio, and Maine
The election was deadlocked (this is insane!)
Lawyers descended like locusts on grass
To argue with vigor what should fail and pass.
At 1 AM Eastern, Alaska checked in
The newsanchors looked up and said, with a grin,
“It’s 269-269, the elections a tie!”
“attorneys are filing for this and that guy”
The public was stunned as they witnessed the mess;
would courts or the House the election address?
The story I’ve told you is naught but a fable;
all votes do count, so vote if you’re able!
Let’s pause for thought, and hope and pray
that we all know who won by the end of the day.
By John Koziol
‘Twas the eve of election
and await in their houses
were sisters and brothers,
and nail-biting spouses.
TVs were tuned in to CNN and Fox,
Some had just radios; no idiot box.
As old Sol vanished below western mounts,
pundits spoke knowingly of irregular counts.
Most voters scoffed and awaited real tallies
Some stayed home private; some went to rallies.
Six o’clock, seven, and eight PM came,
Vote counts were even, both men had the same!
From Florida, from Georgia, Ohio, and Maine
The election was deadlocked (this is insane!)
Lawyers descended like locusts on grass
To argue with vigor what should fail and pass.
At 1 AM Eastern, Alaska checked in
The newsanchors looked up and said, with a grin,
“It’s 269-269, the elections a tie!”
“attorneys are filing for this and that guy”
The public was stunned as they witnessed the mess;
would courts or the House the election address?
The story I’ve told you is naught but a fable;
all votes do count, so vote if you’re able!
Let’s pause for thought, and hope and pray
that we all know who won by the end of the day.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
ASNE
The American Society of Newspaper Editors is a membership organization for daily newspaper editors, people who serve the editorial needs of daily newspapers and certain distinguished individuals who have worked on behalf of editors through the years
The American Society of Newspaper Editors is a membership organization for daily newspaper editors, people who serve the editorial needs of daily newspapers and certain distinguished individuals who have worked on behalf of editors through the years
Friday, October 22, 2004
Election Law
Good site to watch if all hell breaks loose on Nov 2 and the results spend the next 3-4 months in court.
Good site to watch if all hell breaks loose on Nov 2 and the results spend the next 3-4 months in court.
Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Biography
Interesting Blog... seems fairly centered from initial reading... but he predicts a Bush win here.
PROF. THOMAS P.M. BARNETT
Senior Strategic Researcher
Warfare Analysis & Research Department
Center for Naval Warfare Studies
U.S. Naval War College
Newport RI
barnettt@nwc.navy.mil
DR. THOMAS P.M. BARNETT
Sole Proprietor
Barnett Consulting
Portsmouth RI
tom@thomaspmbarnett.com
Thomas P.M. Barnett is a strategic planner who has worked in national security affairs since the end of the Cold War and has operated his own consulting practice (Barnett Consulting) since 1998. A New York Times-bestselling author and a nationally-known public speaker who's been profiled on the front-page of the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Barnett is in high demand within government circles as a forecaster of global conflict and an expert of military transformation, as well as within corporate circles as a management consultant and conference presenter on issues relating to international security and economic globalization. An award-winning teacher, Prof. Barnett has written for Esquire and the Washington Post, and has been interviewed in Rolling Stone. Having appeared on numerous national TV shows since 9/11, Tom Barnett has been described by U.S. News & World Report's Michael Barone as "one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time."
Interesting Blog... seems fairly centered from initial reading... but he predicts a Bush win here.
PROF. THOMAS P.M. BARNETT
Senior Strategic Researcher
Warfare Analysis & Research Department
Center for Naval Warfare Studies
U.S. Naval War College
Newport RI
barnettt@nwc.navy.mil
DR. THOMAS P.M. BARNETT
Sole Proprietor
Barnett Consulting
Portsmouth RI
tom@thomaspmbarnett.com
Thomas P.M. Barnett is a strategic planner who has worked in national security affairs since the end of the Cold War and has operated his own consulting practice (Barnett Consulting) since 1998. A New York Times-bestselling author and a nationally-known public speaker who's been profiled on the front-page of the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Barnett is in high demand within government circles as a forecaster of global conflict and an expert of military transformation, as well as within corporate circles as a management consultant and conference presenter on issues relating to international security and economic globalization. An award-winning teacher, Prof. Barnett has written for Esquire and the Washington Post, and has been interviewed in Rolling Stone. Having appeared on numerous national TV shows since 9/11, Tom Barnett has been described by U.S. News & World Report's Michael Barone as "one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time."
Thursday, October 21, 2004
DeLay PAC Contributions, By State
Just in case you weren't sure where some of your more popular Republican candidates were getting money...
Just in case you weren't sure where some of your more popular Republican candidates were getting money...
MSNBC - Avoiding attacking suspected terrorist mastermind
"...NBC News has learned that long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger...
People were more obsessed with developing the coalition to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president’s policy of preemption against terrorists,” according to terrorism expert and former National Security Council member Roger Cressey."
"...NBC News has learned that long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger...
People were more obsessed with developing the coalition to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president’s policy of preemption against terrorists,” according to terrorism expert and former National Security Council member Roger Cressey."
Would someone please explain this to me?
Bush Supporters Still Believe Iraq Had WMD or Major Program, Supported al Qaeda
Even after the final report of Charles Duelfer to Congress saying that Iraq did not have a significant WMD program, 72% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had actual WMD (47%) or a major program for developing them (25%). Fifty-six percent assume that most experts believe Iraq had actual WMD and 57% also assume, incorrectly, that Duelfer concluded Iraq had at least a major WMD program. Kerry supporters hold opposite beliefs on all these points.
Similarly, 75% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, and 63% believe that clear evidence of this support has been found. Sixty percent of Bush supporters assume that this is also the conclusion of most experts, and 55% assume, incorrectly, that this was the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Here again, large majorities of Kerry supporters have exactly opposite perceptions.
Bush Supporters Still Believe Iraq Had WMD or Major Program, Supported al Qaeda
Even after the final report of Charles Duelfer to Congress saying that Iraq did not have a significant WMD program, 72% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had actual WMD (47%) or a major program for developing them (25%). Fifty-six percent assume that most experts believe Iraq had actual WMD and 57% also assume, incorrectly, that Duelfer concluded Iraq had at least a major WMD program. Kerry supporters hold opposite beliefs on all these points.
Similarly, 75% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, and 63% believe that clear evidence of this support has been found. Sixty percent of Bush supporters assume that this is also the conclusion of most experts, and 55% assume, incorrectly, that this was the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Here again, large majorities of Kerry supporters have exactly opposite perceptions.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Double Standard: Keyes v Kerry re: Mary Cheney:
'Alan Keyes condemned homosexuality as "selfish hedonism" in a satellite-radio interview during the Republican national convention. Asked if Mary Cheney was also 'a selfish hedonist', Keyes replied, 'Of course she is.'
Dick and Lynne Cheney, who have roundly criticized Kerry’s pro-gay remarks, said nothing in the face of Keyes’ highly derogatory comments. "
'Alan Keyes condemned homosexuality as "selfish hedonism" in a satellite-radio interview during the Republican national convention. Asked if Mary Cheney was also 'a selfish hedonist', Keyes replied, 'Of course she is.'
Dick and Lynne Cheney, who have roundly criticized Kerry’s pro-gay remarks, said nothing in the face of Keyes’ highly derogatory comments. "
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Months after Abu Ghraib, senior officers implicated are in line for promotions, and the House is pushing to legitimize torture.
Months after Abu Ghraib, senior officers implicated are in line for promotions, and the House is pushing to legitimize torture.
Radio archives
LBO editor Doug Henwood does a radio show on WBAI, New York, covering economics and politics.
LBO editor Doug Henwood does a radio show on WBAI, New York, covering economics and politics.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The Washington Monthly
"The Bush administration is suppressing a CIA report on 9/11 until after the election, and this one names names. Although the report by the inspector general's office of the CIA was completed in June, it has not been made available to the congressional intelligence committees that mandated the study almost two years ago."
"The Bush administration is suppressing a CIA report on 9/11 until after the election, and this one names names. Although the report by the inspector general's office of the CIA was completed in June, it has not been made available to the congressional intelligence committees that mandated the study almost two years ago."
Monday, October 18, 2004
The New York Times > Magazine > Without a Doubt
"Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and a treasury official for the first President Bush, told me recently that ''if Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.'' The nature of that conflict, as Bartlett sees it? Essentially, the same as the one raging across much of the world: a battle between modernists and fundamentalists, pragmatists and true believers, reason and religion."
By RON SUSKIND
"Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and a treasury official for the first President Bush, told me recently that ''if Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.'' The nature of that conflict, as Bartlett sees it? Essentially, the same as the one raging across much of the world: a battle between modernists and fundamentalists, pragmatists and true believers, reason and religion."
By RON SUSKIND
Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.
"The clip is a 'thank you' message taped by Bush for the members of the Iraqi Survey Group. It hasn't been altered in any way.
The fact he can barely finish his sentences should be a genuine cause for concern. This was no impromptu appearance, like his disastrous press conferences and debate appearances. This was a planned, scripted, recorded address"
"The clip is a 'thank you' message taped by Bush for the members of the Iraqi Survey Group. It hasn't been altered in any way.
The fact he can barely finish his sentences should be a genuine cause for concern. This was no impromptu appearance, like his disastrous press conferences and debate appearances. This was a planned, scripted, recorded address"
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: October 17, 2004 - October 23, 2004 Archives:
"The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.' "
"The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.' "
The Washington Monthly
"the creeping Putinization of American life (the Sinclair incident, the threatening letter to Rock The Vote, the specter of the top official in the House of Representatives making totally baseless charges of criminal conduct against a major financier of the political opposition [shades of Mikhail Khodorovsky], the increasing evidence that the 'terror alert' system is nothing more than a political prop, the 'torture memo' asserting that the president is above the law, the imposition of rigid discipline on the congress, the abuse of the conference committee procedure, the ability of the administration to lie to congress without penalty, the exclusion of non-supporters from Bush's public appearances, etc.)"
"the creeping Putinization of American life (the Sinclair incident, the threatening letter to Rock The Vote, the specter of the top official in the House of Representatives making totally baseless charges of criminal conduct against a major financier of the political opposition [shades of Mikhail Khodorovsky], the increasing evidence that the 'terror alert' system is nothing more than a political prop, the 'torture memo' asserting that the president is above the law, the imposition of rigid discipline on the congress, the abuse of the conference committee procedure, the ability of the administration to lie to congress without penalty, the exclusion of non-supporters from Bush's public appearances, etc.)"
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
A Tiny Revolution: Uh Oh
According to this account, American Troops are executing Iraqi's for body-count. Seymour Hersh doesn't have a problem with credibility, so this is very disturbing.
According to this account, American Troops are executing Iraqi's for body-count. Seymour Hersh doesn't have a problem with credibility, so this is very disturbing.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Friday, October 08, 2004
Mix & Burn
Responsible for the "Music Tablet"
The Music Tablet is a new kind of product for the retail channel, combining the immediacy of a store purchase with the vast selection of the on-line world.
Responsible for the "Music Tablet"
The Music Tablet is a new kind of product for the retail channel, combining the immediacy of a store purchase with the vast selection of the on-line world.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Bible Study with President Bush...
Dear President Bush,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them:
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not to Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states that he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that, even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there "degrees" of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev. 24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Dear President Bush,
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them:
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not to Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states that he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that, even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there "degrees" of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev. 24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Informed Comment : 09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country.
What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number...
If America were Iraq, What would it be Like?
President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country.
What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number...
Thursday, September 23, 2004
US Labor Against the War:Bush by numbers: Four years of double standards
1 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security issued between 20 January 2001 and 10 September 2001 that mentioned al-Qa'ida.
104 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein.
101 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned missile defence.
65 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned weapons of mass destruction.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned Osama bin Laden in his three State of the Union addresses.
73 Number of times that Bush mentioned terrorism or terrorists in his three State of the Union addresses.
83 Number of times Bush mentioned Saddam, Iraq, or regime (as in change) in his three State of the Union addresses.
$1m Estimated value of a painting the Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, received from Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States and Bush family friend.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned Saudi Arabia in his three State of the Union addresses.
1,700 Percentage increase between 2001 and 2002 of Saudi Arabian spending on public relations in the United States.
79 Percentage of the 11 September hijackers who came from Saudi Arabia.
3 Number of 11 September hijackers whose entry visas came through special US-Saudi "Visa Express" programme.
140 Number of Saudis, including members of the Bin Laden family, evacuated from United States almost immediately after 11 September.
14 Number of Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) agents assigned to track down 1,200 known illegal immigrants in the United States from countries where al-Qa'ida is active.
$3m Amount the White House was willing to grant the 9/11 Commission to investigate the 11 September attacks.
$0 Amount approved by George Bush to hire more INS special agents.
$10m Amount Bush cut from the INS's existing terrorism budget.
$50m Amount granted to the commission that looked into the Columbia space shuttle crash.
$5m Amount a 1996 federal commission was given to study legalised gambling.
7 Number of Arabic linguists fired by the US army between mid-August and mid-October 2002 for being gay.
George Bush: Military man
1972 Year that Bush walked away from his pilot duties in the Texas National Guard, Nearly two years before his six-year obligation was up.
$3,500 Reward a group of veterans offered in 2000 for anyone who could confirm Bush's Alabama guard service.
600-700 Number of guardsmen who were in Bush's unit during that period.
0 Number of guardsmen from that period who came forward with information about Bush's guard service.
0 Number of minutes that President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, the assistant Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, the former chairman of the Defence Policy Board, Richard Perle, and the White House Chief of Staff, Karl Rove the main proponents of the war in Iraq served in combat (combined).
0 Number of principal civilian or Pentagon staff members who planned the war who have immediate family members serving in uniform in Iraq.
8 Number of members of the US Senate and House of Representatives who have a child serving in the military.
10 Number of days that the Pentagon spent investigating a soldier who had called the President "a joke" in a letter to the editor of a Newspaper.
46 Percentage increase in sales between 2001 and 2002 of GI Joe figures (children's toys).
Ambitious warrior
2 Number of Nations that George Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into office.
130 Approximate Number of countries (out of a total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with a US military presence.
43 Percentage of the entire world's military spending that the US spends on defence. (That was in 2002, the year before the invasion of Iraq.)
$401.3bn Proposed military budget for 2004.
Saviour of Iraq
1983 The year in which Donald Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan's special envoy to the Middle East, gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs as a gift.
2.5 Number of hours after Rumsfeld learnt that Osama bin Laden was a suspect in the 11 September attacks that he brought up reasons to "hit" Iraq.
237 Minimum number of misleading statements on Iraq made by top Bush administration officials between 2002 and January 2004, according to the California Representative Henry Waxman.
10m Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets on 21 February 2003, in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, the largest simultaneous protest in world history.
$2bn Estimated monthly cost of US military presence in Iraq projected by the White House in April 2003.
$4bn Actual monthly cost of the US military presence in Iraq according to Secretary of Defence Rumsfeld in 2004.
$15m Amount of a contract awarded to an American firm to build a cement factory in Iraq.
$80,000 Amount an Iraqi firm spent (using Saddam's confiscated funds) to build the same factory, after delays prevented the American firm from starting it.
2000 Year that Cheney said his policy as CEO of Halliburton oil services company was "we wouldn't do anything in Iraq".
$4.7bn Total value of contracts awarded to Halliburton in Iraq and Afghanistan.
$680m Estimated value of Iraq reconstruction contracts awarded to Bechtel.
$2.8bnValue of Bechtel Corp contracts in Iraq.
$120bn Amount the war and its aftermath are projected to cost for the 2004 fiscal year.
35 Number of countries to which the United States suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court.
92 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2002.
60 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2003.
55 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who were unemployed before the war.
80 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who are unemployed a Year after the war.
0 Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender in May 1945.
37 Death toll of US soldiers in Iraq in May 2003, the month combat operations "officially" ended.
0 Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home that the Bush administration has permitted to be photographed.
0 Number of memorial services for the returned dead that Bush has attended since the beginning of the war.
A soldier's best friend
40,000 Number of soldiers in Iraq seven months after start of the war still without Interceptor vests, designed to stop a round from an AK-47.
$60m Estimated cost of outfitting those 40,000 soldiers with Interceptor vests.
62 Percentage of gas masks that army investigators discovered did Not work properly in autumn 2002.
90 Percentage of detectors which give early warning of a biological weapons attack found to be defective.
87 Percentage of Humvees in Iraq not equipped with armour capable of stopping AK-47 rounds and protecting against roadside bombs and landmines at the end of 2003.
Making the country safer
$3.29 Average amount allocated per person Nationwide in the first round of homeland security grants.
$94.40 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in American Samoa.
$36 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in Wyoming, Vice-President Cheney's home state.
$17 Amount allocated per person in New York state.
$5.87 Amount allocated per person in New York City.
$77.92 Amount allocated per person in New Haven, Connecticut, home of Yale University, Bush's alma mater.
76 Percentage of 215 cities surveyed by the US Conference of Mayors in early 2004 that had yet to receive a dime in federal homeland security assistance for their first-response units.
5 Number of major US airports at the beginning of 2004 that the Transportation Security Administration admitted were Not fully screening baggage electronically.
22,600 Number of planes carrying unscreened cargo that fly into New York each month.
5 Estimated Percentage of US air cargo that is screened, including cargo transported on passenger planes.
95 Percentage of foreign goods that arrive in the United States by sea.
2 Percentage of those goods subjected to thorough inspection.
$5.5bnEstimated cost to secure fully US ports over the Next decade.
$0 Amount Bush allocated for port security in 2003.
$46m Amount the Bush administration has budgeted for port security in 2005.
15,000 Number of major chemical facilities in the United States.
100 Number of US chemical plants where a terrorist act could endanger the lives of more than one million people.
0 Number of new drugs or vaccines against "priority pathogens" listed by the Centres for Disease Control that have been developed and introduced since 11 September 2001.
Giving a hand up to the advantaged
$10.9m Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet.
75 Percentage of Americans unaffected by Bush's sweeping 2003 cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.
$42,000 Average savings members of Bush's cabinet received in 2003 as a result of cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.
10 Number of fellow members from the Yale secret society Skull and Bones that Bush has named to important positions (including the Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum Jr. and SEC chief Bill Donaldson).
79 Number of Bush's initial 189 appointees who also served in his father's administration.
A man with a lot of friends
$113m Amount of total hard money the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign received, a record.
$11.5m Amount of hard money raised through the Pioneer programme, the controversial fund-raising process created for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign. (Participants pledged to raise at least $100,000 by bundling together cheques of up to $1,000 from friends and family. Pioneers were assigned numbers, which were included on all cheques, enabling the campaign to keep track of who raised how much.)
George Bush: Money manager
4.7m Number of bankruptcies that were declared during Bush's first three years in office.
2002 The worst year for major markets since the recession of the 1970s.
$489bn The US trade deficit in 2003, the worst in history for a single year.
$5.6tr Projected national surplus forecast by the end of the decade when Bush took office in 2001.
$7.22tr US national debt by mid-2004.
George Bush: Tax cutter
87 Percentage of American families in April 2004 who say they have felt no benefit from Bush's tax cuts.
39 Percentage of tax cuts that will go to the top 1 per cent of American families when fully phased in.
49 Percentage of Americans in April 2004 who found that their taxes had actually gone up since Bush took office.
88 Percentage of American families who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes.
$30,858 Amount Bush himself saved in taxes in 2003.
Employment tsar
9.3m Number of US unemployed in April 2004.
2.3m Number of Americans who lost their jobs during first three Years of the Bush administration.
22m Number of jobs gained during Clinton's eight years in office.
Friend of the poor
34.6m Number of Americans living below the poverty line (1 in 8 of the population).
6.8m Number of people in the workforce but still classified as poor.
35m Number of Americans that the government defines as "food insecure," in other words, hungry.
$300m Amount cut from the federal programme that provides subsidies to poor families so they can heat their homes.
40 Percentage of wealth in the United States held by the richest 1 per cent of the population.
18 Percentage of wealth in Britain held by the richest 1e per cent of the population.
George Bush And his special friend
$60bn Loss to Enron stockholders, following the largest bankruptcy in US history.
$205m Amount Enron CEO Kenneth Lay earned from stock option profits over a four-year period.
$101m Amount Lay made from selling his Enron shares just before the company went bankrupt.
$59,339 Amount the Bush campaign reimbursed Enron for 14 trips on its corporate jet during the 2000 campaign.
30 Length of time in months between Enron's collapse and Lay (whom the President called "Kenny Boy") still not being charged with a crime.
George Bush: Lawman
15 Average number of minutes Bush spent reviewing capital punishment cases while governor of Texas.
46 Percentage of Republican federal judges when Bush came to office.
57 Percentage of Republican federal judges after three years of the Bush administration.
33 Percentage of the $15bn Bush pledged to fight Aids in Africa that must go to abstinence-only programmes.
The Civil libertarian
680 Number of suspected al-Qa'ida members that the United States admits are detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
42 Number of nationalities of those detainees at Guantanamo.
22 Number of hours prisoners were handcuffed, shackled, and made to wear surgical masks, earmuffs, and blindfolds during their flight to Guantanamo.
32 Number of confirmed suicide attempts by Guantanamo Bay prisoners.
24 Number of prisoners in mid-2003 being monitored by psychiatrists in Guantanamo's new mental ward.
A health-conscious president
43.6m Number of Americans without health insurance by the end of 2002 (more than 15 per cent of the population).
2.4m Number of Americans who lost their health insurance during Bush's first year in office.
Environmentalist
$44m Amount the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign and the Republican National Committee received in contributions from the fossil fuel, chemical, timber, and mining industries.
200 Number of regulation rollbacks downgrading or weakening environmental laws in Bush's first three years in office.
31 Number of Bush administration appointees who are alumni of the energy industry (includes four cabinet secretaries, the six most powerful White House officials, and more than 20 other high-level appointees).
50 Approximate number of policy changes and regulation rollbacks injurious to the environment that have been announced by the Bush administration on Fridays after 5pm, a time that makes it all but impossible for news organisations to relay the information to the widest possible audience.
50 Percentage decline in Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions against polluters under Bush's watch.
34 Percentage decline in criminal penalties for environmental crimes since Bush took office.
50 Percentage decline in civil penalties for environmental crimes since Bush took office.
$6.1m Amount the EPA historically valued each human life when conducting economic analyses of proposed regulations.
$3.7m Amount the EPA valued each human life when conducting analyses of proposed regulations during the Bush administration.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned global warming, clean air, clean water, pollution or environment in his 2004 State of the Union speech. His father was the last president to go through an entire State of the Union address without mentioning the environment.
1 Number of paragraphs devoted to global warming in the EPA's 600-page "Draft Report on the Environment" presented in 2003.
68 Number of days after taking office that Bush decided Not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty to reduce greenhouse gases by roughly 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The United States was to cut its level by 7 per cent.
1 The rank of the United States worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
25 Percentage of overall worldwide carbon dioxide emissions the United States is responsible for.
53 Number of days after taking office that Bush reneged on his campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
14 Percentage carbon dioxide emissions will increase over the next 10 years under Bush's own global-warming plan (an increase of 30 per cent above their 1990 levels).
408 Number of species that could be extinct by 2050 if the global-warming trend continues.
5 Number of years the Bush administration said in 2003 that global warming must be further studied before substantive action could be taken.
62 Number of members of Cheney's 63-person Energy Task Force with ties to corporate energy interests.
0 Number of environmentalists asked to attend Cheney's Energy Task Force meetings.
6 Number of months before 11 September that Cheney's Energy Task Force investigated Iraq's oil reserves.
2 Percentage of the world's population that is British.
2 Percentage of the world's oil used by Britain.
5 Percentage of the world's population that is American.
25 Percentage of the world's oil used by America.
63 Percentage of oil the United States imported in 2003, a record high.
24,000 Estimated number of premature deaths that will occur under Bush's Clear Skies initiative.
300 Number of Clean Water Act violations by the mountaintop-mining industry in 2003.
750,000 Tons of toxic waste the US military, the world's biggest polluter, generates around the world each Year.
$3.8bn Amount in the Superfund trust fund for toxic site clean-ups in 1995, the Year "polluter pays" fees expired.
$0m Amount of uncommitted dollars in the Superfund trust fund for toxic site clean-ups in 2003.
270 Estimated number of court decisions citing federal Negligence in endangered-species protection that remained unheeded during the first year of the Bush administration.
100 Percentage of those decisions that Bush then decided to allow the government to ignore indefinitely.
68.4 Average Number of species added to the Endangered and Threatened Species list each year between 1991 and 2000.
0 Number of endangered species voluntarily added by the Bush administration since taking office.
50 Percentage of screened workers at Ground Zero who now suffer from long-term health problems, almost half of whom don't have health insurance.
78 Percentage of workers at Ground Zero who now suffer from lung ailments.
88 Percentage of workers at Ground Zero who Now suffer from ear, nose, or throat problems.
22 Asbestos levels at Ground Zero were 22 times higher than the levels in Libby, Montana, where the W R Grace mine produced one of the worst Superfund disasters in US history.
Image booster for the US
2,500 Number of public-diplomacy officers employed by the State Department to further the image of the US abroad in 1991.
1,200 Number of public-diplomacy officers employed by the State Department to further US image abroad in 2004.
4 Rank of the United States among countries considered to be the greatest threats to world peace according to a 2003 Pew Global Attitudes study (Israel, Iran, and North Korea were considered more dangerous; Iraq was considered less dangerous).
$66bn Amount the United States spent on international aid and diplomacy in 1949.
$23.8bn Amount the United States spent on international aid and diplomacy in 2002.
85 Percentage of Indonesians who had an unfavourable image of the United States in 2003.
Second-party endorsements
90 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 26 September 2001.
67 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 26 September 2002.
54 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 30 September, 2003.
50 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 15 October 2003.
49 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president in May 2004.
More like the French than he would care to admit
28 Number of vacation days Bush took in August 2003, the second-longest vacation of any president in US history. (Record holder Richard Nixon.)
13 Number of vacation days the average American receives each Year.
28 Number of vacation days Bush took in August 2001, the month he received a 6 August Presidential Daily Briefing headed "Osama bin Laden Determined to Strike US Targets."
500 Number of days Bush has spent all or part of his time away from the White House at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, his parents' retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine, or Camp David as of 1 April 2004.
No fool when it comes to the press
11 Number of press conferences during his first three Years in office in which Bush referred to questions as being "trick" ones.
Factors in his favour
3 Number of companies that control the US voting technology market.
52 Percentage of votes cast during the 2002 midterm elections that were recorded by Election Systems & Software, the largest voting-technology firm, a big Republican donor.
29 Percentage of votes that will be cast via computer voting machines that don't produce a paper record.
17On 17 November 2001, The Economist printed a correction for having said George Bush was properly elected in 2000.
$113m Amount raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, the most in American electoral history.
$185m Amount raised by the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign, to the end of March 2004.
$200m Amount that the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign expects to raise by November 2004.
268 Number of Bush-Cheney fund-raisers who had earned Pioneer status (by raising $100,000 each) as of March 2004.
187 Number of Bush-Cheney fund-raisers who had earned Ranger status (by raising $200,000 each) as of March 2004.
$64.2mThe Amount Pioneers and Rangers had raised for Bush-Cheney as of March 2004.
85 Percentage of Americans who can't Name the Chief Justice of the United States.
69 Percentage of Americans who believed the White House's claims in September 2003 that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 11 September attacks.
34 Percentage of Americans who believed in June 2003 that Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction" had been found.
22 Percentage of Americans who believed in May 2003 that Saddam had used his WMDs on US forces.
85 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find Afghanistan, Iraq, or Israel on a map.
30 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find the Pacific Ocean on a map.
75 Percentage of American young adults who don't know the population of the United States.
53 Percentage of Canadian young adults who don't know the population of the United States.
11 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find the United States on a map.
30 Percentage of Americans who believe that "politics and government are too complicated to understand."
Another factor in his favour
70m Estimated number of Americans who describe themselves as Evangelicals who accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour and who interpret the Bible as the direct word of God.
23m Number of Evangelicals who voted for Bush in 2000.
50m Number of voters in total who voted for Bush in 2000.
46 Percentage of voters who describe themselves as born-again Christians.
5 Number of states that do not use the word "evolution" in public school science courses.
1 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security issued between 20 January 2001 and 10 September 2001 that mentioned al-Qa'ida.
104 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein.
101 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned missile defence.
65 Number of Bush administration public statements on National security and defence in the same period that mentioned weapons of mass destruction.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned Osama bin Laden in his three State of the Union addresses.
73 Number of times that Bush mentioned terrorism or terrorists in his three State of the Union addresses.
83 Number of times Bush mentioned Saddam, Iraq, or regime (as in change) in his three State of the Union addresses.
$1m Estimated value of a painting the Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, received from Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States and Bush family friend.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned Saudi Arabia in his three State of the Union addresses.
1,700 Percentage increase between 2001 and 2002 of Saudi Arabian spending on public relations in the United States.
79 Percentage of the 11 September hijackers who came from Saudi Arabia.
3 Number of 11 September hijackers whose entry visas came through special US-Saudi "Visa Express" programme.
140 Number of Saudis, including members of the Bin Laden family, evacuated from United States almost immediately after 11 September.
14 Number of Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) agents assigned to track down 1,200 known illegal immigrants in the United States from countries where al-Qa'ida is active.
$3m Amount the White House was willing to grant the 9/11 Commission to investigate the 11 September attacks.
$0 Amount approved by George Bush to hire more INS special agents.
$10m Amount Bush cut from the INS's existing terrorism budget.
$50m Amount granted to the commission that looked into the Columbia space shuttle crash.
$5m Amount a 1996 federal commission was given to study legalised gambling.
7 Number of Arabic linguists fired by the US army between mid-August and mid-October 2002 for being gay.
George Bush: Military man
1972 Year that Bush walked away from his pilot duties in the Texas National Guard, Nearly two years before his six-year obligation was up.
$3,500 Reward a group of veterans offered in 2000 for anyone who could confirm Bush's Alabama guard service.
600-700 Number of guardsmen who were in Bush's unit during that period.
0 Number of guardsmen from that period who came forward with information about Bush's guard service.
0 Number of minutes that President Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, the assistant Defence Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, the former chairman of the Defence Policy Board, Richard Perle, and the White House Chief of Staff, Karl Rove the main proponents of the war in Iraq served in combat (combined).
0 Number of principal civilian or Pentagon staff members who planned the war who have immediate family members serving in uniform in Iraq.
8 Number of members of the US Senate and House of Representatives who have a child serving in the military.
10 Number of days that the Pentagon spent investigating a soldier who had called the President "a joke" in a letter to the editor of a Newspaper.
46 Percentage increase in sales between 2001 and 2002 of GI Joe figures (children's toys).
Ambitious warrior
2 Number of Nations that George Bush has attacked and taken over since coming into office.
130 Approximate Number of countries (out of a total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with a US military presence.
43 Percentage of the entire world's military spending that the US spends on defence. (That was in 2002, the year before the invasion of Iraq.)
$401.3bn Proposed military budget for 2004.
Saviour of Iraq
1983 The year in which Donald Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan's special envoy to the Middle East, gave Saddam Hussein a pair of golden spurs as a gift.
2.5 Number of hours after Rumsfeld learnt that Osama bin Laden was a suspect in the 11 September attacks that he brought up reasons to "hit" Iraq.
237 Minimum number of misleading statements on Iraq made by top Bush administration officials between 2002 and January 2004, according to the California Representative Henry Waxman.
10m Estimated number of people worldwide who took to the streets on 21 February 2003, in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, the largest simultaneous protest in world history.
$2bn Estimated monthly cost of US military presence in Iraq projected by the White House in April 2003.
$4bn Actual monthly cost of the US military presence in Iraq according to Secretary of Defence Rumsfeld in 2004.
$15m Amount of a contract awarded to an American firm to build a cement factory in Iraq.
$80,000 Amount an Iraqi firm spent (using Saddam's confiscated funds) to build the same factory, after delays prevented the American firm from starting it.
2000 Year that Cheney said his policy as CEO of Halliburton oil services company was "we wouldn't do anything in Iraq".
$4.7bn Total value of contracts awarded to Halliburton in Iraq and Afghanistan.
$680m Estimated value of Iraq reconstruction contracts awarded to Bechtel.
$2.8bnValue of Bechtel Corp contracts in Iraq.
$120bn Amount the war and its aftermath are projected to cost for the 2004 fiscal year.
35 Number of countries to which the United States suspended military assistance after they failed to sign agreements giving Americans immunity from prosecution before the International Criminal Court.
92 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2002.
60 Percentage of Iraq's urban areas with access to potable water in late 2003.
55 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who were unemployed before the war.
80 Percentage of the Iraqi workforce who are unemployed a Year after the war.
0 Number of American combat deaths in Germany after the Nazi surrender in May 1945.
37 Death toll of US soldiers in Iraq in May 2003, the month combat operations "officially" ended.
0 Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home that the Bush administration has permitted to be photographed.
0 Number of memorial services for the returned dead that Bush has attended since the beginning of the war.
A soldier's best friend
40,000 Number of soldiers in Iraq seven months after start of the war still without Interceptor vests, designed to stop a round from an AK-47.
$60m Estimated cost of outfitting those 40,000 soldiers with Interceptor vests.
62 Percentage of gas masks that army investigators discovered did Not work properly in autumn 2002.
90 Percentage of detectors which give early warning of a biological weapons attack found to be defective.
87 Percentage of Humvees in Iraq not equipped with armour capable of stopping AK-47 rounds and protecting against roadside bombs and landmines at the end of 2003.
Making the country safer
$3.29 Average amount allocated per person Nationwide in the first round of homeland security grants.
$94.40 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in American Samoa.
$36 Amount allocated per person for homeland security in Wyoming, Vice-President Cheney's home state.
$17 Amount allocated per person in New York state.
$5.87 Amount allocated per person in New York City.
$77.92 Amount allocated per person in New Haven, Connecticut, home of Yale University, Bush's alma mater.
76 Percentage of 215 cities surveyed by the US Conference of Mayors in early 2004 that had yet to receive a dime in federal homeland security assistance for their first-response units.
5 Number of major US airports at the beginning of 2004 that the Transportation Security Administration admitted were Not fully screening baggage electronically.
22,600 Number of planes carrying unscreened cargo that fly into New York each month.
5 Estimated Percentage of US air cargo that is screened, including cargo transported on passenger planes.
95 Percentage of foreign goods that arrive in the United States by sea.
2 Percentage of those goods subjected to thorough inspection.
$5.5bnEstimated cost to secure fully US ports over the Next decade.
$0 Amount Bush allocated for port security in 2003.
$46m Amount the Bush administration has budgeted for port security in 2005.
15,000 Number of major chemical facilities in the United States.
100 Number of US chemical plants where a terrorist act could endanger the lives of more than one million people.
0 Number of new drugs or vaccines against "priority pathogens" listed by the Centres for Disease Control that have been developed and introduced since 11 September 2001.
Giving a hand up to the advantaged
$10.9m Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet.
75 Percentage of Americans unaffected by Bush's sweeping 2003 cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.
$42,000 Average savings members of Bush's cabinet received in 2003 as a result of cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes.
10 Number of fellow members from the Yale secret society Skull and Bones that Bush has named to important positions (including the Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum Jr. and SEC chief Bill Donaldson).
79 Number of Bush's initial 189 appointees who also served in his father's administration.
A man with a lot of friends
$113m Amount of total hard money the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign received, a record.
$11.5m Amount of hard money raised through the Pioneer programme, the controversial fund-raising process created for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign. (Participants pledged to raise at least $100,000 by bundling together cheques of up to $1,000 from friends and family. Pioneers were assigned numbers, which were included on all cheques, enabling the campaign to keep track of who raised how much.)
George Bush: Money manager
4.7m Number of bankruptcies that were declared during Bush's first three years in office.
2002 The worst year for major markets since the recession of the 1970s.
$489bn The US trade deficit in 2003, the worst in history for a single year.
$5.6tr Projected national surplus forecast by the end of the decade when Bush took office in 2001.
$7.22tr US national debt by mid-2004.
George Bush: Tax cutter
87 Percentage of American families in April 2004 who say they have felt no benefit from Bush's tax cuts.
39 Percentage of tax cuts that will go to the top 1 per cent of American families when fully phased in.
49 Percentage of Americans in April 2004 who found that their taxes had actually gone up since Bush took office.
88 Percentage of American families who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes.
$30,858 Amount Bush himself saved in taxes in 2003.
Employment tsar
9.3m Number of US unemployed in April 2004.
2.3m Number of Americans who lost their jobs during first three Years of the Bush administration.
22m Number of jobs gained during Clinton's eight years in office.
Friend of the poor
34.6m Number of Americans living below the poverty line (1 in 8 of the population).
6.8m Number of people in the workforce but still classified as poor.
35m Number of Americans that the government defines as "food insecure," in other words, hungry.
$300m Amount cut from the federal programme that provides subsidies to poor families so they can heat their homes.
40 Percentage of wealth in the United States held by the richest 1 per cent of the population.
18 Percentage of wealth in Britain held by the richest 1e per cent of the population.
George Bush And his special friend
$60bn Loss to Enron stockholders, following the largest bankruptcy in US history.
$205m Amount Enron CEO Kenneth Lay earned from stock option profits over a four-year period.
$101m Amount Lay made from selling his Enron shares just before the company went bankrupt.
$59,339 Amount the Bush campaign reimbursed Enron for 14 trips on its corporate jet during the 2000 campaign.
30 Length of time in months between Enron's collapse and Lay (whom the President called "Kenny Boy") still not being charged with a crime.
George Bush: Lawman
15 Average number of minutes Bush spent reviewing capital punishment cases while governor of Texas.
46 Percentage of Republican federal judges when Bush came to office.
57 Percentage of Republican federal judges after three years of the Bush administration.
33 Percentage of the $15bn Bush pledged to fight Aids in Africa that must go to abstinence-only programmes.
The Civil libertarian
680 Number of suspected al-Qa'ida members that the United States admits are detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
42 Number of nationalities of those detainees at Guantanamo.
22 Number of hours prisoners were handcuffed, shackled, and made to wear surgical masks, earmuffs, and blindfolds during their flight to Guantanamo.
32 Number of confirmed suicide attempts by Guantanamo Bay prisoners.
24 Number of prisoners in mid-2003 being monitored by psychiatrists in Guantanamo's new mental ward.
A health-conscious president
43.6m Number of Americans without health insurance by the end of 2002 (more than 15 per cent of the population).
2.4m Number of Americans who lost their health insurance during Bush's first year in office.
Environmentalist
$44m Amount the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign and the Republican National Committee received in contributions from the fossil fuel, chemical, timber, and mining industries.
200 Number of regulation rollbacks downgrading or weakening environmental laws in Bush's first three years in office.
31 Number of Bush administration appointees who are alumni of the energy industry (includes four cabinet secretaries, the six most powerful White House officials, and more than 20 other high-level appointees).
50 Approximate number of policy changes and regulation rollbacks injurious to the environment that have been announced by the Bush administration on Fridays after 5pm, a time that makes it all but impossible for news organisations to relay the information to the widest possible audience.
50 Percentage decline in Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions against polluters under Bush's watch.
34 Percentage decline in criminal penalties for environmental crimes since Bush took office.
50 Percentage decline in civil penalties for environmental crimes since Bush took office.
$6.1m Amount the EPA historically valued each human life when conducting economic analyses of proposed regulations.
$3.7m Amount the EPA valued each human life when conducting analyses of proposed regulations during the Bush administration.
0 Number of times Bush mentioned global warming, clean air, clean water, pollution or environment in his 2004 State of the Union speech. His father was the last president to go through an entire State of the Union address without mentioning the environment.
1 Number of paragraphs devoted to global warming in the EPA's 600-page "Draft Report on the Environment" presented in 2003.
68 Number of days after taking office that Bush decided Not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty to reduce greenhouse gases by roughly 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The United States was to cut its level by 7 per cent.
1 The rank of the United States worldwide in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
25 Percentage of overall worldwide carbon dioxide emissions the United States is responsible for.
53 Number of days after taking office that Bush reneged on his campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
14 Percentage carbon dioxide emissions will increase over the next 10 years under Bush's own global-warming plan (an increase of 30 per cent above their 1990 levels).
408 Number of species that could be extinct by 2050 if the global-warming trend continues.
5 Number of years the Bush administration said in 2003 that global warming must be further studied before substantive action could be taken.
62 Number of members of Cheney's 63-person Energy Task Force with ties to corporate energy interests.
0 Number of environmentalists asked to attend Cheney's Energy Task Force meetings.
6 Number of months before 11 September that Cheney's Energy Task Force investigated Iraq's oil reserves.
2 Percentage of the world's population that is British.
2 Percentage of the world's oil used by Britain.
5 Percentage of the world's population that is American.
25 Percentage of the world's oil used by America.
63 Percentage of oil the United States imported in 2003, a record high.
24,000 Estimated number of premature deaths that will occur under Bush's Clear Skies initiative.
300 Number of Clean Water Act violations by the mountaintop-mining industry in 2003.
750,000 Tons of toxic waste the US military, the world's biggest polluter, generates around the world each Year.
$3.8bn Amount in the Superfund trust fund for toxic site clean-ups in 1995, the Year "polluter pays" fees expired.
$0m Amount of uncommitted dollars in the Superfund trust fund for toxic site clean-ups in 2003.
270 Estimated number of court decisions citing federal Negligence in endangered-species protection that remained unheeded during the first year of the Bush administration.
100 Percentage of those decisions that Bush then decided to allow the government to ignore indefinitely.
68.4 Average Number of species added to the Endangered and Threatened Species list each year between 1991 and 2000.
0 Number of endangered species voluntarily added by the Bush administration since taking office.
50 Percentage of screened workers at Ground Zero who now suffer from long-term health problems, almost half of whom don't have health insurance.
78 Percentage of workers at Ground Zero who now suffer from lung ailments.
88 Percentage of workers at Ground Zero who Now suffer from ear, nose, or throat problems.
22 Asbestos levels at Ground Zero were 22 times higher than the levels in Libby, Montana, where the W R Grace mine produced one of the worst Superfund disasters in US history.
Image booster for the US
2,500 Number of public-diplomacy officers employed by the State Department to further the image of the US abroad in 1991.
1,200 Number of public-diplomacy officers employed by the State Department to further US image abroad in 2004.
4 Rank of the United States among countries considered to be the greatest threats to world peace according to a 2003 Pew Global Attitudes study (Israel, Iran, and North Korea were considered more dangerous; Iraq was considered less dangerous).
$66bn Amount the United States spent on international aid and diplomacy in 1949.
$23.8bn Amount the United States spent on international aid and diplomacy in 2002.
85 Percentage of Indonesians who had an unfavourable image of the United States in 2003.
Second-party endorsements
90 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 26 September 2001.
67 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 26 September 2002.
54 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 30 September, 2003.
50 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president on 15 October 2003.
49 Percentage of Americans who approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president in May 2004.
More like the French than he would care to admit
28 Number of vacation days Bush took in August 2003, the second-longest vacation of any president in US history. (Record holder Richard Nixon.)
13 Number of vacation days the average American receives each Year.
28 Number of vacation days Bush took in August 2001, the month he received a 6 August Presidential Daily Briefing headed "Osama bin Laden Determined to Strike US Targets."
500 Number of days Bush has spent all or part of his time away from the White House at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, his parents' retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine, or Camp David as of 1 April 2004.
No fool when it comes to the press
11 Number of press conferences during his first three Years in office in which Bush referred to questions as being "trick" ones.
Factors in his favour
3 Number of companies that control the US voting technology market.
52 Percentage of votes cast during the 2002 midterm elections that were recorded by Election Systems & Software, the largest voting-technology firm, a big Republican donor.
29 Percentage of votes that will be cast via computer voting machines that don't produce a paper record.
17On 17 November 2001, The Economist printed a correction for having said George Bush was properly elected in 2000.
$113m Amount raised by the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, the most in American electoral history.
$185m Amount raised by the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign, to the end of March 2004.
$200m Amount that the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign expects to raise by November 2004.
268 Number of Bush-Cheney fund-raisers who had earned Pioneer status (by raising $100,000 each) as of March 2004.
187 Number of Bush-Cheney fund-raisers who had earned Ranger status (by raising $200,000 each) as of March 2004.
$64.2mThe Amount Pioneers and Rangers had raised for Bush-Cheney as of March 2004.
85 Percentage of Americans who can't Name the Chief Justice of the United States.
69 Percentage of Americans who believed the White House's claims in September 2003 that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 11 September attacks.
34 Percentage of Americans who believed in June 2003 that Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction" had been found.
22 Percentage of Americans who believed in May 2003 that Saddam had used his WMDs on US forces.
85 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find Afghanistan, Iraq, or Israel on a map.
30 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find the Pacific Ocean on a map.
75 Percentage of American young adults who don't know the population of the United States.
53 Percentage of Canadian young adults who don't know the population of the United States.
11 Percentage of American young adults who cannot find the United States on a map.
30 Percentage of Americans who believe that "politics and government are too complicated to understand."
Another factor in his favour
70m Estimated number of Americans who describe themselves as Evangelicals who accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour and who interpret the Bible as the direct word of God.
23m Number of Evangelicals who voted for Bush in 2000.
50m Number of voters in total who voted for Bush in 2000.
46 Percentage of voters who describe themselves as born-again Christians.
5 Number of states that do not use the word "evolution" in public school science courses.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Fresh Air: Wednesday - September 15, 2004 - Christopher Dickey, 'The Sleeper'
Christopher Dickey is Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor for Newsweek.. His new novel, The Sleeper, is a thriller about a former terrorist living the United States who hunts down his former al Qaeda comrades after Sept. 11.
Christopher Dickey is Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor for Newsweek.. His new novel, The Sleeper, is a thriller about a former terrorist living the United States who hunts down his former al Qaeda comrades after Sept. 11.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Friday, September 03, 2004
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Ashcroft rejected FBI plea
United States attorney-general John Ashcroft rejected an FBI plea for increased counterterrorism funding the day before the September 11 attacks.
United States attorney-general John Ashcroft rejected an FBI plea for increased counterterrorism funding the day before the September 11 attacks.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore: How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the party of Newt Gingrich's evil spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch president, a dull and rigid man, whose philosophy is a jumble of badly sutured body par By Garrison Keillor
Wow, Keillor really takes the gloves off.
Wow, Keillor really takes the gloves off.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Stream rippers for Mac / Windows (from Playlist magazine)
WireTap
Freecorder
Audio Hijack
Power Recorder
Replay Radio(supports Itunes)
RadioLover
RipCast
WireTap
Freecorder
Audio Hijack
Power Recorder
Replay Radio(supports Itunes)
RadioLover
RipCast
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
From PBS.org resources. Copied here for archiving:
Here are some excellent general Internet resources for Politics and Economy: Government: Executive Agencies — Independent Government Agencies — Legislative Groups — Think Tanks
We also have annotations on the following topics: FCC and Media Deregulation —Civil Liberties — Campaign Finance — Cuba — Energy — Focus on Iraq — Freedom of Information Act — Gun Control — Hunger in America — The Middle East — NAFTA — Public Opinion Polls
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
U.S. Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
U.S. Department of State
Department of Veteran Affairs
Department of the Air Force
Department of the Army
Department of the Interior
Department of the Navy
Department of the Treasury
U.S. Marine Corps
The White House
Independent Government Agencies
Commission of Civil Rights
Environmental Protection Agency
Export - Import Bank
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Election Commission
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Peace Corps
United States Postal Service
Central Intelligence Agency
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
Securities and Exchange Commission
Agency for International Development
United States Supreme Court
Congressional Budget Office
General Accounting Office
Library of Congress
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
(* Think Tanks that appear are the most widely cited institutions in newspaper, radio, and TV transcripts and are given their ideological label from a FAIR report, which can be found at: Think Tanks
The Liberal/Left
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Center for Defense Information
The Centre for Economic and Policy Research
Economic Policy Institute
Institute for Policy Studies
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The Urban Institute
World Watch Institute
Centrist
The Brookings Institution
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Council on Foreign Relations
Freedom Forum
Institute for International Economics
Progressive Policy Institute
Conservative/Right
American Enterprise Institute
Cato Institute
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Heritage Foundation
The Hudson Institute
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The Manhattan Institute
Progress and Freedom Foundation
The Rand Corporation
Below are sites which contain more information about the issue of media deregulation and ways to take action on either side of the issue. The FCC site provides an area to make views on deregulation known, and provides contact information for the agency.
Colombia Journalism Review: Who Owns What?
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union: Nonprofit Publisher of Consumer Reports
Economic and Political Consequences of the 1996 Telecommunications Act
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The Telecommunications Act of 1996
FRONTLINE: The Merchants of Cool - Media Giants
Media Access Project
What's Wrong With This Picture?
The American Conservative Union on Campaign Finance Reform
Common Cause
The Bill of Rights Defense Committee
The Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security, Homeland Profits
How the USA Patriot Act Puts the CIA Back in the Business of Spying On Americans
Preparing the U.S. Army for Homeland Security
Seizing Dictatorial Power - William Safire
The Sons and Daughters of Liberty
USA Patriot Act
USA Patriot Act Includes Provisions on Student Records
Watching You: Systematic Federal Surveillance of Ordinary Americans
Task of a Terror Czar
CIA World Factbook: Cuba
It's Time, Finally, to End the Cuban Embargo
What's Life Really Like In Cuba?
Online NewsHour: Life in Cuba
The H.R. 4 Bill
American Enterprise Institute
US Department of Justice
Americans for Gun Safety (AGS)
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
National Instant Criminal Background Check System
The New American: Issues in Focus - Gun Control
Almanac of Policy Issues
Articles by Barbara Ehrenreich
There are numerous American mainstream news outlets offering coverage of events in the Middle East. The following links provide the perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as other media and organizational resources. BBC News
Ha'aretz Daily Newspaper
Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information
The NAFTA Secretariat
PollingReport.com
FCC and Media Deregulation sites:
Center for Digital Democracy
The Web site of the Center for Digital Democracy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving media diversity, provides information regarding the issue of media concentration. The Center highlights the 1945 Supreme Court decision (Associated Press v. United States) which maintains that mergers that narrow the dissemination of information are unconstitutional. Other features include press headlines, articles, and resource links.
"Who Owns What?" by the Colombia Journalism Review (CJR) features a list of media conglomerates and what they own. The page also provides a selected list of articles from the CJR archive on media concentration.
The Consumer Federation of America provides press releases, studies, brochures, and testimony to educate the American public about telecommunications issues and to advocate for pro-consumer policies.
The Consumers Union Web page, devoted to telephone-telecommunications regulation, provides a long list of articles, studies, and research describing how the deregulation of the telecommunications industry in 1996 has hurt consumers.
Thomas Hazlett of the American Enterprise Institute argues that the 1996 Telecommunications Act resulted both in benefits to consumers and in "megamergers" that have benefited stockholders and market function. He contends that increased competition in the market had an effect on the political process, where the Telecommunications industry outspent all other industries in political contributions.
The Federal Communication Commission is an independent government organization accountable to Congress. The FCC regulates "interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable" within U.S. jurisdiction. The FCC Web site features a special section on media ownership which includes information on the Broadcast-Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule and the Local Radio Ownership Rule in the form of announcements, press releases, and policy studies.
This Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Web page is devoted to the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996, which promoted deregulation of the telecommunication industry (cable, long distance telephone service, local telephone service, and broadband) to create a competitive communications market and deliver better services and prices to consumers. The Web site features the complete text of the legislation and provides relevant FCC materials related to the implementation and guidelines of the Act.
On PBS.org, the FRONTLINE Web site features a diagram of the seven largest media conglomerates and their numerous holdings. This information is provided within a larger context, asking how media mega-mergers and the products they sell affect children's psychological development.
The Media Access Project (MAP) is a public interest telecommunications law firm dedicated to promoting what they call "the public's First Amendment right to hear and be heard on the electronic media of today and tomorrow." MAP covers a broad spectrum of issues concerning electronic media, including media consolidation, broadband access, Internet governance, promoting civic discourse, and protecting free speech. MAP's Media Consolidation Web page provides an overview of the telecommunications industry and its regulator, the FCC, and documents recent attacks on media-ownership limits and why the repeal of these limits harms citizens.
US Capitalism and the Public Interest: Restoring the Balance in Electricity and Telecommunications
Dr. Marc Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America argues that the deregulatory effort of the 1990s in the electricity and telecommunications industries has upset the delicate balance between private interest and public responsibilities. Dr. Cooper concludes that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must reassert their regulatory responsibilities to salvage public interests.
Crispin Miller of THE NATION magazine describes and analyzes the media cartel that has integrated all cultural industries into a few large corporations. Miller fears that American culture will become more homogenous with less dissent and fewer independent voices..
The American Conservative Union (ACU) commissioned this report, Who's Buying Campaign Finance Reform? to shed light on where the anti-First Amendment campaign 'reform' movement gets its money and what its leaders, followers and funders really want for America.
Campaign Finance Reform
This page on conservative U.S. politics asks if campaign finance reform is solving a problem or restricting free speech by providing bulleted lists of reformers' views and opponents' views, and links to resources.
The Center for Responsive Politics
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The site outlines the contributions of Enron and Andersen to Congress, including a breakdown of Enron's top individual donors.
This Common Cause Guide to the Enron Collapse features articles which illuminate the course of events and regularly publishes investigative studies on the effects of money in politics and reports on a variety of ethics and integrity-in-government issues. Also on this site, an extensive section on campaign finance reform.
In Depth on Campaign Finance Reform
A consortium of over 80 top public policy organizations and advocacy groups, the Electronic Policy Network provides timely information and leading ideas about policies and politics. Inside this site, EPN offers up-to-the-minute information on new releases from member organizations; the latest columns and editorials from policy debate shapers; and includes a catalog of articles on topics of soft money, financial disclosure, campaign finance reform and free speech, clean money, and other related topics.
Public Campaign
Public Campaign is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to sweeping reform that aims to dramatically reduce the role of special interest money in America's elections and the influence of big contributors in American politics. Public Campaign works with various organizations, particularly citizen groups around the country that are fighting for change in their states. On the site, frequent updates and press releases give you the latest news on campaign finance reform.
Money and Politics
The Cato Institute seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. In the articles on this web site, Cato scholars explain why the various proposals for extensive new regulations on campaign finance are unconstitutional, based on faulty assumptions and destined to result in unintended and undesirable consequences.
Civil Liberties and the Patriot Act:
Not for profit grassroots group concerned with American civil liberties. The site contains updates on local civil liberties actions, tools for activists, a legislation watch and policy briefs on the Patriot Act.
The Department of Homeland Security offers information about Homeland Security legislation, the President's Homeland Security proposal, and analysis of the department. Other features include transcripts of speeches given by Governor Tom Ridge at the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation 2002 Service to America Summit and President Bush's Address to the Nation concerning homeland security. Online chat transcripts with Governor Ridge are also included.
On the Corpwatch Web site (a corporate watchdog group), Wayne Madsen argues that corporations are standing to make billions from selling "surveillance and information-gathering systems to government agencies and the private sector." Madsen cautions that this technology will be utilized to intimidate and squelch dissent.
In this issue brief, the American Civil Liberties Union argues that the USA Patriot Act includes domestic espionage against American citizens. According to the ACLU, the USA Patriot Act "permits a vast array of information gathering on U.S. citizens from school records, financial transactions, Internet activity, telephone conversations, information gleaned from grand jury proceedings and criminal investigations to be shared with the CIA (and other non-law enforcement officials) even if it pertains to Americans."
In this Rand Corporation publication, the organization analyzes the security threats facing the U.S. and helps to clarify the U.S. Army's core responsibilities in preventing and responding to attacks on the U.S. homeland.
In this New York Times op-ed, journalist William Safire admonishes the Bush Administration for usurping "dictatorial powers" in the prosecution and sentencing of suspected terrorists. Safire trumpets a clarion call for all "conservative iconoclasts and card-carrying hard-liners to stand up for American values."
Village Voice correspondent Nat Hentoff reports on 300 citizens of Northhampton, Massachusetts that organized a community meeting to resist the USA Patriot Act. Under the banner of Northhampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Hentoff describes the town's activism as a "new American Revolution."
The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee
The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee (NBORDC) is a grassroots initiative that organized to resist the U.S.A Patriot Act. The NBORDC Web site provides helpful tips to individuals and groups interested in creating their own Bill of Rights Defense Committees in their communities. The Web site also includes an issues page which analyzes provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and Federal Executive Orders in thecontext of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution.
Thomas is the legislative search engine provided by the Library of Congress. Thomas allows users to read the complete text of the USA Patriot Act, follow its path through Congress and its many committees, review its co-sponsors in Congress, and much more.
The American Council on Education(ACE) highlights provisions in the USA Patriot Act that authorizes the ability of the U.S. government to collect detailed information on foreign students. According to ACE, the USA Patriot Act also directs the U.S. Attorney General to implement an electronic database to store and track foreign students from selected countries. Those educational institutions that fail to authorize the intelligence network can be denied the ability to accept foreign students.
A Cato Institute issue brief, "Watching You," documents the push to enact a federal tracking system to monitor U.S. citizens in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. If this federal tracking program is instituted, the Cato Institute warns that the government "will have perverted its most fundamental mission and destroyed the privacy and liberty that it was supposed to protect."
Robert Maginnis of the Family Research Council makes recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of the Gov. Tom Ridges' Department of Homeland Security.
The Posse Comitatus Act: Can We Maintain American Freedom Without It?
In this essay, C. T. Rossi responds to Homeland Security head Tom Ridges' attempt to repeal the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The Posse Comitatus Act barred the U.S. military from serving as a civilian police force, effectively protecting the right of states and local communities to police themselves. Its repeal, argues Rossi, "would open the door to old abuses" and concentrate undue power in the federal government.
The CIA World Factbook provides a brief profile of Cuba, including information relating to the Cuban geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military and transnational issues affecting the Cuban people. Visuals include a large map of Cuba.
Aaron P. Lukas, of the Cato Institute, argues that there is a multitude of reasons to end the Cuban embargo. He argues that Cuba is neither a terrorist or security threat to the United States, the embargo punishes innocent Cubans and according to Cuban dissidents maintains Castro's rule, and finally it punishes U.S. export industries that lose out on $684 million to 1.2 billion in trade to Europe and Canada. All combined, Lukas concludes the embargo has outlived its purpose.
U.S. - Cuba Relations
This policy brief from the State Department recounts the more than 40-year history of opposition to Communist Cuba. Included in this policy brief is an outline of the U.S.'s current strategy to end Castro's rule and bring American-style democracy to Cuba.
Pentagon Proposed Pretexts for Cuban Invasion in 1962
These declassified papers from the Joint Chiefs of Staff tells highlights a set of covert proposals to on Cuba titled OPERATION NORTHWOODS. "Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba," tells how certain elements of the U.S. government fabricated pretexts to justify a U.S. invasion of Cuba.
Unfriendly Neighbors
The NEWSHOUR with Jim Lehrer presents a brief history of U.S.-Cuban relations beginning with the U.S. occupation of Cuba after the Spanish-American War, through the 1959 Revolution, to the present-day diplomatic stalemate between the Castro government and various U.S. Administrations. Other features include an examination of the massive migrations of Cubans to Florida and descriptions of daily life in Cuba.
BBCNews offers a description of life in Cuba and the contradictions between the revolutionary ideology and the desire for American-style prosperity.
A recent report from NewsHour describes the impact of the Soviet Union's fall and the recent moves to "dollarize" the economy on the lives of Cubans. This site includes an examination of how the market-style reforms have reverberated throughout Cuban civil society, Cuban education and ideology, and migration outside of Cuba.
Energy Policy/H.R. 4 Web Sites:
Legislative history of the H.R. 4 energy bill.
Download the Bill
Printable version of the bill.
Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth
The Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth is a broad-based coalition of a thousand members representing consumer and community groups, energy companies involved in all phases of energy exploration, production and transmission, and business and labor organizations in every state — all united in support of a comprehensive energy plan.
Halliburton
Halliburton Energy Services is a provider of products, services and integrated solutions for oil and gas exploration and production.
"The Disappearing 2001 Surplus: Tax Cuts, Budget Increases, and the Economy" by Richard Kogan and Robert Greenstein
An article from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (a nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs, with an emphasis on those affecting low- and moderate-income people)
General Motors
General Motors (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide.
Grist Magazine
Environmental news and humor daily
Public Citizen (founded by Ralph Nader)
National non-profit public interest organization "protecting health, safety, and democracy"
Recent trends in U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Scientific report on the controversial "greenhouse effect" including charts and graphs. Report prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group
This report, presented on the official White House energy page, represents current administration thinking on energy policy.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club works to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
U.S. Public Interest Research Group
Public advocacy group.
Founded in 1943 and located in Washington, D.C., the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is one of America's largest and most respected "think tanks." At AEI's annual dinner in February 2003, President Bush delivered a historic address on the need for a new government in Iraq and the role it could play in spreading democracy in the Middle East. Video, audio, and text of the speech are available on the AEI site.
The Gulf War
A FRONTLINE in-depth examination of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf crisis in which more than one million troops faced off against each other in the deserts of the Gulf states. From the Allied coalition's air war, to the ground assault, to the liberation of Kuwait, and the fallout of Saddam Hussein's retaining power, "The Gulf War" deconstructs what really happened, how it happened and why.
Iraq Resource Information Center (IRIS)
IRIS is a comprehensive, categorized, multi-media, Internet database of various Iraqi topics and issues based on eyewitness testimonies, human rights reports, reference sources, official government documents, notable editorials, maps, chronologies, bibliographies, photographic images, audio, and video related materials.
Iraq Special Collection
The Center for Nonproliferation Studies, providing information and analysis to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction, features a hub page for recent articles on Iraq, research on Iraq's missile programs, international reactions to past action in Iraq, and more.
Iraq: What Next?
The Brookings Institution provides a page of Iraq resources, including current commentaries and selected readings.
"Is Truth a Victim?"
In an interview with the BBC's NEWSNIGHT, Dan Rather of CBS, says the U.S. media has stopped asking tough questions of the Bush administration since 11 September and he blames a climate of extraordinary patriotism. The CBS anchorman says that fear of offending the politicians "keeps journalists from asking the toughest of the tough questions" and adds: "I do not except myself from this criticism."
The Middle East Institute
The Middle East Institute was founded in 1946 and is the oldest organization of its kind. The Institute does not take policy positions, but publishes the quarterly Middle East Journal, where policy briefs, and programs are presented scholarly objectivity and tolerance on issues where passions are often intense. The Institute also offers an intellectual hub, an extensive library, resident experts, cultural and political programs and a forum for the exchange of ideas between analysts, scholars, and officials from the U.S. and around the world.
Middle East Media and Research Institute
MEMRI, an independent, non-profit organization providing translations of the Arabic and Farsi media and original analysis and research on developments in the Middle East.
Middle East News Online
Middle East News Online (MENO) is the companion site to the Middle East News Service Inc., which syndicates news and information about the Middle East and North Africa regions. The site and service specializes in information related to the political, economic, social and cultural realities of the Middle East and North Africa, with particular emphasis on economic and financial coverage and policy analysis. MENO aggregates a massive amount of constantly updated information obtained from over 120 sources, and offers daily local and regional news content. The online news can be read in English, French or Arabic and is organized according to both country and topic.
UN News Service
The United Nations News Service features the latest statements from the Secretary-General and news on current UN talks and actions.
The White House
The web site of the White House contains information about the President of the United States, the Vice President, the West Wing and more. Current news updates provide details on the President's actions regarding the situation in Iraq.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA):
The Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy (OIP) is the principal contact point within the executive branch for advice and policy guidance on matters pertaining to the administration of the Freedom of Information Act.
The National Security Archive
An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act..
Access Reports
For more than 25 years, Access Reports has been the news source of choice for professionals concerned with access to government information
The General Accounting Office (GAO)
The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress. GAO exists to support the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people.
Judicial Watch, Inc.
Judicial Watch, Inc. was established in 1994 as a non-partisan, non-profit foundation to serve as an ethical and legal "watchdog" over the US government, legal, and judicial systems. The organizationâs site provides more information about current lawsuits, many of which are filings under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as documents from previous suits.
Ashcroft Memo
The text of Attorney General John Ashcroftâs memo to all government agencies concerning the Freedom of Information Act, published in October.
Gun Control:
Americans for Gun Safety is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates moderate gun control, and respects the rights of law abiding citizens to own guns, while keeping firearms away from criminals and children. The AGS Web site features a media and press center, volunteer and advocacy opportunities, and contact information.
Jim Brady, former press secretary for Ronald Reagan, now runs an organization that advocates and lobbies for tough, sensible gun laws. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence Web site features facts, briefs, research, and statistics on a variety of gun issues; topics range from an "Assault Weapon Ban Q & A" to a "Guns in the Home" issue brief. The Activist page provides step-by-step instruction in how to become a gun control activist within 10 minutes. Additionally, the Legislation section allows concerned citizens to monitor their elected officials' voting records on gun control issues at the state and federal level. Other features include a portal to the Brady Center, another Jim Brady-founded non-partisan, grassroots organization committed to ending gun violence without banning all firearms.
Gun Truths
GunTruths.com believes all persons have the inalienable right to bear arms. The GunTruths.com Web site is separated ideologically into two major sections: the first is for Second Amendment advocates, the second for gun control advocates. For Second Amendment advocates, GunTruths.com offers historical documents as proof of the right to bear arms. They also provide research and statistics that allegedly show gun control actually increases violent crime. The page for gun control advocates cites various historical examples, such as the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Guatemala, in an effort to demonstrate how gun control can concentrate too much power in the hands of the State.
Join Together Online
Join Together Online, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health, explores the issue of gun violence. The Web site features an array of resources, including the latest news concerning gun violence, an "Inside the Issues" primer, funding news, and a "Take Action" page for volunteer and advocacy opportunities. Under the "Featured Resources" section, Join Together Online provides two useful documents: "Blueprints for Violence Prevention" and "Preventing Handgun Violence."
The National Crime Prevention Council's mission is to inspire people to create safe neighborhoods by addressing the causes of crime. The NCPC Web site describes ways citizens can organize community-based prevention initiatives to combat crime in their neighborhoods. The "Training and Tools" section gives citizens ideas about how to implement their own neighborhood prevention initiative. The "What You Can Do" section describes the many activities in which concerned citizens can participate to help combat crime. The Crime Prevention Library provides many resources for continuing education on the topic of crime prevention.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation provides a quick overview of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The NICS, by means of background checks on prospective gun purchasers, helps ensure that people legally prohibited from buying guns cannot purchase them.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
The National Rifle Association is widely considered the foremost defender of Second Amendment rights. The NRA Web site features NRA news, national news, reports on gun-related politics, legislation news and updates, a list of affiliated clubs and associations, and a directory of NRA field agents by region. Other features include safety and training resources, the Eddie Eagle program that seeks to prevent children from handling firearms, and a portal to the non-profit NRA foundation.
On this "Issues in Focus" Web page, New American magazine tackles the issue of gun control, arguing through articles, research, statistics, and testimonials that guns save lives and that any effort to ban firearms in unconstitutional.
Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center, a national non-profit organization, seeks to refocus the gun violence debate from its strict concentration on crime to one more concerned with gun violence as a public health problem. The Violence Policy Center Web site features background reports, research studies, and topical issue briefs detailing the cost of gun violence on American society.
Hunger Resources:
A project of Policy News Publishing, The Almanac of Policy Issues provides comprehensive links and background information on major U.S. public policy issues. The site contains this entry on "Food and Nutrition" as well as links to related sites, issues, and articles.
America's Second Harvest
America's Second Harvest is the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. The site includes in-depth fact sheets on hunger in America, a section focusing on childhood hunger, an in-depth treatment of public policy, and information on finding your local food bank or food-rescue program.
Center on Hunger and Poverty
The Center on Hunger and Poverty, part of The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, promotes policies that improve the lives and developmental capacities of low-income children and families in the nation. Center programs fall into two categories: The Food Security Institute, which includes federal and state data, a guide to recent studies, and explanations and definitions of various elements of Food Security Measurement; and the Asset Development Institute, which contains information on events and initiatives, and copies of publications.
Food Security in the United States
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, intended to inform and enhance public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural development. The site provides explanations, complete with graphs and charts, of conditions and trends, measuring food security, household survey tools, community food security. Also available are links to recent reports and recommended reading.
Hunger in the US
This site is from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). FRAC is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research and public policy center that serves as the hub of an anti-hunger network of thousands of individuals and agencies across the country. Sections of the site include: Federal Response to Hunger; Hunger & Poverty; Health Consequences of Hunger; Public Attitudes Toward Hunger; National Statistics; Recent Hunger Studies.
Oregon Food Bank
The Oregon Food Bank provides statistics about hunger in Oregon and related information on income and poverty levels. The site also includes details on the Food Bank's work to make a difference.
World Hunger Notes
Hunger Notes is a quarterly print, and online publication of World Hunger Education Service. The site offers a fairly large catalog of recent articles about hunger issues.
"The Myth of Widespread American Poverty"
The Heritage Foundation, September 18, 1998
Barbara Ehrenreich:
Links to online versions of articles written by Ehrenreich for Salon.com, THE NATION, TIME and other publications.
A National Survey of American Attitudes Towards Low-wage Workers and Welfare Reform
Complete text of study conducted by in 2000 by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based employment research organization.
The Middle East:
BBC news presents this in-depth section on Israel and the Palestinians, with updates on the latest news, analysis of current events and issues, a history told through maps and timelines, and a feature on Jerusalem's holy sites.
Ha'aretz is an independent daily newspaper based in Tel Aviv covering both domestic issues and international affairs. The paper is perhaps best known for its Op-ed page, where its senior columnists - among them some of Israel's leading commentators and analysts - reflect on current events.
The Israeli Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents a news flash section, headlines divided into categories such as Diplomatic Contact and Palestinian terrorism and the Israeli response, as well as the opportunity to learn more about Israel in sections such as Facts about Israel, Foreign Affairs, Peace Process, and Culture.
IPCRI, founded in Jerusalem in 1988, is the only joint Palestinian-Israeli public policy think-tank in the world. It is devoted to developing, what is described as, "practical solutions" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Web site includes articles and research findings such as "Israeli-Palestinian Youth Encounter Workshops in the Framework of IPCRI Educational Peace" and "A New American Peace Initiative: Can it Work?"
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news service that provides up-to-the-minute reports, analysis and features on events and issues of concern to the Jewish people. The JTA correspondents in New York, Washington, Jerusalem, Moscow and 30 other cities around the globe provide coverage of political, economic and social developments affecting Jews in North and South America, Israel, Europe, Africa and Australia. View the JTA Web site for daily reports on news and politics in Israel.
Middle East Media and Research Institute
MEMRI, an independent, non-profit organization providing translations of the Arabic and Farsi media and original analysis and research on developments in the Middle East.
Zondervan News Links
Zondervan is an international Christian communications company. Most notably, its site offers links to approximately 100 different religion news services and news wires, including specialized presses, religion pages of mainstream papers, and some religion search engines.
Middle East News Online
Middle East News Online (MENO) is the companion site to the Middle East News Service Inc., which syndicates news and information about the Middle East and North Africa regions. The site and service specializes in information related to the political, economic, social and cultural realities of the Middle East and North Africa, with particular emphasis on economic and financial coverage and policy analysis. MENO aggregates a massive amount of constantly updated information obtained from over 120 sources, and offers daily local and regional news content. The online news can be read in English, French or Arabic and is organized according to both country and topic.
The Online NewsHour
The Online NewsHour is the companion Web site to PBS' THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER. The site features a special subsection devoted to coverage of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. This area offers current and archived information and analysis related to the conflict.
Palestinian National Authority
The official web site of the Palestinian National Authority offers daily headlines, and arranges news and interviews within categories such as Peace Process, On the Ground, Building the State, and Palestine & UN.
The Palestinian Report
The Jerusalem Media and Communications Center was established in 1988 by a group of Palestinian journalists and researchers. The weekly online news digest covers events in the Gaza Strip and West Bank through feature stories, photo galleries and commentary.
PLO Negotiations Affairs Department
The Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD) is an institution of the Palestinian Liberation Organization that was established in 1994 in Gaza in order to follow up on the implementation of the Interim Agreement signed between Israel and the PLO. This site offers an eye on negotiations, a description of the Palestinian position on Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, borders, security, and much more.
The United Nations
Fifty-one countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security established the United Nations on October 2, 1945. This URL links to a subsection of the UN site entitled "The Question of Palestine." The area collects a wide variety of materials offering deeper insight on the subjects in question, including a historical overview of the region, an outline of the current obstacles to a resolution of the conflict between Israel-Palestine and a database of U.N. documents discussing aspects of the conflict.
UN News Centre
The United Nations News Centre presents this Middle East section, which includes chronological detail of Security Council action, the Secretary-General's statements, information on UN envoys, and much more.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Chapter 11 resources:
The NAFTA Secretariat, comprised of the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican Sections, is an unique organization, established by the Free Trade Commission, pursuant to Article 2002, Chapter 20 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It is responsible for the administration of the dispute settlement provisions of the Agreement. The mandate of the NAFTA Secretariat also includes the provision of assistance to the Commission and support for various non-dispute related committees and working groups.
Global Exchange
A human rights organization that describes itself as a group dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around the world, since 1988. Global Exchange is opposed to globalization and the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). Their site features a top 10 reasons to oppose the FTAA section, tips on how to democratize the global economy, FAQ, and more.
The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute - a think tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Access articles about trade and foreign aid, including articles on the positive impact of agreements such as NAFTA.
Biodiversity Economics Forum
Private Rights, Public Problems: A Guide to NAFTA's Chapter on Investor Rights by Howard Mann. This guide, aimed at a non-technical audience, presents Mann's perspective on the problems with NAFTA's Chapter 11 in easily accessible detail.
Resources from the P.O.V. documentary "Life and Debt."
This site allows visitors to download a reading list on related topics, peruse pro- and anti-globalization perspectives by linking to selected online articles, or link to an array of non-profit organizations active around the issues or offering background information on the subject of globalization, in general.
NAFTA Five Years Report
Official report of the United States Trade Representative on NAFTA after five years. "We recently concluded an operational review of the work program of each of the NAFTA working groups and committees, to fortify the direction and oversight to this complex venture."
The full text of the NAFTA agreement is available online.
Public Opinion Polls
Self described as an "independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion." Updated regularly, the site contains a database of poll results that are divided into three main categories: Politics and Policy, Business and Economy, and the American Scene. Allows users to view recent popular polls but does require a paid subscription to access in-depth polling statistics valuable to academics. Recent polls include "A Palestinian State," "Arm Airline Pilots," and "Superman vs. Spiderman."
Public Agenda Online
A nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization founded by Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. The two-fold goal of Public Agenda is to provide understanding of the public's point of view to politicians and leaders on major policy initiatives through critical analysis and opinion studies. Secondly, to help citizens understand policy issues therefore creating a better informed and thoughtful voting public. Public Agenda grapples with all the major issues affecting Americans, from abortion to the social security debate.
The Pew Research Center: For the People and the Press
The Pew Research Center is an independent opinion research group focused on attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. The Pew is mainly interested in five areas of inquiry: The People and the Press; The People, the Press and Politics; The News Interest Index; America's Place in the World; and Media Use. Pew and its services are commonly used by journalists, politicians, scholars, and public interest organizations to track public opinion trends. The site also includes commentary, survey reports, and an "In the News" section. Interesting content includes "Americans and Europeans Differ Widely on Foreign Policy Issues" and "Despite September 11, Interest Still Low in Foreign News."
Taxes
Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ)
A nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, CTJ's Web site provides analysis and policy recommendations in the interest of fair taxation at the local, state, and federal levels.
"How to Hide a Million"
From BBC NEWS, this report details how terrorists hide millions of dollars from authorities by using tax havens and offshore financial centers.
National Taxpayers Union (NTU)
A nonprofit, nonpartisan libertarian organization dedicated to laissez-faire principles, the NTU Web site provides information regarding taxes, wasteful spending projects, and limited government. Features of the Web site include "NTU on the Hill," "Commentary," "Congress By the Numbers," and "Grassroots Corner."
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Harmful Tax Practices
OECD homepage for Harmful Tax Practices provides background information, press releases, and up-to-date reports on the OECD's struggle to combat tax havens.
"Personal Exemptions and Individual Income Tax Rates, 1913 - 2002" (PDF)
An Internal Revenue Service publication, Personal Exemptions and Individual Income Tax Rates, 1913-2002 provides historical information on income tax rates levied on the lowest and highest income brackets.
Senator Chuck Grassley
Web site for Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley includes constituent services, news of Sen. Grassley, legislative information and biographical information. The Web site also provides access to Grassley's column "Capital Gains and Losses."
"Surge in Corporate Tax Welfare Drives Corporate Tax Payments Down to Near Record Low"
A Citizens for Tax Justice Report that details how the expansion of corporate welfare policies has shifted the tax burden onto ordinary citizens.
Tax Haven Reporter
An advocate of tax avoidance, the Tax Haven Reporter Web site offers information for prospective individuals and corporations seeking tax relief. Features include "Tax Havens in the Real World" and "How to Legally Avoid Millions in Taxes."
Tax Havens: Releasing the Hidden Billions for Poverty Eradication
A policy paper from Oxfam that argues proliferation of tax havens, and their use, have devastating effects on the ability of governments to provide basic social services throughout the developing world.
"U.S. Eases Stance on 'Tax Havens"
A BBC NEWS report from 200l describes U.S. Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neil's statements against the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's proposal to sanction 35 "potential tax havens" that have failed to comply with financial transparency and information exchange standards.
US Department of Justice
The Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy (OIP) is the principal contact point within the executive branch for advice and policy guidance on matters pertaining to the administration of the Freedom of Information Act.
The National Security Archive
An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act..
Access Reports
For more than 25 years, Access Reports has been the news source of choice for professionals concerned with access to government information
The General Accounting Office (GAO)
The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress. GAO exists to support the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people.
Judicial Watch, Inc.
Judicial Watch, Inc. was established in 1994 as a non-partisan, non-profit foundation to serve as an ethical and legal "watchdog" over the US government, legal, and judicial systems. The organizationâs site provides more information about current lawsuits, many of which are filings under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as documents from previous suits.
Ashcroft Memo
The text of Attorney General John Ashcroftâs memo to all government agencies concerning the Freedom of Information Act, published in October.
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