From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 03:49:15 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 06:49:15 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Polygraph Results Often in Question - Washington Post
Message-ID: <4455E7AB.4020101@comcast.net>

Polygraph Results Often in Question
CIA, FBI Defend Test's Use in Probes

By Dan Eggen and Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, May 1, 2006; A01

The CIA, the FBI and other federal agencies are using polygraph machines 
more than ever to screen applicants and hunt for lawbreakers, even as 
scientists have become more certain that the equipment is ineffective in 
accurately detecting when people are lying.

Instead, many experts say, the real utility of the polygraph machine, or 
"lie detector," is that many of the tens of thousands of people who are 
subjected to it each year believe that it works -- and thus will 
frequently admit to things they might not otherwise acknowledge during 
an interview or interrogation.

Many researchers and defense attorneys say the technology is prone to a 
high number of false results that have stalled or derailed hundreds of 
careers and have prevented many qualified applicants from joining the 
fight against terrorism. At the FBI, for example, about 25 percent of 
applicants fail a polygraph exam each year, according to the bureau's 
security director.

The polygraph has emerged as a pivotal tool in the CIA's aggressive 
effort to identify suspected leakers after embarrassing disclosures 
about government anti-terrorism tactics. The agency fired a veteran 
officer, Mary O. McCarthy, on April 20, alleging that she had shared 
classified information and operational details with The Washington Post 
and other news organizations, a charge her lawyer disputes.

CIA officials have said that McCarthy failed more than one polygraph 
examination administered by the CIA, but the details surrounding those 
interviews remain unclear. Dozens of senior-level CIA officials have 
been subjected to polygraph tests as part of the inquiry, which is aimed 
at identifying employees who may have talked to reporters about 
classified programs, including providing information about the agency's 
network of secret prisons for terrorism suspects.

"The reason an officer at CIA was terminated was for having unauthorized 
contact with the media and the improper release of classified 
information," said Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman. "Don't think in 
terms of a failure of a polygraph being the reason for termination -- 
the polygraph is one tool in an investigative process."

In the popular mind, fueled by Hollywood representations, polygraphs are 
lie-detection machines that can peer inside people's heads to determine 
whether they are telling the truth.

The scientific reality is far different: The machines measure various 
physiological changes, including in blood pressure and heart rate, to 
determine when subjects are getting anxious, based on the idea that 
deception involves an element of anxiety. But because an emotion such as 
anxiety can be triggered by many factors other than lying, experts worry 
that the tests can overlook smooth-talking liars while pointing a finger 
at innocent people who just happen to be rattled.

In settings in which large numbers of employees are screened to 
determine whether they are spies, the polygraph produces results that 
are extremely problematic, according to a comprehensive 2002 review by a 
federal panel of distinguished scientists. The study found that if 
polygraphs were administered to a group of 10,000 people that included 
10 spies, nearly 1,600 innocent people would fail the test -- and two of 
the spies would pass.

"Its accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators 
from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use 
in employee security screening in federal agencies," the panel concluded.

Polygraph test results are also generally inadmissible in federal courts 
and in most state courts because of doubts about their reliability. 
Statements or admissions made by test subjects during a polygraph 
session, however, can often be used by prosecutors at trial, according 
to legal experts.

But even critics of the polygraph concede that it can help managers 
learn things about employees that would otherwise remain hidden. That 
aspect of polygraph testing lies at the heart of its continuing appeal, 
said Alan Zelicoff, a former scientist at Sandia National Laboratories 
who quit because he believed that polygraphs are unethical.

Although polygraph tests involving national security are supposed to be 
about a handful of questions involving espionage, Zelicoff said the 
tests take hours: "In each and every test, what happens is after 
question two or three the questioner will pause and very deliberately 
take a long hard look at the chart and take a deep breath and sigh and 
say, 'You did really well on question one, but on the second question, 
about whether you released classified information, I am getting a 
strange reading. Tell you what -- I am going to turn the machine off and 
I am going to ask whether there is something you want to get off your 
chest.' "

"That is what the polygraph is about," said Zelicoff, who has testimony 
from several employees who are angry about the tests. "It is about an 
excuse to conduct a wide-ranging inquisition."

The subjective opinions of polygraph examiners play a huge role in 
whether people are said to pass or fail, said William Iacono, a 
psychologist at the University of Minnesota who has extensively studied 
the technique. As evidence, Iacono said that polygraph tests rarely find 
problems among senior staff members at organizations, even as 30 to 40 
percent of applicants for entry-level positions fail.

"The director of the CIA just took a test," said Iacono. "How would you 
like to be the examiner who gave him a test and say he failed? What kind 
of a career would you have?"

The president of the American Polygraph Association, T.V. O'Malley, said 
polygraph technology is held to an unfair standard in many cases, and he 
compared it to mammograms and other medical screening procedures that 
are imperfect but valuable in detecting problems. He also acknowledged 
that some of the polygraph's value is simply in prompting people to tell 
the truth.

"It's kind of like confessing . . . to a priest: You feel a little 
better by getting rid of your baggage," O'Malley said. "The same thing 
often happens with a polygraph examination."

Charles S. Phalen Jr., the FBI's assistant director for security, said 
the polygraph is a vital component of the bureau's security program.

"This is the most effective collection tool that we have in our arsenal 
of security tools to identify disqualifying behavior and disqualifying 
activities," Phalen said. "I will never sit here and say this is a 
perfect tool because it's not. . . . In and of itself it won't produce 
the truth, but it's a way at getting at the truth."

The ubiquity of polygraph testing in the federal government is due in 
large part to spy scandals that rocked the government over the past 
dozen years, including those involving Aldrich Ames at the CIA and 
Robert P. Hanssen at the FBI. Ames was allowed to continue working 
despite questionable polygraph results, whereas Hanssen was never given 
a lie-detector exam during his long FBI career.

Previous efforts to implement wide-scale testing were met with fierce 
opposition not only from rank-and-file employees but also from senior 
government officials. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan scaled back an 
order requiring thousands of government employees to submit to 
polygraphs after Secretary of State George P. Shultz threatened to 
resign if ordered to take one.

As part of changes implemented after Hanssen's arrest in 2001, the FBI 
now conducts about 8,000 polygraph tests each year, most of which 
involve current employees, applicants and contractors. All applicants 
and new employees undergo a polygraph at the FBI, and nearly every 
employee -- including the director -- is subject to a new test every 
five years, officials said.

The CIA enacted broader testing policies after Ames's unmasking. At the 
Department of Energy, which implemented changes as a result of the Wen 
Ho Lee case, about 20,000 employees are currently eligible for mandatory 
polygraph screening tests. (Lee, a former nuclear weapons scientist, was 
held by the government for purportedly smuggling weapon-design secrets 
to China; all but one charge was dropped.)

The Department of Energy is considering scaling back its program to 
focus on 4,500 employees with access to the most sensitive information, 
in large part because of the 2002 analysis by the federal panel, 
according to a congressional report released last week.

Many scientists who criticize polygraphs as a screening tool say the 
machines can be effective when used as part of a "guilty-knowledge 
test." In a bank robbery investigation, for example, suspects could be 
quizzed in multiple-choice tests on whether they knew if the weapon used 
was a gun or a knife, whether the money taken was $10, $1,000 or $10,000.

Focused questions that test whether people have memory of an event yield 
far more reliable results than open-ended screening tests that rely on 
emotions that can be triggered by a wide range of factors, said Iacono, 
who added that the federal government has resolutely refused to use the 
guilty-knowledge test. Officials have declined to describe the kind of 
tests McCarthy underwent at the CIA.

Iacono said conventional polygraph tests have little scientific validity 
but allow examiners to say, "I am getting the sense you are holding 
something back; is there something you want to tell me?"

"When people hear that, they admit things it would be difficult to get 
in any other way," he said. "People will confess to crimes or make 
admissions about themselves or other people. They may reveal suspicions 
about a co-worker or explain they did something they should not have 
done. The government loves that."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043001006.html
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 03:51:39 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 06:51:39 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Women,
 Minorities Make Up New Generation of Lobbyists - Washington Post
Message-ID: <4455E83B.5020500@comcast.net>

Women, Minorities Make Up New Generation of Lobbyists
<>
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
The Washington Post
Monday, May 1, 2006; D01

When Anne Wexler was fresh out of Jimmy Carter's White House, the Old 
Boys Network on K Street was not always kind to her. During one 
particularly brutal meeting in the 1980s, Wexler and her partner Nancy 
C. Reynolds were laughed at by a roomful of male lobbyists when the 
women predicted the White House would embrace the telecommunications 
position they were all working to advance.

But the men were not laughing at them for long. Soon afterward, 
President Ronald Reagan did exactly what Wexler and Reynolds said he 
would, and the newcomers were granted the respect they deserved. As a 
token of esteem, one of the men in the room gave each of the women a day 
at an Elizabeth Arden spa as a reward.

Wexler is a Washington pioneer. In 1981, she became the first woman to 
own a lobbying firm and was among the first to make a business out of 
combining disparate interests into coalitions as a basic advocacy tool. 
"When I started, there were very few women in lobbying," Wexler 
recalled. "It was completely male-dominated."

Now women are a significant part of the lobbying scene. In fact, 
lobbying, which for years was almost entirely a white man's game, has 
become increasingly diverse as women and people of color have attained 
more positions of power and influence.

Women-owned firms are proliferating, and a few are, at least for now, 
all female. Women also hold important positions in both lobbying and law 
firms. They direct the Washington offices of major corporations for such 
industries as oil and communications.

There are many reasons for the change. The biggest is the rising number 
of women who have entered government at the highest levels. The number 
of women in Congress has exploded in the last generation. In addition, 
presidents have placed special emphasis on hiring women in senior White 
House and cabinet positions since Richard Nixon's day.

Those freshly minted, high-ranking women hired lots of other women to 
help them. And when they all started to look for post-government jobs, 
lobbying became as natural a place for them to turn as it was for the 
men who came before them.

Lobbying trends have also benefited the cause of women in lobbying. The 
Old Boys Network, when it was in full swing in the 1960s and earlier, 
made it easy for the long-established men in power to rely on personal 
ties to win official favors. But those insular days are long gone.

Today lobbying is less about back scratching than it is about case 
making. A lot of lobbying involves researching and presenting facts and, 
at those things, men and women are on equal footing.

"This town has shifted business models from the Old Boys Network to a 
focus on substance, competence and credibility," said Stephanie E. 
Silverman, a principal of Venn Strategies LLC, a woman-owned lobbying 
firm. "In the old model it was difficult if you were a woman. In the new 
model you can be a man or a woman and it doesn't matter."

Women are particularly prominent in lobbying firms that trade more on 
their expertise than on their access. Linda E. Tarplin, for example, is 
considered one of Washington's top health-care lobbyists and is part of 
an all-woman, all-Republican, all-health-care lobbying company called 
Tarplin, Downs & Young LLC. Silverman's firm specializes in tax matters. 
Women are also pervasive in lobbying on international trade.

"You do have different industry segments that are more dominated by 
women than others," Tarplin said. "In the health-care world, there are a 
lot of strong female lobbyists."

Women have also banded together in their own lobbying firms to foster 
work environments that better fit their family lives. Nueva Vista Group 
is owned by three Democratic women with young children (the oldest is 
7), and they set their schedules based on their personal needs.

"That's why a lot of women get into this," Nueva Vista partner Andrea 
LaRue said. "It's carving out a niche that you feel comfortable in and 
being able to define the space completely on your own."

Women have had such positive experiences as lobbyists that a few are 
into their second generation on the job. Silverman's mother, Anita K. 
Epstein, has been a lobbyist since 1978 and, like her daughter, loves 
the profession. "This is an important job that we do," she said. "It's a 
shame that some people don't hold it in high regard."

Patricia Griffin of Nueva Vista is also the daughter of a lobbyist -- 
Patrick J. Griffin, the former top lobbyist for President Bill Clinton 
on the Hill. Like her dad, the younger Griffin is adept at her work. But 
she also notes that women lobbyists still have a long way to go. "You're 
often still the only woman in the room, or only one of two or three," 
she said. "The culture is still very aggressive and white-male-oriented."

Lobbying is more diverse than ever, but the evolution to equality is not 
yet finished.

We Told You So

The Food Products Association and the Grocery Manufacturers Association 
are, in fact, going to merge, as this column predicted last November. 
And in what might be a sign of the times, the president of the merged 
entity will be a Democrat -- former congressman Calvin M. Dooley of 
California, who has been head of the food products group. The Republican 
who directs the grocery manufacturers, C. Manly Molpus, will be retiring.

Eventually the name of the combined organization will be, simply, 
Grocery Manufacturers Association, according to a news release. It will 
represent nearly 300 companies from the food, beverage and consumer 
products industries.

But maybe more is happening here that is in clear sight. Is it possible 
that the foodies are telling us something about the future control of 
Congress by choosing a Democratic chief executive? Who knows, maybe K 
Street is a leading political indicator. Stranger things have happened.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/29/AR2006042901723.html
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 03:53:53 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 06:53:53 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] No Defense For This Insanity - Sebastian Mallaby -
 Washington Post Op-Ed
Message-ID: <4455E8C1.4040402@comcast.net>

No Defense For This Insanity
<>
By Sebastian Mallaby
The Washington Post
Monday, May 1, 2006; A19

Team Bush could use some fresh domestic policy. Its talk of tax reform 
has fizzled. Its defeat on Social Security has destroyed its hopes of 
fixing entitlements. Its feckless energy non-policy has come back to 
haunt it. Its tax cuts look ever more untenable as Iraq costs escalate. 
Its proposed expansion of health savings accounts is incompetently 
muddled. Its bungling of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is legendary. Its 
trampling of civil liberties has been rolled back by the Supreme Court.

Desperate moments call for desperate remedies. President Bush should 
seize upon the monstrous Vioxx litigation to champion a cause that he 
believes in: the cause of tort reform.

Vioxx, you say? Sticking up for a painkiller that boosts the risk of 
heart attack is an unconventional approach to winning votes. But the 
Vioxx litigation -- 11,500 lawsuits and counting -- is so crazy and 
repulsive that it makes even drug companies look virtuous. It glorifies 
prejudice above science as much as Bush's stance on global warming; it 
wastes money as grotesquely as Bush's tolerance of pork. Everybody knows 
that trial lawyers are Democrats. By grabbing hold of Vioxx, Bush could 
do his side some good.

How do the Vioxx lawsuits glorify prejudice? Well, the first case 
brought against Merck, the painkiller's manufacturer, concerned a man 
who, according to his autopsy, had died of an irregular heartbeat -- a 
condition that, unlike heart attacks, is not actually associated with 
Vioxx. Moreover, the placebo-controlled trial that linked Vioxx to heart 
attacks and led to Merck's voluntary withdrawal of the drug from the 
market found no adverse effects until after 18 months; the alleged 
victim had taken the medication for only eight months. These scientific 
niceties didn't matter to the jury. "Whenever Merck was up there, it was 
like wah, wah, wah," one juror told the Wall Street Journal. "We didn't 
know what the heck they were talking about."

Meanwhile, the jurors had no difficulty understanding Mark Lanier, the 
trial attorney and decidedly unscientific Baptist preacher who brought 
the lawsuit against Merck. Lanier tickled their vulnerabilities and 
vanities, playing on local prejudices against faceless corporations from 
the East Coast. Knowing that one juror loved Oprah Winfrey, he 
insinuated that finding Merck liable might qualify her to appear on 
television. "I can't promise Oprah," he said artfully, but "there are 
going to be a lot of people who'll want to know how you had the courage 
to do it."

Merck's experience since that first case hasn't always been better. The 
company has won three verdicts, but last month it endured a second and 
third loss. One involved a 75-year-old diabetic who suffered from 
clogged arteries before he began taking Vioxx. The other involved a 
71-year-old smoker and veteran of quadruple bypass surgery who had 
suffered a heart attack more than a decade before Vioxx even existed. 
Far from taking Merck's medicine for the 18 months identified as 
dangerous, the smoker had taken it for no more than one month, making 
the claimed association with his heart attack all the more implausible.

Ordinary mortals would be embarrassed to demand millions of dollars on 
this basis. But the way the trial bar tells it, defiance of science is a 
triumph rather than a scandal. "This is the first case in the country 
where short-term usage has been found by a jury to be causatory of heart 
attacks," exulted the plaintiff's attorney, skirting the question of how 
12 laymen can be said to "find" medical causation. "We hope this will go 
a long way in dispelling this 18-month science fiction myth," the 
mythmaker went on.

Open societies flourish because they are driven by intelligence and 
information; the U.S. tort system creates an enclave of idiotic whimsy 
in the heart of the most open society in the world. But the Vioxx 
litigation does not merely celebrate dumb prejudice. It's 
extraordinarily expensive. For this year alone, Merck has set aside a 
legal war chest of $685 million. The Vioxx lawsuits could eventually 
cost it between $10 billion and $50 billion.

Did those numbers sink in properly? The midpoint of those estimates -- 
$30 billion -- is six times more than the federal government spends 
annually on cancer research. Or, to put it another way, $30 billion is 
about five times Merck's annual earnings, meaning that one of the 
world's top pharmaceutical research establishments is fighting for 
survival. At a time when Americans fret over relative decline in science 
and business, it's insane to sink a flagship scientific company in order 
to line the pockets of unscrupulous lawyers.

The first politician who says this will be called an enemy of injured 
victims, but he or she will also deserve to be called bold and right. 
Perhaps the nation could create a pool of scientific jurors -- retired 
doctors and such -- to hear medical cases; perhaps it could penalize 
lawyers who bring expensive cases that get overturned by higher courts. 
Whatever the solution, there's undeniably a problem. The status quo is nuts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000867.html
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 03:55:29 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 06:55:29 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] A New Strategy on Iran - Dennis Ross - Washington Post
	Op-Ed
Message-ID: <4455E921.8090904@comcast.net>

A New Strategy on Iran
<>
By Dennis Ross
The Washington Post
Monday, May 1, 2006; A19

The United States and Iran are playing programmed roles in a minuet on 
nuclear weapons. The United States pushes the U.N. Security Council to 
warn Iran about the consequences of going nuclear. And Iran continues 
its march toward development of nuclear power, even as its president 
declares that "we don't give a damn" about U.N. resolutions calling on 
Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment.

With the Russians and Chinese seemingly determined to block sanctions, 
our efforts at the United Nations promise to evolve slowly while Iran 
presses ahead with its plans. If we stay on the same path, we will be 
left with two choices: accept the reality of Iran's nuclear weapons 
capability or take military action to set back its ambitions.

Either outcome could prove disastrous. If Iran succeeds, in all 
likelihood we will face a nuclear Middle East. The Saudis -- fearing an 
emboldened Iran determined to coerce others and to promote Shiite 
subversion in the Arabian Peninsula -- will seek their own nuclear 
capability, and probably already have a deal with Pakistan to provide it 
should Iran pose this kind of threat. And don't expect Egypt to be 
content with Saudi Arabia's being the only Arab country with a nuclear 
"deterrent."

As for those who think that the nuclear deterrent rules that governed 
relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold 
War will also apply in a nuclear Middle East: Don't be so confident. For 
one thing, the possible number of nuclear countries will drive up the 
potential for miscalculation. For another, with an Iranian president who 
sees himself as an instrument for accelerating the coming of the 12th 
Imam -- which is preceded in the mythology by the equivalent of 
Armageddon -- one should not take comfort in thinking that Iran will act 
responsibly.

But the alternative of using force to prevent or forestall the Iranians' 
going nuclear does not look much better. To begin with, there are no 
simple or clean military options. Air operations alone might involve 
striking hundreds of targets, many in populated areas where there are 
significant air defense capabilities in the process of being upgraded by 
the Russians. The more casualties we inflict, the more we inflame the 
Islamic world.

Perhaps we could manage the response if the military campaign inflicted 
relatively few casualties and succeeded in setting back the Iranian 
nuclear program. But such a rosy scenario assumes that Iran's ability to 
retaliate is relatively limited. Even if we have the means to prevent 
the Iranian navy and air force from shutting down shipping into and out 
of the Persian Gulf, Iran has other options for turning any effort to 
take out its nuclear capability into a wider war.

The Iranians can foment far greater numbers of insurgent attacks against 
our forces in Iraq -- literally trying to set the earth on fire under 
our feet. To cut off the support for such attacks we could be driven to 
act militarily across the border into Iran on the ground. Perhaps Iran 
would realize that an escalating conflict with the United States is too 
dangerous, but after underestimating the risks we encountered in Iraq, 
can we be so confident about what the Iranians might do?

If neither outcome that our current policy is likely to produce is 
acceptable, should we not look for another pathway? Of course, but the 
challenge remains one of changing the Iranian calculus. Iran must see 
that it either loses more than it gains by proceeding to move toward 
nuclear weapons or that it can gain more by giving up the effort. The 
problem with the current policy is that it threatens costs that either 
aren't believable or are likely to pale in comparison with what the 
Iranians see themselves gaining with nuclear power.

But what if we could threaten collective sanctions that the Iranians 
would see as biting? What if those were combined with possible gains in 
terms of a deal on nuclear energy, economic benefits and security 
understandings if the Iranians would give up the nuclear program?

While one can argue that the Europeans were trying to negotiate 
something like this with the Iranians, they were never able to put 
together a package of credible sanctions and inducements, because the 
United States was not really a part of the effort. True, this country 
has coordinated with the British, French and Germans in the Bush second 
term. But a serious effort at raising the costs to the Iranians and 
offering possible gains has never been put together.

Why not now? Why not have the president go to his British, French and 
German counterparts and say: We will join you at the table with the 
Iranians, but first let us agree on an extensive set of meaningful -- 
not marginal -- economic and political sanctions that we will impose if 
the negotiations fail. Any such agreement would also need to entail an 
understanding of what would constitute failure in the talks and the 
trigger for the sanctions.

The Europeans have always wanted the Americans at the table. Agreeing on 
the sanctions in advance would be the price for getting us there. To be 
sure, the United States would focus as well on what could be provided to 
the Iranians, but the benefits have always been easier to agree on, 
particularly since meaningful sanctions will also impose a price on us. 
Real economic sanctions would not just bite Iran and its ability to 
generate revenue but also would undoubtedly drive up the price of oil. 
Our readiness to accept that risk at a time when high gasoline prices 
are becoming a domestic political issue would convey a very different 
signal about our seriousness to the Iranians -- who presently don't fear 
sanctions because they think they have the world over a barrel.

There is no guarantee such an approach will work with Iran. This Iranian 
government may simply be determined to have nuclear weapons. If that is 
the case, and if President Bush is determined to prevent Iran from 
gaining nuclear weapons -- as he has said -- we would still be better 
off having tried a direct negotiating option before resorting to what 
inevitably will be a difficult, messy use of force once again.

The writer was director for policy planning in the State Department 
under President George H.W. Bush and special Middle East coordinator 
under President Bill Clinton. He is counselor of the Washington 
Institute for Near East Policy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000869.html?nav=hcmodule
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 03:57:39 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 06:57:39 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] The View From Sesame Street - Gary Knell - Washington
	Post Op-Ed
Message-ID: <4455E9A3.3040607@comcast.net>

The View From Sesame Street
<>
By Gary E. Knell
The Washington Post
Monday, May 1, 2006; A19

When the groundbreaking show "Sesame Street" was created in 1968 to help 
children prepare for school, it was not without its critics. To some, 
the attempt to use television to teach children seemed unlikely to 
succeed. To others, the show was radical, even revolutionary. "Sesame 
Street" was diverse, multicultural, "street smart." It remains to this 
day one of the most successful endeavors in children's programming, 
having won more Emmys and been the subject of more postgraduate theses 
than any program in television history.

Nearly 38 years later, our newest initiative has also come in for 
criticism. Upon launching "Sesame Beginnings," a series of videos for 
parents and children under the age of 2, the nonprofit educational 
organization Sesame Workshop was immediately accused by some "experts" 
of "betraying children and families." Somehow, by merely entering the 
market, we are promoting television as babysitter when caregivers should 
be engaging in hands-on parenting, free of TV.

But the reality is that with the explosion of media, more families are 
allowing their youngest children to watch television, whether we like it 
or not. (And in families with older siblings, younger kids are being 
exposed, whether intended or not). This conflicts with the American 
Academy of Pediatrics' nearly decade-old recommendation that no children 
under 2 should ever watch television.

Despite that directive, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study found 
that millions of young children are watching TV and videos -- that 68 
percent of all children under 2 use some form of screen media on a 
typical day. Much of what they view is aimed at older kids -- some even 
at adults. "Sesame Street" videos are among those frequently viewed by 
the under-2 set, even though the content and curriculum are for older 
children.

In dealing with this reality, we decided to take a pragmatic approach. 
First, we embarked on extensive evaluation and research. As with all 
Sesame Workshop projects, we worked with an advisory board of child 
development and media experts, and we joined with ZERO TO THREE, another 
nonprofit organization of pediatricians, child development experts and 
researchers dedicated to the healthy development of infants and 
toddlers. Together, we decided to provide quality content for parents 
who choose to use media with their children.

The materials we provide are designed to promote parenting skills in the 
hope that songs and activities will help create special teachable 
moments between parent and child. They encourage child/caregiver 
interaction when the TV is turned off, in contrast to other products on 
the market.

We live in a world where media are ubiquitous. Today's parents were 
raised around television and are comfortable using media in the home. 
More must and should be done to fully examine how media developed for 
the under-2 set affect a child's learning.

Television is a powerful teacher. Research to date has looked more at 
total viewing time than content. What we've learned, with our own 
decades of research on the impact of "Sesame Street," is that content 
does matter -- programs designed to be age-appropriate educational 
viewing experiences do have beneficial educational effects.

That is why we support a closer look at media for children based on 
content rather than screen time. We need to examine whether marketing 
guidelines are required for products and whether parents have the 
information they need to make informed decisions. Most important, we 
have to make sure we take an honest look at the reality of media today 
and base our decisions on the real-world needs of parents and children.

We believe "Sesame Beginnings" has done precisely that. Nearly four 
decades ago, Sesame Workshop tackled the challenge of using television 
to promoting literacy, numeracy and social and emotional skills -- with 
long-lasting positive effects.

"Sesame Beginnings" provides a research-based, developmentally 
appropriate precursor to "Sesame Street," one that will promote positive 
engagement with media for our youngest children and those who are 
raising them. I suggest our critics view these videos first, before 
firing the salvos they are so ready to set off at a moment's notice.

The writer is president and CEO of Sesame Workshop.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000868.html
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 04:01:15 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 07:01:15 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] A long way to go in eliminating chemical weapons - J.
 Tucker, P. Walker - Boston Globe Op-Ed
Message-ID: <4455EA7A.7020208@comcast.net>


  A long way to go in eliminating chemical weapons

By Jonathan B. Tucker and Paul F. Walker  |  May 1, 2006  |  The Boston 
Globe

THIS WEEKEND marked the ninth anniversary of the international Chemical 
Weapons Convention, which bans the development, production, and use of 
deadly chemical agents and requires the destruction of existing stockpiles.

One year remains until the deadline for completing the destruction of 
all declared chemical weapons stocks, more than 71,000 metric tons 
globally. Yet only about 13,000 tons (18 percent) have been destroyed, 
requiring the treaty timetable to be extended. Of the six countries that 
have declared chemical stockpiles under the convention, only one -- 
Albania -- has any chance of eliminating them on time. Despite this 
setback, we must not abandon the goal of ridding the world of these weapons.

The United States and Russia, which possess more than 95 percent of the 
Cold War stockpiles of chemical arms, have both requested a five-year 
extension of the deadline until 2012, as permitted under the treaty. By 
mid-April, the United States had destroyed about 39 percent of its 
declared inventory of 28,575 metric tons stored at eight Army depots 
around the country. But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in an April 
10 letter to congressional leaders, admitted that the United States will 
destroy only about 66 percent of the stockpile by April 2012.

Russia is further behind, having destroyed less than 3 percent of its 
40,000 metric tons by the end of March. Both the United States and 
Russia will likely take another decade to eliminate their aging and 
dangerous chemical arsenals.

Four other countries -- Albania, Libya, South Korea, and India -- have 
declared much smaller chemical weapons stockpiles and pledged to destroy 
them, while Japan is faced with eliminating the vast buried stockpile 
that it abandoned in China during World War II.

Albania possesses 16 tons of a mixture of two blister agents in barrels, 
discovered in 2002 by Albanian officials searching for weapons caches. 
Because some of these containers bear Chinese labels, it is suspected 
that Albania's former communist regime imported them during the 1980s 
from the People's Republic of China. The United States is helping 
Albania to destroy its stockpile, with additional assistance from 
Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and the European Union. Destruction is 
slated to begin in July and should be completed by April 2007, the 
convention's deadline, should no unanticipated delays occur.

Libya has declared 23.62 metric tons of mustard agent and more than 
1,300 metric tons of chemical ingredients for making nerve agents, 
stored at a remote site in the Libyan desert. The cost of elimination is 
estimated at about $100 million, which Washington has agreed to fund 
with congressional approval. The timeline for destruction is uncertain 
because of several political obstacles, not least the fact that Libya 
remains on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. 
To cover the worst case, Tripoli will probably request a five-year 
extension until 2012.

South Korea has declared a single chemical weapons production facility 
and a stockpile of 156,000 sarin artillery shells of the ''binary" type, 
in which the lethal agent is produced only after the shells are fired. 
By the end of March, Seoul had incinerated 67 percent of the binary 
agents; it aims to eliminate the rest by December 2008, also requiring 
an extension of the deadline.

India has a declared stockpile of 1,044 metric tons of sulfur mustard. 
Less than 2 percent of the agent was filled into artillery shells and 
the remainder stored in bulk containers. As of March, India had 
destroyed 53 percent of its stockpile, including all of the filled 
munitions, but it will probably need an extension until 2009 to complete 
the process.

Japan, although not a current possessor of chemical weapons, abandoned 
large stocks of chemical munitions in northeastern China during World 
War II. China contends that some 2 million Japanese chemical shells, 
containing a total of about 100 metric tons of agent, remain to be 
recovered, while Japan estimates the total number as closer to 700,000. 
Although the convention is somewhat vague about the deadline for 
destroying old and abandoned chemical weapons, China is urging Japan to 
request an extension.

A number of other states that have not yet joined the convention are 
believed to possess chemical weapons, including Egypt, Israel, Syria, 
and North Korea. Egypt, a close US ally, has so far refused to sign the 
convention but has proposed a Middle East free of all weapons of mass 
destruction. Israel has signed the convention but declined to ratify the 
treaty until its hostile neighbors, Syria and Iran, give up their own 
alleged chemical warfare capabilities. (Although Iran is a party to the 
convention, the US government claims that it retains illicit chemical 
weapons production facilities and possibly an active stockpile.) Another 
holdout, North Korea, has an estimated 2,500-5,000 tons of blister and 
nerve agents, much of which is weaponized in artillery shells and 
rockets within firing range of Seoul.

The latest delays by the United States, Russia, and other countries in 
destroying their stockpiles are troubling, particularly given the risk 
that poorly secured weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists. It 
is essential for governments and nongovernmental organizations to 
continue pressuring all states that possess chemical arms to join the 
Chemical Weapons Convention and destroy their stocks as quickly and 
safely as possible. Only by keeping our eyes on the prize will it be 
possible to eliminate this entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

Jonathan B. Tucker is a senior fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation 
Studies and author of ''War of Nerves: Chemical Warfare from World War I 
to Al Qaeda." Paul F. Walker is legacy program director at Global Green 
USA.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/01/a_long_way_to_go_in_eliminating_chemical_weapons/
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Mon May  1 04:02:54 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 07:02:54 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Outlawed AIDS prevention - James Carroll - Boston Globe
	Op-Ed
Message-ID: <4455EADE.5010104@comcast.net>


  Outlawed AIDS prevention

By James Carroll  |  May 1, 2006  |  The Boston Globe

CARING FOR the sick has always been a defining act of religion, as if 
every conception of God must be measured by its generation of 
compassion. Among Catholics, the tradition of the ''corporal works of 
mercy," associated with Jesus himself, long ago spawned a commitment to 
provide for the health of human beings, which led to the 
institutionalization of medical service. Catholic hospitals are the 
pride of the church. When I was a child, family illness prompted visits 
to Providence Hospital in Washington, and I remember the winged garb of 
the nursing sisters as a particular symbol of all that made life on this 
earth trustworthy.

Such associations form the backdrop of the shock it was when the 
Catholic Church failed in its response to the arrival of HIV/AIDS. Not 
that compassion was lacking. Catholic hospitals and other ministries 
threw themselves into caring for those who became infected, and today, 
across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, much of such care is provided 
in Catholic settings. But the urgent need for active prevention soon 
showed itself, and because the disease can be transmitted sexually, that 
required the advocacy of condom use.

In 1987 US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop recommended condoms for the 
prevention of the spread of HIV. One scientific study after another 
demonstrated the effectiveness of condoms in reducing risk of infection, 
yet centers of cultural conservatism resisted that message -- none more 
consistently than the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

''Although proven strategies exist to prevent new HIV infections," the 
UN declared in 2005, ''essential prevention strategies reach only a 
fraction of those who need them." The Vatican has a special 
responsibility here, for it not only repeatedly rejected condom use for 
the sake of HIV prevention, but argued -- for example in its 2003 
document ''Family Values and Safe Sex" -- that condoms, instead of 
inhibiting the spread of HIV/AIDS, promote it. This unconscionable 
denial was rooted in the most rigid of moral theologies, as if any 
loosening of Vatican condemnations of contraception -- never mind that 
disease prevention differs from birth control -- would lead to the 
collapse of Catholic authority.

In the years since Koop's advocacy of condoms, HIV/AIDS has continued to 
spread, so that by now more than 40 million people are infected, and the 
rates are going up (13,000 new infections each day). No Vatican policy 
could have stopped the spread of the disease, but there can be no doubt 
that Vatican rejection of condoms, and its aggressive campaign against 
condom use, helped that spread, especially in areas of the world where 
Catholic influence is high.

Last week came news reports that Pope Benedict XVI has ordered a Vatican 
reconsideration of its position on condoms and HIV/AIDS. ''We are 
conducting a very profound scientific, technical, and moral study," said 
the head of the Vatican office for healthcare. The study may be 
restricted to condom use between married couples, one of whom carries 
the infection, but even a change in that limited context would be 
significant. Any mitigation of absolutism in Vatican rejection of 
condoms would be a welcome step in the right direction. Indeed, the 
announcement that a change is being considered is already a mitigation.

Yet as a Catholic I respond to this news with complicated feelings. It 
is one thing to toss out the doctrine of Limbo, say, or to drop 
regulations about abstaining from meat on Friday. The issue raised here 
is graver.

The consequences of this Catholic mistake have been catastrophic. 
Cultural prejudice against condoms, often widespread, has been 
reinforced. Women for whom condoms can be a crucial protection and a 
method of self-assertion have been kept at risk and disempowered. 
Priests, nuns, and the few bishops who denounced the condom ban have 
been disciplined. Catholic lay people who have been savvy enough to 
ignore it have been put in bad conscience. HIV/AIDS education has been 
equated with the promotion of promiscuity. Catholic leaders have falsely 
defined condoms as ineffective. Prevention of illness has been put in 
opposition to compassion for the sick. Homophobia has been sacralized. 
The Vatican's rigid adherence to this teaching in the face of monumental 
human suffering has been central to the broader collapse of Catholic 
moral authority.

But even these disasters pale beside the dominant fact of this tragedy: 
For more than 20 years, the hierarchy's rejection of condom use has been 
killing people. Even were the Vatican to change its position now -- and 
pray it does -- Catholics must still reckon with that betrayal.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/01/outlawed_aids_prevention/
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From barbarasiomos38 at msn.com  Mon May  1 04:57:19 2006
From: barbarasiomos38 at msn.com (Barbara Siomos)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 11:57:19 GMT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Is this gaul or what?
Message-ID: <BAY114-DAV795EA147288033A3A4C08ABB10@phx.gbl>

FOCUS | Bush Defies Hundreds of Laws 
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/043006Y.shtml

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution. 

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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:51:17 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 14:51:17 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Sharp Reaction to G.O.P. Plan on Gas Rebate
Message-ID: <20060501145117.A15FC3AEBC7@lax-gw06.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

NATIONAL | May 1, 2006
Sharp Reaction to G.O.P. Plan on Gas Rebate
By CARL HULSE and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
The Senate Republican plan to mail $100 checks to voters to ease the burden of high gas prices is eliciting more scorn than gratitude.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/us/01gas.html?ex=1147147200&en=d73f95b685cbdaf5&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:52:28 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 14:52:28 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: It's All Right, Ma: Bob Dylan Turns D.J.
Message-ID: <20060501145228.E28069FEA0@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

ARTS / MUSIC | April 30, 2006
Playlist: It's All Right, Ma: Bob Dylan Turns D.J.
By BOB DYLAN
Once famously reclusive, Mr. Dylan is now going very public with his eclectic musical tastes, on his new show on XM Satellite Radio.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/arts/music/30play.html?ex=1147147200&en=231b722ea5c60097&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:56:23 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 14:56:23 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Berlusconi Concedes Italy Defeat,
	Without Saying 'Concede'
Message-ID: <20060501145623.9662A83E67@lax-gw03.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE | April 30, 2006
Berlusconi Concedes Italy Defeat, Without Saying 'Concede'
By IAN FISHER
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi admitted defeat in Italy's close national elections, but his party will still wield considerable power.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/world/europe/30italy.html?ex=1147147200&en=3ed359a1d518b6a8&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:53:07 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 14:53:07 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Ethanol's Promise
Message-ID: <20060501145308.3164924A9B7@lax-gw08.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

OPINION | May 1, 2006
Editorial: Ethanol's Promise

Given enough financial support and political will, ethanol could be a huge first step toward ending America's oil addiction. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/opinion/01mon1.html?ex=1147147200&en=f68c3cbd84d25fa3&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:54:06 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 14:54:06 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Gas Prices: Do Something Real (8 Letters)
Message-ID: <20060501145407.15DE124A76E@lax-gw08.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

OPINION | May 1, 2006
Gas Prices: Do Something Real (8 Letters)

To the Editor:.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/opinion/l01gas.html?ex=1147147200&en=b9b2dd8eb650be26&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

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Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  1 07:56:38 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: 1 May 2006 14:56:38 -0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] Headlines for May 1, 2006
Message-ID: <20060501145638.15967.qmail@trinity.democracynow.org>

Mike Blaxill  ( mblaxill at yahoo.com )
sent you this story from democracynow.org




+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Headlines for May 1, 2006
|  http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/01/1336245
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+


- Millions Expected to Join ?A Day Without Immigrants? Protest-
Three Years Ago: Bush Declared Missions Accomplished in Iraq-
Report: Cost Of Iraq War To Pass Cost of Vietnam-
100,000 Iraqis Forced to Flee Homes Due to Violence-
Report: Bush Claims Authority To Disobey Over 750 Laws-
U.S. Gov?t Seeks Dismissal of Domestic Spy Suit Against AT&T-
FBI Issued Over 9,000 Subpoenas to Monitor U.S. Citizens-
IAEA Report: Still No Proof Iran is Pursing Nukes-
Bolivia Signs Trade Pact w/ Cuba and Venezuela-
Rush Limbaugh Arrested on Prescription Drug Charges
This story continues at: 
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/01/1336245


From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Mon May  1 09:34:58 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 16:34:58 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Egypt Renews Emergency Detention Law
Message-ID: <20060501163503.1016F237239@lax-gw01.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

INTERNATIONAL / MIDDLE EAST | May 1, 2006
Egypt Renews Emergency Detention Law
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
For 25 years the measure has effectively allowed the Egyptian government to detain prisoners indefinitely and without charge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/world/middleeast/01egypt.html?ex=1147147200&en=ee447b92457ea6ad&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Mon May  1 09:36:34 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 16:36:34 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Ford May Produce Its Own Reality TV Show
Message-ID: <20060501163635.513AB24A19E@lax-gw08.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

I'm moaning too hard to comment on this...


BUSINESS / MEDIA & ADVERTISING | May 1, 2006
Ford May Produce Its Own Reality TV Show
By JEREMY W. PETERS
Ford is pitching a reality show where aspiring car designers would compete to design the next hot Ford vehicle. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/business/media/01ford.html?ex=1147147200&en=2a04a75395b79d1c&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Mon May  1 09:36:02 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 16:36:02 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: A Small Step at Starbucks From Mocha to
	Movies
Message-ID: <20060501163605.B1C569FCFB@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

First, they sold coffee. Next, they sold music. Now, they sell films. When did Starbucks become the arbiter of entertainment taste?


BUSINESS / MEDIA & ADVERTISING | May 1, 2006
A Small Step at Starbucks From Mocha to Movies
By SHARON WAXMAN
Starbucks is seeking movies and books to promote in the hope of duplicating the success it has had selling and promoting music.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/business/media/01starbucks.html?ex=1147147200&en=1adc92cc43fb1d8e&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Mon May  1 09:38:01 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Mon,  1 May 2006 16:38:01 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Unity Through Autonomy in Iraq
Message-ID: <20060501163824.353C624AEC7@lax-gw02.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

OPINION | May 1, 2006
Op-Ed Contributors: Unity Through Autonomy in Iraq
By JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. and LESLIE H. GELB
America should wind down its military presence in Iraq responsibly while preventing chaos and preserving its key security goals. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/opinion/01biden.html?ex=1147147200&en=f3a84b9188ba29fa&ei=5070&emc=eta1




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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  1 11:21:06 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 14:21:06 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] The local Spies are out there!
Message-ID: <000801c66d4c$0777ed80$0f3fe440@Harold>

The Spies amongst us!

US News and World Report  and local authorities spying on pretty much everyone

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060508/8homeland.htm

Later H

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  1 12:32:10 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 15:32:10 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] China's cruelty
Message-ID: <000801c66d55$f4bb2130$0f3fe440@Harold>

     
            May 1, 2006 

            China's cruelty
            West's official silence on organ harvest appalling 
      By Ezra Levant

      Last year's movie, The Island, was more than just an attractive thriller starring Scarlett Johansson and Ewen McGregor. 

      It was a challenging look at the future of genetic ethics. In the film, set in the near future, famous and powerful people pay a company to create a clone of themselves, to be kept in case they ever need an organ transplant. The story centres around two of those clones -- one a clone of a supermodel, the other a clone of a famous designer -- who break out of their prison. 

      What a dystopian future -- a place where there are two castes of humans, where clones exist as nothing more than spare parts for their masters. 

      Well, that may or may not be the future in North America, where The Island is set, but it is the shocking present in Communist China. 

      According to an investigative report by Epoch Times, China regularly "harvests" organs from people -- killing them in the process, just like in The Island. The difference is that in China, the killed spare parts people aren't clones, they're political and religious prisoners, including members of the peaceful Falun Gong sect that China persecutes with fascist ferocity. 

      Josef Mengele would approve. 

      Epoch Times reporter Dominic Waghorn visited the Orient Organ Transplantation Centre in Beijing -- just like the rock stars and politicians in the movie visited Merrick Biotech -- posing as someone looking for an organ for his father. 

      According to Waghorn, the clinic's Dr. Zhu said they get the organs "the fastest" because they have the "best connections" with the Chinese police -- and that once a tissue match was found, the hospital would arrange for the prisoner to be executed just in time for the surgery, to keep the meat at maximum freshness. 

      China admits executed prisoners have their organs harvested, but this is the most credible evidence that prisoners are executed specifically for their organs -- they are farmed like livestock. 

      But why is this shocking? 

      China is a country that treats its citizens as the property of the state, that forbids them to believe in any God other than Mao, and that denies families the most essential human right of having children. 

      The Chinese government isn't particularly concerned. Huang Jiefu, the deputy health minister, said organ farming needs "regulations" to "standardize the management of the supply" and to "tidy up the medical market." 

      Not to shut down this unspeakable cruelty, but to make it more efficient. The ruthless efficiency of the Chinese fascists is reminiscent of the ruthless efficiency of Nazi fascists 75 years ago. With 15,000 executions a year, there's a lot of paperwork to be done. 

      Surely this news will be front page of every paper. Surely this will lead the TV network news week after week. Surely the UN will have an emergency meeting and issue a resolution condemning this barbarity. 

      Surely the world's NGOs will scream themselves hoarse in protest. 

      What's that? This is the first time you've heard of it, even though it was disclosed months ago? Well, fancy that. Could it be that Chinese fascism is getting a pass for the same reason that Nazi fascism did last century -- because most of the world's self-appointed bleeding hearts are just poseurs, who prefer to rail against weak or imaginary threats rather than true menaces? 

      It takes courage to challenge China, an economically and militarily powerful fascist state. Some apologists even find that power seductive. 

      Others forgive China its barbarity because it's a non-European challenger to American hegemony. But true humanitarians should grieve at China's cruelty, and rage against the West's official silence. 

      Levant is Publisher of the Western Standard 
     
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May  1 12:50:43 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 12:50:43 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Death By Insurance By PAUL KRUGMAN
Message-ID: <C07BB4A3.A23A%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 1, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Death By Insurance
By PAUL KRUGMAN

For lower-income working Americans, lack of health insurance is quickly
becoming the new normal. That's the implication of survey results just
released by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan organization that studies
health care. The survey found that 41 percent of nonelderly American adults
with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 a year were without health
insurance for all or part of 2005. That's up from 28 percent as recently as
2001.

Many of the uninsured reported spending their entire savings on health care
and/or that they were having difficulty paying for basic necessities. And
most uninsured adults reported cutting corners on medical care to save money
? failing to fill prescriptions, skipping medications, going without
preventive care.

Here's the other side of the same coin: health insurers' business is
lagging, reports The Wall Street Journal, as "rising premiums and medical
costs push more of their traditional-employer customers to shun or curtail
company health benefits." And some investors are feeling the pain. Aetna's
stock price fell sharply last week, on news that its "medical cost ratio" ?
a term I'll explain in a minute ? rose from 77.9 to 79.4.

Taken together, these stories tell the tale of a health care system that's
driving a growing number of Americans into financial ruin, and in many cases
kills them through lack of basic care. (The Institute of Medicine, part of
the National Academy of Sciences, estimates that lack of health insurance
leads to 18,000 unnecessary American deaths ? the equivalent of six 9/11's ?
each year.) Yet this system actually costs more to run than we would spend
if we guaranteed health insurance to everyone.

How do we know this? The medical cost ratio is the percentage of insurance
premiums paid out to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers.
Investors are upset about Aetna's rising ratio, because it leaves less room
for profit. But even after the rise in the cost ratio, Aetna spends less
than 80 cents of each dollar in health insurance premiums on actually
providing medical care. The other 20 cents go into profits, marketing and
administrative expenses.

Other private insurers have similar ratios. And here's the thing: most of
those 20 cents spent on things other than medical care are unnecessary.
Older Americans are covered by Medicare, which doesn't spend large sums on
marketing and doesn't devote a lot of resources to screening out people
likely to have high medical bills. As a result, Medicare manages to spend
about 98 percent of its funds on actual medical care.

What would happen if Medicare was expanded to cover everyone? You might
think that the nation would spend more on health care, since this would mean
covering 46 million Americans who are currently uninsured. But the uninsured
already receive some medical care at public expense ? for example, treatment
in emergency rooms that would have been both cheaper and more effective if
provided in doctors' offices.

And Medicare manages to spend much more of its funds on medicine, as opposed
to other things, than private insurers. If you do the math, it becomes clear
that covering everyone under Medicare would actually be significantly
cheaper than our current system.

And this calculation doesn't even take into account the costs our fragmented
system imposes on doctors and hospitals. Benjamin Brewer, a doctor who
writes an online column for The Wall Street Journal, recently commented on
the excess expenses he incurs trying to deal with 301 different private
insurance plans. According to Dr. Brewer, he currently employs two full-time
staff members for billing, and his two secretaries spend half their time
collecting insurance information. "I suspect," he wrote, "I could go from
four people in the paper chase to one with a single-payer system."

Many pundits see red at the words "single-payer system." They think it means
low-quality socialized medicine; they start telling horror stories ? almost
all of them false ? about the problems of other countries' health care. Yet
there's nothing foreign or exotic about the concept: Medicare is a
single-payer system. It's not perfect, it could certainly be improved, but
it works.

So here we are. Our current health care system is unraveling. Older
Americans are already covered by a national health insurance system;
extending that system to cover everyone would save money, reduce financial
anxiety and save thousands of American lives every year. Why don't we just
do it?

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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May  1 12:54:22 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 12:54:22 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Warfare as It Really Is By BOB HERBERT
Message-ID: <C07BB57E.A23C%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 1, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Warfare as It Really Is
By BOB HERBERT

In the first few moments of the documentary film "Baghdad ER," we see a man
dressed in hospital scrubs carrying a bloodied arm that has been amputated
above the elbow. He deposits it in a large red plastic bag.

This HBO production is reality television with a vengeance ? warfare as it
really is. And while it is frightening, harrowing and deeply painful to
watch, it should be required viewing for all but the youngest Americans. It
will premiere May 21.

For two months in 2005, the directors Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill were
given unprecedented access by the Army to the 86th Combat Support Hospital
in the Green Zone in Baghdad. Working 12-hour shifts, they watched ? and
taped ? the heroic struggle of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel
to salvage as many lives as possible from what amounted to a nonstop
conveyor belt of bloodied, broken and burned G.I.'s.

At one point in the film, a specialist who survived a roadside bomb attack
murmurs from a stretcher, "It was the worst thing I ever saw in my life,
sir."

"What was that?" he is asked.

Recalling his last view of a buddy who was killed in the attack, he says,
"My friend didn't have a face."

The movie is neither pro-war nor anti-war. It is simply a searing record of
the ferocious toll that combat takes on real human beings.

In an interview, Mr. Alpert described "the shock of seeing human beings
twisted into these horrible shapes, with parts missing and parts being
detached from them." In the first couple of hours after he and Mr. O'Neill
had arrived at the hospital, he said, "We had already seen two amputations
and they were prepping someone else for another one."

Before long, he said, the effort to document the daily activities became
psychologically grueling because "you just knew that every single day that
door was going to open up, that the helicopter was going to land, and they
were just going to bring in something that looked like hamburger instead of
a human being."

Above all else, war is about the suffering of individuals. The suffering is
endured mostly by the young, and these days the government and the media are
careful to keep the worst of it out of the sight of the average American.
That way we can worry in peace about the cost of the gasoline we need to get
us to the mall.

"Baghdad ER" is going to tell us right in the comfort of our living rooms
that there is really horrible stuff going on over there in Iraq, and whether
we think this is a good war or a bad war, we need to be paying closer
attention to the human consequences.

"We tried to put a human face on the war," said Sheila Nevins, the head of
documentary programming at HBO. "It's a part of the story that hasn't really
been told."

Capt. Glenna Greene, an operating room nurse, says in the film:

"It just kills me, because these kids are, you know ? I'm old enough to be
their mom. And just to see them hurt, it's very difficult."

She said she tries to comfort those who are seriously wounded and about to
be evacuated to Germany. "I always try to tell them before they go to sleep:
'You'll wake up in Germany. Have a beer for us.' " And then she laughed.
"Some of them aren't even old enough to drink," she said.

The medical personnel do an extraordinary job. The film tells us right at
the beginning that 90 percent of the troops wounded in Iraq survive, which
is the highest survival rate in U.S. history. But many of the more than
17,000 who have survived their wounds will face a lifetime of physical and
mental struggle.

A member of the operating room team, commenting on the amputation of a
soldier's thumb and the partial amputation of his ring finger, says that the
patient who immediately preceded him "lost his left arm and his right leg
above the knee. And, you know, there was a couple of marines in here the
other day, one lost both his arms, the other lost both his legs. And this is
a bad injury, but certainly could have been worse."

The movie does not shrink from those instances in which the G.I.'s do not
survive. We see doctors all but begging the patient to make it. We see
buddies weeping. We see a chaplain speaking softly to a mortally wounded
marine:

"We don't want you to go. We want you to fight. ... But if you can't, it's
O.K. to go. It's O.K. to go. But we'll be right with you. If you get better,
or if you go."

HBO. Later this month.

Home

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  1 13:14:56 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 16:14:56 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Why would you want to work for the US Army?
Message-ID: <000f01c66d5b$ee55cdd0$0f3fe440@Harold>



Taken From ABC News

Wounded Soldiers Fight Off Bill Collectors at Home
Congressman Calls It 'Financial Friendly Fire'; Military Blames Payroll Errors 
April 26, 2006 ? - Hundreds of soldiers wounded in battle in Iraq have found themselves fighting off bill collectors on the home front, according to a report to be released tomorrow. The draft report by the Government Accountability Office, which ABC News obtained, said that hundreds of wounded soldiers had military debts incurred through no fault of their own turned over to collection agencies.

"Financial friendly fire," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform. "Because their financial records are so bad, this is a friendly fire where we are hurting and wounding our own."

Army specialist Tyson Johnson of Mobile, Ala., had just been promoted in a field ceremony in Iraq when a mortar round exploded outside his tent, almost killing him.

"It took my kidney, my left kidney, shrapnel came in through my head, back of my head," he recounted.

His injuries forced him out of the military, and the Army demanded he repay an enlistment bonus of $2,700 because he'd only served two-thirds of his three-year tour. 

When he couldn't pay, Johnson's account was turned over to bill collectors. He ended up living out of his car when the Army reported him to credit agencies as having bad debts, making it impossible for him to rent an apartment.

"Oh, man, I felt betrayed," Johnson said. "I felt like, oh, my heart dropped."


Payroll Errors, Says Military

And there are many more like Johnson. Staff Sgt. Ryan Kelly lost his leg in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. 

He didn't realize it, but the Army continued to mistakenly pay him combat bonus pay, about $2,000, while he was in the hospital rehabilitating, and then demanded that he pay it back.

He, too, was threatened by the Army with debt collectors and a negative credit report.

"By law, he's not entitled to the money, so he must pay it back," said Col. Richard Shrank, the commander of the United States Army Finance Command.

The Army said it moved wounded soldiers out of the battlefield so quickly its accounting office could not keep up, resulting in numerous payroll errors. 

"This is no way to win a war, I can tell you that," said Davis. "You'd think after four years after fighting a war in Iraq, the government would have its act together."

But the Army said it is now trying to correct the problem. Since ABC News first reported on the plight of soldiers, featuring Johnson and Kelly in a "Primetime" investigation in October 2004, the Army has forgiven most of their debts. 

But Davis said there may be thousands more whose thanks for putting their lives on the line has been a knock on the door from a Pentagon debt collector. 


ABC News' Maddy Sauer contributed to this report.


Copyright ? 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
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From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Mon May  1 16:46:56 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 23:46:56 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: More species slide to extinction
Message-ID: <20060501_234656_053785.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** More species slide to extinction **
The polar bear, hippo and many sharks are among species newly listed as threatened with extinction.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/4963526.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Mon May  1 16:47:59 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 23:47:59 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: Bolivia gas under state control
Message-ID: <20060501_234759_003342.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** Bolivia gas under state control **
Bolivia's president orders foreign firms to hand over control of gas and oil sales as troops move into installations.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4963348.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

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From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Mon May  1 16:49:03 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 23:49:03 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: Asia's May Day sparks high alerts
Message-ID: <20060501_234903_017148.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** Asia's May Day sparks high alerts **
May Day rallies are held across Asia, with police on high alert in the Philippines and Indonesia.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/4961554.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  1 19:03:03 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (HS)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 02:03:03 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: Bolivia gas under state control
Message-ID: <20060502_020303_040796.harry.sifton@sympatico.ca>

HS saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** Bolivia gas under state control **
Bolivia's president orders foreign firms to hand over control of gas and oil sales as troops move into installations.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4963348.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

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From ean at sbcglobal.net  Mon May  1 20:11:02 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 20:11:02 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] May Day
Message-ID: <E1FamDE-0007Ow-3D@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/05/01/why_may_da
y.php

Why May Day?
Geov Parrish
May 01, 2006


Geov Parrish is a Seattle-based columnist and
reporter for Seattle Weekly, In These Times and Eat
the State! He writes the daily Straight Shot for
WorkingForChange . He can be reached by email at
geovlp at earthlink.net

For many older Americans, "May Day" brings to mind
images of phalanxes of Soviet soldiers, goose-
stepping through Red Square behind massive tanks,
while millions of onlookers obediently cheer. For
some, "May Day" is a pagan holiday, Beltane, known
more (and loved) for maypoles or other fertility
rituals than for political struggles. But May Day,
the political version, is an American holiday?one
celebrated for the last century everywhere in the
world except America, and one whose origins are well
worth remembering. Because May Day began as a strike
for basic workplace rights we're now in the process
of losing. And that strike was largely by immigrant
workers, which is exactly what America will see when
immigrants and their supporters strike, march and
rally across the country on a ?National Day of Action
for Comprehensive Immigration Reform? on this coming
Monday?May Day.

Chicago, in 1886, was a rapidly growing city, a
polyglot of immigrant languages and cultures. On the
first May Day?May 1, 1886?"International Workers'
Day" began as a series of general strikes in Chicago
and other Midwestern cities for the eight- hour day.
Some 340,000 workers participated; it was a campaign
that had already been going on strong for quite some
time. But the strike took on particular significance
when, two days later, police attacked striking
workers at McCormick Reaper, on Chicago's south side.
Four workers were killed and over 200 injured. And at
a demonstration to protest the police riot on the
following day, May 4, a bomb went off at Chicago's
Haymarket Square?the infamous "Haymarket Massacre"
that killed eight police and wounded 60. The bombing
led to death sentences for eight leading anarchists,
including several German immigrants, convicted with
no evidence at all for conspiracy to commit murder.

Three of the anarchists were pardoned before their
deaths, the other five posthumously. But the public
and police hostility to organized labor that was
whipped up over Haymarket meant that, in turn, May
Day became an international labor rallying cry for
the right of workers to organize in general, and for
the eight-hour day in particular. By the end of the
decade, May Day was a holiday celebrated by workers
and workers' movements in every industrialized
country in the world.

It still is?now, in fact, it's observed globally.
Except, ironically, in the land of the holiday's
birth. The holiday's burgeoning popularity led
Congress, in 1894, to establish "Labor Day" in
September to honor American workers?a holiday
established, not by ordinary workers themselves as an
expression of empowerment, but by big business and
their Congressional apologists as a way to try to
dictate what workers were and weren't allowed to
celebrate. One day belonged to the workers; the other
365 to big business, and we were to work as many
hours of those days as business pleased.

The strategy failed, of course. Eventually. It took
another entire generation of struggle, but by 1912,
federal workers were granted the eight-hour day; and
in 1917, while America was desperate for the
cooperation of unions in the war effort, the Eight
Hour Act became law. And there, one would think, the
matter was settled.

Okay, quick: Do you actually work only eight hours in
a day? Only 40 hours in a week? Five days?

Not very many of us do, any longer. We stay longer in
the office, we take work home with us, we take work
everywhere with us, because at some level we fear
that if we don't, either the company will fail or it
will replace us with people who'll make those
sacrifices. Nor, in the land that gave birth to May
Day, do workers here get anywhere close to the
vacation or sick day benefits we get in other
industrialized countries. And let's not even talk
about health care coverage, which isn't even linked
to one's workplace in most of the industrialized
world?it's accepted as a universal need and right.
Here, our system has already rendered health care too
expensive to obtain without insurance. Now, it's
denying more and more of the workforce health
insurance that covers meaningful parts of the cost of
actually getting sick, or, for nearly 50 million of
us, any health insurance at all. Income for most
working families is not keeping up with inflation.
And for all of these effective losses in compensation
for our work, we're still working harder and longer
hours than our grandparents.

It's not too different now, really, from 1886. Then,
as now, big business was exploiting the desperation
and relative powerlessness of cheap immigrant labor,
and in the process trying to depress the wages and
establish exploitative precedents for all workers.
Then, as now, much of the rest of the public feared
and distrusted a part of the labor force that often
didn't even speak English. Then, as now, the
immigrants had finally had enough. And marched and
struck.

Today the largest yet wave of immigrant marches and
rallies will take place in scores of cities across
the United States. Their immediate focus is proposed
congressional reforms, the most prominent of which is
a ruthlessly exploitative ?guest worker? proposal
backed by President George W. Bush that would leave
immigrants' legal standing wholly at the mercy of a
single employer. But the larger issue is America's
imposition of corporate-friendly trade policies that
have decimated economies in Mexico and elsewhere,
spurring economic emigration to America, while at the
same time exporting millions of better-paying jobs
from America itself.

The immigrants' struggle is not just legal, but
economic, and a matter of self-respect and self-
preservation; it is, in important ways, the leading
edge of a struggle all American workers are facing.
Today, find the immigrant march in your community.
Join it.

Happy May Day.


-- 
You are currently on Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list, 
option D (up to 3 emails/day).  To be removed, or to switch options 
(option A - 1x/week, option B - 3/wk, option C - up to 1x/day, option D - 
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"A war of aggression is the supreme international crime." -- Robert Jackson,
 former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and Nuremberg prosecutor

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From ean at sbcglobal.net  Mon May  1 20:17:07 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 20:17:07 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] In case you missed it: 350,000 march for peace in NYC
Message-ID: <E1FamDk-0003bD-BJ@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


350,000 March for Peace, Justice, and Democracy
in New York City

United for Peace and Justice | Press Release

Saturday 29 April 2006

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/043006X.shtml#1

Largest antiwar labor turnout in US history.

Oscar Winners Susan Sarandon, Mercedes Ruehl and
Jonathan Demme, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al
Sharpton, Hurricane Survivors, Iraq War Veterans,
Military Families, Immigrant Rights Activists,
Religious Leaders and Labor Unions Join Together to
Call for New Priorities

29 April 2006, New York, New York: The streets of New
York City echoed today with the chants, songs and
shouts of at least 350,000 people from across the
United States. Mobilized around the calls to end the
war in Iraq, to say no to any attack on Iran, and to
support the rights and dignity of all people, including
immigrants and women, the marchers brought a renewed
urgency to the clear demand for change. The march
featured the largest antiwar labor contingent in US
history.

Initiated by a historic alliance linking a diverse
coalition of national organizations - United for Peace
and Justice, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the National
Organization for Women, Friends of the Earth, Climate
Crisis Coalition, US Labor Against the War, Veterans
for Peace, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition,
People's Hurricane Relief Fund - the March for Peace,
Justice and Democracy embodied the understanding that
all those working for such goals must come together to
right the reckless, dangerous, and wrong-headed
direction the U.S. government has been following.

The march kicked off at noon on a sunny Saturday in
Manhattan. The lead contingent included Oscar winning
actors Susan Sarandon and Mercedes Ruehl; Oscar-winning
film director Jonathan Demme; writer/actor Malachy
McCourt; NYC Transport Workers Union leader Roger
Toussaint; Air America host Randi Rhodes; Michael Berg,
whose son was the first U.S. civilian hostage killed in
Iraq; Reverend Jesse Jackson; Reverend Al Sharpton;
Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan; Faiza Al-Araji, a peace
and women's rights advocate from Iraq; John Wilhem,
president of UNITE/HERE; National Organization for
Women President Kim Gandy; and Anne Wright, the first
State Department diplomat to resign protesting the Iraq
War.

At the march's conclusion in Foley Square, a vibrant
sea of flags, banners and signs welcomed marchers to
the "Peace and Justice Festival." Issue tents featured
speakers, literature, t-shirt sales, food and music
highlighting the key issues of the wide-ranging March
coalition: the war in Iraq and threats of war and U.S.
nuclear attacks on Iran, a Palestine tent featuring Q&A
on Israel/Palestine and folkloric dance in an Arab-
style "caf??," counter-recruitment campaigners, a Labor
tent featuring the NYC Labor Chorus, and others. A
special Children's Peace Tent featured puppet-making
and peace crane art projects, "Putt for Peace" and
other games, face-painting, musicians and jugglers.
Films, music, performances by the Raging Grannies and
many other activities were featured as well.

According to Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of the
1,500-organization strong United for Peace and Justice
Coalition, "An unprecedented range of organizations,
committed to varied constituencies and a wide range of
priorities, came together to march today. We all
recognize that until we end this lethal war in Iraq - a
war that is destroying so many lives in Iraq and here,
and costing so many billions of dollars so desperately
needed for rebuilding lives, cities and countries -
that we cannot succeed at reclaiming our democracy."

==============================
222222222222222222222222222222

Marching in New York City

By Tom Engelhardt
TomDispatch.com

Sunday 30 April 2006

"I'm already against the next war."

[Note for Tomdispatch readers: It seemed
appropriate, given the piece that follows, to
recommend Anthony Arnove's book, Iraq: The Logic of
Withdrawal. Clear and concise, it presents in a
nutshell the background for, and the arguments for,
getting our troops out of Iraq. It is the book to
take with you, if you are planning to argue the
case with family members, friends, co-workers, or
others. Tom]

It's the perfect day for a march. Sunny, crisp,
clear, spring-like. The sort of day that just gives
you hope for no reason at all, though my own hopes
are not high for New York's latest antiwar
demonstration. I haven't received a single email
about it. Many people I know hadn't realized it was
happening. I fear the outreach has been minimal and
despite all the signals of danger (of another war,
this time with Iran) and of possibility (nosediving
presidential approval polls, an administration in
disarray, and the Republican Party in growing
chaos), I approach this 30 block march with
something of a sinking heart.

This is only reinforced by the scene that meets the
full staff of Tomdispatch.com - Nick Turse and me -
as we leave the subway at 18th street and head east
about an hour before the demonstrators are to step
off. The streets are still largely empty of all but
the police, gathered in knots at every corner.
Their blue sawhorses ("police line do not cross")
rim the sidewalks seemingly to the horizon and
everywhere you can see stacks of the metal fencing
with which the NYPD has become so expert at hemming
in any demonstration. None of this inspires great
confidence.

Sometimes, though, surprise is a wonderful thing.
Who would have guessed that several hours later I
would be standing on Broadway and Leonard Street
looking back at perhaps 20 packed blocks of
demonstrators - bands, puppets, signs by the
thousands, vets by the hundreds (if not the
thousands), huge contingents of military families,
congeries of the young, labor, women, the clergy,
university and high school students, raging
grannies, radical cheerleaders, and who knows who
else - an enormous mass of humanity as far as the
eye can see and probably another 10 to 15 blocks
beyond that. It was enough to make the heart leap.
I had no way of counting, no way of knowing whether
what I saw was the 300,000 the organizers claimed
or merely the vague "tens of thousands" mentioned
in most media reports. It was, to say the least
though, a lot of people, mobilized on limited
notice.

As someone who lived through the era of Vietnam
protests, this demonstration had quite a different
feel to it, and not just because of all the
military families (and the surprising number of
people I talked with who knew someone, or were
related to someone, who had served in our all-
volunteer military in Iraq), but because no one in
this demonstration had the illusion that the White
House was paying the slightest bit of attention to
them. The same, by the way, might be said of the
mainstream media. On the ABC and NBC prime time
news this night, the reports on this huge
demonstration, sandwiched between what would be
billed as major stories, would zip by in quite
literally a few seconds each. In each case, if you
hadn't been there, it would be easy to believe from
the reporting that this event had essentially never
occurred.

As I often do, I spent as much time as I could
prowling the crowd, talking to as many protesters
as possible. A demonstration of this size is a
complex beast, one I would hesitate to
characterize. I've tried instead to offer below
some of the voices I ran across - or at least as
much of each of them as my slow hand could madly
scribble on a pad of paper. As modest as the cross-
section I encountered was, I had the feeling that,
while the march was calm, lively, and upbeat, many
of the demonstrators had no illusions about what
the future might hold. The ones I met were almost
uniformly disappointed in, or disgusted with, the
Democratic "opposition," fearful of a new war in
Iran, realistic about how hard it will be to get
the President's men (and so our troops) out of
Iraq, and yet surprisingly determined that those
troops should be brought home as soon as humanly
possible.

Perhaps such demonstrations are now not for the
Bush administration, nor really for the mainstream
media either, but only for us. Perhaps they are a
reminder to all those who attend and to those
numbering in their hundreds of thousands, if not
millions, on the political Internet that we are
here, alive, and humming. That is reason enough to
demonstrate.

Throughout these years, signs - individually made,
hand-lettered, sometimes just scrawled (not to
speak of masks, puppets, complex theatricals,
elaborate visuals of every sort suitable for a
world of special effects) - are the signature
aspect of such demonstrations. Here are some of the
signs that caught my eye, not necessarily the
wildest among them, but ones that give something of
the flavor of the event:

"From Gulf to Gulf, George Bush, a category 5
disaster" "Drop Bush, Not Bombs." "Fermez La Bush"
"No ProLife in Iraq." "1 was too many, 2400 is
enough" "War is terrorism with a bigger budget"
"Axis of Insanity" (with George, Condi, Don, and
Dick dressed as an     Elmer Fudd-style hunter)
"One Nation under Surveillance" "G.O.P. George
Orwell Party" "How Many Lives per Gallon?" "War Is
Soooooo 20th Century" "Civil War Accomplished in
Iraq-Nam" "Give Impeachment a Chance" "I'm Already
Against the Next War" "Expose the lies, half-
truths, cut and paste rationales for going to war"
"Mandatory Evacuation of the Bush White House"

for the rest of this article, go to
http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=80922


-- 
You are currently on Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list, 
option D (up to 3 emails/day).  To be removed, or to switch options 
(option A - 1x/week, option B - 3/wk, option C - up to 1x/day, option D - 
up to 3x/day) please reply and let us know!  If someone forwarded you 
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"A war of aggression is the supreme international crime." -- Robert Jackson,
 former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and Nuremberg prosecutor

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From ebooker at pacbell.net  Mon May  1 20:54:39 2006
From: ebooker at pacbell.net (ebooker at pacbell.net)
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 20:54:39 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Stephen Colbert
Message-ID: <E1FamEy-0004So-0A@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>




If you didn't go or if you didn't see Stephen Colbert at the White House
Correspondents' Dinner, then the following video links may be worth
watching.




part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIRXur61II

part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0INDOkFuo

part3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJvar7BKwvQ


Have a good chuckle!

Erroll




From lindahassler at sbcglobal.net  Mon May  1 21:44:52 2006
From: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net (lindahassler at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 04:44:52 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Sen. Biden: Iraq Should Be Divided Into 3
	Regions
Message-ID: <20060502044458.0913424AF8D@lax-gw02.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net.

This article was too short. I wonder what a tri-partite region would mean for getting oil revenues to the Sunnis, whose land mass doesn't have the oil riches. (I think I have that right.)


WASHINGTON | May 1, 2006
Sen. Biden: Iraq Should Be Divided Into 3 Regions
By REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq should be divided into three largely autonomous regions -- Kurd, Sunni Arab and Shiite Arab -- with a weaker central government in Baghdad, Sen. Joseph Biden said on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-iraq-usa-biden.html?ex=1147233600&en=aefd994c9722acbb&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May  1 21:23:05 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 21:23:05 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO KNOW
Message-ID: <C07C2CB9.A2A9%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From swiggard at comcast.net  Tue May  2 04:01:23 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 07:01:23 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Washington Post and Boston Globe postings now on
	MB-Civic Blog
Message-ID: <44573C03.70601@comcast.net>

Hello Out There!

Beginning today, my postings from The Washington Post and The Boston 
Globe will be on Michael's new CIVIC Blog:

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/

Check it out!

Peace, Love, Liberty, Happiness, a clean Earth and Health for all -

Bill

From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 07:57:24 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 14:57:24 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Black Holes Collide, and Gravity Quivers
Message-ID: <20060502145805.ED24E11FAA5@lax-gw07.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

i could go for a pun but i won't


SCIENCE / SPACE & COSMOS | May 2, 2006
Black Holes Collide, and Gravity Quivers
By KENNETH CHANG
Researchers have calculated the shape of the gravitational waves that should result when two black holes, orbiting one another, merge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/science/space/02hole.html?ex=1147233600&en=bfc7f382de9cb0e2&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
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NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 07:59:36 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 14:59:36 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Keeping a Democratic Web
Message-ID: <20060502145947.002379FD62@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

this is the newest volley from the oligarchs..[sigh]


OPINION | May 2, 2006
Editorial: Keeping a Democratic Web

A democratic Internet would be in danger if Web sites that pay cable and telephone companies large fees would get priority over little-guy sites.
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/opinion/02tue3.html?emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

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Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 08:01:00 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 15:01:00 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Ideals Collide as Vatican Rethinks Condom
	Ban
Message-ID: <20060502150103.B77D39FC23@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE | May 2, 2006
Ideals Collide as Vatican Rethinks Condom Ban
By IAN FISHER
A clash is shaping up at the Vatican between the church's condom ban and its advocacy of human life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/world/europe/02pope.html?ex=1147233600&en=5b58da676b6d1162&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 08:01:57 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 15:01:57 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Bolivian Nationalizes the Oil and Gas Sector
Message-ID: <20060502150250.8915E249F52@lax-gw08.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

calling kermit roosevelt..calling kermit roosevelt


INTERNATIONAL / AMERICAS | May 2, 2006
Bolivian Nationalizes the Oil and Gas Sector
By PAULO PRADA
President Evo Morales of Bolivia gave foreign companies 180 days to renegotiate existing contracts with the government, or leave the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/world/americas/02bolivia.html?ex=1147233600&en=90cae48b7dca5c9a&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 08:03:42 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 15:03:42 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: At Jazzfest in New Orleans,
	the Party Must Go On
Message-ID: <20060502150347.B97699FD5B@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

ARTS / MUSIC | May 2, 2006
Critic's Notebook: At Jazzfest in New Orleans, the Party Must Go On
By JON PARELES
Even with much of the city's population displaced and scattered, New Orleanians are determined not to let the music and its public celebrations disappear.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/arts/music/02jazz.html?ex=1147233600&en=448bbe9a4cde8b4e&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 08:14:28 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: 2 May 2006 15:14:28 -0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] Headlines for May 2, 2006
Message-ID: <20060502151428.19606.qmail@trinity.democracynow.org>

Mike Blaxill  ( mblaxill at yahoo.com )
sent you this story from democracynow.org




+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Headlines for May 2, 2006
|  http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/02/1352206
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+


- Over 1.5 Million March in MayDay Immigration Protests-
Evo Morales Moves to Nationalize Bolivia?s Gas Fields-
Marcos Marches in May Day Protest in Mexico-
Colin: Powell: I Warned Rumsfeld About Iraq War Plan-
Ex-DHS Watchdog Faced Pressure Ahead of 2004 Election-
Sami Al-Arian Sentenced to 18 More Months in Jail-
Vermonters Deliver Impeachment Resolution to Capitol Hill- 
Ex-NYC Mayor Giuliani Hints At 2008 Presidential Run-
Puerto Rican Government Faces Shut Down
This story continues at: 
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/02/1352206


From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  2 08:33:46 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (Mike Blaxill)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 08:33:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] Netroots Essay by Chris Bowers of MyDD...Really Good
Message-ID: <20060502153346.84785.qmail@web53007.mail.yahoo.com>

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/5/2/23512/47173

Teenagers and Adults: The Emerging Anti-Netroots
Narrative

by Chris Bowers

These days, so much is written about the netroots
it is hard to keep track. However, two very
recent articles by Democratic insiders caught my
eye. 

First, Mike McCurry: "You can see in blog
commentary lots of great huffing and puffing that
will get you to exactly 38% of the electorate. I
don't see a lot of useful dialogue on how to get
winning coalitions together that can win more
than 50% in closely contested elections. As
Juliet says, that is one reason we have
gerrymandered safe districts and few contested
races. It's also why we have lots of feel-good
rants on the web and not enough dialogue about
how to win close elections. I take this as a sign
that I am getting old, but also that some
newcomers in politics will need to get knocked
around and lose a few before they understand that
winning politics is not as easy as they think."

Next, Joe Klein: "Let me give credit where it's
due: I probably would not be writing this were it
not for all the left wing screeching. The
Stephanopoulos moment came and went ephemerally,
as TV moments do, leaving a slight, queasy
residue -- I knew that I hadn't explained myself
adequately, but that happens a lot on television.
So thanks, frothing bloggers, for calling me on
my mistake. You can, at times, be a valuable
corrective. At other times, though, your vitriol
just seems uninformed, malicious and
disproportionate."


Ahh, so many stereotypes, so little time. Here
are just a few aspects of the common narrative on
the netroots that we can see presented in these
two pieces:

    * The netroots are "newcomers." Certainly,
simply as a result of past technological limits,
the netroots is a relatively new force on the
American political landscape. However, as the Pew
study of Dean activists strongly suggested,
netroots activists are not "new" activists. Only
42% of Dean activists reported the 2004
Presidential campaign as their first Presidential
campaign, and we are less than one year away from
that number dropping much further. The only thing
"new" about netroots activists is the platform
from what they may pontificate. Most have been
active in politics for some time, but lacked a
forum to untie them.

    * The netroots are young. McCurry does not
use the term "young" directly, but he does
counter himself with the netroots by referring to
himself as someone who is "getting old." If he is
"not-netroots" because he is old, then the
netroots must be young. Certainly, the internet
is a relatively new technology (though much older
than, say, I-Pods or hybrid cars), and heavy
internet users tend to skew young. However, the
2006 Blogads survey suggested a median age of 46
for netroots activists, which is hardly young by
any national standard. Even though there is a
stereotype of Democratic activists being old, I
have been to DC on numerous occasions, and I have
a very difficult time believing that the median
age of the professional political activists in DC
is much over the age of 46, and may even be
younger than 46. I may be an apple cheeked 32
year-old, but I am a little young for a major
progressive blogger (which would make Matt really
young, and Jonathan a newborn). The netroots are
hardly "young."

    * The netroots are "uninformed." If by
uninformed you are referring to the 3 or 4% of
the nation that spends the most time following
news and politics, then sure, we are uninformed.
If by uninformed you mean that we are composed
entirely people who were so unsatisfied with the
political information they found in established
news sources that they have actively sought out
other, unadvertised places that offer even more
information about contemporary political events,
then sure, we are uninformed. If by uninformed
you mean highly engaged people who simply do not
operate within the political professional clique
that is Washington DC, then we are definitely
uninformed. Considering our media consumption and
political engagement habits, if we are
uninformed, than everyone in the country is
uninformed. However, the netroots is not
uninformed--it just comes from different
professional and social circles than the DC
political class.

    * The netroots are rabid. See "frothing,"
"malicious," and "huffing and puffing" in the
above articles. There will never be any way for
the netroots to entirely combat this charge.
Whenever you draw three million people together,
it is doubtful that you can get them all to stay
on message and look like reasonable people.
Within any large group, it will always be easy to
be offended by, and to remember, the most vocally
anti-social elements of that large group. Those
elements exist within any large group, and it is
all too simple a form of character assassination
to characterize an entire group as exhibiting the
traits of a small minority within that group. It
is also easy for a large group of people who feel
they are on the outside looking in to get a
little aggressive at times. Finally, it is really
easy for a small group of people in power to view
the hordes massing at their doorstep (and the
servants in their house) as rabid and overly
aggressive. It is important to remember that
characterizing the entire three million strong
progressive netroots community as all containing
identical personality traits is at best crude
generalization, and at worst grotesque,
chauvinistic stereotype.

    * The netroots are inexperienced and
arrogant. Once again, this was not a direct quote
from either Klein or McCurry, but there is a
clear implication of this charge. Related to
Klein's "uninformed" claim, and more directly to
McCurry's "some newcomers in politics will need
to get knocked around and lose a few before they
understand that winning politics is not as easy
as they think" charge, the direct implication is
that the netroots are simply not used to losing
campaigns and that they lack the experience of
using a variety of different tactics before
accepting the tried and true tactics that
actually work. Yeah, right. If there is one thing
that the netroots have direct experience with, it
is losing.

      The netroots were basically formed out of a
long series of losses by progressives: the
Clinton impeachment (MoveOn.org), the 2000
Florida recount (Talking Points Memo, the first
major progressive blog), the conservative
exploitation of the charged atmosphere following
9/11 (I know that was the case for me), the war
in Iraq (the rise of Dailykos and of Howard
Dean's campaign), Howard Dean's campaign (DFA and
a huge percentage of the netroots and new
internet consultants, not to mention the Silent
Revolution). Losses have consistently built and
solidified the netroots. Progressives getting
slaughtered while conservatives get away with
murder are what formed this movement. The entire
reason why the progressive netroots are so much
more popular and powerful than the right-wing
netroots are because we are lacking in useful
alternative avenues to express ourselves and find
representation within the broader political
ecosystem. The netroots is born from progressive
defeat, which perhaps somewhat explains why we
stopped growing in September 2005--the exact
moment when approval ratings for Bush and
Republicans once and for all feel through the
floor. I have said it before, and I will say it
again: if "leaders" of the Democratic Party and
progressive movement do not like the rise of the
progressive netroots, the number one way to
stymie its growth is to start winning campaigns.
We wouldn't be so pissed off, active, and into
"do-it-yourself" mode if we were winning. The
netroots know what losing is like, and we have
had enough of it.

Five stereotypes in two posts--not bad. Upon
further reflection, these stereotyped all seem to
combine into a larger caricature. What else is
inexperienced, overly aggressive, arrogant,
uninformed and young? I am not a parent, but I
was a teacher for while, so I now the easy answer
to that question:

Teenagers.

In the Joe Klein / Mike McCurry narrative, the
netroots are teenagers while career political
professional are adults. I suppose I could have
been more provocative and pointed out how the
characteristics they ascribe to the netroots were
also ascribed to indigenous peoples (childlike
savages) by the European ruling classes (mature,
experienced, cultured adults) for centuries in
order to justify mass colonization, slavery and
genocide, but using such provocative language
would probably only help to end the discussion
rather than continue it. Besides, considering
that the netroots over sample the well to do,
white, male, "creative" over-class in America,
the teenager analogue just makes more sense
anyway.

This is the dominant narrative concerning the
netroots within much of the "gang of 500." The
netroots are teenagers who think they know what
they are doing but don't, while the
establishment, both media and political, are
adult professionals who know how to get things
done. This is a narrative based on a series of
faulty assumptions about the netroots that I have
detailed above. It is also based on a general
lack of appreciation of the sophistication and
cohesion of the netroots. Through mass popular
discussion and debate, the netroots are
developing a new consensus entirely separate from
that of the establishment:

    * Long term fifty state strategy versus short
term selective targeting;
    * Being a partisan Democrat versus an
ideological Democrat of some sort;
    * Directly challenging Republicans versus
letting Republicans self-destruct;
    * Changing progressive infrastructure versus
changing progressive policy;
    * Altering the conventional wisdom versus
accepting the conventional wisdom.

Already, at least one of the five major netroots
ideas, the fifty-state strategy, has thoroughly
infected the establishment to the point where it
has reached the coveted status of conventional
wisdom. That is hardly something that "teenagers"
could achieve. This is, of course, because what
is happening among the netroots is not childlike
or adolescent in any way. These are the people
who have funded and supplied the volunteer
resources for the progressive movement and for
the Democratic Party for a long time now. Highly
politically engaged and voracious consumers of
media, the only thing that separates the netroots
from the DC political culture is that the vast
majority of netroots activists are not political
professionals, and do not live in DC. As such,
they consume different media, and travel in
different professional and social circles. While
DC conventional wisdom is forged in those social
and professional circles, as well as in beltway
media, conventional wisdom for the netroots
activist is forged online in blogs, email
listservs, message boards, and social networking
sites. That "our" collective thinking has
resulted in different conclusions from those
reached in "their" collective thinking should not
be a surprise to anyone. It is the inevitable
product of the different circumstances under
which our collective thinking occurs. This does
not mean they are adults and we are teenagers, as
much as Klein and McCurry would like to think
that is the case. It just means that their CW was
forged in different material conditions than our
CW. Of coruse that is going to result in
different CWs.


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May  2 09:17:20 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 09:17:20 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Sense and Sandwiches By JOHN TIERNEY
Message-ID: <C07CD420.A2F9%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 2, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Sense and Sandwiches
By JOHN TIERNEY

The proletariat celebrated May Day by taking to the streets of America to
demand lower wages.

That's effectively what immigrants across America were doing yesterday, at
least according to the economists who believe that allowing more immigration
would depress the wages of unskilled workers in America. If that's true,
then the immigrants already working in low-paid jobs here will suffer if
there's a surge of new arrivals.

Yet immigrants yesterday skipped work, boycotted stores and attended rallies
to support freer immigration. Some are illegal immigrants who want Congress
to legalize their status, but many of the protesters already have green
cards. Why do they welcome new competitors for their jobs?

The clearest answers I've found come from the international panel of experts
I consulted at the Sunrise Cafe, the deli near my office where I get tuna
sandwiches. It's staffed by immigrants from five countries in Central
America and South America. They offered a couple of explanations: one
economic, one moral.

They wonder, to begin with, if new immigrants are really much of an economic
threat, and they're not alone in their skepticism. Although some economists
calculate that immigrants have depressed wages for low-skilled workers by 8
percent, many others estimate the decline is only half that much. And others
believe there's virtually no harm done, because businesses expand to create
new jobs.

To the extent that anyone's hurt by immigration, the burden falls not so
much on the people complaining the loudest ? American-born workers ? but on
the immigrants who are already here. The new immigrants have a harder time
competing for jobs against English-speaking natives than against fellow
immigrants.

Patricia Cortes of M.I.T. calculates that a 10 percent increase in
immigration would reduce the wages of low-skilled natives by less than 1
percent, while causing an 8 percent reduction in the pay of the low-skilled
immigrants already here.

Some of the immigrants at the Sunrise Cafe suspect that their wages might be
affected, but they're still committed to the pro-immigration cause. Although
they went to work yesterday, they vowed not to do any shopping, and most
planned to go to a rally or march after work.

They told me they didn't see themselves as activists marching for Latino
civil rights or political power. They said they supported freer immigration
not to help themselves ? they were already citizens or had green cards ? but
simply to give others the same chance they'd had.

"People need to support their families," said one of the cashiers, Carmen
Salcedo, who arrived three years ago from Panama. "Here you can earn four
times as much as you could earn in my country."

In between grilling sandwiches, Jorge Alvarez said he couldn't blame anyone
for leaving El Salvador, as he had 19 years earlier. "There are not enough
good jobs there," he said. "If people want to work hard, it's not fair to
deny them the opportunity to come here."

The reasoning at the deli makes more sense than what I've been hearing from
some intellectuals who want to restrict immigration in the name of social
justice. Although more immigration may be a net benefit to the American
economy, they've argued, it's not fair because it hurts low-income Americans
and exacerbates the gap between rich and poor.

But even if you accept the debatable economic premise that low-income
workers are significantly harmed, the argument fails on moral grounds. It
flunks the famous "veil of ignorance" test of John Rawls, the quintessential
liberal philosopher who stressed protections for the least fortunate members
of society. Social rules are fair, he wrote in "A Theory of Justice," if you
would endorse them without knowing what your position in society would be.

Suppose you were setting immigration policy from behind that veil of
ignorance. Which of these would you choose?

(1) Restricting immigration to protect some of the lower-paid workers in
America from a decline in wages that would be no more than 8 percent, if it
occurred at all.

(2) Expanding immigration to benefit most Americans while also giving some
non-Americans living in dire poverty the chance to quadruple their income.

You don't need to slog through "A Theory of Justice" to figure out this one.
You can get the answer at the Sunrise Cafe ? and an excellent sandwich, too.







From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May  2 09:13:01 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 09:13:01 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Beyond Chastity Belts By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Message-ID: <C07CD31D.A2F4%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 2, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Beyond Chastity Belts
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Abortion may be the single most polarizing issue in America today, but
there's one thing Democrats and Republicans mostly agree on: it would be
better if Americans had fewer abortions.

The best way to reduce the number of abortions, in turn, would be to reduce
the number of unwanted pregnancies. Every year, Americans have three million
unplanned pregnancies, leading to 1.3 million abortions.

So it should be a no-brainer that we increase access to contraception, and
in particular make the "morning after" pill available over the counter. That
would be the single simplest step to reduce the U.S. abortion rate, while
also helping hundreds of thousands of women avert unwanted pregnancies.

Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, normally prevents pregnancy when taken
within 72 hours of unprotected sex ? although it is most effective when
taken within 24 hours. It is now available in most of the U.S. only by
prescription, but the American Medical Association and the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have both endorsed it for
over-the-counter use.

President Bush's Food and Drug Administration has blocked that, apparently
fearing that better contraception will encourage promiscuity. But unless the
libidophobes in the administration mandate chastity belts, their opposition
to Plan B amounts to a pro-abortion policy.

One study, now a bit dated, found that if emergency contraceptives were
widely available in the U.S., there would be 800,000 fewer abortions each
year. And even though they are generally available only by prescription,
emergency contraceptives averted 51,000 abortions in 2000, according to the
Guttmacher Institute.

That's one of the paradoxes in the abortion debate: The White House
frequently backs precisely the policies that cause America to have one of
the highest abortion rates in the West. Compared with other countries, the
U.S. lags in sex education and in availability of contraception ? financing
for contraception under the Title X program has declined 59 percent in
constant dollars since 1980 ? so we have higher unintended pregnancy rates
and abortion rates.

Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium have abortion rates only one-third of
America's, and France's is half of America's. France has made a particular
push for emergency contraception to lower its abortion rate by making free
morning-after pills available to French teenagers, without informing the
parents. Nurses in French junior high and high schools are authorized to
hand out emergency contraception pills.

That broad availability is the global pattern. While American women cannot
normally obtain emergency contraception without a prescription (by which
time the optimal 24-hour window has often passed), it is available without a
prescription in much of the rest of the world, from Albania to Tunisia, from
Belgium to Britain.

One thought that paralyzes the Bush administration is that American teenage
girls might get easy access to emergency contraception and turn into
shameless hussies. But contraception generally doesn't cause sex, any more
than umbrellas cause rain.

The reality is that almost two-thirds of American girls have lost their
virginity by the time they turn 18 ? and one-quarter use no contraception
their first time. Some 800,000 American teenagers become pregnant each year,
80 percent of the time unintentionally.

So we may wince at the thought of a 15-year-old girl obtaining Plan B after
unprotected sex. But why does the White House prefer to imagine her
pregnant?

Indeed, Plan B may be more important for teenagers than for adults, because
adults are more likely to rely on a regular contraceptive. Teenagers wing
it.

Granted, making contraceptives available ? all kinds, not just Plan B ?
presents a mixed message. We encourage young people to abstain from sex, and
then provide condoms in case they don't listen. But that's because we
understand human nature: We also tell drivers not to speed, but provide air
bags in case they do.

The administration's philosophy seems to be that the best way to discourage
risky behavior is to take away the safety net. Hmmm. I suppose that if we
replaced air bags with sharpened spikes on dashboards, people might drive
more carefully ? but it still doesn't seem like a great idea.

So let's give American women the same rights that they would have if they
were Albanians or Tunisians, and make Plan B available over the counter.
It's time for President Bush to end his policies that encourage abortions.







From wmichaelharris at earthlink.net  Mon May  1 18:42:40 2006
From: wmichaelharris at earthlink.net (Michael Harris)
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 18:42:40 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
Subject: [Mb-civic] Fw: Internet freedom is under attack
Message-ID: <E1FayKx-0005hn-Gh@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


NINA AND MICHAEL - I'm sure you're aware of this but if not please spread it far and wide!

LOVE

WMH


-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: "Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org Civic Action" <moveon-help at list.moveon.org>
>Sent: May 1, 2006 3:37 PM
>To: Michael Harris <wmichaelharris at earthlink.net>
>Subject: Internet freedom is under attack
>
>Dear MoveOn member,
>
>Big Internet operators like AT&T and Verizon want the power to decide
>which Web sites open properly on our computers--giving them control over
>what we do and where we search online. So far, Congress has caved to their
>demands.
>
>But because of intense public pressure, some members of Congress are
>starting to switch from AT&T's side to ours! In just a week, Congress saw
>over 250,000 of us sign a petition demanding the Internet stay
>free. Joining this call are tech pioneers like Google and Microsoft,
>diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to Gun Owners of America, and even some
>celebrities.
>
>If enough of us stand up now, there's still time for the House of
>Representatives to do the right thing next week when it votes on whether
>to protect or destroy Network Neutrality--the Internet's First Amendment
>and the key to Internet freedom.
>
>Can you join our petition asking Congress to protect the free and
>open Internet?
>
>http://civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/?id=7450-2411173-eDjS1tt4SBeF3kUeGI7jcA&t=2
>
>This petition will be delivered to your members of Congress, and everyone
>who signs will be kept informed of the next steps we can take to keep the
>pressure on Congress this week.
>
>Companies like AT&T are spending millions lobbying Congress to gut Net
>Neutrality. A House committee voted to go along with AT&T's scheme last
>week, but we are fighting back hard before next week's full House vote. We
>want to raise public awareness of this issue and hand Congress 350,000
>signatures.
>
>To reach this goal, we're launching a contest: Ask your friends to sign
>the petition and you can win one of 10 iPod Nanos or one of 40
>BarnesandNoble.com gift certificates. Start by signing the petition
>yourself, and you'll receive instructions to enter the contest.
>
>Snopes.com, which monitors various causes that circulate on the Internet,
>recently explained this issue:
>
>  Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has
>  precedence over any other's...Whether a user searches for recipes using
>  Google, reads an article on snopes.com, or looks at a friend's MySpace
>  profile, all of that data is treated equally and delivered from the
>  originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority.
>  In recent months, however, some of the telephone and cable companies
>  that control the telecommunications networks over which Internet data
>  flows have floated the idea of creating the electronic equivalent of a
>  paid carpool lane.
>
>If companies like AT&T have their way, Web sites ranging from Google
>to eBay to MoveOn either pay the equivalent of protection money to get
>into the "fast lane" or risk opening slowly on your computer. We can't
>allow the Internet--this incredible medium which has been such a
>revolutionary force for democratic participation, economic innovation, and
>free speech--to become captive to large corporations.
>
>Join our petition asking Congress to protect Internet freedom by clicking
>here:
>
>http://civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/?id=7450-2411173-eDjS1tt4SBeF3kUeGI7jcA&t=3
>
>Thank you for all you do.
>
>--Eli Pariser, Noah T. Winer, and Adam Green
>  Monday, May 1st, 2006
>
>P.S. You can support this member-driven campaign today.  As companies like
>AT&T spend millions lobbying Congress to gut Internet freedom, we will win
>this fight because of the power of regular people. A donation of $10, $20,
>or more would go a long way. You can donate here:
>https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html?id=7450-2411173-eDjS1tt4SBeF3kUeGI7jcA&t=4
>
>P.P.S.  If Congress abandons Network Neutrality, who will be affected?
>
>  * Advocacy groups like MoveOn--Political organizing could be slowed by a
>    handful of dominant Internet providers who ask advocacy groups to pay
>    "protection money" for their websites and online features to work
>    correctly.
>  * Nonprofits--A charity's website could open at snail-speed, and online
>    contributions could grind to a halt, if nonprofits can't pay dominant
>    Internet providers for access to "the fast lane" of Internet service.
>  * Google users--Another search engine could pay dominant Internet
>    providers like AT&T to guarantee the competing search engine opens
>    faster than Google on your computer.
>    Innovators with the "next big idea"--Startups and entrepreneurs will
>    be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay
>    Internet providers for dominant placing on the Web. The little guy
>    will be left in the "slow lane" with inferior Internet service, unable
>    to compete.
>  * iPod listeners--A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes,
>    steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.
>  * Online purchasers--Companies could pay Internet providers to guarantee
>    their online sales process faster than competitors--if
>    BarnesandNoble.com was much slower than Amazon.com that would distort
>    your choice as a consumer.
>  * Small businesses and tele-commuters--When Internet companies like AT&T
>    favor their own services, you won't be able to choose more affordable
>    providers for online video, teleconferencing, Internet phone calls,
>    and software that connects your home computer to your office.
>  * Parents and retirees--Your choices as a consumer could be controlled
>    by your Internet provider, steering you to their preferred services
>    for online banking, health care information, sending photos, planning
>    vacations, etc.
>  * Bloggers--Costs will skyrocket to post and share video and audio
>    clips--silencing citizen journalists and putting more power in the
>    hands of a few corporate-owned media outlets.
>
>
>________________
>
>Subscription Management:
>This is a message from MoveOn.org Civic Action. To change your email address, update your contact info, or remove yourself (Michael Harris) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at:
>http://moveon.org/s?i=7450-2411173-eDjS1tt4SBeF3kUeGI7jcA



From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 14:50:19 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 21:50:19 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Republicans Drop a Tax Plan After
	Businesses Protest
Message-ID: <20060502215019.BC7E411F7F5@lax-gw07.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

Apparently, they are concerned about losing campaign contributions...When will the American public wake up to this ongoing assault on democracy?


WASHINGTON | May 2, 2006
Republicans Drop a Tax Plan After Businesses Protest
By CARL HULSE
Lawmakers have been struggling to come up with an acceptable political and legislative answer to high gasoline prices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/washington/02cong.html?ex=1147233600&en=6a9b475384a7cd44&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 14:50:57 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 21:50:57 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Sensing Opportunity,
	Rightist Seeks the French Presidency Again
Message-ID: <20060502215059.59E0F13B7CC@lax-gw04.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

Let's hope the populace repudiates him as an opportunist...and a dangerous one at that...


INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE | May 2, 2006
Sensing Opportunity, Rightist Seeks the French Presidency Again
By CRAIG S. SMITH
Recent surveys indicate that right-wing firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen's approval rating has surged after successive national political crises.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/world/europe/02france.html?ex=1147233600&en=edb9005eff994c71&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 14:52:04 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 21:52:04 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: In Death Row Case,
	Justices Order Retrial Over Evidence
Message-ID: <20060502215205.BD8459FCF6@lax-gw05.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

Might we actually be making some progess?


WASHINGTON | May 2, 2006
In Death Row Case, Justices Order Retrial Over Evidence
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
The Supreme Court ruled that state courts improperly excluded evidence showing that another man might have committed the crime.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/washington/02scotus.html?ex=1147233600&en=65a8fe2a47507d02&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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0


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ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 14:52:22 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 21:52:22 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Appeals Judges Hear Subway Search Debate
Message-ID: <20060502215222.60E533AE3D2@lax-gw06.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

We probably won't win, but we're certainly fighting the good fight...


NEW YORK REGION | May 2, 2006
Appeals Judges Hear Subway Search Debate
By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
A civil liberties lawyer was challenged to explain how searching people's bags at random in New York subways was different from searching passengers at airports.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/nyregion/02subway.html?ex=1147233600&en=b35c0c173637eae4&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 14:53:34 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Tue,  2 May 2006 21:53:34 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Judge Rules Against New York City Ban on
	'Graffiti Instruments'
Message-ID: <20060502215404.B2B1E24AF83@lax-gw02.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

A rarity - a truly smart judge...


NEW YORK REGION | May 2, 2006
Judge Rules Against New York City Ban on 'Graffiti Instruments'
By THOMAS J. LUECK
In a setback to the city's efforts to curtail graffiti, a federal judge ordered the city yesterday to stop enforcing its ban on the possession of spray paint and broad-tipped markers, saying the law unfairly singled out a narrow age group.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/nyregion/02graffiti.html?ex=1147233600&en=d02f4cc594ce0805&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

0


----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
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Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ean at sbcglobal.net  Tue May  2 16:32:13 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 16:32:13 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Mission Accomplished Day.....A Turning Point
Message-ID: <E1Fb5g3-0004o6-2j@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Here are two clarifications about the anniversary of the end of "major 
combat" on May 1 2003....Note the reference in the 2nd article to the recently 
revealed fact that Valerie Plame, CIA agent outed by the Bush administration, 
was involved in tracking IRan's nuclear program, an endeavor that was 
wrecked by the outing...and now Bush and co. are blindly threatening Iran...

Mission Accomplished Day
    By Cindy Sheehan
    t r u t h o u t | Perspective
    Monday 01 May 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050106A.shtml

    May 1st, 2006, is the third anniversary of the end of "major combat"  in
Iraq. It was a glorious day when George Bush flew onto the deck of the
Abraham Lincoln and was hailed by the rapturous throngs of toadie "news"
persons like Chris Matthews ("And that's the president looking very much
like a jet, you know, a high-flying jet star." "Hardball," May 1, 2003)
and Bob Schieffer ("As far as I'm concerned, that was one of the great
pictures of all time. And if you're a political consultant, you can just
see campaign commercial written all over the pictures of George Bush."
"Meet the Press," May 4, 2003). What a fast and clean war! G. Gordon Liddy
was enthralled with the president's package ("All those women who say size
doesn't count - they're all liars." "Hardball," May 7, 2003) and a new era
free from terrorism was ushered in.

    This is the faith-based fable of what happened almost exactly three
years ago. The reality-based scenario goes something like this:

  a.. Over 2,400 American soldiers (including my son, who was killed almost
a year after Mission Accomplished Day) have come home in cardboard boxes
in cargo areas of planes in the secrecy of the night.


  b.. Thousands of our young people have been wounded, many grievously, 
and bused into Walter Reed and other hospitals in the dark of the night.


  c.. There are tons of rubble upon rubble in Iraq with inconsistent
electrical power still and not much clean water, or chance of future power
and clean water.


  d.. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians are dead, being
punished for the sins of a leader who was propped up, armed, and supported
by many US regimes.

The Mission Accomplished Day (or Operation Codpiece) public relations
dream for the presidential pelvic zone has turned into a frighteningly
real nightmare for so many people around the world who have had sons,
daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and oftentimes entire
families wiped out and devastated by the strutting and smirking terrorist
who was feeling mighty "chipper" last night at the Washington
Correspondent's annual dinner as the 2,400th soldier was being killed and
as the 2,400th Gold Star Mother was falling on the floor screaming for her
child. There are hundreds of thousands of people on our planet who will
have a hard time ever feeling chipper again because of George Bush, no
matter how good he looks in a flight suit.

    Now that BushCo has done such a fantastic job with the invasion and
occupation of Iraq that never should have happened - but now that it has
happened and is extraordinarily evil in its scope and tactics - he is
warning Iran that if it doesn't shape up, the US is going to come and
impose freedom and democracy on that country. The rah-rah, "yes, sir"
Congress, which has an easy job of approving everything that George Bush
does, thereby eliminating critical thinking, debate, or any semblance of
rational discussion, has voted for sanctions that will lead to an attack
on Iran that will be devastating for our troops in Iraq and for that poor
region that had the unfortunate luck to be built upon tremendous oil and
natural gas reserves.

    Only 21 Congress people voted "nay" on the Iran Freedom Support Act,
which is incredible, considering what happened when they voted "yea" to
give George Bush the green light for every sanction against Iraq and to
invade it. I ran into one of the "yea" voters on the Iran Freedom Support
Act, Rep. Major Owens, and I asked him why he voted that way. He said it
was because he hated the "evil" regime of Iran. I asked him about our own
evil, irresponsible regime! The radical President of Iran says very
irresponsible and inflammatory things, but by all accounts is over a
decade away from a nuclear weapon and is reined in by the mullahs and the
young population of Iran that is very westernized. We are in trouble with
our one-party system of government, which is the War Party.

    Before we the people need to be subjected to another swaggering
spectacle from George after he has bombed Iran back into the stone ages
and has made we the people of the United States of America even more hated
around the world, it is time to rein him in ourselves. Congress won't do
it and the media is falling into lockstep behind the murderer again.

    It is time to fire the warniks, whose bloodlust cannot be sated, and
hire people who will finally use their wisdom, integrity, and non-violence
to solve problems, and who won't create imaginary problems out of smoke
and mirrors. We need a Congress that will hold George accountable, not one
that is complicit in the war crimes.

    Martin Luther King Jr. said: "We must live together as brothers, or
perish together as fools." God protect us from the fools that we elected
to protect us!

    -------- 

    Cindy Sheehan is the mother of American war victim Casey Sheehan, who
was killed on 4/4/2004. She founded Gold Star Families for Peace and is
the author of Not One More Mother's Child.

--------
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050206R.shtml
A Turning Point 
By William Rivers Pitt 
t r u t h o u t | Perspective 
Tuesday 02 May 2006 
    If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular 
    error. 
    -- John Kenneth Galbraith
George W. Bush marked the three-year anniversary of "Mission 
Accomplished" in Iraq by declaring that a "turning point" has been reached in 
that shattered nation. His crotch-bulging strut across the aircraft carrier 
Abraham Lincoln, some 1,097 days ago, was intended to show America and 
the world that victory had been achieved. On May 1st, 2006, the best he could 
do was promise that victory might possibly come at some indeterminate point 
in the future. 
This is, by the best estimates, the four hundred and twelfth "turning point" 
that has been reached in Iraq since the disastrous invasion was undertaken. 
One could argue that, in fact, this "turning point" is for real; after all, 
Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld managed to go to Iraq and return 
without getting blown sideways out of a Humvee or without having their 
airplane shot down over Baghdad. That has to count for something. 
A look at a few of the headlines from the day after Bush's declaration of a 
"turning point" show us all how close complete and total victory is. On May 
2nd, it was reported that two civilians were kidnapped in Buhriz. Three Iraqi 
soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb in Dora. Hundreds of other Iraqi 
soldiers flipped out and tore off their uniforms when informed that they would 
not be deployed to their home regions. Fifteen bodies, bound and blindfolded, 
were found bullet-riddled in Baghdad. Four other bodies, each showing signs 
of horrific torture, were found in Shula. Three other tortured, bullet-shattered 
bodies were found in Yusufiya. 
76 American soldiers were killed in Iraq during the month of April, the 
highest count since November of 2005. It had been almost peaceful until 
April came along. After all, only 31 troops died in March, only 55 died in 
February, only 62 died in January, and only 68 died in December. The first 
soldier to die in May was killed on Monday night by a roadside bomb outside 
Baghdad. The total for the entire conflict now stands at 2,405. 
The good news for April is that, according to the Department of Defense, only 
12 soldiers were wounded. 489 had been wounded in March, so April 
represented a big leap forward. A lot fewer soldiers ended April with their 
brains scrambled, their limbs maimed or their flesh charred. The fact that 
most of the wounded up and died isn't really something to be discussed in 
polite company. It just doesn't jibe with the "turning point" talk. 
Oh, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the need for military 
blood donations has skyrocketed. "Injuries caused by insurgent attacks in Iraq 
have forced military donation centers to meet supply levels that exceed 
peacetime needs," reported the Tribune. "The demand for blood - almost all 
of which goes to a battlefield - has grown 400 percent since the war in Iraq 
began." 
It seems, as we celebrate this "turning point," that there is blood aplenty in 
Iraq. Unfortunately, it is all in the wrong place. So, apparently, is the money. 
Billions of taxpayer dollars have been funneled into Iraq for reconstruction of 
the petroleum industry and basic infrastructure. Almost none of this 
reconstruction has been completed, despite the fact that most of the money 
has somehow been spent. This was the perfect capitalist war: a few people got 
very rich by stealing all these funds, and the children who have no schools 
and the families who have neither clean water nor electricity can go pound 
sand. Literally. 
Our "turning point" in Iraq means we can now concentrate on making another 
disastrous error in Iran. Bush and the crew are pushing for a United Nations 
resolution for sanctions against Iran, an attempt to curb that nation's alleged 
nuclear ambitions. There is a lot of tough talk flying around, all of which is as 
substantial as smoke. China and Russia won't let any sanctions against Iran 
pass the Security Council, so the point of this quasi-diplomatic effort is 
difficult to find. 
The trouble, of course, is that nobody quite knows what Iran is up to. America 
had an intelligence network aimed at Iran's nuclear capabilities, but that 
network hasn't been in place for three long years. CIA agent Valerie Plame, 
you see, was the one running that network. Because her husband, Ambassador 
Joseph Wilson, had the temerity to publicly question the Bush administration's 
right to lie with impunity regarding the threat posed by Iraq, agent Plame was 
outed by the White House as punishment. In the three years since that 
happened, our knowledge of Iran's activities has devolved into a big black 
hole. It's a good thing for all of us this administration cares so much about our 
national security. 
Never fear, however. All this depressing information will soon be much more 
difficult to come by, even without White House criminals trashing intelligence 
networks to exact some political revenge. Newly-minted White House chief of 
staff Josh Bolten has signaled his desire to end the traditional publicly-
televised daily press conferences with the White House press secretary. This 
will take a load off Tony Snow's mind, to be sure, and will save the rest of us 
from having to hear so many sad, disquieting, disturbing facts. 
Bill Maher, host of the HBO program "Real Time," threw a thought for 
George W. Bush against the wall during his closing monologue the other 
night. "You govern like Billy Joel drives," said Maher to Bush. "You've 
performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. 
You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a s****y 
president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and 
snakes. On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four 
airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon, and the City of New 
Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this 
country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the 
other side." 
Indeed. 


William Rivers Pitt is a New York Times and internationally bestselling 
author of two books: War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to 
Know and The Greatest Sedition Is Silence. 
-------

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From ean at sbcglobal.net  Tue May  2 16:32:13 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Tue, 02 May 2006 16:32:13 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] REport from L.A. immigrant marches
Message-ID: <E1Fb5ga-0005G7-C3@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

  Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 20:50:27 -0700
   From: "Walter  Lippmann" <walterlx at earthlink.net>
Subject: Los Angeles immigrant's rights marches

I'm too tired to write any kind of detailed report this evening, but here
are some notes from a participant in both marches today. There were to be
two marches, one starting at noon at city hall, organized by the Latino
Movement USA, the Mexican American Political Association and other 
groups.
Another was set to begin at 3 PM some miles west of downtown, organized by
the Catholic Church, organized labor and a number of politicians.

When I arrived at city hall around noon, there was a veritable sea of
people there, an endless sea which continued to come and come and come as
long as I was present. This see was still coming when I left around 3:30
in the afternoon with no end in sight. The crowd was almost entirely
Latino in composition, well over 95% I would guestimate. Spanish was the
principal language spoken among participants and from the platforms which
I heard. There were other side rallies which developed spontaneously since
it simply wasn't possible to have everyone stop and listen all at the same
time. Most participants were probably from Mexico or of Mexican
background, though there were some Guatemalans and Salvadorans present as
well and a sprinkling of Filipinos and even a little sprinkling of Cubans,
too! What left presences I saw was basically literature tables and
distributions.

Following the guidelines of the organizers, nearly everyone wore white.
Similarly, the great majority, maybe 80 or more per cent of the flags I
saw were American flags. This was an astute political judgment in my
opinion, though it was perfectly obvious to everyone that the overwhelm-
ing majority of demonstrators were Latino and Spanish-speaking. I saw a
large number of signs made by organizing groups which had demands for
either legalization, amnesty, no more enforcement actions and so on. Many
people carried hand-made signs reflecting a range of views which are of
interest. There were quite a few Che flags or shirts, and some people
carried Che flags with American flags. I saw a pair of signs pointedly
asking Jewish people to support the progests since they had their own
experiences with oppression. Organized labor seem not to be overly
present, though I saw a few union signs saying "Liberty and Justice for
All" and a few union banners. Many people brought hand- made signs among
which some reflected their faith in God, and many other ideas. Here are
some of the signs, mostly hand-made, I saw:

No Somos Crimales. Ustedes nos hacen criminales.
(We're not criminals. You make us criminals)

We must all learn to live like brother unidos (on a U.S. flag).

It is not a crime to want a better life. (Daughter of immigrant
parents.)

We are not criminals.

United We Stand (U.S. flag on T-shirt, with upristed fist breaking
through star in the middle of the flag.)

Dios bendiga este pais. (God bless ths country.)

Mi hijo esta in Irak. (My son is in Iraq.)

I have a dream that all man should be created equal.

We shall overcome.

Don't call me an immogrant or a criminal while we both have the
same dream to give our family better life. We are both Americans.
No to HR 4437. We are honest hard working Americans.

The USA is made by immigrants...$ That's it!

Let's make America Stronger. NO on HR4437. Amnesty for all.

Hoy marchamos. Manana votamos. (Today we march. Tomorrow we vote.)

We only want work. We are not criminals.

Todos contra el muro. (Everyone against the wall.)

We didn't cross the borders, the borders crossed us.

Nigun ser humano es ilegal. (No human being is illegal.)

To contribute to the U.S. economy isn't illegal.

We stand together. We're all Americans.

Unidos estamos. Unidos no quedamos. (We're here. We're not complaining.)

Pueblo unido. Gobierno confundido. (People united. Government confused.

Our citizenship wasn't a problems when you sent our children to war.

Are our troops in Iraq illegal too?

Legalicen a los esclavos del Siglo XXI. (Legalize 21st century slaves.)

I speak better English than Arnold and I came from Mexico.

May 1, a day to create consciousness. Don't bite the hand that wipes your
ass."

United States not divided States.

United we stand. No on HR 4437. Who gave the legal permission to the first
people who came to settle on the land of native Americans and claim it as
theirs? This country is built by illegally and illegally immigrants. Hasta
la victoria siempre. (Ever onward to victory, Cuban slogan.)

USA we are not criminals. We are not taking anybody's job. All we want is
to be able to be legal in this country.

Filipino Coalition. Family Unity. Swift family reunification.

Lelgalize. Don't criminalize.

US land of dreams. One nation under God, indivible. With liberty and
justice for all. We love America.

Si por que soy Mexicano dicen que soy "ilegal", revisa la histora real
pues estoy en mi tierra natal. (If because I'm Mexican they say I'm
illegal, read the real hstory because this is the land where I was born.)

1 de May0 2006. Historica march de trabajadores en EEUU. Exiendo justicia
cual martires de Chicago. May 1, 2006, Historic workers march in the USA.
Demanding justice like the Chicago Martyrs. (Hand made and carried by a
long-time local FMLN activist.) Indeed, the FMLN of El Salvador had a very
vivid presence at the march.

Who says we are terrorists if our sons and daughters are giving their
lives for this country. We (heart graphic) USA.

Jose called in today. Make your own taco, USA.

Land of the greed. Home of the snake.

THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ILLEGAL (graphic of Bush with dune cap) and:
ILLEGAL election
ILLEGAL presidency
ILLEGAL war
ILLEGAL occupation
ILLEGAL no bid conracts
ILLRGAL renditions
ILLEGAL detentions
ILLEGAL tortures
ILLEGAL prisons
ILLEGAL wiretaps
THE WORST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY

Never justice on stolen land.

We work like slaves and we live like criminals. We do the dirty work.

They use our sons for war and call us criminals. If the minuteman are
patriot, go to Irak.

One nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
We are America for Americans.

South Central Farmers. Aquie estgmos y no nos vamos.
(A group is occupying vacant city land and farming it and fighting
for the right to keep it, or at least keep growing food there. Most
of them are immigrants. Great slogan: We're hear and we're not leaving."

Education not deportation.

Soy estudiante no criminal. (I'm a student, not a criminal.)

We are not a Minority. We are the MAJORITY.

Jewish people, you know the needs of immigration. Don't turn your back on
us.

Please don't practics hate on us. Equal rights 4 all.

Weren't you illegal in 1846? Who are the real ilegals? USA invaded Mexico
1846. You stole our border to Texas, New Mexico, Arizone, Nevada,
Colorado, California, and you call us illegals. Throw us out and we will
take the heart of California with us.

We are hard working people, not terrorists.

Good enough to die in combat, not good enough to live here.
(In red-green-white, Mexican colors on man in wheel chair.)

After over three hours I felt wiped out and decided to go home, but the
subway train stopped at MacArthur Park, so I got out and spent some time
there. Another sea of immigrants were arriving there, looking much like
the folks at city hall. It's not possible to know how many came from city
hall to the park, but when I got home, around 5PM, it turned out that the
3 PM rally hadn't started, and didn't get going until 6PM. Cardinal Mahony
and a raft of elected officials spoke there. Coverage from the local TV
stations was almost entirely positive. Not a single arrest was reported
and the cops were present in uniform but not in riot gear. As I walked
from downtown to the subway station I walked through Little Tokyo and was
pleased to see perhaps half of the stores there were closed in recognition
of the boycott as well.

That's it for tonight.


Walter Lippmann
Los Angeles, California.

***



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"A war of aggression is the supreme international crime." -- Robert Jackson,
 former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and Nuremberg prosecutor

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From dekuyper at sbcglobal.net  Tue May  2 13:09:23 2006
From: dekuyper at sbcglobal.net (Gerald Gerald)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 13:09:23 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] I Wish You A Sandpiper
Message-ID: <E1Fb5kK-0008UP-I3@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

The Sandpiper  
by Robert Peterson  
  
 
She was six years old when I first met her on the
beach near where I live.   I drive to this beach, a
distance of three or four miles, whenever the world 
begins to close in on me.  She was building a sand
castle or something  and looked up, her eyes as blue
as the sea.  
  
 
"Hello," she said.  
  
 
I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to
bother with a small child.  
  
 
"I'm building," she said.  
  
 
"I see that.  What is it?"  I asked, not really
caring.  
  
 
"Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand."  
  
 
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.
 
  
 
A sandpiper glided by.  
  
 
"That's a joy," the child said.  
  
 
"It's a what?"  
  
 
"It's a joy.  My mama says sandpipers come to bring us
joy."  
  
 
The bird went gliding down the beach.  Good-bye joy, I
muttered to myself,  hello pain, and turned to walk
on.  I was depressed, my life seemed  completely out
of balance.  
  
 
"What's your name?"  She wouldn't give up.  
  
 
"Robert," I answered.  "I'm Robert Peterson." 
  
 
"Mine's Wendy... I'm six."  
  
 
"Hi, Wendy"  
  
 
She giggled.  "You're funny," she said.  
  
 
In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on. 
Her musical giggle followed me.  
  
 
"Come again, Mr. P," she called.  "We'll have another
happy day."  
  
 
The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy
Scouts, PTA meetings,  and an ailing mother.  The sun
was shining one morning as I took my hands out  of the
dishwater.  I need a sandpiper, I said to myself,
gathering up my coat.  
  
 
The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. 
The breeze was  
chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the
serenity I needed.  
  
 
"Hello, Mr. P," she said.  "Do you want to play?"  
  
 
"What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of
annoyance.  
  
 
"I don't know.  You say."  
  
 
"How about charades?"  I asked sarcastically.  
  
 
The tinkling laughter burst forth again.  "I don't
know what that is."  
  
 
"Then let's just walk."  
  
 
Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her
face.  "Where do you live?" I asked.  
  
 
"Over there."  She pointed toward a row of summer
cottages.  
  
 
Strange, I thought, in winter.  
  
 
"Where do you go to school?"  
  
 
"I don't go to school.  Mommy says we're on vacation."
 
  
 
She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the
beach, but my mind was  on other things.  When I left
for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day.  
Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and
agreed.  
  
 
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of
near panic.  I was in no  mood to even greet Wendy.  I
thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt  like
demanding she keep her child at home.  
  
 
"Look, if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy
caught up with me, "I'd  rather be alone today"  She
seemed unusually pale and out of breath.  
  
 
"Why?" she asked.  
  
 
I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died!"
and thought,  
My God, why was I saying this to a little child?  
  
 
"Oh," she said quietly, "then this is a bad day."  
  
 
"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and
-- oh, go away!"  
  
 
"Did it hurt?" she inquired.  
  
 
"Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with
myself.  
  
 
"When she died?"  
  
 
"Of course it hurt!" I snapped, misunderstanding, 
wrapped up in myself.  I strode off.  
  
 
A month or so after that, when I next went to the
beach, she wasn't there.  Feeling guilty, ashamed, and
admitting to myself I missed her, I went up  to the
cottage after my walk and knocked at the door.  A
drawn looking  young woman with honey-colored hair
opened the door.  
  
 
"Hello," I said, "I'm Robert Peterson.  I missed your
little girl today  
and wondered where she was."  
  
 
"Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in.  Wendy spoke of
you so much.  
I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you.  If she was a
nuisance,  please, accept my apologies."  
  
 
"Not at all -- she's a delightful child."  I said,
suddenly realizing  that I meant what I had just said.
 
  
 
"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson.  She had
leukemia.   Maybe she didn't tell you."  
  
 
Struck dumb, I groped for a chair.  I had to catch my
breath  
  
 
"She loved this beach, so when she asked to come, we
couldn't say no.  
She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what
she called happy days.   But the last few weeks, she
declined rapidly..." Her voice faltered, "She left 
something for you, if only I can find it.  Could you
wait a moment while I look?"  
  
 
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say
to this lovely young  woman.  She handed me a smeared
envelope with "MR. P" printed in bold  childish
letters.  Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues
-- a yellow beach,  a blue sea, and a brown bird. 
Underneath was carefully printed:  
  
 
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.  
  
 
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had
almost forgotten to love  opened wide.  I took Wendy's
mother in my arms.  "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,   I'm
so sorry," I uttered over and over, and we wept
together.  The precious little  picture is framed now
and hangs in my study.  Six words -- one for each year
 of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage,
and undemanding love.  
  
 
A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the
color of sand  
-- who taught me the gift of love. 

 
NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert
Peterson.  It happened over 20  years ago and the
incident changed his life forever.  It serves as a
reminder  to all of us that we need to take time to
enjoy living and life and each other.   The price of
hating other human beings is loving oneself less.  
  
 
Life is so complicated, the hustle and bustle of
everyday traumas  
can make us lose focus about what is truly important
or what is only a momentary setback or crisis.  
  
 
This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra
hug, and by all means,  take a moment... even if it is
only ten seconds, to stop and smell the roses.  
  
 
This comes from someone's heart, and is read by many 
and now I share it with you...  
  
 
May God Bless everyone who receives this!  There are
NO coincidences!  
  
 
  Never brush aside  anyone as insignificant.  Who
knows what they can teach us? 

 
I wish for you, a sandpiper. 
 


From IHHS at aol.com  Tue May  2 11:59:07 2006
From: IHHS at aol.com (IHHS at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 14:59:07 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] cherries and arthritis
Message-ID: <E1Fb5ln-0001HK-Mr@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

Originally published May 2 2006 _http://www.newstarget.com/019366.html_ 
(http://www.newstarget.com/019366.html)     
FDA tyranny and the censorship of cherry health facts  (opinion)
In the past, I jokingly said that broccoli might someday be  banned as soon 
as the public begins to learn about the potent anti-cancer  chemicals found in 
the vegetable. That?s because, as I jested, the FDA wouldn?t  want people 
treating their own cancer with the anti-cancer medicines found in  cruciferous 
vegetables. But it seems that my joke wasn?t so funny after all,  because the 
FDA is now threatening cherry growers with raids to confiscate their  cherries, 
haul them into court, and put them out of business for doing one  simple thing 
that _the FDA_ (http://www.webseed.com/the_FDA.html)   cannot stand to allow: 
The distribution of scientific information describing the  _health benefits_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/health_benefits.html)  of  cherries.  
On October 17, 2005, the FDA sent warning letters to 29 companies that market 
 _cherries_ (http://www.webseed.com/cherries.html) . In these letters,  the 
FDA threatened these companies with legal action and told them they had to  
remove the scientific information on their websites that described the health  
benefits of the natural medicines found in cherries, such as the anthocyanins  
that reduce _inflammation_ (http://www.webseed.com/inflammation.html)   for 
arthritis sufferers. According to the warped FDA logic that now seems to be  
standard, when cherry growers post scientific information about the health  
benefits of their cherries, they magically transform their cherries into drugs  and 
therefore, as drugs, they must have FDA approval in order to sell them in  the 
United States.  
The FDA says a cherry is a drug
Now, any normal, sane person would look  at a cherry and say, ?It?s just a 
cherry.? It?s a natural fruit that people have  been eating for as long as 
anyone can remember. But the FDA, in light of the  fact that people are now 
discovering that cherries are actually good medicine,  looks at a cherry and says 
(paraphrasing), ?No, it?s a drug, and you have to  have our permission to 
market it, and if you continue to talk about the health  benefits of cherries, we 
will use our power to put you out of business.?  
I?ve often talked about the tyranny of the FDA and its campaign to censor the 
 scientific truth about the healing benefits of _natural foods_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/natural_foods.html) , including  cherries and many other items. 
This event demonstrates perfectly well the  sinister nature of the FDA, which 
clearly intends to restrict the spread of  knowledge about cherries and thereby 
protect the profits of _anti-inflammatory  drugs_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/anti-inflammatory_drugs.html)  that treat joint pain. If Americans knew the true 
power of cherries to  reduce inflammation, you see, the sales of 
anti-inflammatory drugs might  plummet, and the criminal drug pushers who run organized 
medicine today can't  allow that to happen. Hence, _censorship_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/censorship.html)  and oppression of  scientific information are the 
tactics used to keep the _American people_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/American_people.html)  ignorant  and, therefore, controlled.  
Because it's not just cherries that contain powerful medicine, you see. It's  
blueberries, garlic, cabbage, onions, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, aloe vera,  
almonds and a thousand other natural foods and medicinal herbs. If the public 
 understood the true healing power of these foods -- and the powerful 
medicines  they contain -- _conventional  medicine_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/conventional_medicine.html)  and all its drug-pushing participants would suddenly be 
irrelevant  and bankrupt.  
That's what the drug pushers absolutely cannot allow to happen, and that's  
why the American people must be kept ignorant at all costs, even if it means  
engaging in book burning, armed raids on alternative medicine clinics, and  
jackbooted censorship of simple truths that might empower people to take charge  
of their own health. It is the most insidious use of power by any federal 
agency  because its aim is ignorance, not education. It seeks to isolate people 
from  information that might save them in order to control them, and it is the 
same  tactic used by every evil regime in world history, including Nazi 
Germany. It  also makes the FDA the single greatest threat to the health and safety 
of the  American people, far outweighing the threat of terrorism in terms of 
the number  of people harmed or killed. (See "_Statistics prove prescription 
drugs  are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists_ 
(http://www.newstarget.com/009278.html) ")  
So I?m just curious; are cherry growers who distribute scientific information 
 now going to be arrested as cherry traffickers? Will people start smuggling  
cherries across borders so that their customers can benefit from the healing  
effects of these natural foods? Will the FDA raid cherry orchards with guns  
drawn like it did Dr. Jonathan Wright?s clinic in Seattle many years ago? Will 
 cherry growers be arrested and tried on crimes of making health claims or  
illegally marketing unapproved drugs?  
These things were once thought of as being ridiculous. The very idea that a  
natural food could be outlawed was once considered a joke. Now it is one step  
closer to reality as this tyrannical organization, the U.S. _Food and Drug  
Administration_ (http://www.webseed.com/Food_and_Drug_Administration.html) , is 
censoring scientific information on the health benefits  of cherries and 
using its power to threaten cherry growers into silence.  
More nonsense from the FDA
Amazingly, the FDA doesn?t claim to disagree  with the scientific information 
about cherries. Instead, it says that cherries  ?have not been recognized as 
safe and effective when used as labeled.? And as  the Life Extension 
Foundation explains, the FDA?s interpretation of the law  means that cherry growers are 
?engaged in criminal conduct by relaying findings  that have been published 
in peer reviewed scientific journals.?  
So now publishing information makes you a criminal even if that information  
is scientifically sound and widely known to be absolutely true. If this isn't 
a  blatant violation of the First Amendment, I don't know what is. Where's the 
 Electronic Freedom Foundation on this issue? Isn't this a clear case where 
the  tyranny of the FDA should be openly challenged by champions of Free 
Speech?  
Cherries are now, according to the FDA, not recognized as safe and effective  
when used "as labeled." I?m just curious, what does the label of cherries say 
 about using it? Does it say, ?Eat me?? Because that's what we should all be 
 saying to the FDA right now, as it is an agency immersed in such absolute  
nonsense that even fools can see the emperor has no clothes. To say a cherry is 
 a drug and then threaten cherry growers with drug crimes is something ripped 
 right out of the pages of 1984 and its Ministry of Truth. (See _Wikipedia_ 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four)  to learn  more.)  
In terms of genuine authority, the FDA is nothing short of an utter joke and  
an embarrassment to the American people. Unfortunately, it still has power, 
and  it is exploiting that power to threaten cherry growers with criminal 
prosecution  for doing what people have done for countless generations on this 
earth, which  is to grow their own _fruits_ (http://www.webseed.com/fruits.html)  
and  eat those fruits while enjoying their many benefits.  
Do not tolerate unjust authority
Gandhi once initiated the Salt March to  Dandi (the "Salt Satyagraha") in 
defiance of the tyrannical _salt_ (http://www.webseed.com/salt.html)  taxation 
rules of the occupying  British government, and there he and his followers 
intentionally violated the  law by harvesting salt from the waters. It was a 
practice that had been carried  out for centuries by the people there, and one that 
provides essential minerals  for human health. Gandhi?s defiance may teach us 
something very important about  modern times, and that is that when a law is 
so unjust as to stand in violation  of fundamental _human  rights_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/human_rights.html) , it is not only the right, but the duty of 
individuals to stand in  firm opposition to that law and to challenge whatever 
authority unjustly imposes  that law upon the people.  

The FDA operates today much like the occupying British in 20th century India, 
 oppressing the people, outlawing natural traditions like salt harvesting in  
order to control a monopoly market, silencing dissent, and threatening any  
organization or individual that challenges its power. The FDA, as it exists  
today, is an organization of tyranny and injustice that simply has no place in a 
 free society.  
That?s why I believe it is time for growers of cherries, fruits, vegetables  
and other _healing foods_ (http://www.webseed.com/healing_foods.html)   to 
take a stand against the FDA. Stand firm against _oppression_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/oppression.html)  and censorship, and  stand up for your right to tell 
the truth about the healing benefits of your  natural products. The FDA?s 
reclassification of cherry growers as _criminals_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/criminals.html)  is a violation of  every system of law and ethics that we?ve known on 
this planet. It is a  violation of natural law, it is a violation of God?s law, 
and it is a violation  of basic human rights, which include the right to grow 
and eat food and share  that food with your neighbors along with information 
about what those foods can  do to nourish them.  
The FDA would like to imagine that it is the ultimate authority over all  
things health related and that only it can approve what words we might use to  
describe the fruits and _vegetables_ (http://www.webseed.com/vegetables.html)  
we share with our  neighbors. And as such, the FDA is an entity of ignorance 
and evil that actually  seeks to de-educate the American people, and the day of 
outing the  criminals who currently operate the FDA is long overdue. This is 
an agency whose  decision makers need to be immediately arrested and tried for 
their crimes  against humanity. It is an agency that demands wholesale reform 
from top to  bottom and that must eliminate its obvious conflicts of interest 
and its desire  to protect the pharmaceutical industry. It must be reformed 
with a new mission  that it should have been following all along: To protect the 
health of the  people it is supposed to serve.  
End the tyranny of the FDA
If you're an American voter, one of the best  ways to protect your _health  
freedom_ (http://www.webseed.com/health_freedom.html) , which is clearly under 
assault by the Food and Drug Administration  as well as other 
disease-promoting interest groups, is to support the Health  Freedom Protection Act (HR4282). 
It is a bill that will allow organizations  like cherry growers to tell the 
truth about their products, as long as that  truth is based on sound science. It 
would allow cherry growers, for example, to  reference the published 
scientific studies that report on the healing benefits  of the phytochemicals found in 
cherries.  
It is a shame that in this country we even need such a bill, but we do need  
it, because the level of censorship, oppression, and tyranny now practiced by  
the FDA has reached its apex, and we must fight back with legislation that 
ends  the tyranny of the Food and Drug Administration and reinforces our right 
to  access information that can help us live happier, healthier and longer 
lives.  Support the Health Freedom Protection Act (HR4282) by writing your  
representatives in Congress and voicing your opinion. Also visit the _Life Extension 
Foundation_ (http://www.lef.org/) , publishers of Life  Extension Magazine, 
which contributed to this report.  
Finally, refuse to live as a slave of conventional medicine and the FDA for  
another day. Demand health _freedom_ (http://www.webseed.com/freedom.html)  
and settle for nothing  less than the ending of this age of medical tyranny that 
seeks to turn us all --  you, your parents, your children and preschoolers -- 
into ignorant, drug-induced  consumers who will never know true freedom, nor 
true health. Perhaps the  greatest legacy that we can pass on to our children 
is the ending of this  medical McCarthyism and the unfolding of a new golden 
age of health freedom.  Stay active and informed, and do not let ignorance and 
oppression prevail.  
Action items
If you know a cherry grower or cherry marketing company,  forward this 
article to them.  
If you are a cherry grower or marketing company, link to this article.  
If you'd like to take a stand against the FDA and challenge this censorship,  
Truth Publishing will gladly provide global coverage to your story through  
articles, phone interviews and even video interviews distributed to over half a 
 million readers around the world. If you're fed up with FDA oppression, and  
you'd like to take part in a David vs. Goliath _free speech_ 
(http://www.webseed.com/free_speech.html)  battle that could  prove pivotal to the ending of 
FDA tyranny, contact us through our _feedback form_ 
(http://www.newstarget.com/feedback.html) . Anonymity is  100% assured. We won't share details about your 
story without your permission.  
 
____________________________________

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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  2 19:13:20 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 22:13:20 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] I double dare you!
Message-ID: <015901c66e57$2775f5d0$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

I came upon this quite by accident (really!), and just had to send it along.

http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/19/urine.html
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Tue May  2 20:08:16 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 23:08:16 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] US Gangs in Iraq
Message-ID: <000c01c66e5e$d7557140$1f27e440@Harold>

The US military has problem here.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gangs01.html

There is serious drug use in the American military in Iraq, wonder why? Who is supplying it, US gangs!

They are just staking a territory, just like Halliburton
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From barbarasiomos38 at msn.com  Wed May  3 04:02:54 2006
From: barbarasiomos38 at msn.com (Barbara Siomos)
Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 11:02:54 GMT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Talk by Palden Gyatso on Monday
Message-ID: <BAY114-DAV12EB6B91244D5608EC4AFFABB70@phx.gbl>

For any of you lucky folks who are in NYC on Monday the 8th of May. This man was a prisoner and tortured by the Chinese for 33 years..... It is almost hard to believe but IT IS TRUE.

peeace,
barbara


-----Original Message-----
From: Tenzin Dorjee
Sent: Tue, 2 May 2006 09:01:56 -0700
To: sft-region2 at lists.riseup.net
Subject: [sft-sector2] Talk by Palden Gyatso on Monday

*PALDEN GYATSO in New York
 
Tibet's Most Famous Ex-Political Prisoner Speaks Out!!!
*
When: 6:30pm Monday, May 8th
Where: SFT Headquarters, 602 E 14th Street between Ave A and B, New York
(Take L Train to 1st Ave.)

A BRIEF BIO OF VENERABLE PALDEN GYATSO
Palden Gyatso, one of Tibet's longest-serving political prisoners, has 
toured the world speaking about China's oppression in Tibet. His 
description of the Chinese government's torture methods has shocked 
audiences while his compassion and courage have inspired many to support 
the Tibetan cause. Palden spent 33 years in Chinese prisons for joining 
nonviolent demonstrations calling for Tibetan independence.

--
For further information, please contact:
Tendor
Grassroots Coordinator
(212) 358 0071


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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Wed May  3 08:03:07 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 15:03:07 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: After Press Dinner,
	the Blogosphere Is Alive With the Sound of Colbert Chatter
Message-ID: <20060503150307.D302B83DC8@lax-gw03.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

fyi..I'm posting most of my articles at Michael's new site - here's the link: http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/


ARTS | May 3, 2006
After Press Dinner, the Blogosphere Is Alive With the Sound of Colbert Chatter
By JACQUES STEINBERG
An address by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert at the White House correspondents' dinner has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the politically charged blogosphere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/arts/03colb.html?ex=1147320000&en=fdb9a8bda4c24945&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

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Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May  3 08:33:42 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 11:33:42 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] TV show ER goes to Darfur
Message-ID: <000801c66ec6$fa10c1e0$9f3fe440@Harold>

     
      ER puts Darfur tragedy in dramatic spotlight on Thursday night 
      02/05/2006 6:47:00 PM  

      LOS ANGELES (AP) - More often than not, television has looked away from the complex, searing reality of Darfur. 


      The three network evening newscasts in the United States devoted less than a combined 10 minutes so far this year to the political and ethnic conflict that has killed at least 180,000 and driven two million more from their homes in the western Sudan province since 2003. 
      On Thursday, an entertainment show will quadruple the broadcast news Darfur allotment. 

      NBC's ER puts Dr. Gregory Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) in the thick of the desperate situation with former colleague Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle). The result is urgent drama aimed at jolting viewers into recognition of the immense suffering taking place. 

      In one scene, a mother in a camp for the displaced asks Carter about her hepatitis-stricken child, among the many beset by hunger, disease and violence. 

      "She wants to know if her daughter will die today or tomorrow," an interpreter says, speaking for the mother. Carter hesitates but can't deny the inevitability of her loss. 

      "Darfur is a glaring example of a situation in the world that people don't know enough about, that they need to know more about and, hopefully, help start to find solutions," said ER executive producer David Zabel. 

      The potential audience is big. The nightly newscasts on NBC, ABC and CBS attract roughly seven million to nine million viewers each while ER, although no longer among TV's top-rated series in its 12th season, averages more than 12 million viewers. 

      The episode, There are no Angels Here (10 p.m. EDT), is airing during a burst of attention to the situation that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called "little short of hell on earth," with a deadline at hand for a peace accord between Sudan's government and Darfur rebels. 

      What's helped news cameras swing toward the despairing African region is the magnetic force of celebrity. After a trip to Africa, actor-activist George Clooney (Syriana and formerly ER) was welcomed on TV news outlets, including CNN and ABC, to discuss what he had seen. 

      In Washington on Sunday, Clooney was among the celebrities who joined politicians, religious leaders and others to highlight the conflict and urge greater U.S. involvement. (U.S. President George W. Bush gave his support to that and other weekend rallies, saying, "The genocide in Sudan is unacceptable.") 

      The potentially awkward intersection of Hollywood glamour and tragedy, however, was made clear when NBC newswoman Ann Curry appeared on MSNBC to promote her interview with Angelina Jolie in Africa about the actress's support of a worldwide education drive - and her pregnancy. 

      After Curry also sombrely touched on the agonies of Darfur, MSNBC anchorman Randy Meier switched gears. 

      "I want to jump to a little lighter side dealing with Angelina. ... She looked great, by the way. ... How does she feel about all this international attention on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie having the baby in Africa and all the ins and outs of that?" he asked. 

      At least it's a meaningful use of celebrity, said ER star Phifer. 

      "These are real issues. It's a breath of fresh air to see something reported on Angelina Jolie besides her different way of raising kids, and her and Jennifer (Aniston) and all this other nonsense," he said. 

      The NBC medical drama is not jumping on a cause celebre bandwagon. Work on the Darfur story, which was introduced in previous episodes and culminates Thursday, began eight months ago. It's an extension of the show's previous attention to Africa in an arc that brought Dr. Carter to Africa to fight AIDS. 

      One of the groups that helped ER with the Darfur research used in writing the script, Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres), lauded the episode. 

      "There is so little space on regular network news for coverage of underreported humanitarian stories that it's really great when a popular TV show like ER can put resources into trying to show the challenges of a situation like we're seeing in Darfur," said Kris Torgeson, spokeswoman for Doctors Without Borders. 

      Coverage of Darfur has been dwindling: It was 18 minutes in 2005 and 26 minutes the year before, according to Andrew Tyndall, who publishes a weekly newsletter on the content of network newscasts. 

      Torgeson suggested the ER episode could increase public awareness of Darfur and perhaps encourage viewers to "want to learn more, and perhaps do something about it." 

      The financial commitment is impressive. The episode was filmed primarily in the South African desert and cost some $7 million US - more than triple the usual cost for a one-hour drama. It's the result of the clout ER chief John Wells has gained from the long-running show and the other NBC series he produced, The West Wing and Third Watch. 

      Wells "is very bold in the sense that sometimes we'll do just what we think is the best way to use the platform that we have and not necessarily pander to what we think people want to see or what's the most popular thing to do," said Zabel. 

      That said, Zabel understands that viewers tune in for entertainment, not education. 

      "That's why we tried to search for a way to find some hope and promise of a better future in a situation as desperate and sad as what's happening in Darfur," he said. 

      Among the characters in the episode: a young couple battered by the conflict but laying claim to the future with the baby she's carrying. 

      "Hopefully, viewers find some uplift and inspiration in a story that's very grave," Zabel said. 
     
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May  3 10:02:42 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 13:02:42 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Torture "widespread" under U.S.custody.
Message-ID: <001101c66ed3$696661b0$9f3fe440@Harold>

ABC News report

Torture "widespread" under U.S. custody: Amnesty
Reuters
GENEVA - Torture and inhumane treatment are "widespread" in U.S.-run detention centers in Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere despite Washington's denials, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.


In a report for the United Nations' Committee against Torture, the London-based human rights group also alleged abuses within the U.S. domestic law enforcement system, including use of excessive force by police and degrading conditions of isolation for inmates in high security prisons.


"Evidence continues to emerge of widespread torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of detainees held in U.S. custody," Amnesty said in its 47-page report.


It said that while Washington has sought to blame abuses that have recently come to light on "aberrant soldiers and lack of oversight," much ill-treatment stemmed from officially sanctioned interrogation procedures and techniques.


"The U.S. government is not only failing to take steps to eradicate torture, it is actually creating a climate in which torture and other ill-treatment can flourish," said Amnesty International USA Senior Deputy Director-General Curt Goering.


The U.N. committee, whose experts carry out periodic reviews of countries signatory to the U.N. Convention against Torture, is scheduled to begin consideration of the United States on Friday. The last U.S. review was in 2000.


It said in November it was seeking U.S. answers to questions including whether Washington operated secret detention centers abroad and whether President George W. Bush had the power to absolve anyone from criminal responsibility in torture cases.


The committee also wanted to know whether a December 2004 memorandum from the U.S. Attorney General's office, reserving torture for "extreme" acts of cruelty, was compatible with the global convention barring all forms of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. 


UNTIL THE END


In its own submission to the committee, published late last year, Washington justified the holding of thousands of foreign terrorism suspects in detention centers abroad, including Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, on the grounds that it was fighting a war that was still not over.


"Like other wars, when they start, we do not know when they will end. Still, we may detain combatants until the end of the war," it said.


The U.S. human rights image has taken a battering abroad over a string of scandals involving the sexual and physical abuse of detainees held by American forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.


In its submission, Washington did not mention alleged secret detention centers.


Amnesty listed a series of incidents in recent years involving torture of detainees in U.S. custody, noting the heaviest sentence given to perpetrators was five months in jail.


This was the same punishment you could get for stealing a bicycle in the United States, it added.


"Although the U.S. government continues to assert its condemnation of torture and ill-treatment, these statements contradict what is happening in practice," said Goering, referring to the testimony of torture victims in the report.



Copyright 2006 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright ? 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
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From lindahassler at sbcglobal.net  Wed May  3 10:30:34 2006
From: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net (Linda Hassler)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 12:30:34 -0500
Subject: [Mb-civic] Earth Policy News - U.S. Mayors Respond to Climate
	Leadership Vacuum
Message-ID: <f9951543244d754de08cd1dd4d4e04d6@sbcglobal.net>

As the Burlington mayor says, "We can't wait for this leadership vacuum 
to fill."

Eco-Economy Update 2006-3
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2006


U.S. Mayors Respond to Washington Leadership Vacuum on Climate Change

http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2006/Update53.htm


Janet Larsen


Recognizing that global warming may fast be approaching the point of no
return and that the world cannot wait for the U.S. government to act,
hundreds of U.S. city mayors have pledged to cut emissions of greenhouse
gases. By signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, these
mayors?representing some 44 million Americans?have committed their 
cities
to meet or beat the U.S. emissions reduction target in the Kyoto 
Protocol,
despite the federal government?s refusal to ratify that treaty.

This grassroots political revolution, spearheaded by Greg Nickels, Mayor
of Seattle, Washington, and endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors,
responds to the mounting concerns of the American people. It calls for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 
2012.
As Burlington, Vermont, Mayor Peter Clavelle noted: ?We can't wait for
this vacuum of leadership to fill.?

Since February 16, 2005, the date the Kyoto Protocol came into effect 
for
the 141 countries that ratified it, 227 U.S. cities have joined the
mayors? agreement, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the 
three
largest cities. The Northeast, the Great Lakes Region, and the West 
Coast
are particularly well represented, and the list keeps growing. (See map
and additional data at
www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2006/Update53_data.htm.)

The group includes both communities with an eye on global problems and
those concerned about climate-related impacts closer to home. For 
example,
a dozen coastal Florida cities that risk destruction from storms and
rising seas have signed on. Mayor Ray Nagin noted a similar concern when
adding New Orleans to the agreement, stating that ?the rise of the 
Earth's
temperature, causing sea level increases that could add up to one foot
[30.5 centimeters] over the next 30 years, threatens the very existence 
of
New Orleans??and this was before Hurricane Katrina.

The cities? action plans vary in both content and completeness, but the
common refrains include increasing automobile efficiency, improving 
public
transportation systems, curbing sprawl, and encouraging walking and
cycling. The plans emphasize using and generating electricity more
efficiently, with renewable energy sources playing a prominent role.

Seattle?s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions translates into an
annual cut of 683,000 tons, the equivalent of retiring some 148,000 cars
each year. In March 2006, the Mayor?s Green Ribbon Commission made
numerous recommendations on how to achieve this goal. The local role 
model
is the municipal government, which has already slashed carbon emissions
from city operations to more than 60 percent below 1990 levels. This was
achieved in part by switching a share of the government fleet to
hybrid-electric vehicles. By cutting fleet fuel use by 7 percent between
1999 and 2005, the city saved at least $300,000 a year.

Seattle City Light became the nation?s first major electric utility to
achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 through a combination 
of
energy conservation, renewable energy (principally hydropower), and
offsets for the remaining emissions. To capitalize on this success, the
Green Ribbon Commission recommends improving energy efficiency in
buildings and requiring new housing to be energy-efficient.

For Seattle as a whole, the city?s 400,000 registered vehicles are the
number one local producer of greenhouse gases. The commission suggests a
number of ways to reduce automobile dependence: Broaden the availability
of ?frequent, reliable, and convenient public transportation,? which 
could
be funded in part by new regional toll roads and a new commercial 
parking
tax. Encourage car sharing. Add bike lanes and trails, improve sidewalks
and crossings, and develop ?compact, green, urban neighborhoods? built 
for
people, not cars. With the average Seattleite spending more than one 
work
week sitting in traffic each year, such measures have the benefit of
greatly enhancing residents? quality of life.

To reduce carbon emissions from vehicles still on the road, the 
commission
supports tailpipe limits on car pollution (as now required under the
California ?clean car standards? adopted by Washington State in 2005) 
and
greater use of biofuels. Cutting emissions from diesel trucks, trains, 
and
ships also improves local air quality, leading to fewer cases of asthma
and respiratory disease.

Suggestions to move beyond the Kyoto goals include using rooftop solar
energy systems and heat pump water heaters. Other innovations that make
the Seattle commission?s list are pay-as-you-drive insurance to 
discourage
unnecessary driving, and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles that for short
trips can run on electricity, preferably produced by renewable
sources?virtually an 80+ mile-per-gallon car.

Of the other cities signed on to the Mayors Agreement, Portland, Oregon,
has one of the most advanced plans for change. In 1993 Portland became 
the
first U.S. city to develop a global warming action plan. Now, together
with the rest of Multnomah County, Portland aims to cut greenhouse gas
emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. Had Multnomah County
continued with business as usual, today it would be emitting more than 
12
million tons of carbon dioxide; because of its deliberate action to 
reduce
greenhouse gases, however, the latest tally shows emissions have fallen 
to
9.7 million tons?just 1 percent above 1990 levels.

Portland has managed to increase public transit use by 75 percent since
1990. This was aided in part by the addition of new major light rail 
lines
and the 2001 reinstatement of a central city streetcar, a throwback to 
the
old trolley system that had been supplanted by polluting diesel buses 
and
personal automobiles. City workers receive monthly bus passes or free 
car
pool parking, and businesses that subsidize employee parking are
encouraged to subsidize public transit commutes as well. Portland also 
has
267 miles (430 kilometers) of bikeways, which it hopes to double within 
10
years.

In 2002, Multnomah County established energy efficiency standards for
?lighting, heating and cooling, appliances, and personal computers.?
Throughout Portland, traffic signals have been converted to LED
(light-emitting diode) bulbs that cut energy use by a whopping 80 
percent,
saving the city more than $500,000 each year in energy and maintenance
costs. And the city is investigating the possibility of powering all its
facilities completely with wind energy.

Elsewhere, city and county office buildings in Salt Lake City, Utah, 
have
removed inefficient incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact
fluorescents that use a third of the energy and last up to 10 times
longer. In chilly St. Paul, Minnesota, an efficient combined heat and
power system warms most downtown buildings. In Washington, DC, 414 
diesel
buses have been replaced with ones that burn cleaner compressed natural
gas. And Austin, Texas, is quickly turning to wind and solar power to
reach its goal of meeting 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable
sources and 15 percent through energy efficiency improvements by 2020.

Response to the Washington climate action void is not limited to cities.
States and businesses also are taking part. The challenge now is to
multiply these initiatives and take them farther. With the U.S. making 
up
5 percent of the global population but responsible for a quarter of the
world?s greenhouse gas emissions, there is no substitute for leadership
from the top.


#    #   #

Additional data and information sources at www.earthpolicy.org or 
contact
jlarsen (at) earthpolicy.org

For reprint permission contact rjkauffman (at) earthpolicy.org



---
---
You are currently subscribed to public as: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net
To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
leave-public-1359588G at lists.earth-policy.org



From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May  3 12:05:53 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 12:05:53 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Let's (Third) Party By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Message-ID: <C07E4D21.A3BB%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 3, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Let's (Third) Party
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

What would OPEC do if it wanted to keep America addicted to oil? That's
easy. OPEC would urge the U.S. Congress to deal with the current spike in
gasoline prices either by adopting the Republican proposal to give American
drivers $100 each, so they could continue driving gas-guzzling cars and buy
gasoline at the current $3.50 a gallon, or by adopting the Democrats'
proposal for a 60-day lifting of the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents a
gallon. Either one would be fine with OPEC.

So, to summarize, we now have a Congress proposing to do exactly what our
worst enemies would like us to do ? subsidize our addiction to gasoline by
breaking into our kids' piggybanks to make it easier for us to pay the
prices demanded by our oil pushers, so that we will remain addicted and they
will remain awash in dollars.

With a Congress like this, who needs Al Qaeda?

Seriously, there is something really disturbing about the utterly shameless,
utterly over-the-top Republican pandering and Democratic point-scoring that
have been masquerading as governing in response to this energy crisis. The
Republicans are worse, because they control all the levers of power and
could move the country if they proposed a serious energy policy ? but won't.

"We used to say the system is broken because it won't respond until there is
a crisis," said David Rothkopf, author of "Running the World," a history of
U.S. foreign policy. But now it's really broken, "because the system can't
even respond to a crisis!"

What to do? I'm hoping for a third party. The situation is ripe for one:
America is facing a challenge as big as the cold war ? how we satisfy our
long-term energy needs, at reasonable prices, while decreasing our
dependence on oil and the bad governments that export it ? and neither major
party will offer a solution, because it requires sacrifice today for gain
tomorrow.

Combine a huge leadership vacuum on a huge issue with an Internet that has
proved itself as an alternative platform for organizing, financing and
energizing a political campaign outside the Washington establishment, and
you have the makings of a credible third party.

I would not call it the "Green Party" ? the name's been taken, and it
connotes an agenda that is too narrow and liberal. Today's third party has
to be big, strategic, centrist and forward-looking ? something like the
"American Renewal Party," something that frames the energy issue as critical
to restoring American strength and wealth, not just conservation.

Energy really is key to American renewal ? from stimulating more young
people to study math and science, to bringing down the trade deficit by
decreasing our dependence on imported oil, to bringing down the fiscal
deficit by raising gasoline taxes, to improving U.S. competitiveness by
making us leaders in clean technologies, to restoring U.S. global respect by
leading the fight against climate change, to advancing democracy by finding
alternatives to oil and thereby weakening some of the world's worst regimes,
who are using their oil windfalls to halt the spread of freedom.

"There is an opportunity here for someone who will seize it," said Micah
Sifry, author of "Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America."
That someone would have to be a more emotionally stable and energy-focused
Ross Perot type. Because, added Mr. Sifry, "if the issue of the day in
1991-1992 was the ballooning budget deficit that we were not dealing with,
then the issue today we are not dealing with is the energy and environmental
catastrophe that awaits the next generation. It is as much a mortgaging of
our children's future as the deficit issue. It needs the right leader,
though."

Like someone who will tell the truth: The only way Americans are ever going
to enjoy relatively cheap gasoline again is if we raise the price now with a
gasoline tax? and fix it at that higher level for several years ? so
investors know that it is not coming down, and therefore it makes economic
sense for them to make the long-term investments in alternative, renewable
sources of energy. That is the only way to break our oil addiction and
ultimately bring down the price.

Yes, our system is rigged against third parties. Still, my gut says that
some politician, someday soon, just to be different, just for the fun of it,
will take a flier on telling Americans the truth. The right candidate with
the right message on energy might be able to drive a bus right up the middle
of the U.S. political scene today ? lose the far left and the far right ?
and still maybe, just maybe, win a three-way election.






From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May  3 12:13:36 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 12:13:36 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Captors Become the Captives By MAUREEN DOWD
Message-ID: <C07E4EF0.A3BE%michael@michaelbutler.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 3, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
The Captors Become the Captives
By MAUREEN DOWD

Washington

The invasion of Iraq has turned into "The Ransom of Red Chief."

The famous short story by O. Henry, published in 1910, begins, "It looked
like a good thing: but wait till I tell you."

The tale is about a couple of guys who have a bold, illicit scheme they
assume will be easy, but it ends up backfiring. The idea, one confesses
afterward, must have struck them "during a moment of temporary mental
apparition."

Bill and Sam are fugitives lurking in a small town in Alabama who kidnap a
prominent citizen's child and ask for a ransom of $1,500. But once he is
held in a nearby cave, the freckle-faced, red-haired boy turns out to be
such a terror as he happily plays a violent Indian named Red Chief ?
attacking Bill and Sam with bricks, kicks, rocks, bites, a knife, a
slingshot and a hot boiled potato ? that he breaks the kidnappers' spirit.

The tormentors become the tormented, dragging the reluctant Red Chief back
to his affluent father, who refuses to take the problem child until Bill and
Sam cough up $250.

The story has spawned many movies using the same name, and inspired others,
including the "Home Alone" flicks, in which Macaulay Culkin fights off a
couple of hapless robbers, and "Ruthless People," in which an obnoxious rich
wife played by Bette Midler is kidnapped by a sweet couple who have been
swindled by her philandering husband. He wants Bette dead, so he refuses to
pay her ransom, and Bette and her kidnappers team up against the sleazeball.

The ABC pilot "Let's Rob Mick Jagger" sounds like the same dynamic: a loser
janitor and pals plotting a heist on the pampered rock star's penthouse, but
you know that the devilish Sir Mick will not turn out to be the sap.

Now we see this classic plotline in the Middle East. The inept captors have
become the captives. The country the administration precipitously grabbed
and overconfidently took over has ended up trapping, draining, flummoxing
and alarming the administration, which is more and more desperate to hand it
off and escape.

President Bush said Saturday, "As Iraqis continue to make progress toward a
democracy that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, more of
our troops can come home."

And in an interview in the new Vanity Fair, Todd Purdum asks Dick Cheney
whether in his "darkest night" he has even "a little doubt" about the
administration's course. "No," Vice says. "I think what we've done has been
what needed to be done."

But even if they and their 33 percent unshakeable base are still in denial,
there's a growing consensus that their plot was hatched, as O. Henry put it,
"during a moment of temporary mental apparition" and that we're the Middle
East hostages now, to war and oil.

The Sunday graduation ceremony for nearly a thousand new Iraqi soldiers at a
base near Baghdad turned into an ugly melee when dozens of Sunnis declared
they would fight only in their home areas, another reflection of growing
internecine bitterness.

The Washington Post reported last weekend that American troops in Hawija are
growing more distrustful of their Iraqi counterparts, fearing that many
soldiers they are training are cooperating with the enemy.

Senator Joseph Biden and Leslie Gelb wrote an Op-Ed in The Times on Monday
promoting the idea of "decentralizing" Iraq into three "ethno-religious"
groups, even though critics argue that this could make it more likely that
the Sunni section would become a haven for Al Qaeda and the Shiite sector an
Iranian satellite.

Another respected retired lieutenant general, William Odom, has joined the
toil-and-trouble chorus with a piece in Foreign Policy magazine headlined
"Cut and Run? You Bet." He writes that withdrawing from "the big sandy" will
encourage the terrorists, but argues that "our continued occupation of Iraq
also encourages the killers ? precisely because our invasion made Iraq safe
for them."

He says: "Invading Iraq was not in the interests of the United States. It
was in the interests of Iran and Al Qaeda. For Iran, it avenged a grudge
against Saddam for his invasion of the country in 1980. For Al Qaeda, it
made it easier to kill Americans." He concludes that "the war has paralyzed
the United States in the world diplomatically and strategically."

The U.S. may be paralyzed, but its leader is pedaling. The commander in
chief, who could learn something about wily and resilient ways to adapt a
war plan from Red Chief, spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon biking
and savoring the beautiful spring weather. When you're on the hook, play
hooky.







From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May  3 14:51:28 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 14:51:28 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Message-ID: <C07E73F0.A3E9%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Hi
As you may know our ISP has been shifting us from a server scene to a Blog
structure. This is similar to the way my Blog is prepared. Instruction as to
subscribing should be soon from them

It is the schedule to shut down the old site on 15 May.

May I suggest that you post this book mark to your browser toolbar as
"Civic"
http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/
Then whenever you wish you can hit on it for much of the current articles.

The old site will be sent to you as in the past until 15 May.

Any questions please email.

Peace and Love,
Michael



From IHHS at aol.com  Wed May  3 12:16:55 2006
From: IHHS at aol.com (IHHS at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 15:16:55 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Fwd: Toilets of the World
Message-ID: <E1FbNIJ-0008Kd-Nc@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


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Subject: Fw: Toilets of the World
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From michael at intrafi.com  Wed May  3 15:39:17 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (Michael)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 18:39:17 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Article from Tom Dispatch
Message-ID: <200605032239.k43MdHRO012168@thor.thenation.com>

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From dekuyper at sbcglobal.net  Tue May  2 19:36:45 2006
From: dekuyper at sbcglobal.net (Gerald Gerald)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 19:36:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] HE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD!
Message-ID: <E1FbPyZ-0003yz-Ok@smtpauth08.mail.atl.earthlink.net>

HE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD!
THE REPUBLIC IS BACK!
 
Date: Tuesday, 25 April 2006, 3:28 a.m.
 
This is just the beginning folks, I can't tell you
more.
 
WYOMING SHERIFFS PUT FEDERAL OFFICERS ON CHOKE-CHAINS
 
County sheriffs in Wyoming are insisting that all
federal law enforcement officers and personnel from
federal regulatory agencies must clear all their
activities in a Wyoming county with the Sheriff's
Office.
 
Speaking at a press conference following the recent US
District Court decision (case No 2:96-cv-099-J)
Bighorn County Sheriff Dave Mattis stated that all
federal officials are forbidden to enter his county
without his prior approval. "If a sheriff doesn't want
the Feds in his county he has the constitutional power
and right to keep them out or ask them to leave or
retain them in custody."
 
The court decision came about after Mattis & other
members of the Wyoming Sheriffs' Association brought a
suit against both the BATF and the IRS in the Wyoming
federal court district seeking restoration of the
protections enshrined in the United States
Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution.
 
The District Court ruled in favor of the sheriffs,
stating that, "Wyoming is a sovereign state and the
duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law
enforcement official within a county and has law
enforcement powers exceeding that of any other state
or federal official."
 
The Wyoming sheriffs are demanding access to all BATF
files to verify that the agency is not violating
provisions of Wyoming law that prohibit the
registration of firearms or the keeping of a registry
of firearm owners. The sheriffs are also demanding
that federal agencies immediately cease the seizure of
private property and the impoundment of private bank
accounts without regard to due process in state
courts.
 
Sheriff Mattis stated: "I am reacting to the actions
of federal employees who have attempted to deprive
citizens of my county of their privacy, their liberty,
and their property without regard to constitutional
safeguards. I hope that more sheriffs all across
America will join us in protecting their citizens from
the illegal activities of the IRS, EPA, BATF, FBI, or
any other federal agency that is operating outside the
confines of constitutional law. Employees of the IRS
and the EPA are no longer welcome in Bighorn County
unless they intend to operate in conformance to
constitutional law."
 
This case is evidence that the Tenth Amendment is not
yet dead in the United States. It may also be
interpreted to mean that political subdivisions of a
State are included within the meaning of the
amendment, or that the powers exercised by a sheriff
are an extension of those common law powers which the
Tenth Amendment explicitly reserves to the People, if
they are not granted to the federal government and
specifically prohibited to the States.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a387ec3ea6413.htm 


(Comment: Constitutionally the sheriff is the highest
and only elected law-enforcement officer in the state.
Also, agencies that are part of the executive branch
do not have jurisdiction outside DC. To its
everlasting disgrace the Legislature of Mass. has
abolished the Sheriffs in the state that gave us
Lexington, Boston and Concord! This was totally
unconstitutional and never should have happened!
Without the Sheriff you have no elected law
enforcement office! The State Troopers are an arm of
the governor's office and have no constitutional
standing.) "Wyoming is a sovereign state and the duly
elected sheriff is the highest law enforcement
official and has law enforcement powers exceeding that
of any other state or federal official."
http://uscivilflags.org



From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:27:06 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 19:27:06 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYT articles
Message-ID: <01c101c66f09$18a54170$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

All:

I will continue to post NYT articles to Civic until the site goes down.  However, none of my posts will duplicate any articles that Mike posts to the blog.

Peace.
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:33:46 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 23:33:46 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Truthiness and Power (2 Letters)
Message-ID: <20060503233346.7B83413B7F6@lax-gw04.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

What we're saying...


OPINION | May 3, 2006
Truthiness and Power (2 Letters)

To the Editor:.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/opinion/l03colbert.html?ex=1147320000&en=188d48a916039188&ei=5070&emc=eta1




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NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:33:45 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 23:33:45 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Industry Urged to Offer More Nutritious
	Foods for Children
Message-ID: <20060503233345.E75B813B7C3@lax-gw04.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

BUSINESS | May 3, 2006
Industry Urged to Offer More Nutritious Foods for Children
By MELANIE WARNER
A government report urges food companies to develop products that are more nutritious and to "review and revise" its marketing practices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/business/03food.html?ex=1147320000&en=405f9a3ffd3756cc&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:33:46 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 23:33:46 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Reporter Group Calls Last Year a Deadly One
	for Journalists
Message-ID: <20060503233346.EF70013B801@lax-gw04.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

INTERNATIONAL / MIDDLE EAST | May 3, 2006
Reporter Group Calls Last Year a Deadly One for Journalists
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
At least 63 journalists were killed in 2005 and 1,300 were attacked, making it the deadliest year for reporters in a decade.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/world/middleeast/03reporters.html?ex=1147320000&en=63dcd1c5dce366c7&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:33:45 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 23:33:45 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Soda Distributors to End Most School Sales
Message-ID: <20060503233346.1996B11FA0C@lax-gw07.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

HEALTH | May 3, 2006
Soda Distributors to End Most School Sales
By MARIA NEWMAN
The companies said they will sell only water, certain fruit juices and low-fat or fat-free milk to students.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/health/03cnd-soda.html?ex=1147320000&en=2a1816b4002b57e0&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:33:46 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Wed,  3 May 2006 23:33:46 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Jocks and Nerds, Now in Politics (3 Letters)
Message-ID: <20060503233346.AC9AD11FA85@lax-gw07.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

What we're saying (2)...


OPINION | May 3, 2006
Jocks and Nerds, Now in Politics (3 Letters)

To the Editor:.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/opinion/l03brooks.html?ex=1147320000&en=d06b2d19cc735d5b&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

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Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May  3 16:34:42 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 19:34:42 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Quote of the Week
Message-ID: <01c801c66f0a$280d3c70$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

The Set-Up: The landlord of the building in which a major NYC hip-hop station is located is trying to evict the station after dozens of brawls and at least three shootings:

The Quote: "Bryan O'Dwyer, a lawyer for the [landlord], told reporters that the [landlord] has nothing against hip-hop music: 'If Luciano Pavarotti's posse was going against Placido Domingo's posse, we'd still be doing the same thing,' O'Dwyer said."

Hmmm...
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From activist at democrats.com  Wed May  3 18:46:19 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 21:46:19 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Victory! No-Permanent-Bases Amendment Passes Both Houses
Message-ID: <20060503214619.866548@democrats.com>

Victory! No-Permanent-Bases Amendment Passes Both Houses!

Your efforts paid off. The Senate, like the House, passed an amendment to the supplemental spending bill banning the use of any of its funding for the construction of permanent bases in Iraq. Will the amendment survive a Republican-run conference committee? We'll be watching. Meanwhile give yourselves a huge pat on the back and get ready for the next fight. Here it is:

Tell Congress to Tell Bush and Cheney not to Attack Iran

George Bush is considering attacking Iran, including using nuclear bombs to do so. Such an attack would be illegal and disastrous. Congress can prevent it, but only if Congres asserts its Constitutional right to decide whether or not the United States goes to war. Congressman Peter DeFazio's H. Con. Res. 391 expresses "the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran with respect to its nuclear program without first obtaining authorization from Congress." This bill is rapidly picking up cosponsors, but needs more. Ask your Congress Member to sign on today. Ask your Senators to take the same step in the Senate. CONTACT CONGRESS:
http://democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/80

Tell the media to cover - and this time CRITICALLY - Bush's planning for an aggressive war:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media

More information:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/391

Join us from 1 to 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 18, as we deliver the DontAttackIran.org petition, with all its signatures and comments to the White House:
PRINT FLYER:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/daiflyer.pdf


Sign the Petition!
http://www.dontattackiran.org

__________________

Register to Join PDA Grassroots Organizing and Lobbying Day
May 20-22, in Washington, D.C.
Featuring:
9:30 - 10:00 AM: (PDA) "Be a Part of the Growing Pro-Impeachment Grassroots Movement" by David Swanson, PDA National Board Member/Co-Founder, AfterDowningStreet.org
https://www.pdamerica.org/2006-5-21-tickets.php

__________________

Chomsky on Impeachment and the Next War
Noam Chomsky has recorded a public service announcement available for radio play on the topic of investigating grounds for impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Chomsky has also written a wonderful new book, which Stephen Lendman reviews below. He includes this update on Chomsky's views as expressed in the book:

"I hope Chomsky's assessment in the book is right that a second Middle East war is not imminent. However, I read the signs less optimistically, and from an April 29 email I received from him responding to this review which I sent him he's now more inclined to believe the US plans hostile actions against Iran and Venezuela. He added he 'wouldn't be surprised to see (US inspired) secessionist movements in the oil producing areas in Iran, Venezuela and Bolivia, all in areas that are accessible to US military force and alienated from the governments, with the US then moving in to "defend" them and blasting the rest of the country if necessary.'"


Listen to Noam Chomsky's PSA
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/chomsky.mp3

Review of Noam Chomsky's New Book "Failed States" and an Email Exchange with Chomsky
By Stephen Lendman
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/9748

____________________


FORWARD THIS EMAIL 

#####

If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe at:
http://afterdowningstreet.org

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From newsletter at villagevoice.com  Wed May  3 22:21:29 2006
From: newsletter at villagevoice.com (Village Voice Newsletter)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 01:21:29 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's 'Voice': The Bronx Bomber
Message-ID: <20060504052129.5031.qmail@www3.villagevoice.com>

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From swiggard at comcast.net  Thu May  4 08:05:34 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (swiggard at comcast.net)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 15:05:34 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] MUST READ: Why Kent State is important today
Message-ID: <050420061505.11694.445A183E000778A400002DAE22007601800B9D0E090907999C@comcast.net>

Why Kent State is important today
By Michael Corcoran  |  May 4, 2006  |  The Boston Globe
THIRTY-SIX years ago today, Ohio National Guardsmen shot 13 college students at Kent State University who were protesting US incursions into Cambodia as part of the Vietnam War. Nine victims survived, including one who is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Four students -- Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, Bill Schroeder, and Sandy Scheuer -- were killed.
The students were unarmed, and the closest was more than 60 feet away from the Guard at the time of the shooting. There was no warning shot; the National Guard never issued an apology; and no one ever spent a day in jail for the killings despite the fact that the President's Commission on Campus Unrest, appointed by President Nixon in 1970, found the shootings to be ''unwarranted and inexcusable."
Yearly, since the tragedy, Kent State students, alumni, and others have met on the anniversary of the shooting to reflect and remember. Alan Canfora, who was shot by the Guard, says, ''The students today act as the conscience of the college, and the country . . . just like the students did in 1970."
This year's memorial will come, as the last three have, in the midst of a war that has become increasingly divisive. While the memory of Kent State and other violent clashes from that time between protesters and authorities did not deter the incumbent president from leading the country into another unpopular war, it is important to honor Kent State's spirit of dissent and what it taught about the bloody consequences of intense division.
Halfway across the country, the lessons of Kent State are taught each semester in debate classes at Emerson College. J. Gregory Payne, associate professor of organizational and political communication and a Kent State historian, has been teaching students about history, advocacy, and rhetoric through the lens of Kent State for decades.
According to Payne, remembering this tragedy is important because ''Kent State is not about the past -- it's about the future."
Consider the similarities: In 1970, just as today, we had an unpopular president carrying out an unpopular war for questionable reasons.
Richard Nixon and George W. Bush embody many of the same divisive characteristics. Bush tells the world: ''You are with us or you are with the terrorists." Nixon's public statement after the shootings blamed the students: ''When dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy."
Again our civil liberties are being threatened. Bush has ordered the wiretapping of US citizens without a warrant and holds detainees indefinitely without trial; Nixon was spying on student activists and what he called ''domestic radicals."
But, perhaps the most telling comparison is the sharp division within the nation, both then and now. Americans are now, as we were then, split to the core on matters of war and peace, life and death, and cultural values. The President's Commission concluded it was ''the most divisive time in American history since the civil war." Bill Schroeder's parents received signed letters after the shooting saying, among other things, that their ''riot-making, communist son" deserved to die.
Today antiwar protesters are unfairly discredited by the administration as they were in 1970. When Cindy Sheehan took antiwar positions after her 24-year-old son, Casey Sheehan, died in Iraq, she was smeared by pundits like Bill O'Reilly, who said she was a pawn of ''far-left elements that are using her" and that Sheehan was ''dumb" enough to let them do it.
Of course, the absence of a draft now and its presence then may explain why the antiwar movement during the Vietnam War had a greater intensity then it does now. Still, as the protests in New York City last week indicate, the longer the war in Iraq drags on, the more vehement the opposition seems to get.
Musicians, once again, are singing songs of dissent. Last Friday Neil Young, who in 1970 wrote ''Ohio" in reaction to the shootings, began streaming a new antiwar album ''Living with War" for free on his website. Days later, Pearl Jam also released an album made up entirely of protest music.
My generation can't ignore the lessons of Kent State. The same mindset and failure in leadership that led National Guardsmen to fire at students of the same age and from the same Ohio hometowns is similar to what led US soldiers to torture detainees in Iraq.
Kent State should remind us of what happens when a grossly misguided war divides a country. If we can speak candidly and openly about our history and our present -- even the worst elements of it -- then we can ensure that the lives lost on May 4, 1970, were not in vain.
Michael Corcoran is a journalism major at Emerson College.  
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From IHHS at aol.com  Wed May  3 13:28:13 2006
From: IHHS at aol.com (IHHS at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 16:28:13 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] the bush record
Message-ID: <E1FbhaG-0001P5-Dg@smtpauth08.mail.atl.earthlink.net>

 
Dear A-Letter Reader: 
You may think the current President of the United States, the late King of  
France and the late Mayor of Jersey City, N.J. don't have much in common -- but 
 they do.  
Frank "Boss" Hague was Mayor of Jersey City from 1917 until his retirement  
under a cloud of scandal in 1947. His name is synonymous with early 20th 
century  big city American machine politics known as "bossism." Told by a 
subordinate  city employee that an order the Mayor issued could not be carried out 
because it  was illegal, Hague retorted with a phrase that became infamous -- "I am 
the  law!"  
More elegant and eloquent was the 17th century French monarch, Louis XIV  
(1638-1715), who is alleged to have said in reaction to those who wanted to  
maintain separation of powers with a guarantee of representative government in  
the parliament: " L'?tat c'est Moi!" -- "I am the State!"  
The finality of those words, spoken with a note of casual self-assurance,  
made clear the king's determination to have his way. As an absolute monarch,  
Louis XIV saw himself as personifying the state and through his deeds,  
demonstrated an impetuous disregard for representative government and the will  of the 
people. Louis believed that "his power was derived from God and that he  was 
responsible to God alone." Sound familiar?  
And now we come to the President of the United States of America, George  
Walker Bush, outlaw.  
The word "outlaw" suggests the American Wild West (maybe Texas?) and denotes, 
 according to the dictionary, a fugitive from the law or one who acts 
contrary to  or forbidden by law, as in an illegitimate seizure of power.  
Six months ago I wrote in this space about a report from a publication called 
 Capitol Hill Blue, concerning an event that was alleged to have occurred  in 
the White House Oval Office attended by congressional leaders discussing the  
extension of the PATRIOT Act. Many provisions of the Act, rushed through  
Congress only weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, caused so much concern  
that both liberal and conservative groups opposed renewal in the harsh form  
President Bush had demanded. (He won; they lost.)  
According to Capitol Hill Blue, Republican leaders told Bush that his  
unyielding push to renew the worst provisions of the Act without safeguards  could 
further alienate conservatives: "I don't give a goddamn," Bush is reported  to 
have said. "I'm the president and the commander-in-chief. Do it my way." "Mr.  
President," an aide in the meeting supposedly said; "There is a valid case 
that  some of the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution." "Stop 
throwing  the Constitution in my face," Bush retorted. "It's just a goddamned 
piece of  paper!"  
Now comes even more damning evidence that President Bush has intentionally  
claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took  
office, specifically asserting, (forget the U.S. Supreme Court), that he has the  
power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his  
interpretation of the Constitution. (See LINK below).  
While he has asserted this unprecedented power quietly many times, it came to 
 light with the disclosure of Bush's domestic spying program, in which he 
ignored  a law requiring judicial warrants to tap the telephones of Americans. He 
has  done this by filing "signing statements" - official documents in which a 
 president lays out his legal interpretation of a bill for the federal  
bureaucracy to follow when implementing the new law. The statements are recorded  
in the Federal Register.  
David Golove, a New York University law professor who specializes in  
executive power issues, said Bush has cast a cloud over "the whole idea that  there 
is a rule of law," because no one can be certain of which laws Bush thinks  are 
valid and which he thinks he can ignore. A president who ignores the court,  
backed by a Congress that is unwilling to challenge him, Golove said, can make 
 the Constitution simply "disappear." (And what if you are the victim of  
this disappearing act?)  
Bruce Fein, a deputy attorney general in the Reagan administration, said the  
American system of government relies upon the leaders of each branch "to  
exercise some self-restraint." But Bush has declared himself the sole judge of  
his own powers, he said, and then ruled for himself every time. "This is an  
attempt by the president to have the final word on his own constitutional  
powers, which eliminates the checks and balances that keep the country a  
democracy," Fein said. "There is no way for an independent judiciary to check  his 
assertions of power, and Congress isn't doing it, either. So this is moving  us 
toward an unlimited executive power."  
Or as Louis XIV or Boss Hague would have said: "I am the law!"  
That's the way that it looks from here, 
BOB BAUMAN, Editor  
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Cato Institute has just published an extensive report  
documenting the Bush Administration's ever-growing usurping of power. The report  
is titled, 
"Power Surge: The Constitutional Record of George W. Bush."  
To read the entire report, go to: 
_http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6330_ (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6330)  

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From michael at intrafi.com  Thu May  4 11:00:49 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 11:00:49 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Paranoid Style By DAVID BROOKS
Message-ID: <C07F8F61.A465%michael@intrafi.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 4, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
The Paranoid Style By DAVID BROOKS

There's always been a strain of paranoia running through American politics.
Back in the mid-1960's, when the right felt powerless, the John Birch
Society thrived. Today, when the left feels disinherited, liberals seize
upon the conspiracy fantasies of Kevin Phillips, whose book "American
Theocracy" is in its fifth week on The Time's best-seller list.

Phillips's method is pretty conventional for conspiracists ? he takes a
single issue or set of data points and constructs an all-explaining story
line to show how hidden cabals are controlling America.

In the first part of "American Theocracy," he describes the rise of the
"fossil-fuels political alliance." Dwight Eisenhower was "born in oil
country" and in 1952 became the first Republican to sweep the Southern oil
centers. Nixon too "had an oil-state childhood" and deepened oil's
influence.

Pretty soon, Republicans could count not only on energy and automobile
producers but also on "secondary cadres" including "racing fans, hobbyists,
collectors, and dedicated readers of automotive magazines, as well as the
tens of millions of automobile commuters from suburbs and distant exurbs."

By 1997, reasons were mounting to take over Iraq's oil, Phillips asserts. "A
near-final decision to invade seems to have been made in early 2001," he
adds, months before 9/11. The Iraq war was born.

The oil alliance melded with another hidden army, the "end-times
electorate," Phillips continues. Relying on the fact that millions of people
read the "Left Behind" apocalyptic fantasy novels, Phillips asserts that 50
to 60 percent of Republicans believe in Armageddon and are influenced by the
argument that the "destruction of the new Babylon" in Iraq will hasten the
coming of the messiah.

Phillips says that the Bush White House sends messages to these Americans
through "double-coding" in his speeches ? phrases that mean one thing to
secular America but contain hidden meanings to people with the "biblical
worldview." Phillips cites research showing President Bush used the phrase
"I believe" 12 times in his 2004 G.O.P. convention speech ? code for
religious zealots.

Needless to say, Phillips's book is rife with bizarre assertions. He writes
that "many Orthodox Jewish females cannot even study the Torah," that the
Rev. Sun Myung Moon "has been close to the Bush family," that the American
Revolution was "in many ways a religious war."

But his method is pretty standard. First, he takes advantage of the record
of his liberal readers' ignorance of evangelical communities to make
ludicrous assertions. Second, as Jacob Weisberg noted in Slate, Phillips
will begin a chapter making some grand accusation. Then he will depart on
what Weisberg accurately calls "a pompous, pedantic history tour" of
medieval mineralogy or 16th-century politics. Then, without presenting any
evidence or answering any objections, he will repeat his accusation in
stronger language.

Third, Phillips is a master of slicing reality so that it conforms to
predetermined conclusions. To take one example among many, in 2002 the
evangelist Franklin Graham organized a meeting to address the AIDS crisis.
Graham said evangelicals should be ashamed of how slowly they've responded
to the crisis, "I have to point the finger at myself and say, 'I'm late.' "
AIDS is not about homosexuality, he continued, "the danger is to all of us."
He praised Colin Powell's efforts, even though Powell is a strong advocate
of condoms. He accelerated what has become a strong evangelical mobilization
against AIDS.

Philips writes about that meeting, but ignores all of this. Instead Phillips
lumps the conference in with gay-bashing and writes, "Only Jesus Christ can
bring about the societal change needed to stop AIDS, preacher Franklin
Graham told a 2002 Washington conference."

This is intellectual dishonesty on stilts. Nonetheless, Phillips's books fly
off bookstore shelves, and he's given respectable platforms in the major
media and at universities.

We're at a moment when crude conspiracy mongering ? whether it is academic
papers on the Israel lobby or George Clooney's "Syriana" ? is emerging from
the belly of the American establishment.

And while many informed critics have picked apart Phillips's fantasies,
other Americans, at once cynical and na?ve, are willing to believe any
whacked-out theory, so long as it focuses hatred on Bush.

It's a funny way to run a theocracy.






From michael at intrafi.com  Thu May  4 11:16:17 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 11:16:17 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] When Warriors Come HomeBy BOB HERBERT
Message-ID: <C07F9301.A46D%michael@intrafi.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 4, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
When Warriors Come Home
By BOB HERBERT

The list of names on the Department of Defense Web site is ever-expanding:
Sakoda, Davis, Mills, Gomez ...

Like a disease for which there is no vaccine and no cure, the war in Iraq
drags on. American deaths have now passed 2,400. Tens of thousands of Iraqi
men, women and children have died.

The suffering continues to spread like a fire sprayed with gasoline.
Yesterday we heard the tragic story of Jose Gomez, a sergeant in the Army
Reserve whose 21-year-old fianc?e, Analaura Esparza-Gutierrez, a private,
was killed by a roadside bomb in Tikrit in 2003. Last summer Sergeant Gomez,
who had served in Iraq himself, was ordered to go back for a second tour.
Last Friday he was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

The extent of the suffering caused by the war seldom penetrates the
consciousness of most Americans. For the public at large, the dead and the
wounded are little more than statistics. They're out of sight, and thus
mostly out of mind.

The media are much more focused on the trendy problem of steroids in
baseball than, say, the agony of the once healthy young men and women who
are now struggling to resurrect their lives after being paralyzed, or losing
their eyesight, or shedding one or two or three or even four limbs in Iraq.

The truth is that the suffering comes in myriad forms. I spoke by phone this
week with Stefanie Pelkey, a former Army captain who lives in Spring, Tex.,
with her 3-year-old son, Benjamin. Her husband, Michael, a captain with the
First Armored Division, was sent to Iraq just a few weeks after Benjamin was
born. Michael was a big man, 6 feet 41?2 inches tall, who loved to play golf
and, like President Bush, ride his bicycle.

When Captain Pelkey left Iraq and rejoined his family in the summer of 2003,
he seemed "really agitated," Ms. Pelkey recalled. He was hyper-vigilant, she
said, and insisted on keeping a loaded 9 mm pistol by the bed in their home
in Lawton, Okla.

In testimony last year before a presidential commission examining the
nation's mental health system, Ms. Pelkey said, "If only the military
community had reached out to family members in some manner to prepare them
for, and make them aware of, the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,
my family's tragedy could have been averted."

Captain Pelkey's distress intensified over a period of several months. He
became unusually forgetful. He developed high blood pressure and chest
pains. Eventually he began to experience nightmares. He sought medical help,
but it was a long time before anyone discussed the possibility of
depression, or explored a possible link between the captain's symptoms and
his experiences in Iraq.

A civilian family therapist eventually told Captain Pelkey that he was
suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and recommended that he be put
on medication. Ms. Pelkey said her husband seemed hopeful after receiving
the diagnosis, but just a week later he shot himself to death in their
living room.

Ms. Pelkey told me that her husband had been reluctant to discuss his time
in Iraq, but she knew that he had seen soldiers die, and that he had been
affected by the sight of civilian casualties and the suffering of children.

In Ms. Pelkey's view, her husband was as much a casualty of the war as a
soldier killed in combat. "Just as some soldiers perish from bullet wounds
or other trauma of war," she said, "Michael perished from the psychic wounds
of war."

A report published in March in The Journal of the American Medical
Association found that more than a third of the troops who served in Iraq
sought help for mental health problems within a year of returning home. That
high percentage is deceptive, however. The report said it is likely that
"there are still considerable barriers to care." It referred to a prior
study that showed that more than 60 percent of the Iraq veterans who
screened positively for generalized anxiety, depression and post-traumatic
stress disorder had not sought treatment.

War brutalizes bodies and it brutalizes minds, but our culture is programmed
to keep the savagery below the level of our national consciousness as much
as possible. Most of the suffering is done in silence.

I asked Ms. Pelkey, who is trying hard to spread the word about the mental
distress inflicted by this war, how she herself was doing. "It affected me,"
she said. "I'm on medication for depression and anxiety. I probably will be
for a while."





From michael at michaelbutler.com  Thu May  4 12:46:54 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 12:46:54 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] [Mb-hair] MUST READ: Why Kent State is important
	today
In-Reply-To: <050420061505.11694.445A183E000778A400002DAE22007601800B9D0E090907999C@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <C07FA83E.A491%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Bill,
Thanks for sending this. Takes me back to then when I was summoned to the
White House to explain what was happening with the young. A terrible time
which I fear we have not seen the end.
Michael



> Why Kent State is important today
> By Michael Corcoran  |  May 4, 2006  |  The Boston Globe
> THIRTY-SIX years ago today, Ohio National Guardsmen shot 13 college students
> at Kent State University who were protesting US incursions into Cambodia as
> part of the Vietnam War. Nine victims survived, including one who is confined
> to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Four students -- Jeffrey Miller,
> Allison Krause, Bill Schroeder, and Sandy Scheuer -- were killed.
> The students were unarmed, and the closest was more than 60 feet away from the
> Guard at the time of the shooting. There was no warning shot; the National
> Guard never issued an apology; and no one ever spent a day in jail for the
> killings despite the fact that the President's Commission on Campus Unrest,
> appointed by President Nixon in 1970, found the shootings to be ''unwarranted
> and inexcusable."
> Yearly, since the tragedy, Kent State students, alumni, and others have met on
> the anniversary of the shooting to reflect and remember. Alan Canfora, who was
> shot by the Guard, says, ''The students today act as the conscience of the
> college, and the country . . . just like the students did in 1970."
> This year's memorial will come, as the last three have, in the midst of a war
> that has become increasingly divisive. While the memory of Kent State and
> other violent clashes from that time between protesters and authorities did
> not deter the incumbent president from leading the country into another
> unpopular war, it is important to honor Kent State's spirit of dissent and
> what it taught about the bloody consequences of intense division.
> Halfway across the country, the lessons of Kent State are taught each semester
> in debate classes at Emerson College. J. Gregory Payne, associate professor of
> organizational and political communication and a Kent State historian, has
> been teaching students about history, advocacy, and rhetoric through the lens
> of Kent State for decades.
> According to Payne, remembering this tragedy is important because ''Kent State
> is not about the past -- it's about the future."
> Consider the similarities: In 1970, just as today, we had an unpopular
> president carrying out an unpopular war for questionable reasons.
> Richard Nixon and George W. Bush embody many of the same divisive
> characteristics. Bush tells the world: ''You are with us or you are with the
> terrorists." Nixon's public statement after the shootings blamed the students:
> ''When dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy."
> Again our civil liberties are being threatened. Bush has ordered the
> wiretapping of US citizens without a warrant and holds detainees indefinitely
> without trial; Nixon was spying on student activists and what he called
> ''domestic radicals."
> But, perhaps the most telling comparison is the sharp division within the
> nation, both then and now. Americans are now, as we were then, split to the
> core on matters of war and peace, life and death, and cultural values. The
> President's Commission concluded it was ''the most divisive time in American
> history since the civil war." Bill Schroeder's parents received signed letters
> after the shooting saying, among other things, that their ''riot-making,
> communist son" deserved to die.
> Today antiwar protesters are unfairly discredited by the administration as
> they were in 1970. When Cindy Sheehan took antiwar positions after her
> 24-year-old son, Casey Sheehan, died in Iraq, she was smeared by pundits like
> Bill O'Reilly, who said she was a pawn of ''far-left elements that are using
> her" and that Sheehan was ''dumb" enough to let them do it.
> Of course, the absence of a draft now and its presence then may explain why
> the antiwar movement during the Vietnam War had a greater intensity then it
> does now. Still, as the protests in New York City last week indicate, the
> longer the war in Iraq drags on, the more vehement the opposition seems to
> get.
> Musicians, once again, are singing songs of dissent. Last Friday Neil Young,
> who in 1970 wrote ''Ohio" in reaction to the shootings, began streaming a new
> antiwar album ''Living with War" for free on his website. Days later, Pearl
> Jam also released an album made up entirely of protest music.
> My generation can't ignore the lessons of Kent State. The same mindset and
> failure in leadership that led National Guardsmen to fire at students of the
> same age and from the same Ohio hometowns is similar to what led US soldiers
> to torture detainees in Iraq.
> Kent State should remind us of what happens when a grossly misguided war
> divides a country. If we can speak candidly and openly about our history and
> our present -- even the worst elements of it -- then we can ensure that the
> lives lost on May 4, 1970, were not in vain.
> Michael Corcoran is a journalism major at Emerson College.
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-hair mailing list
> Mb-hair at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair



From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Thu May  4 13:45:53 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Thu,  4 May 2006 20:45:53 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: New York State Draws Nearer to Collecting
	DNA in All Crimes
Message-ID: <20060504204557.1ACA1249ED2@lax-gw08.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

Let's hope this outrageous and unconstitutional intrusion into privacy never actually goes forward...


NEW YORK REGION | May 4, 2006
New York State Draws Nearer to Collecting DNA in All Crimes
By DIANE CARDWELL
The idea, which would require all convicted criminals in New York to submit their DNA to a central database, is gaining support in Albany.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/nyregion/04dna.html?ex=1147406400&en=35c45d8d1d6d1253&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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WATER ? In theatres April 28th

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residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Thu May  4 13:46:43 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Thu,  4 May 2006 20:46:43 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Red States,
	Blue States: New Labels for Long-Running Differences
Message-ID: <20060504204646.EC4953AE57A@lax-gw06.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

BUSINESS | May 4, 2006
Economic Scene: Red States, Blue States: New Labels for Long-Running Differences
By HAL R. VARIAN
A recent paper by two Harvard economists challenges the notion that differences in political attitudes across states are something new.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/business/04scene.html?ex=1147406400&en=68000513c26243c2&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

WATER ? In theatres April 28th

See the controversial film Time Magazine proclaims "A Triumph." Set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi's rise to power, Water begins when 8-year-old Chuyia is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence.  Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other
residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Thu May  4 13:43:22 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 16:43:22 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Paranoid Style By DAVID BROOKS
References: <C07F8F61.A465%michael@intrafi.com>
Message-ID: <001c01c66fbb$634fcee0$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

Michael:

"First, he takes advantage of the record of his liberal readers' 
ignorance...Second...he will begin a chapter making some grand accusation. 
Then, without presenting any evidence or answering any objections, he will 
repeat his accusation in stronger language.  Third, [he] is a master of 
slicing reality so that it conforms to predetermined conclusions."

Doesn't it sound like he's talking about George Bush?!!

Peace.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <michael at intrafi.com>
To: "Civic" <mb-civic at islandlists.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 2:00 PM
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Paranoid Style By DAVID BROOKS


The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 4, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
The Paranoid Style By DAVID BROOKS

There's always been a strain of paranoia running through American politics.
Back in the mid-1960's, when the right felt powerless, the John Birch
Society thrived. Today, when the left feels disinherited, liberals seize
upon the conspiracy fantasies of Kevin Phillips, whose book "American
Theocracy" is in its fifth week on The Time's best-seller list.

Phillips's method is pretty conventional for conspiracists < he takes a
single issue or set of data points and constructs an all-explaining story
line to show how hidden cabals are controlling America.

In the first part of "American Theocracy," he describes the rise of the
"fossil-fuels political alliance." Dwight Eisenhower was "born in oil
country" and in 1952 became the first Republican to sweep the Southern oil
centers. Nixon too "had an oil-state childhood" and deepened oil's
influence.

Pretty soon, Republicans could count not only on energy and automobile
producers but also on "secondary cadres" including "racing fans, hobbyists,
collectors, and dedicated readers of automotive magazines, as well as the
tens of millions of automobile commuters from suburbs and distant exurbs."

By 1997, reasons were mounting to take over Iraq's oil, Phillips asserts. "A
near-final decision to invade seems to have been made in early 2001," he
adds, months before 9/11. The Iraq war was born.

The oil alliance melded with another hidden army, the "end-times
electorate," Phillips continues. Relying on the fact that millions of people
read the "Left Behind" apocalyptic fantasy novels, Phillips asserts that 50
to 60 percent of Republicans believe in Armageddon and are influenced by the
argument that the "destruction of the new Babylon" in Iraq will hasten the
coming of the messiah.

Phillips says that the Bush White House sends messages to these Americans
through "double-coding" in his speeches < phrases that mean one thing to
secular America but contain hidden meanings to people with the "biblical
worldview." Phillips cites research showing President Bush used the phrase
"I believe" 12 times in his 2004 G.O.P. convention speech < code for
religious zealots.

Needless to say, Phillips's book is rife with bizarre assertions. He writes
that "many Orthodox Jewish females cannot even study the Torah," that the
Rev. Sun Myung Moon "has been close to the Bush family," that the American
Revolution was "in many ways a religious war."

But his method is pretty standard. First, he takes advantage of the record
of his liberal readers' ignorance of evangelical communities to make
ludicrous assertions. Second, as Jacob Weisberg noted in Slate, Phillips
will begin a chapter making some grand accusation. Then he will depart on
what Weisberg accurately calls "a pompous, pedantic history tour" of
medieval mineralogy or 16th-century politics. Then, without presenting any
evidence or answering any objections, he will repeat his accusation in
stronger language.

Third, Phillips is a master of slicing reality so that it conforms to
predetermined conclusions. To take one example among many, in 2002 the
evangelist Franklin Graham organized a meeting to address the AIDS crisis.
Graham said evangelicals should be ashamed of how slowly they've responded
to the crisis, "I have to point the finger at myself and say, 'I'm late.' "
AIDS is not about homosexuality, he continued, "the danger is to all of us."
He praised Colin Powell's efforts, even though Powell is a strong advocate
of condoms. He accelerated what has become a strong evangelical mobilization
against AIDS.

Philips writes about that meeting, but ignores all of this. Instead Phillips
lumps the conference in with gay-bashing and writes, "Only Jesus Christ can
bring about the societal change needed to stop AIDS, preacher Franklin
Graham told a 2002 Washington conference."

This is intellectual dishonesty on stilts. Nonetheless, Phillips's books fly
off bookstore shelves, and he's given respectable platforms in the major
media and at universities.

We're at a moment when crude conspiracy mongering < whether it is academic
papers on the Israel lobby or George Clooney's "Syriana" < is emerging from
the belly of the American establishment.

And while many informed critics have picked apart Phillips's fantasies,
other Americans, at once cynical and na?ve, are willing to believe any
whacked-out theory, so long as it focuses hatred on Bush.

It's a funny way to run a theocracy.





_______________________________________________
Mb-civic mailing list
Mb-civic at islandlists.com
http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic



From michael at intrafi.com  Thu May  4 15:02:57 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (Michael)
Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 18:02:57 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Article from Tom Dispatch
Message-ID: <200605042202.k44M2vuN012646@thor.thenation.com>

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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Thu May  4 16:44:45 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 23:44:45 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - JAILED IRANIAN-CANADIAN NOW IN HOSPITAL,
	FRIEND TOLD
Message-ID: <20060504234445.A33C63EA7E@web02.nm.cbc.ca>

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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Thu May  4 16:47:29 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 23:47:29 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - ACCEPT U.S. WAR DESERTERS, 'PEACE MOM' PLEADS
Message-ID: <20060504234729.AF5847DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May  5 07:43:29 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 10:43:29 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] "Blood of my Brother" shows Iraqi tragedy
Message-ID: <000901c67052$4a64d870$4727e440@Harold>

US film "Blood of my Brother" shows Iraqi tragedy 
By Claudia ParsonsThu May 4, 5:07 PM ET 

As Iraq sinks into sectarian fighting, a documentary by a U.S. director who spent six months in Baghdad in 2004 explores the roots of Iraq's violence and why so many young men there are drawn to take up arms.

"The Blood of My Brother" focuses on one Shi'ite family after the death of the oldest son and breadwinner, Ra'ad, a professional photographer who was shot by a U.S. patrol.

The exact circumstances of his death are unclear but it seems to have occurred while he was working a shift as a volunteer guard outside a Shi'ite mosque. The focus of the movie, however, is the impact on his family, especially his younger brother Ibrahim, aged 19 at the time.

"His brother was supporting the family, now his brother is gone and he has to take over and take care of the family and he's really not old enough to do it. He's understandably angry," director Andrew Berends said in an interview.

The film had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, which ends this weekend, as the war is increasingly unpopular in America.

It shows how Ibrahim is tempted to join the Shi'ite uprising against U.S. troops that erupted in Najaf in 2004, led by the Mehdi Army loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"When I see a burning tank, it makes me happy. When I see any Americans or Jews, I want revenge, but I can't. I have to take care of the house," Ibrahim says in the film, which shows him watching a Mehdi Army recruiting video.

VIOLENCE SHIFTS DIRECTION

The Mehdi Army controls many Shi'ite areas, including Sadr City, a poor area of Baghdad housing 2 million people. In the film, most of the violence is directed at U.S. troops. Now Shi'ite militias are more likely to be accused by Sunni Arabs of burning their mosques and killing Sunni civilians.

"It's extremely complicated," Berends said of the current situation. "There's a number of different militias. The Mehdi Army was the one I had access to."

He said it was depressing to hear young men talking about the attractions of martyrdom. "I used to think that was propaganda when I would hear that about suicide bombers ... until I met some people who actually say that," he said.

Berends said that while several films had been made from the U.S. perspective, he was more interested in Iraqis.

"It's an American and Iraqi war. For Americans, it's very, very far away, and you don't have to deal with it if you don't want to," Berends said. "Iraqis don't have that choice."

Berends and his translator spent months getting to know Ra'ad's family, interviewing his mother, sisters and friends.

"Ra'ad is a very insignificant person ... by anybody's standards, except to his family and his friends," he said.

"But he is an important person, and his death is going to have an impact," Berends said, adding that at least 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war, and by some accounts as many as 100,000.

As well as family stories, there are scenes at Friday prayers in a mosque where radical clerics stir up their audiences, and on one occasion Berends interviews a small group of masked and armed insurgents on a street corner.

"If there was fighting I would just run in that direction or try to be there when it happened," Berends said. 

In one scene after a U.S. helicopter has crashed and a U.S tank is patrolling the streets, he and Iraqi families in the neighborhood take refuge as explosions shake the house. 

"There was a window of opportunity for us to make these films from an Iraqi perspective," Berends said, adding that now it was much more dangerous in Baghdad. 

He said it was not intended to be either pro- or anti-war but shows the lasting impact of war on normal people.
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May  5 08:04:04 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (HS)
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 15:04:04 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: US denies terror suspect torture
Message-ID: <20060505_150355_028158.harry.sifton@sympatico.ca>

HS saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** US denies terror suspect torture **
The US defends its treatment of terror suspects, telling a UN committee the use of torture is wrong.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4974852.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Fri May  5 08:30:30 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 08:30:30 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] CNN.com - Hecklers interrupt Rumsfeld speech - May 4,
	2006
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From lindahassler at sbcglobal.net  Fri May  5 08:54:12 2006
From: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net (Linda Hassler)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 10:54:12 -0500
Subject: [Mb-civic] "George W.'s Palace," A Giant Embassy in Iraq
Message-ID: <414662d39ed4458127ba1d6873dadc50@sbcglobal.net>

Subject: "George W.'s Palace," A Giant Embassy in Iraq

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050306D.shtml


In the Chaos of Iraq, One Project Is on Target: A Giant US Embassy
  ?? By Daniel McGrory
  ????The Times on Line UK

  ????Wedneday 03 May 2006

  ????The question puzzles and enrages a city: how is it that the 
Americans cannot keep the electricity running in Baghdad for more than 
a couple of hours a day, yet still manage to build themselves the 
biggest embassy on Earth?

  ????Irritation grows as residents deprived of air-conditioning and 
running water three years after the US-led invasion watch the massive 
US Embassy they call "George W's palace" rising from the banks of the 
Tigris.

  ????In the pavement caf?s, people moan that the structure is bigger 
than anything Saddam Hussein built. They are not impressed by the 
architects' claims that the diplomatic outpost will be visible from 
space and cover an area that is larger than the Vatican city and big 
enough to accommodate four Millennium Domes. They are more interested 
in knowing whether the US State Department paid for the prime real 
estate or simply took it.

  ????While families in the capital suffer electricity cuts, queue all 
day to fuel their cars and wait for water pipes to be connected, the US 
mission due to open in June next year will have its own power and water 
plants to cater for a population the size of a small town.

  ????Officially, the design of the compound is supposed to be a secret, 
but you cannot hide the giant construction cranes and the concrete 
contours of the 21 buildings that are taking shape. Looming over the 
skyline, the embassy has the distinction of being the only big US 
building project in Iraq that is on time and within budget.

  ????In a week when Washington revealed a startling list of missed 
deadlines and overspending on building projects, Congress was told that 
the bill for the embassy was $592 million (?312 million).

  ????The heavily guarded 42-hectare (104-acre) site - which will have a 
15ft thick perimeter wall - has hundreds of workers swarming on 
scaffolding. Local residents are bitter that the Kuwaiti contractor has 
employed only foreign staff and is busing them in from a temporary camp 
nearby.

  ????After roughing it in Saddam's abandoned palaces, diplomats should 
have every comfort in their new home. There will be impressive 
residences for the Ambassador and his deputy, six apartments for senior 
officials, and two huge office blocks for 8,000 staff to work in. There 
will be what is rumoured to be the biggest swimming pool in Iraq, a 
state-of-the-art gymnasium, a cinema, restaurants offering delicacies 
from favourite US food chains, tennis courts and a swish American Club 
for evening functions.

  ????The security measures being installed are described as 
extraordinary. US officials are preparing for the day when the 
so-called green zone, the fortified and sealed-off compound where 
international diplomats and Iraq's leaders live and work, is reopened 
to the rest of the city's residents, and American diplomats can retreat 
to their own secure area.

  ????Iraqi politicians opposed to the US presence protest that the 
scale of the project suggests that America retains long-term ambitions 
here. The International Crisis Group, a think-tank, said the embassy's 
size "is seen by Iraqis as an indication of who actually exercises 
power in their country".

  ????A State Department official said that the size reflected the 
"massive amount of work still facing the US and our commitment to see 
it through".

  ????Behind Schedule

  A US Inspector General's report into reconstruction found that 
although $22 billion had been spent, water, sewage and electricity, 
infrastructure still operated at prewar levels.

  Despite "significant progress" in recent months, less than half the 
water and electricity projects have been completed.

  Only six of the 150 planned health centres have been completed.

  US officials spent $70 million on medical equipment for health clinics 
that are unlikely ever to be built. More than 75 per cent of the funds 
for the 150 planned clinics have been allocated.

  Task Force Shield, the $147 million programme to train Iraqi security 
units to protect key oil and electrical sites failed to meet its goals. 
A fraud investigation is under way.

  Oil production was 2.18 million barrels per day in the last week of 
March. Before the war it was 2.6 million. 
  


From lindahassler at sbcglobal.net  Fri May  5 08:57:16 2006
From: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net (Linda Hassler)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 10:57:16 -0500
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Fox News Effect
Message-ID: <7b450e5c1dfb8bea80e3510fd590031f@sbcglobal.net>

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050406M.shtml

  ?The Fox News Effect
  ?? By Richard Morin
  ????The Washington Post

  ????Thursday 04 May 2006

  ????We report. You decide. Does President Bush owe his controversial 
win in 2000 to Fox cable television news?

  ????Yes, suggest data collected by two economists who found that the 
growth of the Fox cable news network in the late 1990s may have 
significantly boosted the Republican Party's share of the vote in the 
2000 election and delivered Florida to Bush.

  ????"Our estimates imply that Fox News convinced 3 to 8 percent of its 
audience to shift its voting behavior towards the Republican Party, a 
sizable media persuasion effect," said Stefano DellaVigna of the 
University of California at Berkely and Ethan Kaplan of Stockholm 
University.

  ????In Florida alone, they estimate, the Fox effect may have produced 
more than 10,000 additional votes for Bush - clearly a decisive factor 
in a state he carried by fewer than 600 votes.

  ????Fox cable news debuted in 1996 as a competitor to CNN and four 
years later was available to about one in five Americans. That allowed 
DellaVigna and Kaplan to compare changes in the Republican vote share 
from 1996 to 2000 in 9,256 cities and towns where Fox News was 
introduced. They also examined election cdata from 2004.

  ????The Experiment: The Fox Effect II

  ????We experiment. You decide: Do people apply a political litmus test 
to the news?

  ????Yes, suggest the results of the latest online experiment by The 
Washington Post, washingtonpost.com and Stanford University's political 
communication lab.

  ????The test found Republicans preferred to get their news from Fox - 
even when the news stories were about subjects far removed from 
politics, such as sports or travel.

  ????On the other hand, Democrats avoided Fox when it came to political 
news and preferred National Public Radio and CNN. And when the news 
focused on controversial issues such as the Iraq war and politics, 
"partisans are especially likely to screen out sources they consider 
opposed to their political views," said Stanford professor Shanto 
Iyengar, director of the communication lab.

  ????More than 2,000 people participated in the test of whether 
attention to the identical news story was increased or decreased when 
the story was attributed to Fox News, NPR, CNN or the BBC. Participants 
saw a brief headline accompanied by the logo of the news organization. 
They were asked to choose which story they wanted to see, then repeated 
the task across six news categories - American politics, the war in 
Iraq, race in America, crime, travel and sports.

  ????There was one twist: Some participants saw a story attributed to 
Fox, whereas others saw the same story attributed to CNN, NPR or the 
BBC. Comparing the percentage of Democrats who chose to see a story 
about race if it was on Fox vs. CNN offered clues about whether 
partisanship mattered.

  ????The results found strong evidence that people apply a political 
litmus test to the news, avoiding sources they view as unfriendly while 
seeking out compatible sources, a finding confirmed by researchers at 
Polimetrix in a national study with a representative sample of adults 
done in cooperation with the Stanford lab.

  ????The Republicans even preferred to get news about sports and travel 
from Fox while Democrats didn't have as strong a preference on 
non-political stories, Iyengar found.

  ? ??--------

  ????A complete analysis of the results of the latest Post-Stanford 
experiment can be found at www.washingtonpost.com.

  


From michael at intrafi.com  Fri May  5 09:51:20 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 09:51:20 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Our Sick Society By PAUL KRUGMAN
Message-ID: <C080D098.A500%michael@intrafi.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 5, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Our Sick Society
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Is being an American bad for your health? That's the apparent implication of
a study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

It's not news that something is very wrong with the state of America's
health. International comparisons show that the United States has achieved a
sort of inverse miracle: we spend much more per person on health care than
any other nation, yet we have lower life expectancy and higher infant
mortality than Canada, Japan and most of Europe.

But it isn't clear exactly what causes this stunningly poor performance. How
much of America's poor health is the result of our failure, unique among
wealthy nations, to guarantee health insurance to all? How much is the
result of racial and class divisions? How much is the result of other
aspects of the American way of life?

The new study, "Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and in
England," doesn't resolve all of these questions. Yet it offers strong
evidence that there's something about American society that makes us sicker
than we should be.

The authors of the study compared the prevalence of such diseases as
diabetes and hypertension in Americans 55 to 64 years old with the
prevalence of the same diseases in a comparable group in England. Comparing
us with the English isn't a choice designed to highlight American problems:
Britain spends only about 40 percent as much per person on health care as
the United States, and its health care system is generally considered
inferior to those of neighboring countries, especially France. Moreover,
England isn't noted either for healthy eating or for a healthy lifestyle.

Nonetheless, the study concludes that "Americans are much sicker than the
English." For example, middle-age Americans are twice as likely to suffer
from diabetes as their English counterparts. That's a striking finding in
itself.

What's even more striking is that being American seems to damage your health
regardless of your race and social class.

That's not to say that class is irrelevant. (The researchers excluded racial
effects by restricting the study to non-Hispanic whites.) In fact, there's a
strong correlation within each country between wealth and health. But
Americans are so much sicker that the richest third of Americans is in worse
health than the poorest third of the English.

So what's going on? Lack of health insurance is surely a factor in the poor
health of lower-income Americans, who are often uninsured, while everyone in
England receives health care from the government. But almost all
upper-income Americans have insurance.

What about bad habits, which the study calls "behavioral risk factors"? The
stereotypes are true: the English are much more likely to be heavy drinkers,
and Americans much more likely to be obese. But a statistical analysis
suggests that bad habits are only a fraction of the story.

In the end, the study's authors seem baffled by the poor health of even
relatively well-off Americans. But let me suggest a couple of possible
explanations.

One is that having health insurance doesn't ensure good health care. For
example, a New York Times report on diabetes pointed out that insurance
companies are generally unwilling to pay for care that might head off the
disease, even though they are willing to pay for the extreme measures, like
amputations, that become necessary when prevention fails. It's possible that
Britain's National Health Service, in spite of its limited budget, actually
provides better all-around medical care than our system because it takes a
broader, longer-term view than private insurance companies.

The other possibility is that Americans work too hard and experience too
much stress. Full-time American workers work, on average, about 46 weeks per
year; full-time British, French and German workers work only 41 weeks a
year. I've pointed out in the past that our workaholic economy is actually
more destructive of the "family values" we claim to honor than the European
economies in which regulations and union power have led to shorter working
hours.

Maybe overwork, together with the stress of living in an economy with a
minimal social safety net, damages our health as well as our families. These
are just suggestions. What we know for sure is that although the American
way of life may be, as Ari Fleischer famously proclaimed back in 2001, "a
blessed one," there's something about that way of life that is seriously bad
for our health.





From michael at intrafi.com  Fri May  5 09:58:31 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 09:58:31 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] As Energy Prices Rise,
 It's All Downhill for Democracy by Thomas L. Friedman
Message-ID: <C080D247.A503%michael@intrafi.com>

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

May 5, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
As Energy Prices Rise, It's All Downhill for Democracy
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

In case you haven't noticed, all the oil-rich bad guys seem to be having a
fine and dandy time these days.

Iran, awash in oil money, thumbs its nose at U.N. demands for it to desist
in its nuclear adventures and daily threatens to wipe Israel off the map.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, awash in oil money, jails his opponents
at home and cozies up to America's opponents, like Iran and Hamas, abroad.
Sudan, awash in oil money, ignores the world's pleas to halt its genocide in
Darfur. Venezuela's president, Hugo Ch?vez, awash in oil money, regularly
tells America and his domestic opponents to take a hike.

And Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Chad and Syria, all flush
with oil or gas, are comfortably retreating from even baby steps of
democratization.

There is a pattern here. Many people assumed that with the fall of the
Berlin Wall, we were going to see an unstoppable wave of free elections and
free markets slowly spread across the globe. For a decade that wave seemed,
indeed, to be real and powerful.

But as the world has moved from an oil price range of $20 to $40 per barrel
to a range of $40 to $70 a barrel, a very negative counterwave has arisen.

What I would call "petro-ist" states ? highly dependent on oil or gas for
their G.D.P. and having either weak institutions or outright authoritarian
systems ? have started asserting themselves. And they are weakening, for now
at least, the global democratization trend.

Economists have long taught us about the negative effects that an
overabundance of natural resources can have on political and economic reform
in any country: the "resource curse." But when it comes to oil, it seems
that you can take this resource curse argument a step further: there appears
to be a specific correlation between the price of oil and the pace of
freedom.

I call it the "First Law of Petropolitics," and it posits the following: The
price of oil and the pace of freedom always move in opposite directions in
petro-ist states.

According to the First Law of Petropolitics, the higher the price of global
crude oil, the more erosion we see in petro-ist nations in the right to free
speech, a free press, free elections, freedom of assembly, government
transparency, an independent judiciary and the rule of law, and in the
freedom to form independent political parties and nongovernmental
organizations. Such erosion does not occur in healthy democracies with oil.

Conversely, according to the First Law of Petropolitics, the lower the price
of oil, the more the petro-ist countries are forced to move toward a
politics that is more transparent, more sensitive to opposition voices, more
open to a broad set of interactions with the outside world and more focused
on building the legal and educational structures that will maximize the
ability of their citizens, both men and women, to compete, start new
companies and attract investments from abroad. (For an elaboration of this
argument, see the current issue of Foreign Policy magazine,
www.foreignpolicy.com.)

Yes, many factors are involved in shaping the politics of a country. But is
it an accident that when oil was $20 to $40 a barrel, Iran was calling for a
"dialogue of civilizations," and when it hit $70 a barrel, Iran was calling
for the destruction of Israel?

When a barrel was $20 to $40, we had "Putin I." That's when President Bush
looked Mr. Putin in the eye in 2001 and said he'd found "a sense of his
soul." If Mr. Bush tried to get a sense of Mr. Putin's soul today ? the soul
of "Putin II," the Putin of $70-a-barrel oil ? he would see down there the
huge Russian energy company Gazprom. Mr. Putin's regime has swallowed
Gazprom, along with a variety of once-independent Russian media outlets and
institutions.

While these increasingly bold petro-authoritarians don't represent the sort
of strategic or ideological threat that communism once posed to the West,
their impact on global politics is still quite corrosive. Some of the worst
regimes now have more oil money than ever to do bad things for a long time ?
and many decent, democratic countries have to kowtow to them to get oil and
gas.

Given the inverse relationship between the price of oil and the pace of
freedom in petro-ist states, any U.S. strategy for promoting democracy in
these countries is doomed to fail unless it includes a credible plan for
finding alternatives to oil and bringing down the global price of crude.

The price of oil should now be a daily preoccupation of the secretary of
state, not just the secretary of energy. Today, you cannot be an effective
democracy-promoting idealist without also being an effective
energy-conscious environmentalist.







From ean at sbcglobal.net  Thu May  4 17:02:44 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 17:02:44 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] The country that wouldn't grow up
Message-ID: <E1Fc4jK-000709-6Y@elasmtp-mealy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


Ha?aretz      2 May 2006

The country that wouldn't grow up

By Tony Judt

By the age of 58 a country - like a man - should have achieved a certain
maturity. After nearly six decades of existence we know, for good and for
bad, who we are, what we have done and how we appear to others, warts and
all. We acknowledge, however reluctantly and privately, our mistakes and
our shortcomings. And though we still harbor the occasional illusion about
ourselves and our prospects, we are wise enough to recognize that these
are indeed for the most part just that: illusions. In short, we are
adults.

But the State of Israel remains curiously (and among Western-style
democracies, uniquely) immature. The social transformations of the country
- and its many economic achievements - have not brought the political
wisdom that usually accompanies age. Seen from the outside, Israel still
comports itself like an adolescent: consumed by a brittle confidence in
its own uniqueness; certain that no one "understands" it and everyone is
"against" it; full of wounded self-esteem, quick to take offense and quick
to give it. Like many adolescents Israel is convinced - and makes a point
of aggressively and repeatedly asserting - that it can do as it wishes,
that its actions carry no consequences and that it is immortal.
Appropriately enough, this country that has somehow failed to grow up was
until very recently still in the hands of a generation of men who were
prominent in its public affairs 40 years ago: an Israeli Rip Van Winkle
who fell asleep in, say, 1967 would be surprised indeed to awake in 2006
and find Shimon Peres and General Ariel Sharon still hovering over the
affairs of the country - the latter albeit only in spirit.

But that, Israeli readers will tell me, is the prejudiced view of the
outsider. What looks from abroad like a self-indulgent, wayward country -
delinquent in its international obligations and resentfully indifferent to
world opinion - is simply an independent little state doing what it has
always done: looking after its own interests in an inhospitable part of
the globe. Why should embattled Israel even acknowledge such foreign
criticism, much less act upon it? They - gentiles, Muslims, leftists -
have reasons of their own for disliking Israel. They - Europeans, Arabs,
fascists - have always singled out Israel for special criticism. Their
motives are timeless. They haven't changed. Why should Israel change?

But they have changed. And it is this change, which has passed largely
unrecognized within Israel , to which I want to draw attention here.
Before 1967 the State of Israel may have been tiny and embattled, but it
was not typically hated: certainly not in the West. Official Soviet-bloc
communism was anti-Zionist of course, but for just that reason Israel was
rather well regarded by everyone else, including the non-communist left.
The romantic image of the kibbutz and the kibbutznik had a broad foreign
appeal in the first two decades of Israel's existence. Most admirers of
Israel (Jews and non-Jews) knew little about the Palestinian Nakba
(catastrophe) of 1948. They preferred to see in the Jewish state the last
surviving incarnation of the 19th century idyll of agrarian socialism - or
else a paragon of modernizing energy "making the desert bloom."

I remember well, in the spring of 1967, how the balance of student opinion
at Cambridge University was overwhelmingly pro-Israel in the weeks leading
up to the Six-Day War - and how little attention anyone paid either to the
condition of the Palestinians or to Israel's earlier collusion with France
and Britain in the disastrous Suez adventure of 1956. In politics and in
policy-making circles only old-fashioned conservative Arabists expressed
any criticism of the Jewish state; even neo-Fascists rather favored
Zionism, on traditional anti-Semitic grounds.

For a while after the 1967 war these sentiments continued unaltered. The
pro-Palestinian enthusiasms of post-1960s radical groups and nationalist
movements, reflected in joint training camps and shared projects for
terrorist attacks, were offset by the growing international acknowledgment
of the Holocaust in education and the media: What Israel lost by its
continuing occupation of Arab lands it gained through its close
identification with the recovered memory of Europe's dead Jews. Even the
inauguration of the illegal settlements and the disastrous invasion of
Lebanon, while they strengthened the arguments of Israel's critics, did
not yet shift the international balance of opinion. As recently as the
early 1990s, most people in the world were only vaguely aware of the "West
Bank " and what was happening there. Even those who pressed the
Palestinians' case in international forums conceded that almost no one was
listening. Israel could still do as it wished.

The Israeli nakba

But today everything is different. We can see, in retrospect, that the
victory of Israel in June 1967 and its continuing occupation of the
territories it conquered then have been the Jewish state's very own nakba:
a moral and political catastrophe. Israel's actions in the West Bank and
Gaza have magnified and publicized the country's shortcomings and
displayed them to a watching world. Curfews, checkpoints, bulldozers,
public humiliations, home destructions, land seizures, shootings,
"targeted assassinations," the separation fence: All of these routines of
occupation and repression were once familiar only to an informed minority
of specialists and activists. Today they can be watched, in real time, by
anyone with a computer or a satellite dish - which means that Israel's
behavior is under daily scrutiny by hundreds of millions of people
worldwide. The result has been a complete transformation in the
international view of Israel. Until very recently the carefully burnished
image of an ultra-modern society - built by survivors and pioneers and
peopled by peace-loving democrats - still held sway over international
opinion. But today? What is the universal shorthand symbol for Israel,
reproduced worldwide in thousands of newspaper editorials and political
cartoons? The Star of David emblazoned upon a tank.

Today only a tiny minority of outsiders see Israelis as victims. The true
victims, it is now widely accepted, are the Palestinians. Indeed,
Palestinians have now displaced Jews as the emblematic persecuted
minority: vulnerable, humiliated and stateless. This unsought distinction
does little to advance the Palestinian case any more than it ever helped
Jews, but it has redefined Israel forever. It has become commonplace to
compare Israel at best to an occupying colonizer, at worst to the South
Africa of race laws and Bantustans. In this capacity Israel elicits scant
sympathy even when its own citizens suffer: Dead Israelis - like the
occasional assassinated white South African in the apartheid era, or
British colonists hacked to death by native insurgents - are typically
perceived abroad not as the victims of terrorism but as the collateral
damage of their own government's mistaken policies.

Such comparisons are lethal to Israel's moral credibility. They strike at
what was once its strongest suit: the claim of being a vulnerable island
of democracy and decency in a sea of authoritarianism and cruelty; an
oasis of rights and freedoms surrounded by a desert of repression. But
democrats don't fence into Bantustans helpless people whose land they have
conquered, and free men don't ignore international law and steal other
men's homes. The contradictions of Israeli self-presentation - "we are
very strong/we are very vulnerable"; "we are in control of our fate/we are
the victims"; "we are a normal state/we demand special treatment" - are
not new: they have been part of the country's peculiar identity almost
from the outset. And Israel's insistent emphasis upon its isolation and
uniqueness, its claim to be both victim and hero, were once part of its
David versus Goliath appeal.

Collective cognitive dysfunction

But today the country's national narrative of macho victimhood appears to
the rest of the world as simply bizarre: evidence of a sort of collective
cognitive dysfunction that has gripped Israel's political culture. And the
long cultivated persecution mania - "everyone's out to get us" - no longer
elicits sympathy. Instead it attracts some very unappetizing comparisons:
At a recent international meeting I heard one speaker, by analogy with
Helmut Schmidt's famous dismissal of the Soviet Union as " Upper Volta
with Missiles," describe Israel as "Serbia with nukes."

Israel has stayed the same, but the world - as I noted above - has
changed. Whatever purchase Israel's self-description still has upon the
imagination of Israelis themselves, it no longer operates beyond the
country's frontiers. Even the Holocaust can no longer be instrumentalized
to excuse Israel's behavior. Thanks to the passage of time, most Western
European states have now come to terms with their part in the Holocaust,
something that was not true a quarter century ago. From Israel's point of
view, this has had paradoxical consequences: Until the end of the Cold War
Israeli governments could still play upon the guilt of Germans and other
Europeans, exploiting their failure to acknowledge fully what was done to
Jews on their territory. Today, now that the history of World War II is
retreating from the public square into the classroom and from the
classroom into the history books, a growing majority of voters in Europe
and elsewhere (young voters above all) simply cannot understand how the
horrors of the last European war can be invoked to license or condone
unacceptable behavior in another time and place. In the eyes of a watching
world, the fact that the great-grandmother of an Israeli soldier died in
Treblinka is no excuse for his own abusive treatment of a Palestinian
woman waiting to cross a checkpoint. "Remember Auschwitz" is not an
acceptable response.

In short: Israel, in the world's eyes, is a normal state, but one behaving
in abnormal ways. It is in control of its fate, but the victims are
someone else. It is strong, very strong, but its behavior is making
everyone else vulnerable. And so, shorn of all other justifications for
its behavior, Israel and its supporters today fall back with increasing
shrillness upon the oldest claim of all: Israel is a Jewish state and that
is why people criticize it. This - the charge that criticism of Israel is
implicitly anti-Semitic - is regarded in Israel and the United States as
Israel's trump card. If it has been played more insistently and
aggressively in recent years, that is because it is now the only card
left.

The habit of tarring any foreign criticism with the brush of anti-Semitism
is deeply engrained in Israeli political instincts: Ariel Sharon used it
with characteristic excess but he was only the latest in a long line of
Israeli leaders to exploit the claim. David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir did
no different. But Jews outside of Israel pay a high price for this tactic.
Not only does it inhibit their own criticisms of Israel for fear of
appearing to associate with bad company, but it encourages others to look
upon Jews everywhere as de facto collaborators in Israel's misbehavior.
When Israel breaks international law in the occupied territories, when
Israel publicly humiliates the subject populations whose land it has
seized - but then responds to its critics with loud cries of
"anti-Semitism" - it is in effect saying that these acts are not Israeli
acts, they are Jewish acts: The occupation is not an Israeli occupation,
it is a Jewish occupation, and if you don't like these things it is
because you don't like Jews.

In many parts of the world this is in danger of becoming a self-fulfilling
assertion: Israel's reckless behavior and insistent identification of all
criticism with anti-Semitism is now the leading source of anti-Jewish
sentiment in Western Europe and much of Asia. But the traditional
corollary - if anti-Jewish feeling is linked to dislike of Israel then
right-thinking people should rush to Israel's defense - no longer applies.
Instead, the ironies of the Zionist dream have come full circle: For tens
of millions of people in the world today, Israel is indeed the state of
all the Jews. And thus, reasonably enough, many observers believe that one
way to take the sting out of rising anti-Semitism in the suburbs of Paris
or the streets of Jakarta would be for Israel to give the Palestinians
back their land.

Israel's undoing

If Israel's leaders have been able to ignore such developments it is in
large measure because they have hitherto counted upon the unquestioning
support of the United States - the one country in the world where the
claim that anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism is still echoed not only in
the opinions of many Jews but also in the public pronouncements of
mainstream politicians and the mass media. But this lazy, ingrained
confidence in unconditional American approval - and the moral, military
and financial support that accompanies it - may prove to be Israel's
undoing.

Something is changing in the United States. To be sure, it was only a few
short years ago that prime minister Sharon's advisers could gleefully
celebrate their success in dictating to U.S. President George W. Bush the
terms of a public statement approving Israel's illegal settlements. No
U.S. Congressman has yet proposed reducing or rescinding the $3 billion in
aid Israel receives annually - 20 percent of the total U.S. foreign aid
budget - which has helped sustain the Israeli defense budget and the cost
of settlement construction in the West Bank. And Israel and the United
States appear increasingly bound together in a symbiotic embrace whereby
the actions of each party exacerbate their common unpopularity abroad -
and thus their ever-closer association in the eyes of critics.

But whereas Israel has no choice but to look to America - it has no other
friends, at best only the conditional affection of the enemies of its
enemies, such as India - the United States is a great power; and great
powers have interests that sooner or later transcend the local obsessions
of even the closest of their client states and satellites. It seems to me
of no small significance that the recent essay on "The Israel Lobby" by
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt has aroused so much public interest and
debate. Mearsheimer and Walt are prominent senior academics of impeccable
conservative credentials. It is true that - by their own account - they
could still not have published their damning indictment of the influence
of the Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy in a major U.S.-based journal
(it appeared in the London Review of Books), but the point is that 10
years ago they would not - and probably could not - have published it at
all. And while the debate that has ensued may generate more heat than
light, it is of great significance: As Dr. Johnson said of female
preachers, it is not well done but one is amazed to see it done at all.

The fact is that the disastrous Iraq invasion and its aftermath are
beginning to engineer a sea-change in foreign policy debate here in the
U.S. It is becoming clear to prominent thinkers across the political
spectrum - from erstwhile neo-conservative interventionists like Francis
Fukuyama to hard-nosed realists like Mearsheimer - that in recent years
the United States has suffered a catastrophic loss of international
political influence and an unprecedented degradation of its moral image.
The country's foreign undertakings have been self-defeating and even
irrational. There is going to be a long job of repair ahead, above all in
Washington's dealings with economically and strategically vital
communities and regions from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. And this
reconstruction of the country's foreign image and influence cannot hope to
succeed while U.S. foreign policy is tied by an umbilical cord to the
needs and interests (if that is what they are) of one small Middle Eastern
country of very little relevance to America's long-term concerns - a
country that is, in the words of the Mearsheimer/Walt essay, a strategic
burden: "A liability in the war on terror and the broader effort to deal
with rogue states."

That essay is thus a straw in the wind - an indication of the likely
direction of future domestic debate here in the U.S. about the country's
peculiar ties to Israel. Of course it has been met by a firestorm of
criticism from the usual suspects - and, just as they anticipated, the
authors have been charged with anti-Semitism (or with advancing the
interests of anti-Semitism: "objective anti-Semitism," as it might be).
But it is striking to me how few people with whom I have spoken take that
accusation seriously, so predictable has it become. This is bad for Jews -
since it means that genuine anti-Semitism may also in time cease to be
taken seriously, thanks to the Israel lobby's abuse of the term. But it is
worse for Israel.

This new willingness to take one's distance from Israel is not confined to
foreign policy specialists. As a teacher I have also been struck in recent
years by a sea-change in the attitude of students. One example among many:
Here at New York University I was teaching this past month a class on
post-war Europe. I was trying to explain to young Americans the importance
of the Spanish Civil War in the political memory of Europeans and why
Franco's Spain has such a special place in our moral imagination: as a
reminder of lost struggles, a symbol of oppression in an age of liberalism
and freedom, and a land of shame that people boycotted for its crimes and
repression. I cannot think, I told the students, of any country that
occupies such a pejorative space in democratic public consciousness today.
You are wrong, one young woman replied: What about Israel? To my great
surprise most of the class - including many of the sizable Jewish
contingent - nodded approval. The times they are indeed a-changing.

That Israel can now stand in comparison with the Spain of General Franco
in the eyes of young Americans ought to come as a shock and an
eleventh-hour wake-up call to Israelis. Nothing lasts forever, and it
seems likely to me that we shall look back upon the years 1973-2003 as an
era of tragic illusion for Israel: years that the locust ate, consumed by
the bizarre notion that, whatever it chose to do or demand, Israel could
count indefinitely upon the unquestioning support of the United States and
would never risk encountering a backlash. This blinkered arrogance is
tragically summed up in an assertion by Shimon Peres on the very eve of
the calamitous war that will in retrospect be seen, I believe, to have
precipitated the onset of America's alienation from its Israeli ally: "The
campaign against Saddam Hussein is a must."

The future of Israel


From ean at sbcglobal.net  Thu May  4 16:58:37 2006
From: ean at sbcglobal.net (ean at sbcglobal.net)
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 16:58:37 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] another action to protect internet fairness + From Gas
	Crisis to Cure
Message-ID: <E1Fc4i1-0004zu-5b@elasmtp-mealy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

After destroying TV and radio by hoarding the public's airwaves for
profit, mega-media corporations have now turned to the Internet. They're
scheming to control what content you view, which services you use online,
and whether others can see the content you create.

The only way to stop them is to raise hell right now.

Join me and other Media for Democracy/Free Press activists by sending a
letter to the CEOs of the nation's largest ISPs and telling them to keep
their hands off our Internet.

Go here to take action:

http://www.freepress.net/action/neutrality


-- 
You are currently on Mha Atma's Earth Action Network email list, 
option D (up to 3 emails/day).  To be removed, or to switch options 
(option A - 1x/week, option B - 3/wk, option C - up to 1x/day, option D - 
up to 3x/day) please reply and let us know!  If someone forwarded you 
this email and you want to be on our list, send an email to 
ean at sbcglobal.net and tell us which option you'd like.


"A war of aggression is the supreme international crime." -- Robert Jackson,
 former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice and Nuremberg prosecutor

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May  5 12:59:31 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (HS)
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 19:59:31 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: CIA boss in surprise resignation
Message-ID: <20060505_195922_026408.harry.sifton@sympatico.ca>

HS saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** CIA boss in surprise resignation **
US President George Bush unexpectedly announces that the CIA director Porter Goss has quit his post.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4978776.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Fri May  5 13:28:37 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 13:28:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] CNN.com - Porter Goss resigns as CIA chief - May 5, 2006
Message-ID: <6494621.1146860917475.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost>



*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified.



Thank God!  I love how Bush spins this as having been a "transitional" appointment.  Horsehockey!  That's historical revisionism: Goss was appointed as permanent director.



 
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Title: CNN.com - Porter Goss resigns as CIA chief - May 5, 2006
 
  
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May  5 20:29:22 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 23:29:22 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] American Violence
Message-ID: <000701c670bd$48ce5750$4727e440@Harold>



I have never seen so much violence created by one nation, internally or externally, its even in their culture, film and video games. 

The top selling movies are violent horror/killing movies and same with vid games, all about violence/killing things!

The violent criminal gangs in the major cities, Rap musicians shooting each other, etc..........

Yet when confronted Nationally deny their behaviour. The facts speak, America is the most violent nation on earth.

Later H



Second autopsy finds boy hit at boot camp died of suffocation 

By MITCH STACY
Associated Press

May 5, 2006, 3:25 PM EDT



TAMPA -- A 14-year-old boy who was roughed up by guards at a Panama City juvenile boot camp in a videotaped altercation died because the sheriff's officials suffocated him, Hillsborough County's medical examiner said Friday.

The findings of Dr. Vernard Adams's autopsy on Martin Lee Anderson conflict with the results of the initial one by Dr. Charles Siebert, the medical examiner for Bay County. He ruled the boy died had a natural death from complications of sickle cell trait, a usually benign blood disorder many blacks have.

``Martin Anderson's death was caused by suffocation due to actions of the guards at the boot camp,'' Adams wrote in a statement. He said the suffocation was caused by hands blocking the boy's mouth, as well as the ``forced inhalation of ammonia fumes'' that caused his vocal cords to spasm, blocking his upper airway.

The new findings were announced as part of an investigation by Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober. Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him in February to investigate the death after Siebert's findings were disputed by the 14-year-old boy's family and others. Ober asked Adams to do a second autopsy.

No one has been arrested and Ober said no timeline has been established for completing the investigation.

``I assure the family of Martin Anderson and the people of the state of Florida that my office is working diligently to aggressively investigate all aspects of this case,'' Ober said in a statement. He declined to answer questions about Adams' findings.

Anderson's parents, Gina Jones and Robert Anderson, planned a news conference Friday evening at their attorney's Tallahassee office to respond to the findings. Marc Tochterman, a spokesman for the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which operated the boot camp, said the agency had no immediate comment.

Siebert did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but he has repeatedly stood by his findings, saying they were based on reliable science, not emotions. He also has said he was being unfairly attacked by special interest groups.

``I am disturbed by Dr. Adams findings and consider the actions of the Bay County boot camp guards deplorable,'' Bush said in a statement. ``I assure Gina Jones and Robert Anderson that the state remains committed to providing any resources State Attorney Ober deems necessary to complete this investigation as quickly as possible.''

Attorney General Charlie Crist said Friday that Siebert ``should probably be suspended pending further review.'' He said the second autopsy report wasn't surprising.

``I can't say I'm shocked after having watched the tape. What was surprising was the first autopsy,'' Crist said. He said there ``probably will be arrests.''

Waylon Graham, attorney for sheriff's Lt. Charles Helms, who was second in command of the boot camp and present in the exercise yard that day, said he wasn't shocked by Adams' report. Graham said the investigation has turned into a ``witch hunt'' with criminal charges inevitable.

``I think (Helms) knows what's coming next,'' Graham said. ``When you get an autopsy with results like that it's pretty clear that they are going to charge him and obviously the others. It would take a pretty naive person to think otherwise.''

He said Helms doesn't believe that the guards caused Anderson's death.

Anderson was kneed, struck and dragged by guards on his first day at the boot camp for juvenile offenders. He was eventually was taken to a Pensacola hospital where he died the next day, Jan. 6. The ordeal with guards was captured by a camp security camera and later broadcast nationally.

Anderson had collapsed while doing push-ups, sit-ups, running laps and other exercises that were part of his admission to the camp. The sheriff's office said force was used on Anderson because he was uncooperative.

Adams found the repeated blows to Anderson's limbs ``left several bruises but did not contribute to his death.'' ``In other words, he was not beaten to death,'' Adams wrote in the statement.

Siebert found that the exertion from that exercise triggered the sickle cell trait and ultimately caused small blood clots to develop in the bloodstream, which resulted in internal bleeding.

His body was exhumed in Panama City and brought to Tampa in March for the second autopsy. It was observed by forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, who said afterward that he believed Anderson didn't die from sickle cell trait or any other natural causes. Baden was hired by the boy's family.

The death also sparked protests at the state Capitol, forced lawmakers to scrap the military-style camps and led to the resignation of the state's top law enforcement officer, who started the boot camp in Panama City when he was Bay County sheriff. Bush said Florida Department of Law Enforcement chief Guy Tunnell shouldn't have sent e-mails to the current sheriff questioning those who criticized the boot camp concept.

Anderson has entered the camp for a probation violation for trespassing at a school after he and his cousins were originally charged with stealing their grandmother's car from a church parking lot.

Associated Press writers Melissa Nelson in Pensacola and Andrea Fanta in Tallahassee contributed to this report. 
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May  5 20:47:12 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 23:47:12 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Bush irresponsible
Message-ID: <000701c670bf$c73399f0$4727e440@Harold>

Bush's comments that this is WW III are so irresponsible. Yes, there are issues, but they were created by the America's 60 odd years of bad foreign policy towards the Middle East in it's pursuit to get their Oil

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/05/060505220719.qnjzncm8.html

The constant creating of fear, creates such an unhealthy paranoia, that it is counter productive.

Bush's denial of the global issues that he has created through his poor leadership has harmed the American people!

Later H
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Sat May  6 06:01:39 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 09:01:39 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] MUST READ: Winning's Everything - Henry Allen -
	Washington Post Op-Ed
Message-ID: <445C9E33.3030409@comcast.net>

Winning's Everything

By Henry Allen | Saturday, May 6, 2006; A17 | The Washington Post

"In war, we have to win," said Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap.

This was on television about 20 years ago, a PBS series about the war in 
Vietnam. Giap was sitting behind a desk, as I recall, a picture of 
lethal ease. He seemed amused to think he knew something that the 
Americans still hadn't figured out. He added: "Absolutely have to win."

For me, a former Marine corporal who'd heard some Viet Cong rounds go 
past at Chu Lai, Giap spoke and the heavens opened -- a truth seizure, 
eureka. I finally had a useful, practical explanation for why we had 
lost after the best and brightest promised we were going to win. And 
nowadays, thanks to Giap, I have a theory, no more than that, about why 
winning is so elusive in Iraq.

I suspect that the people who run our wars, particularly the best and 
brightest, know when we fight a war that:

We have to be fighting for freedom and national security.

We have to get the will of the country behind the war.

We have to maintain a strong economy to pay for the war.

We have to have allies.

We have to have God, freedom, the inevitability of history or some other 
philosophic entity on our side.

We have to have well-trained and motivated troops armed with the latest 
weapons.

Sure enough, we started out with all of that in Iraq, as we did in Vietnam.

But do our high-ranking leaders believe, like Giap, that we have to win?

America is getting used to loss, futility and fiasco -- amid some small 
successes, we had stalemate in Korea, the loss in Vietnam, the botched 
Iran hostage rescue mission and the embarrassments in Lebanon, Haiti and 
Somalia. One wonders if we even expect our leaders to win the fights 
they start. Certainly we don't punish them when they lose. Years later, 
former secretary of defense Robert McNamara announced that he'd known in 
1966 that we couldn't win in Vietnam, but he kept on sending Americans 
to their deaths in a doomed cause. For this he was rewarded with the top 
job at the World Bank, a job held now by Paul Wolfowitz, a prime 
architect of the war in Iraq.

Why fault them? As all of our war planners are quick to point out, they 
had the best of intentions, although they forget to mention that good 
intentions don't win wars. Certainly intellectual acuity has abounded, 
too. Who is smarter than Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice or Dick Cheney, all 
of them with graduate degrees and the sort of quick thinking we began to 
admire during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, who said, "There's 
nothing like brains. You can't beat brains." As it happens, you can, or 
we would have won in Vietnam. Strange: This has become an age in which 
intelligence is seen as a moral virtue, like courage or perseverance -- 
two elements of winning. Of course, intelligence is just a tool, it has 
no more moral virtue than Arnold Schwarzenegger's bicep or the ability 
to ace the SAT, but we honor those who possess it. Could we be confusing 
intelligence with the skill of winning?

Some possibilities about the people running our wars:

One: Winning isn't the point to them -- they use the military as an 
instrument of policy, and winning or losing anytime soon is irrelevant. 
Their consequent fine-tuning of political and diplomatic niceties leads 
to complaints of micromanagement.

Two: They don't worry about losing because winning to them is a foregone 
conclusion, as it has been to a lot of Americans since World War II, 
despite our history during the past half-century. Besides, all the way 
through school, graduate programs, internships, and corporate and 
political bureaucracies, they've always been winners. How could they lose?

Three: They know we have to win, but they don't know how to win. Do they 
know that winning is a skill in itself, a skill that stands apart from 
tactics, equipment and righteousness?

It gets a little mystical, this talent that foundation analysts can't 
quantify for a PowerPoint display, but it's real.

<>Great competitors of all kinds have this skill, the ability to 
"finish" as they say in boxing. If you recall the first fight between 
Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, you know that Hearns knew 
how to hit, but Sugar Ray knew how to win. In 1864 Ulysses S. Grant took 
on Robert E. Lee with the same army that had been losing to Lee for 
years, and he finished him -- he was a winner who'd won for years 
throughout the western theater, too. In World War II, America produced a 
stable of winners who won the war for us.

Nowadays is it possible that our leaders don't have that skill? Worse, 
is it possible that they may not know that they don't have it? I wonder 
what they've gotten into in the way of passionate sports or fistfights. 
(Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was a star wrestler at Princeton, but 
just about none of them have been in combat.) I would be reassured if I 
knew they understood what athletes mean when they say, "We couldn't win 
for losing." And the old expression: "You make your luck." We are not 
making much luck in Iraq.

This war is not working out the way our leaders thought it would. We 
could lose. If we lose, we'll be humiliated, we'll be the schoolyard 
hotshot who picked a fight and then got whipped. I'm tired of our 
leaders putting me and my country in this position.

I'm not saying I want to fight no wars, or even saying I want to win 
more wars -- I'm just saying that I want us to win the wars that we 
fight. And I'm worried that Iraq was never one of them because it was 
started by people who knew everything except how to win -- who have yet 
to learn that in war we absolutely have to win.

Henry Allen is an editor and writer for The Post's Style section.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050501475.html?nav=hcmodule
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From swiggard at comcast.net  Sat May  6 06:13:15 2006
From: swiggard at comcast.net (William Swiggard)
Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 09:13:15 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] MUST READ: 'We Shall Overcome' - The comeback of protest
 songs - The Boston Globe - May 6, 2006
Message-ID: <445CA0EB.3020401@comcast.net>


  'We Shall Overcome'


  The comback of protest songs

By Robert Kuttner  |  May 6, 2006  |  The Boston Globe

NEW ORLEANS

''THIS IS our first gig," said Bruce Springsteen. ''I hope it goes OK."

With that, The Boss and his 18-piece Seeger Sessions Band opened their 
set with a rocking rendition of ''Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep." As an act 
of solidarity with this doubly ravaged city, Springsteen began his 
homage to Pete Seeger tour here, at ground zero of everything ruinous 
about the people who now run our country.

The 37th annual Jazz and Heritage Festival was playing to a smaller, 
whiter crowd than usual in half-abandoned New Orleans. It would be hard 
to imagine a more poignant or uplifting marriage of musician, impulse, 
venue, and moment.

Lately, musicians as diverse as Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Paul 
Simon, and Ani di Franco have followed the same impulse. This is surely 
the time and the place.

Commentators solemnly billed Hurricane Katrina as the flood that laid 
bare awkward truths of class and race in America. It did -- for a vivid 
week, and then we turned away.

By a fine accident of timing, I came here for a conference on what 
Katrina revealed -- and found plenty of surprises. Downtown and the 
tourist French Quarter, which got priority federal attention, look as if 
Katrina had never happened. But the outlying scale of devastation is far 
more extensive, and the federal default of government more staggering, 
than one could imagine.

Of 485,000 people who lived here before Katrina, only about 165,000 
remain. New Orleans had high rates of black home ownership. But tens of 
thousands of homeowners are trapped in a horrific Catch-22 because of 
cascading federal failures.

In huge swaths of the city, basic public services are unrestored, so 
people can't return to viable houses. Mountains of stinking rubbish -- 
once the stuff of homes and lives -- lie uncollected on front yards. 
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, decided to clear 
inhabited areas first. It just never returned to pick up the rest.

Tens of thousands of homes could be renovated and reoccupied. But 
instead of making emergency rehab grants or loans, FEMA spends $90,000 
per trailer, often parked in front yards, while black mold relentlessly 
ruins structurally sound houses.

FEMA was slow to revise federal flood insurance guidelines. Without 
federal flood coverage, no private insurance flows and people can't get 
bank loans. So extensive salvageable areas remain unoccupied. Meanwhile, 
the 2006 hurricane season arrives June 1, but the levees are restored 
only to withstand a mild category 2 storm.

Filling some of the vacuum left by the Bush default, heroic work is 
being done by volunteers, from Habitat for Humanity, ACORN, and several 
churches and trade unions. Many live in a tent city -- which FEMA now 
plans to tear down June 1.

Springsteen toured all this, appalled. He composed two new stanzas to 
the 1929 song, ''How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" 
including, ''[Bush] gave a little pep talk, said I'm with you, then he 
took a walk." Springsteen elicited loud cheers when he deplored the 
government's ''criminal irresponsibility." A small plane circled, towing 
an ''Impeach Bush" banner.

New Orleans heroically pulled itself together to bring off this Fest. 
Held on a racetrack grounds, the fair has nine simultaneous performance 
spaces going all day, a crafts section, kids' tent, and a food midway 
where New Orleans's finest chefs serve such specialties as artichoke and 
oyster soup and gourmet jambalaya ladled from murky oil drums at $5 a bowl.

As the field dried out from a drenching rain, I gloriously wandered from 
Willis Prudhomme and the Zydeco Express to the gospel tent to a medley 
of everything from brass bands, Dixieland funeral music, back to more 
zydeco, to blues.

By 5:30, when Springsteen strode onto the main stage, following New 
Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, the sun was shining. Like Seeger's, the 
Springsteen repertoire included not just political songs such as ''Keep 
Your Eyes on the Prize," but the whimsical bits of Americana that Seeger 
loved, like ''(Get Out of the Way,) Old Dan Tucker." And when 
Springsteen began ''We Shall Overcome," the crowd, both the '60s 
generation and youngsters who had seen it only on TV joined uplifted 
hands, swayed, and sang along, without irony.

If anyone can reintroduce songs of protest to a new mass audience, 
making that much-reworked tradition fresh, it is the sunny, exuberant 
Springsteen. Folk music was, of course, the original popular culture. 
Sometimes, the borrowings of commercial pop from folk music are cheesy 
and opportunistic (say, the Byrds' version of Seeger). Other times, the 
result is a powerful, authentic synthesis, as in the work of Ry Cooder, 
Bob Dylan, and John Lennon at their best, New Orleans's own Randy 
Newman, who wrote the original flood anthem three decades ago, 
''Louisiana: They're trying to wash us away," and now Springsteen.

Like protest music, you never know when protest itself will recur. As 
Springsteen packed up and our conference began, millions not ''Born In 
The USA" were assembling across America to declare their dignity as 
working people and human beings. They also sang.

America today is depressing, but music adds energy and spirit to the 
protest imperative. Song is an inherently collective ritual that reminds 
us that we are not alone. You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not 
the only one.


http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/06/we_shall_overcome/
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sat May  6 10:59:10 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sat, 06 May 2006 10:59:10 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] New Civic
Message-ID: <C08231FE.A589%michael@michaelbutler.com>



http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From michael at intrafi.com  Sat May  6 11:57:28 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Sat,  6 May 2006 18:57:28 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Straight to DVD
Message-ID: <20060506185729.B122583D29@lax-gw03.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: michael at intrafi.com.

OPINION | May 6, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor: Straight to DVD
By ROBERT W. CORT
Hollywood's continued insistence on a theatrical release window does not make economic sense.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/06/opinion/06cort.html?ex=1147579200&en=46c532f90b3bc65c&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sat May  6 12:23:42 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 15:23:42 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] More than half of US steams polluted
Message-ID: <000901c67142$9ac77160$2327e440@Harold>


More than half of US streams polluted: EPA
Fri May 5, 2006 5:07pm ET


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than half of U.S. streams are polluted, with the worst conditions found in the eastern third of the country, according to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency.

In its first-ever study of shallow or "wadeable" streams, the agency found 42 percent were in poor condition, and another 25 percent were considered fair. Only 28 percent were in good condition, EPA said. Another 5 percent were not analyzed because of sampling problems in New England.

Streams running in the East, from the Atlantic coast through the Appalachian Mountains, fared the worst, with 52 percent listed as poor.

In contrast, 45 percent of streams running west of the Rocky Mountains were the least polluted, the report found.



Streams in 48 states were sampled from 2000 to 2004. The EPA plans to extend the study to Alaska and Hawaii.

The survey found activities such as farming and logging helped raise the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the water, said Mike Shapiro, an EPA administrator who worked on the report, in a conference call. Those chemicals promote the growth of plants and algae that gobble up oxygen. That, in turn, kills aquatic life.

At the extreme those conditions could create "dead zones" in streams, similar to one in the Gulf of Mexico where fishermen have given up catching any live fish, said Ken Cook, president of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

"We passed the Clean Water Act 35 years ago, and this is the first time we've taken a look at our small rivers and streams," Cook said. "It took too long."

Cook also said that the report results could be extrapolated for larger bodies of water.

"The findings are fairly consistent with what we know about the larger river system," he said.
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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Sat May  6 13:36:52 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 20:36:52 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - ROLLING STONE CELEBRATES 1,000TH ISSUE
Message-ID: <20060506203652.DADAF3EA7E@web02.nm.cbc.ca>

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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Sat May  6 13:42:52 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 20:42:52 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - IRAQ MORE DEADLY TO JOURNALISTS THAN VIETNAM,
	WWII
Message-ID: <20060506204252.632F73EA7E@web02.nm.cbc.ca>

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From IHHS at aol.com  Sat May  6 15:13:16 2006
From: IHHS at aol.com (IHHS at aol.com)
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 18:13:16 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Fwd: Blackout On Violent Illegal Invasions......
Message-ID: <E1FcW1U-0000Fb-N6@elasmtp-banded.atl.sa.earthlink.net>


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Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 13:59:43 -0700
Size: 72149
Url: http://www.islandlists.com/pipermail/mb-civic/attachments/20060506/75a7b6c1/attachment-0001.eml 

From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Sat May  6 17:54:07 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Sun,  7 May 2006 00:54:07 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Ethical Notes on the Reforming Class
Message-ID: <20060507005411.9675523715C@lax-gw01.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

OPINION | May 6, 2006
Editorial: Ethical Notes on the Reforming Class

Congressional compromise on an independent ethics enforcement office will do nothing about the influence-peddling core that was laid bare by the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/06/opinion/06sat3.html?ex=1147579200&en=fa4f687dfdfb5f36&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Sat May  6 17:55:08 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Sun,  7 May 2006 00:55:08 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Bush's Approach to the Law (1 Letter)
Message-ID: <20060507005509.9D30483D2A@lax-gw03.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

What we're saying...


OPINION | May 6, 2006
Bush's Approach to the Law (1 Letter)

To the Editor:.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/06/opinion/l06veto.html?ex=1147579200&en=6b4fca7b7efeb887&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Sat May  6 17:55:23 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (ialterman at nyc.rr.com)
Date: Sun,  7 May 2006 00:55:23 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: The Iraq Plot Thickens (1 Letter)
Message-ID: <20060507005523.E838511FA3D@lax-gw07.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: ialterman at nyc.rr.com.

What we're saying (2)...


OPINION | May 6, 2006
The Iraq Plot Thickens (1 Letter)

To the Editor:.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/06/opinion/l06dowd.html?ex=1147579200&en=eabd4b5903886fcd&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Sun May  7 05:26:42 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 12:26:42 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - FIVE MEN HELD AFTER SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE
	ON U.S. AIRLINER
Message-ID: <20060507122642.F0CB932F7F@web05.nm.cbc.ca>

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sun May  7 07:47:45 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 10:47:45 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Working towards tearing down China's "Great Firewall"
Message-ID: <000801c671e5$3977cd80$323fe440@Harold>


Taken from the Toronto Star


Hoodwinking the censors
Revenge of the nerds
Three computer geeks at the U of T are renowned developers of anti-censorship software, including a program out this month that could allow people to outwit the world's most repressive regimes
May 7, 2006. 07:16 AM
ANDREW CHUNG
STAFF REPORTER


Looking at them you might not guess it. But deep in a basement room on the University of Toronto campus, three unassuming computer hackers with messy hair and wrinkled T-shirts are working to tear down China's "Great Firewall," the most sophisticated Internet censorship system in the world. 

They are self-confessed computer "geeks." They don't go to the gym much, or see much sunlight. They talk about "routers" and "nodes" and "secure socket layers" like they were saying, "Hello," or "How are you?" 

But the computer smarts of Ron Deibert, Nart Villeneuve, and Michael Hull, combined with their passion for politics and free expression, have led them to develop a highly anticipated software program that allows Internet users inside China and other countries, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Burma, to get around repressive censorship and not get caught. 

Their innovation is called Psiphon, and it's being launched at the end of this month. 

"It's enormous," says Deibert, 41, a nerd-meets-aging-punker kind of guy who directs the Citizen Lab at the U of T's Munk Centre for International Studies, where the trio work. "If it works the way we hope it does and is distributed worldwide, it will have a huge impact on freedom of speech." 

Others watching Psiphon's progress agree. "We've been trying to circumvent both the firewalls and the censorship surveillance," says Sharon Hom, executive director of New York-based Human Rights in China. "So it's something we are very, very interested in." 

Psiphon takes the concept of a third-party computer doing the work yours can't because of censorship, and protects it by relying on trusted friends and close family, to create a program the creators say is nearly fail-safe. 

The program is needed more than ever, as the number of countries that censor or filter the Internet continues to grow. China alone has reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its Great Firewall, as it's known outside the country. Thousands of people stand guard on it. 

China blocks countless websites, from ones featuring porn to those devoted to Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China. Anything on human rights is off-limits. Same for democracy. 

Late last month, the wildly popular website Technorati, which searches the Internet for blogs, or personal Web journals, vanished in China despite the fact that the country has one of the fastest growing blogospheres in the world. A spokesperson for the San Francisco-based Technorati told the Star it wasn't clear how or why the site was blocked. 

So the Citizen Lab taking on powerful censors such as China is a lot like David going into battle with Goliath. 

"It's a huge uphill battle," Deibert concurs. "The trajectory in terms of global politics is toward greater state control (of the Internet). I see closure everywhere." 

What does Villeneuve, 31, who spawned the idea of Psiphon, think about challenging the likes of China? He puts down his Che Guevara mug and thinks for a moment. He shrugs his shoulders and smirks: "It just seems like the right thing to do." 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cause of the Citizen Lab is hacktivism. Villeneuve, 31, didn't invent the term. But he played a key role in defining and shaping it. 

Hacktivism is the melding of hacking and social or political activism. Hacktivists have a common enemy, Villeneuve once wrote in The Hacktivist, an online magazine he founded: "the repressive use of laws and technologies by private corporations and governments to increasingly monitor and control the Internet." 

Deibert and Villeneuve found hacktivism in different ways. As a teenager from Vancouver's east side ? the "wrong side of the tracks," he says ? Deibert listened to local punk groups like DOA and watched private eye shows like The Rockford Files. In university, he attended nuclear weapons protests and demanded American warships not pass through the city's harbour. 

He also had a fascination with taking things apart. From amplifiers to motorcycles, it was a compulsion that, upon reflection, seems a lot like hacking to him now. 

"Hacking is an important philosophy we need to recover in our society," says Deibert, now the father of four young children, "because so many systems of control are embedded in technology, most of which we're unaware of. 

"The more we take the screws off and understand how things work, the more we'll have citizens in control of their lives and the technological society they live in." 

He went to the University of British Columbia and was fascinated by information technology and how it changed world politics. He wrote a book on the subject. He encourages the questioning of authority, of breaking rules for the greater good. He's proud his students call him the "Hacker Prof." 

The Citizen Lab was born in 2000 out of the Hacker Prof's need for a space to do cutting-edge work on activism and information technology. But lately it has turned its eye toward censorship. Along with Harvard and Cambridge universities, it takes part in a group called the OpenNet Initiative, or ONI, which calls attention to Internet filtering around the world. 

Harvard researches legal aspects of Internet censorship. Cambridge organizes activists in censored countries to do research. Toronto, meanwhile, performs the technical research. It has developed the critical software the group uses to investigate censorship. And of course, it has developed Psiphon. 

None of it would have existed without Deibert's first moves, says fellow Canadian Rafal Rohozinski, director of the Cambridge unit. "He managed to convince a fairly conservative university to look at this and realize this kind of thing really matters," he says. 

The Citizen Lab uses the techniques of spies to secretly deploy software it developed that automatically checks for censored websites inside various countries. Sometimes the lab performs tests remotely, taking control of unprotected computers inside the censoring country without permission. This poses an ethical controversy, but Deibert says it's for the greater good: "We don't worry about that too much." 

The Lab even has "black boxes," mini-sized computers that can be "planted" discreetly inside these countries to run the tests. "This kind of research is illegal in almost every country we do it in," he adds. 

The Lab can also decipher how the repressive countries filter digital information, and which technology they use. It has demonstrated that Iran compels its Internet service providers to do so. China, however, blocks mainly at its borders, where the Internet enters the country, using sophisticated routers. When someone requests a banned site, the request does not get past the gateway. China also requires Internet providers, cybercaf?s, and websites to filter. 

      'If it works the way 

      we hope it does ... 

      it will have a huge 

      impact on freedom 

      of speech' 

      RON DEIBERT 

      Director, Citizen Lab, U of T 
     

How does the filtering actually work? Last week, Villeneuve ran some tests to find out how Technorati was being blocked, and it turns out, he says, China is not just filtering out the URL itself, http://www.technorati.com, but the keyword, "technorati," which will capture any other sites also carrying it. 

Even though others are working on anti-filtering software, Deibert and Villeneuve are now known as the foremost experts worldwide. Villeneuve has written a guide for Reporters Without Borders on getting around censorship. In February, he testified before the U.S. congress on China's system. Says Hom: "They're watching the watchers." 

Villeneuve, who wears shorts and flip-flops to work, comes from the same neighbourhood in East Vancouver as Deibert, but his anti-establishment streak didn't come until after high school. 

While working at a print shop, he started reading Karl Marx and Noam Chomsky, and when his roommate got a computer, he started roaming around hacker chat rooms. He found out how to extend the hours of their dial-up Internet for free. 

He became a fervent anti-globalization activist, and got his first taste of tear gas in 1999 at the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization. He started writing about the growing world of hacktivism. 

Eventually he went back to college and then transferred to the U of T. There, he took one of Deibert's classes and wrote a paper on censorship in China. Deibert asked him to join the Citizen Lab. Now, he says, he's a "programming geek." 

His values still colour his work. "We have a global system that doesn't value that this technology is being used to undermine people's human rights, and that's not a valid concern for the WTO to restrict the flow of trade." 

Hotly debated both inside and outside the Citizen Lab is the morality of North American companies that sell their products to regimes like China. Microsoft has removed controversial bloggers from its Chinese blog-hosting service. Google, which was shut down in China 2002, launched a highly censored version of its service there in January. And information provided by Yahoo to authorities has led to the arrest and detainment of at least one person, journalist Shi Tao. Cisco Systems Inc. and Canada's Nortel Networks Corp.have also been fingered for selling the network equipment used by Chinese Internet police to filter the Web. 

The third member of the Psiphon team, 42-year-old Michael Hull, was hired in January to make the program user-friendly. He's been writing code ever since high school, when he created a simple program on his first computer to graph an object as it approaches the speed of light. Trained in physics, Hull sold his document encryption company in 2003. "Over the years I've been building commercial, private software to solve problems for corporations," Hull says. "So this is nice because it kind of flips it all around. It's a way to give back while I have a chance." 

More than a few people view the work of the Citizen Lab, and Psiphon, as important. The ONI as a whole receives funding from several major U.S. foundations that promote peace and democracy, including a recent $3 million from the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago. In addition, the Citizen Lab has received money from the New York-based Open Society Institute, which supports human rights projects and whose patron is billionaire George Soros. 

And people are keenly awaiting the launch of Psiphon. "It's a very important contribution," says former Beijing resident Xiao Qiang, a long-time activist and now head of the China Internet Project at the University of California at Berkeley. 

While it won't be a silver bullet, Qiang says, Psiphon will be a key tool for the relatively small but highly influential group of outspoken journalists, bloggers and activists inside China who dare to access information from the outside in the hope of creating a more open society. 

To understand Psiphon, it's important to first understand the idea of a proxy. 

A proxy is a computer server in a free country such as Canada that a user in a censored country can tap into to access censored information and relay it back to the user. For years proxies have been considered a kind of ladder to cyberspace freedom. 

The problem is that in order to use a proxy, you have to know about it. This means the proxy's IP ? a set of numbers that is the computer's actual "address" on the Internet ? has to be publicly advertised. This is usually done on websites and through email. So, it's only a matter of time before the censors also catch wind and cut off access. 

Enter Psiphon. 

The program effectively turns anyone's personal computer into a proxy server. Once the software is installed on a computer in, say, Canada, that person creates a contact list of trusted friends or family members in censored countries and sends his or her IP address to them. No advertising needed. 

The censored user then connects to the computer running Psiphon and accesses banned content from there, all unbeknownst to the censor. 

Deibert says that Canada and its many diasporas, with links to Asia and the Middle East, is a perfect place from which to build these trust networks. 

But Psiphon doesn't stop there. Unlike most Internet traffic, Psiphon data is encrypted and shoots around the world on a network reserved for secure financial transactions, so a censor cannot see what the person is accessing. And a censor wouldn't be able to tell a Psiphon request from a MasterCard purchase. 

Another benefit is that most other proxy-type anti-censor programs have to be installed, so if a user is being watched, evidence is on his computer for the taking. With Psiphon, the censored user installs nothing, so it leaves no trace. 

In the unlikely event a computer running Psiphon is uncovered and blocked, future versions of the program will be able to connect to other computers running Psiphon as backup. 

"These initiatives are exciting," says Michael Geist, an expert in law and the Internet at the University of Ottawa. Any ethical qualms in using Psiphon to circumvent the censorship regulations of a foreign country should be put to rest, he says. "There are international instruments that override even sovereign governments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." 

But there are possible problems for Psiphon, Geist and others warn. 

One is that many people in a place like China are not even aware they're being censored, says Geist. Even if they are, he predicts, few will make the attempt to get around it. Qiang notes that even young urban males, the greatest beneficiaries of China's economic boom, are reluctant to rock the boat and risk their wealth. 

Hom, meanwhile, says that the "trusted networks" philosophy on which Psiphon is based could be problematic, since trust was a concept shattered during the Cultural Revolution, when even family members were convinced to turn each other in. 

No one is under any illusion that Psiphon is the final answer. Countries like China will always try to stay ahead in the filtering game. But the Citizen Lab trio are happy to stay hunkered down in their basement without a view of the outside, running on the fuel of hacktivist dreams of a better world. 

"We're making the Internet run the way it's supposed to," says Villeneuve with his trademark little-boy smile. "Because people have broken it
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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Sun May  7 07:59:10 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Sun,  7 May 2006 14:59:10 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: A Long Legacy of Frustration at C.I.A. Helm
Message-ID: <20060507145910.6EFBC3AE57C@lax-gw06.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

rest of NYT posts at Michael's new blog page - http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/


WASHINGTON | May 7, 2006
A Long Legacy of Frustration at C.I.A. Helm
By TIM WEINER
In one way or another, the job of C.I.A. chief has confounded nearly every man who has held it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/washington/07cia.html?ex=1147665600&en=6cf59142c50aea2e&ei=5070&emc=eta1



----------------- Advertisement --------------------------

<!-- ADXINFO classification="text_ad" campaign="foxsearch2006-emailtools08-nyt1"-->/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight Pictures ------------\

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residents, including a young widow, who falls for a Gandhian idealist.

http://clk.atdmt.com/ORG/go/nwyrkfxs0040000009org/direct;at.orgfxs00000892/01/





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ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sun May  7 10:58:32 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 10:58:32 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Latest
Message-ID: <C0838358.A5E0%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Sun May  7 16:45:42 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 23:45:42 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: UFO study finds no sign of aliens
Message-ID: <20060507_234526_059547.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.

** Message **
weather balloons again? swamp gas? the men in black suits?

** UFO study finds no sign of aliens **
A secret Ministry of Defence report on UFOs has concluded that there is no proof of alien life forms
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/4981720.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sun May  7 16:37:57 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 16:37:57 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Country That Wouldn't Grow Up
Message-ID: <C083D2E5.A609%michael@michaelbutler.com>

A very serious subject, worth your thought
Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From harperalexander at mail.com  Mon May  8 05:39:17 2006
From: harperalexander at mail.com (Alexander Harper)
Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 09:39:17 -0300
Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
Message-ID: <20060508123917.D64A0115811@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>


Miles Kington: The Crucifixion Considered as a Subject for Humour 

If anyone said there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was a clear sign that they had secret fears in that particular area 

Published: 08 May 2006 

The humorous writer George Mikes once wrote a book about humour in which at one point he dared to approach the topic that people seem to find so alluring without ever being able to solve: are there any subjects which should never be joked about? Are there things which are so taboo or so holy or so sacrosanct that they are beyond humour? 

George was clear in his own mind about this. He said unequivocally that nothing is sacred, nothing taboo. Nothing should ever be placed in quarantine from satire. He went further and said that if anyone ever said to you that there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was a clear sign that the person who said it had secret fears in that particular area.

(Later in the book George Mikes unwittingly and rather unexpectedly breaks his own rule, or at least gives himself away, when he says that there is one thing you should never joke about: physical deformity. Did that mean that George himself had secret fears about his body? He certainly was quite small, and slightly hunched, but it never occurred to me on a slight acquaintance that there was anything particularly odd about him. Or worth being fearful about. But who knows the truth, when it comes to other people's secret fears?)

This is by way of a return to a subject I raised last week, which was the suitability or otherwise of the Crucifixion as a subject for irreverence. (Interesting, by the way, that we always say "the Crucifixion" and not "Jesus's Crucifixion", as if nobody else had ever been crucified, just as people always say "the Holocaust" and not "the Jewish Holocaust" or "Nazi Holocaust", as if there had never been any other holocaust. Yet even on the same day as he died, Jesus was not the only victim of this horrible method of execution...)

Enough shilly-shallying. Let us face the question squarely. Can you be irreverent, or even humorous about the Crucifixion?

And of course the question has already been answered for me by Monty Python, in the closing sequence of Life of Brian, where Eric Idle and other assembled biblical people on crosses sing the jolly yet utterly banal little song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This is so incongruous and so far from the normal austere, pain-ridden image of the Crucifixion that you cannot help laughing at the sheer pointlessness of it.

Monty Python was not the first to take the Passion lightly, however. Billy Connolly had already aroused controversy years before with a routine about Christ's last days on earth, retelling the story as a mighty three-day piss-up in Glasgow, with Jesus being portrayed as a local hard man called the Big Yin.

And over a hundred years ago the French enfant terrible Alfred Jarry had retold the story as a sporting event in: "The Crucifixion Considered as an Uphill Bicycle Race", with the opening line: "Barabbas, one of the favourites, had scratched from the race just before the start". It's a vigorous though muddled tale, because there are in truth not many parallels between the Crucifixion and a bicycle race, but it struck J G Ballard enough for him to write a pastiche of it called "The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race", which I think is actually funnier.

Nor can I get out of my memory a true story which appeared years ago in the satirical newspaper Le Canard Encha?n?. They reported that rehearsals had been taking place in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a Passion play. Apparently, according to the Canard, the main rehearsal was well under way, with the actor playing Jesus already fastened to the Cross, when a sudden fierce rainstorm swept across the open ground and sent all the actors scurrying for cover. All, of course, except for Jesus, who was trapped on the cross in near-nakedness, and could do nothing except shout after them: "You bastards! You bastards!"

What an awe-inspiring image.

I hope to return to this subject tomorrow, unless I am struck down by a thunderbolt before then. Still, it never happened to Jarry, Connolly or the editor of the Canard, so I live in hope. 


-- 
___________________________________________________
Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/



From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Mon May  8 07:43:18 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: 8 May 2006 14:43:18 -0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from
	Hawaii to Iraq
Message-ID: <20060508144318.9119.qmail@trinity.democracynow.org>

Mike Blaxill  ( mblaxill at yahoo.com )
sent you this story from democracynow.org

All other posts are at Michael's new site... http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/


+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq
|  http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/21/132247
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+


Author Stephen Kinzer discusses his new book, "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq." In it, he writes that the invasion of Iraq "was the culmination of a 110-year period during which Americans overthrew fourteen governments that displeased them for various ideological, political, and economic reasons." [includes rush transcript]
This story continues at: 
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/21/132247


From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Mon May  8 13:07:33 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 16:07:33 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] "Perez speaks out on Iran"
Message-ID: <000901c672db$0b849380$1f1c7c46@CowBox>

Perez speaks softly but carries big stick message.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961301962&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull


Peace
Robin

www.robinmcnamara.com

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From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Mon May  8 14:10:31 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 17:10:31 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
References: <20060508123917.D64A0115811@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com>
Message-ID: <005301c672e3$d8761dc0$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

Alex et al:

As the resident minister (LOL), I can state unequivocally that any Christian 
who considers any aspect of Christianity "taboo" re humor does not 
understand the faith.  Certainly humor that denigrates a person's faith - or 
their strongest-held belief system - is, or at least can be, more hurtful 
than other types of humor.  This would seem to suggest that such humor be 
kept to a minimum, and not be used in a malicious, spiteful or deliberately 
hurtful manner.  I think there is a line between satiric or irreverent on 
the one hand, and insulting and profane on the other.

But satire is what satire is, and any Christian who gets his/her back up 
over the satirization of any aspect of Christianity, including the 
crucifixion, is one whose has more "doubt in faith" than strength. 
"Humility" alone would preclude a "back up" response.  Add in forgiveness 
and patience, and this would preclude resentment or anger as well.

All of that said, this does not mean that a Christian would not have the 
right to forego any particular comedian's act if the Christian felt that 
such comedian's humor was insulting or profane.

Peace.

P.S.  I loved Life of Brian.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alexander Harper" <harperalexander at mail.com>
To: <MB-Civic at islandlists.com>
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 8:39 AM
Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?



Miles Kington: The Crucifixion Considered as a Subject for Humour

If anyone said there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was 
a clear sign that they had secret fears in that particular area

Published: 08 May 2006

The humorous writer George Mikes once wrote a book about humour in which at 
one point he dared to approach the topic that people seem to find so 
alluring without ever being able to solve: are there any subjects which 
should never be joked about? Are there things which are so taboo or so holy 
or so sacrosanct that they are beyond humour?

George was clear in his own mind about this. He said unequivocally that 
nothing is sacred, nothing taboo. Nothing should ever be placed in 
quarantine from satire. He went further and said that if anyone ever said to 
you that there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was a 
clear sign that the person who said it had secret fears in that particular 
area.

(Later in the book George Mikes unwittingly and rather unexpectedly breaks 
his own rule, or at least gives himself away, when he says that there is one 
thing you should never joke about: physical deformity. Did that mean that 
George himself had secret fears about his body? He certainly was quite 
small, and slightly hunched, but it never occurred to me on a slight 
acquaintance that there was anything particularly odd about him. Or worth 
being fearful about. But who knows the truth, when it comes to other 
people's secret fears?)

This is by way of a return to a subject I raised last week, which was the 
suitability or otherwise of the Crucifixion as a subject for irreverence. 
(Interesting, by the way, that we always say "the Crucifixion" and not 
"Jesus's Crucifixion", as if nobody else had ever been crucified, just as 
people always say "the Holocaust" and not "the Jewish Holocaust" or "Nazi 
Holocaust", as if there had never been any other holocaust. Yet even on the 
same day as he died, Jesus was not the only victim of this horrible method 
of execution...)

Enough shilly-shallying. Let us face the question squarely. Can you be 
irreverent, or even humorous about the Crucifixion?

And of course the question has already been answered for me by Monty Python, 
in the closing sequence of Life of Brian, where Eric Idle and other 
assembled biblical people on crosses sing the jolly yet utterly banal little 
song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This is so incongruous and 
so far from the normal austere, pain-ridden image of the Crucifixion that 
you cannot help laughing at the sheer pointlessness of it.

Monty Python was not the first to take the Passion lightly, however. Billy 
Connolly had already aroused controversy years before with a routine about 
Christ's last days on earth, retelling the story as a mighty three-day 
piss-up in Glasgow, with Jesus being portrayed as a local hard man called 
the Big Yin.

And over a hundred years ago the French enfant terrible Alfred Jarry had 
retold the story as a sporting event in: "The Crucifixion Considered as an 
Uphill Bicycle Race", with the opening line: "Barabbas, one of the 
favourites, had scratched from the race just before the start". It's a 
vigorous though muddled tale, because there are in truth not many parallels 
between the Crucifixion and a bicycle race, but it struck J G Ballard enough 
for him to write a pastiche of it called "The Assassination of John 
Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race", which I think is 
actually funnier.

Nor can I get out of my memory a true story which appeared years ago in the 
satirical newspaper Le Canard Encha?n?. They reported that rehearsals had 
been taking place in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a Passion 
play. Apparently, according to the Canard, the main rehearsal was well under 
way, with the actor playing Jesus already fastened to the Cross, when a 
sudden fierce rainstorm swept across the open ground and sent all the actors 
scurrying for cover. All, of course, except for Jesus, who was trapped on 
the cross in near-nakedness, and could do nothing except shout after them: 
"You bastards! You bastards!"

What an awe-inspiring image.

I hope to return to this subject tomorrow, unless I am struck down by a 
thunderbolt before then. Still, it never happened to Jarry, Connolly or the 
editor of the Canard, so I live in hope.


-- 
___________________________________________________
Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/


_______________________________________________
Mb-civic mailing list
Mb-civic at islandlists.com
http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic



From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  8 14:58:11 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (harry.sifton at sympatico.ca)
Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 21:58:11 GMT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Guardian Unlimited: 'No one knows what we are going
	through'
Message-ID: <20060508215811.BCF993405C@mx01.guardian.co.uk>

Harry spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.

To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk

'No one knows what  we are going through'
Women in Iraq are living a nightmare that is hidden from the west. Now one has turned film-maker to give us a window on to what they endure. She tells Natasha Walter what she saw
Natasha Walter
Monday May 08 2006
The Guardian


Rayya Osseilly is an Iraqi doctor who cares for other women in the beleaguered city of Qaim. Unsurprisingly, her tale is not a happy one. "I never feel that today is better than yesterday," she says. "It always seems that yesterday was better than today." Looking at the bombed-out remains of the hospital where she works, it is clear she is struggling against the odds.

It is unusual to see at close quarters what is going on for women in cities like Qaim, which last year came under heavy attack from American troops. Access for the western media is severely restricted. Now, though, we have a window on to Qaim thanks to another Iraqi woman, a film-maker who has travelled through the country speaking to widows and children, to doctors and students, in pursuit of the reality of her fellow country-women's lives.

The film-maker, who lives in Baghdad, wants to keep her identity secret because she fears reprisals, so I'll call her Zeina. When I spoke to her by telephone, the first first thing I asked her was why it is that she feels she has to hide her identity, and in her answer she does not distinguish between the government and the insurgents, in the way that we are taught to do here. "I feel the threat from the government and from the sectarian militias," she says. "The danger in Iraq comes from the Americans, from the sectarian militias - and, of course, it also comes from the crime, the gangs, the random kidnappings."

She decided she wanted to make this film because the things she saw every day were not being seen by the outside world. "No one sees what we are going through. All Iraqis are psychologically traumatised by what is happening. I have seen an eight-year old child who has involuntary tremors, whenever she hears an aeroplane or sees soldiers. I have seen families displaced. I have seen women forced into prostitution because of the poverty of their families."

Zeina was not a supporter of Saddam Hussein's regime. During his rule, she worked as a journalist and a translator of literary criticism. "Politically, before the war, I was not happy," she says. "So many things were not right. We had no freedom of speech, no freedom of expression. But I never imagined the change would be this way, so bad. I never imagined that at all."


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May  8 15:02:30 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 15:02:30 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Latest Input
Message-ID: <C0850E06.A69C%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  8 16:33:54 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 19:33:54 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Canadians to investigate China 'organ harvesting'
	allegations
Message-ID: <000901c672f7$e2f42ee0$673fe440@Harold>



      Cdns. probe China 'organ harvesting' allegations



      CTV.ca News Staff 
        
      Updated: Mon. May. 8 2006 5:18 PM ET 

      Former MP David Kilgour and human rights lawyer David Matas are to investigate allegations that China has been executing Falun Gong prisoners in order to harvest and sell their vital organs. 

      The announcement of an investigation comes just days after Chinese officials publicly denied the practice took place. 

      Most of the allegations come from the spiritual movement Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), which has a huge following in Canada, but has been banned in China since 1999.

      The Falun Dafa Association of Canada says there is evidence that the organs of thousands of executed prisoners in China are being removed every year for transplants without consent and last week asked Kilgour and Matas to investigate. 

      There has been no independent confirmation of the reports. 

      Former Liberal MP Kilgour told a news conference in Ottawa Monday that an investigation would be done "completely independently" and "as quickly as reasonably feasible."

      "Given the nature of some of the allegations made to date, we think it is in the public interest to weigh the probative value of what some of the individuals have said, seen, and heard within China on these issues," said Kilgour.

      Renowned lawyer David Matas told the news conference he hoped the report would be completed within six weeks.

      He said if the allegations were true, "there would have been thousands of people killed for their religious convictions."

      Matas said the plan was to "interview personally whatever witnesses are available in North America," and to ask the Chinese government to grant he and Kilgour visas "to make our own investigations" in the country. 

      "We hope to assess objectively to see whether these allegations they are true," he said. "If they are true, it will require the mobilization of the international community to stop this."

      Tory MP Rahim Jaffer said the allegations were "a disturbing affront to human life." 

      "Given China's record on human rights abuses we have a duty to take these allegations seriously," he said. "This investigation is the first step in putting all the facts on the table."

      Widespread allegations into organ harvesting have persisted for several years -- including from international human rights groups. 

      Reports suggest that the speed of matching donors and patients -- which are matched sometimes as quickly as a week -- implied prisoners were being selected before execution. 

      The emergence of transplant tourism has made the sale of health organs even more lucrative, while secrecy surrounding executions in China makes it difficult to gather facts. 

      Patients increasingly come from Western countries, including the U.S and U.K., as well as Japan and South Korea. 

      But Chinese health officials insisted publicly last month that organs from executed prisoners were only used with prior permission and only then very rarely. 

      They also announced that the selling of organs would be banned from July.
     
     
     
     
      ? Copyright 2002-2006 Bell Globemedia Inc.
     
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Mon May  8 16:50:19 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (harry.sifton at sympatico.ca)
Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 23:50:19 GMT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan's rich blaze a trail in
	their Porsches
Message-ID: <20060508235019.9DF7E33D1C@mx02.guardian.co.uk>

Harry spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.

-------
Note from Harry:

Interesting, since it is thought that Bin Laden is hiding in North Western Pakistan
-------

To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk

Pakistan's rich blaze a trail in their Porsches
Luxury cars hit showroom after an economic boom prompted by September 11
Declan Walsh in Lahore
Monday May 08 2006
The Guardian


Wheezing rickshaws, ornately decorated trucks and tottering motorcycles, often carrying a family of six, crowd Pakistan's bustling roads. Now there is an incongruous newcomer to the street chaos - the latest Porsche.

The German sports car heralded its arrival in Pakistan last month with a glitzy ceremony at one of Lahore's most exclusive clubs. Abukhar Bokhari, the importer, has already sold 30. "Business is booming," he said.

The invasion of the Pakistani Porsches, which are sold at a starting price of &pound;52,000, represents the flashy end of a little publicised economic boom. Last year Pakistan's economy grew by 8.4%, second only to that of China's. This year's rate is expected to top 6%. After years of spurning their country's unhappy association with al-Qaida and Islamic extremism, the monied elite is celebrating.

"It's the best it's ever been," said Asif Kamal, an industrialist who has just bought an investment bank and is building a 20-storey office in downtown Lahore. "There's never been so much money and so many opportunities."

To celebrate, he bought a Porsche Cayman S for &pound;72,000, a car costing &pound;30,000 more than it would in the UK due to the import tariffs. "It's a nice toy, just for fun," he said, adding that a Rolls-Royce concession had found two customers even before it had opened.

The iconic Porsche 911 is going to be the most popular model, Mr Bokhari predicts. It is an irony since September 11 is largely responsible for Pakistan's dramatic turnaround: Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, won key economic rewards that revived his basketcase economy after turning his back on the Taliban, joining the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and thereby "cooperating" with George Bush's "war on terror" after September 11 2001.

The US dismissed Pakistan's $1.5bn debts, offered $3bn in economic and military assistance, and ended sanctions linked to the controversial nuclear bomb programme. Coupled with this, wealthy Pakistanis abroad began sending home their savings, to be invested in houses and stocks. Since then property prices in the country have soared, Karachi has Asia's top-performing stock exchange, and sales of television, mobiles and luxury cars are booming.

"September 11 was a horrible tragedy but it saved Pakistan," said Nassir Kasuri, the 28-year-old son of Pakistan's foreign minister and the owner of a new Porsche 911.

The prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, who was a formerly a New York banker and who helped knock the country's ailing finances into order, has collected the plaudits for the growth.

But the sparkling statistics mask a worrying downside. The spending splurge is limited to a small minority. Most of the country's 160 million people remain desperately poor, barely able to afford a motorcycle, and the rich-poor divide is wider than ever.

Mr Kamal said that 1% of citizens were richer now, another 3% were slightly better off, and the rest were "just poor".

Inflation, which touched 11% last year before easing to 8%, is the main difficulty.

Outside Mr Kamal's office Abdul Rehman, a 55-year-old "tea boy" with 30 years' service to the company, said that it was difficult to make his &pound;55-a-month salary meet the soaring prices of flour, sugar and transport. "A bag of sugar that used to cost 25 rupees [22p] two years ago is now 40 rupees," said the father of six. "It's really terrible."

In contrast with India and China, Pakistan's economic boom has done little to swell the ranks of the middle class, which remains small. Only about two million Pakistanis pay income tax. The government has increased health and education expenditure but continues to pour funds into expensive military hardware. Last month President Musharraf ordered 62 F-16 jets from the US at an estimated cost of $2.5bn.

More worryingly, economists say the boom is built on "foundations of sand". The stock market is considered to be dangerously overvalued, property prices have started to dip sharply in some areas, and the central bank recently made front-page news with a stern warning on the dangers of inflation.

Shahid Javed Burki, a former World Bank vice-president, believes Pakistan is in the grip of a "casino culture" and is showing symptoms of financial crisis.

One British analyst, who said credit-card spending had left many consumers vulnerable to a downturn, added: "Pakistan is going in the right direction but it's travelling on a tightrope." The uncertainty is also linked to political issues such as next year's elections which are expected to pose the greatest challenge yet to Gen Musharraf's power and Pakistan's stability.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited


From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Tue May  9 07:37:59 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (mblaxill at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue,  9 May 2006 14:37:59 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: One Thing They Aren't: Maternal
Message-ID: <20060509143800.1800383D3A@lax-gw03.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: mblaxill at yahoo.com.

posting rest of NYT at Michael's new Civic site - http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic


SCIENCE | May 9, 2006
One Thing They Aren't: Maternal
By NATALIE ANGIER
Nature abounds with mothers that defy the standard maternal script in a raft of macabre ways.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/science/09mama.html?ex=1147838400&en=4c7894c2bbb13e4c&ei=5070&emc=eta1



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From harperalexander at mail.com  Tue May  9 08:11:24 2006
From: harperalexander at mail.com (Alexander Harper)
Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 12:11:24 -0300
Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
Message-ID: <20060509151124.BC69084032@ws1-5.us4.outblaze.com>

Thanks for that, Ian. I think you are absolutely right.

AJCH
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ian <ialterman at nyc.rr.com>
> To: mb-civic at islandlists.com
> Subject: Re: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
> Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 17:10:31 -0400
> 
> 
> Alex et al:
> 
> As the resident minister (LOL), I can state unequivocally that any Christian
> who considers any aspect of Christianity "taboo" re humor does not
> understand the faith.  Certainly humor that denigrates a person's faith - or
> their strongest-held belief system - is, or at least can be, more hurtful
> than other types of humor.  This would seem to suggest that such humor be
> kept to a minimum, and not be used in a malicious, spiteful or deliberately
> hurtful manner.  I think there is a line between satiric or irreverent on
> the one hand, and insulting and profane on the other.
> 
> But satire is what satire is, and any Christian who gets his/her back up
> over the satirization of any aspect of Christianity, including the
> crucifixion, is one whose has more "doubt in faith" than strength.
> "Humility" alone would preclude a "back up" response.  Add in forgiveness
> and patience, and this would preclude resentment or anger as well.
> 
> All of that said, this does not mean that a Christian would not have the
> right to forego any particular comedian's act if the Christian felt that
> such comedian's humor was insulting or profane.
> 
> Peace.
> 
> P.S.  I loved Life of Brian.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alexander Harper" <harperalexander at mail.com>
> To: <MB-Civic at islandlists.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 8:39 AM
> Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
> 
> 
> 
> Miles Kington: The Crucifixion Considered as a Subject for Humour
> 
> If anyone said there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was
> a clear sign that they had secret fears in that particular area
> 
> Published: 08 May 2006
> 
> The humorous writer George Mikes once wrote a book about humour in which at
> one point he dared to approach the topic that people seem to find so
> alluring without ever being able to solve: are there any subjects which
> should never be joked about? Are there things which are so taboo or so holy
> or so sacrosanct that they are beyond humour?
> 
> George was clear in his own mind about this. He said unequivocally that
> nothing is sacred, nothing taboo. Nothing should ever be placed in
> quarantine from satire. He went further and said that if anyone ever said to
> you that there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was a
> clear sign that the person who said it had secret fears in that particular
> area.
> 
> (Later in the book George Mikes unwittingly and rather unexpectedly breaks
> his own rule, or at least gives himself away, when he says that there is one
> thing you should never joke about: physical deformity. Did that mean that
> George himself had secret fears about his body? He certainly was quite
> small, and slightly hunched, but it never occurred to me on a slight
> acquaintance that there was anything particularly odd about him. Or worth
> being fearful about. But who knows the truth, when it comes to other
> people's secret fears?)
> 
> This is by way of a return to a subject I raised last week, which was the
> suitability or otherwise of the Crucifixion as a subject for irreverence.
> (Interesting, by the way, that we always say "the Crucifixion" and not
> "Jesus's Crucifixion", as if nobody else had ever been crucified, just as
> people always say "the Holocaust" and not "the Jewish Holocaust" or "Nazi
> Holocaust", as if there had never been any other holocaust. Yet even on the
> same day as he died, Jesus was not the only victim of this horrible method
> of execution...)
> 
> Enough shilly-shallying. Let us face the question squarely. Can you be
> irreverent, or even humorous about the Crucifixion?
> 
> And of course the question has already been answered for me by Monty Python,
> in the closing sequence of Life of Brian, where Eric Idle and other
> assembled biblical people on crosses sing the jolly yet utterly banal little
> song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This is so incongruous and
> so far from the normal austere, pain-ridden image of the Crucifixion that
> you cannot help laughing at the sheer pointlessness of it.
> 
> Monty Python was not the first to take the Passion lightly, however. Billy
> Connolly had already aroused controversy years before with a routine about
> Christ's last days on earth, retelling the story as a mighty three-day
> piss-up in Glasgow, with Jesus being portrayed as a local hard man called
> the Big Yin.
> 
> And over a hundred years ago the French enfant terrible Alfred Jarry had
> retold the story as a sporting event in: "The Crucifixion Considered as an
> Uphill Bicycle Race", with the opening line: "Barabbas, one of the
> favourites, had scratched from the race just before the start". It's a
> vigorous though muddled tale, because there are in truth not many parallels
> between the Crucifixion and a bicycle race, but it struck J G Ballard enough
> for him to write a pastiche of it called "The Assassination of John
> Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race", which I think is
> actually funnier.
> 
> Nor can I get out of my memory a true story which appeared years ago in the
> satirical newspaper Le Canard Encha?n?. They reported that rehearsals had
> been taking place in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a Passion
> play. Apparently, according to the Canard, the main rehearsal was well under
> way, with the actor playing Jesus already fastened to the Cross, when a
> sudden fierce rainstorm swept across the open ground and sent all the actors
> scurrying for cover. All, of course, except for Jesus, who was trapped on
> the cross in near-nakedness, and could do nothing except shout after them:
> "You bastards! You bastards!"
> 
> What an awe-inspiring image.
> 
> I hope to return to this subject tomorrow, unless I am struck down by a
> thunderbolt before then. Still, it never happened to Jarry, Connolly or the
> editor of the Canard, so I live in hope.
> 
> 
> --
> ___________________________________________________
> Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic

>


-- 
___________________________________________________
Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/



From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Tue May  9 08:40:17 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 15:40:17 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: Plankton blooms linked to quakes
Message-ID: <20060509_153954_040767.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.

** Message **
They say that monitoring peaks in chlorophyll could provide early information on an impending earthquake. 



** Plankton blooms linked to quakes **
Concentrations of the natural pigment chlorophyll in coastal waters have been shown to rise prior to earthquakes.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/4750557.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Tue May  9 09:20:04 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 12:20:04 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
References: <20060509151124.BC69084032@ws1-5.us4.outblaze.com>
Message-ID: <005d01c67384$6fb83ba0$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

Thanks.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alexander Harper" <harperalexander at mail.com>
To: <mb-civic at islandlists.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?


Thanks for that, Ian. I think you are absolutely right.

AJCH
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ian <ialterman at nyc.rr.com>
> To: mb-civic at islandlists.com
> Subject: Re: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
> Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 17:10:31 -0400
>
>
> Alex et al:
>
> As the resident minister (LOL), I can state unequivocally that any 
> Christian
> who considers any aspect of Christianity "taboo" re humor does not
> understand the faith.  Certainly humor that denigrates a person's faith - 
> or
> their strongest-held belief system - is, or at least can be, more hurtful
> than other types of humor.  This would seem to suggest that such humor be
> kept to a minimum, and not be used in a malicious, spiteful or 
> deliberately
> hurtful manner.  I think there is a line between satiric or irreverent on
> the one hand, and insulting and profane on the other.
>
> But satire is what satire is, and any Christian who gets his/her back up
> over the satirization of any aspect of Christianity, including the
> crucifixion, is one whose has more "doubt in faith" than strength.
> "Humility" alone would preclude a "back up" response.  Add in forgiveness
> and patience, and this would preclude resentment or anger as well.
>
> All of that said, this does not mean that a Christian would not have the
> right to forego any particular comedian's act if the Christian felt that
> such comedian's humor was insulting or profane.
>
> Peace.
>
> P.S.  I loved Life of Brian.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alexander Harper" <harperalexander at mail.com>
> To: <MB-Civic at islandlists.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 8:39 AM
> Subject: [Mb-civic] Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
>
>
>
> Miles Kington: The Crucifixion Considered as a Subject for Humour
>
> If anyone said there was one thing that should never be joked about, it 
> was
> a clear sign that they had secret fears in that particular area
>
> Published: 08 May 2006
>
> The humorous writer George Mikes once wrote a book about humour in which 
> at
> one point he dared to approach the topic that people seem to find so
> alluring without ever being able to solve: are there any subjects which
> should never be joked about? Are there things which are so taboo or so 
> holy
> or so sacrosanct that they are beyond humour?
>
> George was clear in his own mind about this. He said unequivocally that
> nothing is sacred, nothing taboo. Nothing should ever be placed in
> quarantine from satire. He went further and said that if anyone ever said 
> to
> you that there was one thing that should never be joked about, it was a
> clear sign that the person who said it had secret fears in that particular
> area.
>
> (Later in the book George Mikes unwittingly and rather unexpectedly breaks
> his own rule, or at least gives himself away, when he says that there is 
> one
> thing you should never joke about: physical deformity. Did that mean that
> George himself had secret fears about his body? He certainly was quite
> small, and slightly hunched, but it never occurred to me on a slight
> acquaintance that there was anything particularly odd about him. Or worth
> being fearful about. But who knows the truth, when it comes to other
> people's secret fears?)
>
> This is by way of a return to a subject I raised last week, which was the
> suitability or otherwise of the Crucifixion as a subject for irreverence.
> (Interesting, by the way, that we always say "the Crucifixion" and not
> "Jesus's Crucifixion", as if nobody else had ever been crucified, just as
> people always say "the Holocaust" and not "the Jewish Holocaust" or "Nazi
> Holocaust", as if there had never been any other holocaust. Yet even on 
> the
> same day as he died, Jesus was not the only victim of this horrible method
> of execution...)
>
> Enough shilly-shallying. Let us face the question squarely. Can you be
> irreverent, or even humorous about the Crucifixion?
>
> And of course the question has already been answered for me by Monty 
> Python,
> in the closing sequence of Life of Brian, where Eric Idle and other
> assembled biblical people on crosses sing the jolly yet utterly banal 
> little
> song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". This is so incongruous and
> so far from the normal austere, pain-ridden image of the Crucifixion that
> you cannot help laughing at the sheer pointlessness of it.
>
> Monty Python was not the first to take the Passion lightly, however. Billy
> Connolly had already aroused controversy years before with a routine about
> Christ's last days on earth, retelling the story as a mighty three-day
> piss-up in Glasgow, with Jesus being portrayed as a local hard man called
> the Big Yin.
>
> And over a hundred years ago the French enfant terrible Alfred Jarry had
> retold the story as a sporting event in: "The Crucifixion Considered as an
> Uphill Bicycle Race", with the opening line: "Barabbas, one of the
> favourites, had scratched from the race just before the start". It's a
> vigorous though muddled tale, because there are in truth not many 
> parallels
> between the Crucifixion and a bicycle race, but it struck J G Ballard 
> enough
> for him to write a pastiche of it called "The Assassination of John
> Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered as a Downhill Motor Race", which I think is
> actually funnier.
>
> Nor can I get out of my memory a true story which appeared years ago in 
> the
> satirical newspaper Le Canard Encha?n?. They reported that rehearsals had
> been taking place in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a Passion
> play. Apparently, according to the Canard, the main rehearsal was well 
> under
> way, with the actor playing Jesus already fastened to the Cross, when a
> sudden fierce rainstorm swept across the open ground and sent all the 
> actors
> scurrying for cover. All, of course, except for Jesus, who was trapped on
> the cross in near-nakedness, and could do nothing except shout after them:
> "You bastards! You bastards!"
>
> What an awe-inspiring image.
>
> I hope to return to this subject tomorrow, unless I am struck down by a
> thunderbolt before then. Still, it never happened to Jarry, Connolly or 
> the
> editor of the Canard, so I live in hope.
>
>
> --
> ___________________________________________________
> Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic

>


-- 
___________________________________________________
Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/


_______________________________________________
Mb-civic mailing list
Mb-civic at islandlists.com
http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic



From michael at intrafi.com  Tue May  9 10:13:25 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Tue,  9 May 2006 17:13:25 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] NYTimes.com: Three Iraqs Would Be One Big Problem
Message-ID: <20060509171325.6F798237129@lax-gw01.mroute.net>

This page was sent to you by: michael at intrafi.com.

I don't agree. Somehow there must be a way to respect the 3 seperate groups. Otherwise another "strong man" that would probably meny a US Viceroy. Michael


OPINION | May 9, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor: Three Iraqs Would Be One Big Problem
By ANTHONY H. CORDESMAN
Fracturing Iraq into three ethno-religious entities would not serve either Iraqi or U.S. interests, and would make life for average Iraqis even worse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/opinion/09cordesman.html?ex=1147838400&en=0844bcb124948d6e&ei=5070&emc=eta1




----------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail This Article service.  For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help at nytimes.com.

NYTimes.com 500 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May  9 10:26:07 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 10:26:07 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Thanks Alexander & Ian
Message-ID: <C0861EBF.A713%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Great exchange on the "old" Civic List
Should one be able to joke about The Crucifixion?
Thanks
Michael



From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Tue May  9 11:58:17 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 14:58:17 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] "Iran President Sends Bush A Letter"
Message-ID: <000601c6739a$889805e0$1f1c7c46@CowBox>


I have not read "the letter" yet ( been looking for it on net) but I understand it is an 18 page lecture to Bush on world events & how the "concept of democracy" has failed  & humanity. This man in his own way truely believes he is the "second coming"of 'Islamic God' , When he spoke at the UN he said he felt a halo around him & that no one in the audience blinked during his speech 


 http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-24/0605096623122919.htm


Peace
Robin




www.robinmcnamara.com
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May  9 12:20:11 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 12:20:11 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Latest News on Tuesday 9 May
Message-ID: <C086397B.A729%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Tue May  9 14:51:58 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 17:51:58 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] "The Letter"
Message-ID: <000601c673b2$cc0cc640$1f1c7c46@CowBox>

More on the Iranian letter.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/09/D8HGARO0C.html

Peace
Robin



  
www.robinmcnamara.com
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From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Tue May  9 14:54:11 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 17:54:11 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] More On "The Letter"
Message-ID: <000d01c673b3$1b104870$1f1c7c46@CowBox>




http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060509-065652-4072r


Peace
Robin

www.robinmcnamara.com
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From activist at democrats.com  Tue May  9 15:23:45 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Tue, 9 May 2006 18:23:45 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Tell Congress to fix Medicare drug benefit--May 15
	deadline!
Message-ID: <20060509182345.239879@democrats.com>

HTML Message - Tell Congress to fix Medicare drug benefit--May 15 deadline!
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May  9 19:46:00 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 19:46:00 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] The US's Geopolitical Nightmare by F. William Engdahl
	Asia Times
Message-ID: <C086A1F8.A759%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From jameshburns at webtv.net  Wed May 10 09:06:19 2006
From: jameshburns at webtv.net (Jim Burns)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 12:06:19 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] JB, and NEWSWEEK
In-Reply-To: mb-civic-request@islandlists.com's message of Tue, 09 May 2006
	12:00:05 -0700
Message-ID: <5562-44620F7B-458@storefull-3274.bay.webtv.net>


With all the hubub, and whatever, during the week of my birthday, I
didn't realize, this ran in NEWSWEEK... 


"Remembering Dana Reeve" 

Whatever one thought of Dana and Christopher Reeve's politics, you had
to admire their tenacity and the special grace that I believe attend
those who strive through tragedy, particularly when that sadness has to
be borne publicly ("A Legacy of Love and Hope," March 20). When I
learned of Dana's passing, I remembered an image from the end of Chris
Reeve's fabled fantasy film SOMEWHERE IN TIME, where his character is
reunited after death with his beloved in some enchanted realm. And I had
the thought that the Reeves, although apart for only a short while, have
now been able to embrace for the first time in years. 

Jim Burns, 4/3/06
NEWSWEEK 


From Reeeees at aol.com  Tue May  9 22:02:04 2006
From: Reeeees at aol.com (Reeeees at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 01:02:04 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Iran and the Bomb
Message-ID: <E1Fdtye-0008KE-1b@smtpauth04.mail.atl.earthlink.net>

_http://www.binghamton.edu/fbc/179en.htm_ 
(http://www.binghamton.edu/fbc/179en.htm) 

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May 10 12:55:42 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harry)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 19:55:42 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: UK calls for Guantanamo closure
Message-ID: <20060510_195518_043685.harry.sifton@sympatico.ca>

Harry saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** UK calls for Guantanamo closure **
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, calls for the closure of the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4759317.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 10 16:52:19 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 16:52:19 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] New Civic
Message-ID: <C087CAC3.A7F5%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Sorry so late in posting
Michael
http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From newsletter at villagevoice.com  Wed May 10 23:30:59 2006
From: newsletter at villagevoice.com (Village Voice Newsletter)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 02:30:59 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's 'Voice': The Art of Gentle Combat in the Bronx
Message-ID: <20060511063059.11607.qmail@www3.villagevoice.com>

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From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Thu May 11 12:02:06 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 19:02:06 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: US spy agency 'monitoring calls'
Message-ID: <20060511_190134_087265.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** US spy agency 'monitoring calls' **
President Bush declines to confirm or deny a US phone data collection programme exists after press allegations.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4762623.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Thu May 11 12:45:52 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 12:45:52 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's Edits
Message-ID: <C088E280.A867%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May 12 20:29:19 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 23:29:19 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Locker Boxing - a violent concern!
Message-ID: <000801c6763d$7061ad50$453fe440@Harold>

I caught this locker room boxing thing on the news tonight

It is the violence thing that concerns me, it seems to be an extreme fighting underground thing. 

When I was a teen, I saw locker room brush ups, even was in one or two, but not like this!

These events are digitally taped and put on the internet, the new machismo ........  huh???????

Why so violent? CTV News aired a couple of scenes, and they are more violent than the ultra cage fighting on TSN ??

Culture is weird, but what is this all about and why?

Point being, I'm seeing so much violence in the community for entertainment and I do not get it! Nor that I want to, just why and how can it be stopped! 

I do not know?

Later H

Here is the story, I pasted it from CTV News

'Locker boxing'

 
Dr. Kevin Gordon of Dalhousie University

 
Scott Randles suffered a concussion from locker boxing two years ago.

 
Sharon Randles, told CTV.ca she was horrified by her son's injury.

CTV.ca News Staff 
  
Updated: Fri. May. 12 2006 9:40 PM ET 

Medical experts are ringing alarm bells over a so-called rite of passage for adolescents, played out in hockey and lacrosse locker rooms across North America, known as "locker boxing."

The battles, also known as a "cage match" or "helmets and gloves" are generally held after a game, with teammates sitting around cheering on the combatants. A match typically pits two players against each other in an all-out boxing match.

Required equipment includes helmets and hockey gloves as competitors attempt to land more blows to the head than their opponent.

Only punches to the head are permitted, and the match is stopped when one of the fighters gives up, gets knocked down, or their helmet is knocked off. 

An editorial in the May/June edition of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine brings attention to the dangerous fighting game, pointing out the risks of concussion, in addition to the black eyes, broken noses and bloodied lips that often occur.

The editorial described locker boxing as "adolescent risk-taking behaviour with significant potential for concussion." 

"These are children who are getting concussions out of what they think is a sport, which is fairly dangerous for them," Dr. Kevin Gordon of Dalhousie University, the lead author of the editorial, told CTV News.

The editorial states that teen athletes often view the battles as a "time-honoured test of manhood," and feel peer pressure to participate. 

For Scott Randles, a 14-year-old from Lower Sackville, N.S. who suffered a concussion from locker boxing two years ago, it's had a life-altering effect.

Following Randles' locker boxing concussion, he had three other hockey-related concussions, one coming just three games after the initial incident. 

Now, two years later, his memory is weak and he has trouble concentrating.

"Sometimes I blank out and I'll look at the clock and it will be two minutes later," Randles said. "It's a lot harder to learn stuff, and it's a lot harder to remember things."

Contact sports are no longer an option, but he's taken up playing guitar and bass to fill the void.

His mother, Sharon Randles, told CTV.ca she was horrified by her son's injury.

"You hope not, but you're expecting that if your child is going to get hurt playing hockey it's going to be on the ice," she said.

The editorial describes three other adolescents who were involved in locker boxing matches. Two were male hockey players, while the third was a female hockey player.

In all three cases, the participants experienced concussion symptoms such as dizziness, pounding headaches and unsteadiness or the inability to stand on their own. But in all the cases described, the athletes played their next scheduled games and the injuries weren't reported for several days, because of the secrecy surrounding locker boxing. 

One of the males, a 15-year-old, was knocked unconscious during a match in a dressing room before a hockey game. He remembers hearing a teammate say "There's a haymaker," and then later regaining consciousness on the ground.

The second male, 13, was knocked out by an uppercut during a bout with a larger adolescent. He had already suffered two previous concussions in the preceding months.

In the third, and perhaps most surprising incident noted in the editorial, a female on an under-17 hockey team was rendered unconscious during a fight, and fell limply to the ground after being hit. When her coach came to the door to investigate, her teammates dragged her unresponsive body out of sight.

The editorial suggests that many coaches are aware locker boxing takes place, and that it is tolerated and even encouraged in some cases, particularly by lacrosse coaches.

Coaches need to be more proactive in preventing cage matches from taking place, the editorial urged, pointing out that Hockey Canada's rules outline requirements that make team officials responsible for locker boxing.

Rule 47 reads as follows: "Team officials shall be responsible for their conduct and that of their players at all times. They must endeavour to prevent disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the ice and anyplace in the rink."

The report also suggested that parents and coaches should increase supervision and ensure players are fully aware of the risks associated with locker boxing
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Fri May 12 21:34:58 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 21:34:58 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Locker Boxing - a violent concern!
In-Reply-To: <000801c6763d$7061ad50$453fe440@Harold>
Message-ID: <C08AB002.A915%michael@michaelbutler.com>

I sure agree. The violence is so bad. But if I was selling armaments I would
promote violence in entertainment.
Michael




> I caught this locker room boxing thing on the news tonight
> 
> It is the violence thing that concerns me, it seems to be an extreme fighting
> underground thing.
> 
> When I was a teen, I saw locker room brush ups, even was in one or two, but
> not like this!
> 
> These events are digitally taped and put on the internet, the new machismo
> ........  huh???????
> 
> Why so violent? CTV News aired a couple of scenes, and they are more violent
> than the ultra cage fighting on TSN ??
> 
> Culture is weird, but what is this all about and why?
> 
> Point being, I'm seeing so much violence in the community for entertainment
> and I do not get it! Nor that I want to, just why and how can it be stopped!
> 
> I do not know?
> 
> Later H
> 
> Here is the story, I pasted it from CTV News
> 
> 'Locker boxing'
> 
>  
> Dr. Kevin Gordon of Dalhousie University
> 
>  
> Scott Randles suffered a concussion from locker boxing two years ago.
> 
>  
> Sharon Randles, told CTV.ca she was horrified by her son's injury.
> 
> CTV.ca News Staff
>   
> Updated: Fri. May. 12 2006 9:40 PM ET
> 
> Medical experts are ringing alarm bells over a so-called rite of passage for
> adolescents, played out in hockey and lacrosse locker rooms across North
> America, known as "locker boxing."
> 
> The battles, also known as a "cage match" or "helmets and gloves" are
> generally held after a game, with teammates sitting around cheering on the
> combatants. A match typically pits two players against each other in an
> all-out boxing match.
> 
> Required equipment includes helmets and hockey gloves as competitors attempt
> to land more blows to the head than their opponent.
> 
> Only punches to the head are permitted, and the match is stopped when one of
> the fighters gives up, gets knocked down, or their helmet is knocked off.
> 
> An editorial in the May/June edition of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
> brings attention to the dangerous fighting game, pointing out the risks of
> concussion, in addition to the black eyes, broken noses and bloodied lips that
> often occur.
> 
> The editorial described locker boxing as "adolescent risk-taking behaviour
> with significant potential for concussion."
> 
> "These are children who are getting concussions out of what they think is a
> sport, which is fairly dangerous for them," Dr. Kevin Gordon of Dalhousie
> University, the lead author of the editorial, told CTV News.
> 
> The editorial states that teen athletes often view the battles as a
> "time-honoured test of manhood," and feel peer pressure to participate.
> 
> For Scott Randles, a 14-year-old from Lower Sackville, N.S. who suffered a
> concussion from locker boxing two years ago, it's had a life-altering effect.
> 
> Following Randles' locker boxing concussion, he had three other hockey-related
> concussions, one coming just three games after the initial incident.
> 
> Now, two years later, his memory is weak and he has trouble concentrating.
> 
> "Sometimes I blank out and I'll look at the clock and it will be two minutes
> later," Randles said. "It's a lot harder to learn stuff, and it's a lot harder
> to remember things."
> 
> Contact sports are no longer an option, but he's taken up playing guitar and
> bass to fill the void.
> 
> His mother, Sharon Randles, told CTV.ca she was horrified by her son's injury.
> 
> "You hope not, but you're expecting that if your child is going to get hurt
> playing hockey it's going to be on the ice," she said.
> 
> The editorial describes three other adolescents who were involved in locker
> boxing matches. Two were male hockey players, while the third was a female
> hockey player.
> 
> In all three cases, the participants experienced concussion symptoms such as
> dizziness, pounding headaches and unsteadiness or the inability to stand on
> their own. But in all the cases described, the athletes played their next
> scheduled games and the injuries weren't reported for several days, because of
> the secrecy surrounding locker boxing.
> 
> One of the males, a 15-year-old, was knocked unconscious during a match in a
> dressing room before a hockey game. He remembers hearing a teammate say
> "There's a haymaker," and then later regaining consciousness on the ground.
> 
> The second male, 13, was knocked out by an uppercut during a bout with a
> larger adolescent. He had already suffered two previous concussions in the
> preceding months.
> 
> In the third, and perhaps most surprising incident noted in the editorial, a
> female on an under-17 hockey team was rendered unconscious during a fight, and
> fell limply to the ground after being hit. When her coach came to the door to
> investigate, her teammates dragged her unresponsive body out of sight.
> 
> The editorial suggests that many coaches are aware locker boxing takes place,
> and that it is tolerated and even encouraged in some cases, particularly by
> lacrosse coaches.
> 
> Coaches need to be more proactive in preventing cage matches from taking
> place, the editorial urged, pointing out that Hockey Canada's rules outline
> requirements that make team officials responsible for locker boxing.
> 
> Rule 47 reads as follows: "Team officials shall be responsible for their
> conduct and that of their players at all times. They must endeavour to prevent
> disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the ice and
> anyplace in the rink."
> 
> The report also suggested that parents and coaches should increase supervision
> and ensure players are fully aware of the risks associated with locker boxing



From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sat May 13 11:46:27 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 14:46:27 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Article on gas price cap
Message-ID: <002701c676bd$90883560$a527e440@Harold>






Gulf Oil Chief Proposes Price-Cap Program 
By MARK PRATT, Associated Press Writer Fri May 12, 8:00 AM ET 

BOSTON - Joe Petrowski would like nothing more than to see gasoline prices drop like a rock. But if they don't, the chief executive of Gulf Oil LP thinks he's hit upon a plan to help mitigate sky-high gas prices for the average driver. 


Petrowski is working on creating price-cap and price-lock systems similar to programs that home heating oil companies have been offering for more than a decade to protect consumers from severe price spikes.

The goal is to create better brand loyalty in what he calls the "fiercely competitive" retail gasoline business.

"We want to give customers choice and lock in volume for Gulf stations," said Petrowski, who has been CEO of the Chelsea, Mass.-based regional fuel products wholesale distributor for about eight months. "We want to create a loyalty program."

The first aspect of Petrowski's program, reported Thursday by The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, would allow consumers to buy prepaid cards for a certain amount of gasoline at a set price. If the price at the pump rises, the card holder would still pay the lower price they locked in with their prepaid card.

"If the price goes up, you have locked in your price," he said. "You wouldn't have to use the card if the price of gas went down."

The second aspect of the Gulf plan is a cap system for its credit card holders, in which drivers pay a nominal per-gallon fee to guarantee a ceiling price. If prices drop below the ceiling, consumers could still use their cards to buy gasoline and not pay the fee.

Petrowski said there are still multiple hurdles to overcome, including complying with different regulatory requirements in the 11 states where the company's more than 1,800 franchised stations are located.

The programs would at first be available only in Gulf stations, but Petrowski would also like to expand it into the 600 Exxon stations for which it owns franchise rights in New England and New York.

The company also plans market research to determine the public's interest. Petrowski hopes to roll out the programs, which would be available to individual consumers as well as fleets, by late this year or early in 2007.

Gulf would protect itself by buying futures contracts as customers signed up for the program.

There is no downside, Petrowski said. The company wins, consumers win, and gas station owners win.

"Franchisees will love it," he said. "They won't lose anything. They won't be hurt. They won't have to do any hedging, we'll do all that."

Petrowski's plan is not the first of its kind, but it may be the biggest. First Fuel Banks in St. Cloud, Minn., which has just six stations, has allowed customers to lock in prices for years.

But if Gulf's plan works, more large oil companies are likely to try it, said Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover, an energy risk management firm based in New Canaan, Conn.

"It's something we're going to see a lot more of," Beutel said.

People will try to protect themselves from recent price spikes that saw the price at the pump climb to well over $3 per gallon in some areas of the country, he said.

"It wouldn't disappoint me if gas drops back down to $2 gallon and no one was interested in this," Petrowski said. "But if it doesn't, this way we're going to create the ability at the station to fix the price of gasoline
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From villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr  Sat May 13 07:26:31 2006
From: villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr (villasudjuan)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 10:26:31 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] FW: taheri about the letter
In-Reply-To: <000701c67534$106c73d0$6501a8c0@DF2ZTG61>
Message-ID: <E1FezAm-0001xI-C2@elasmtp-kukur.atl.sa.earthlink.net>

    FYI
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Farhad Sepahbody" <sepa at sedona.net>
Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 12:49:49 -0700
To: "villasudjuan" <villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr>
Subject: taheri about the letter

 
The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
Shortcut to: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/65803.htm

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent
sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail
security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

------ End of Forwarded Message

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From mblaxill at yahoo.com  Sat May 13 14:47:52 2006
From: mblaxill at yahoo.com (Mike Blaxill)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 14:47:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] um ... ROVE INDICTED!!!!!!!!
Message-ID: <20060513214752.66609.qmail@web53002.mail.yahoo.com>

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051306W.shtml

    Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury,
Lying to Investigators
    By Jason Leopold
    t r u t h o u t | Report

    Saturday 13 May 2006

    Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent
more than half a day Friday at the offices of
Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl
Rove.

    During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald
served attorneys for former Deputy White House
Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment
charging the embattled White House official with
perjury and lying to investigators related to his
role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of
the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours
to get his affairs in order, high level sources
with direct knowledge of the meeting said
Saturday morning.

    Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, did not
return a call for comment. Sources said
Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met
with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the
charges against Rove, which include perjury and
lying to investigators about how and when Rove
discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert
CIA operative and whether he shared that
information with reporters, sources with direct
knowledge of the meeting said.

    It was still unknown Saturday whether
Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious
obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to
the case said Friday that it appeared very likely
that an obstruction charge against Rove would be
included with charges of perjury and lying to
investigators.

    An announcement by Fitzgerald is expected to
come this week, sources close to the case said.
However, the day and time is unknown. Randall
Samborn, a spokesman for the special prosecutor
was unavailable for comment. In the past, Samborn
said he could not comment on the case.

    The grand jury hearing evidence in the Plame
Wilson case met Friday on other matters while
Fitzgerald spent the entire day at Luskin's
office. The meeting was a closely guarded secret
and seems to have taken place without the
knowledge of the media.

    As TruthOut reported Friday evening, Rove
told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua
Bolten, as well as a few other high level
administration officials, that he will be
indicted in the CIA leak case and will
immediately resign his White House job when the
special counsel publicly announces the charges
against him, according to sources.

    Details of Rove's discussions with the
president and Bolten have spread through the
corridors of the White House, where low-level
staffers and senior officials were trying to
determine how the indictment would impact an
administration that has been mired in a number of
high-profile political scandals for nearly a
year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two
senior officials who work at the Republican
National Committee.

Speaking on condition of anonymity Friday night,
sources confirmed Rove's indictment was imminent.
These individuals requested anonymity saying they
were not authorized to speak publicly about
Rove's situation. A spokesman in the White House
press office said they would not comment on
"wildly speculative rumors."

    Rove's announcement to President Bush and
Bolten comes more than a month after he alerted
the new chief of staff to a meeting his attorney
had with Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in
which Fitzgerald told Luskin that his case
against Rove would soon be coming to a close and
that he was leaning toward charging Rove with
perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to
investigators, according to sources close to the
investigation.

    A few weeks after he spoke with Fitzgerald,
Luskin arranged for Rove to return to the grand
jury for a fifth time to testify in hopes of
fending off an indictment related to Rove's role
in the CIA leak, sources said.

    That meeting was followed almost immediately
by an announcement by newly-appointed White House
Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten of changes in the
responsibilities of some White House officials,
including Rove, who was stripped of his policy
duties and would no longer hold the title of
deputy White House chief of staff.

    The White House said Rove would focus on the
November elections and his change in status in no
way reflected his fifth appearance before the
grand jury or the possibility of an indictment.

    But since Rove testified two weeks ago, the
White House has been
coordinating a response to what is sure to be the
biggest political scandal it has faced thus far:
the loss of a key political operative who has
been instrumental in shaping White House policy
on a wide range of domestic issues.

    Rove testified that he first found out about
Plame Wilson from reading a newspaper report in
July 2003 and only after the story was published
did he share damaging information about her CIA
status with other reporters.

    However, evidence has surfaced during the
course of the two-year-old investigation that
shows Rove spoke with at least two reporters
about Plame Wilson prior to the publication of
the column.

    The explanation Rove provided to the grand
jury - that he was dealing with more urgent White
House matters and therefore forgot - has not
convinced Fitzgerald that Rove has been entirely
truthful in his testimony and resulted in the
indictment.

    Some White House staffers said it's the
uncertainty of Rove's status in the leak case
that has made it difficult for the
administration's domestic policy agenda and the
announcement of an indictment and Rove's
subsequent resignation, while serious, would
allow the administration to move forward on a
wide range of issues.

    "We need to start fresh and we can't do that
with the uncertainty of Karl's case hanging over
our heads," said one White House aide. "There's
no doubt that it will be front page news if and
when (an indictment) happens. But eventually it
will become old news quickly. The key issue here
is that the president or Mr. Bolten respond to
the charges immediately, make a statement and
then move on to other important policy issues and
keep that as the main focus going forward."

 


From activist at democrats.com  Sat May 13 11:35:56 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 14:35:56 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Pelosi and Impeachment
Message-ID: <20060513143556.914559@democrats.com>

Tell Nancy Pelosi Impeachment Is Good for Democrats

Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi has instructed the Democratic Caucus and promised the corporate media that the Democrats will NOT impeach Bush and Cheney even if they win a majority in Congress. Of course, such timidity is the most likely way for the Democrats to NOT win a majority in Congress. While 90% of Democrats and 81% of Independents disapprove of Bush in the latest Harris poll, only 67% of Republicans approve of him. Every poll done on impeachment (http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling ) shows very strong support among Democrats and weak opposition among Republicans. Moreover, an off-year election is won by inspiring your "base" to turn out in higher numbers, and nothing inspires Democratic voters like impeachment.

Here's an article about Pelosi's position:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/pelosi

Here's where you can send her your own thoughts:
sf.nancy at mail.house.gov

Tell your own Representative and Senators to support impeachment:
http://democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/65

Help us elect pro-impeachment Democrats:
http://impeachpac.org 

____________________


Delivery Planned for DontAttackIran.org Petition
--Cindy Sheehan to Lead Delivery of Petition to White House
--Ray McGovern to Lead March to Sec. Rumsfeld's Home

Delivery of petition to White House opposing attack on Iran
When: 1-3 p.m., Thursday, May 18
Where: Lafayette Square Park, in front of White House, Washington, D.C.

March to Secretary of War Donald Rumsfeld's House
When: Departing at 3 p.m., Thursday, May 18
Where: Lafayette Square Park, in front of White House, Washington, D.C.

JOIN US!
Take the Metro to McPherson Square.

A broad coalition of organizations has collected over 40,000 signatures on a petition opposing a U.S. attack on Iran. See the list of participating organizations, the petition, signatures, and comments at:
http://www.dontattackiran.org 

Cindy Sheehan plans to lead the delivery of the petition and signatures to the White House between 1 and 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, in cooperation with a "Pray In" in Lafayette Square Park organized by the Network of Spiritual Progressives:
http://www.tikkun.org/community/spiritual_activism_conference

Prayer leaders will include: Bob Edgar, Rev.Lennox Yearwood, Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, Ahmed Ahrar, Holly Near, Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Rev. Jim Winkler, Rev. Penny Nixon, John Dear S.J., Archdeacon Michael Kendall, and Pledge of Resistance to the Iraq War: Ken Butigan. Also speaking in support of the petition delivery will be Cindy Sheehan, founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of Code Pink: Women for Peace, and David Swanson, Co-Founder of the After Downing Street Coalition.

Following remarks by these speakers and delivery of the petition, along with boxes of signatures and comments, to the White House, Ray McGovern, U.S. Army veteran and retired 27-year CIA analyst, will lead a march through downtown Washington, D.C., to the home of Donald Rumsfeld, where protesters will gather to ask Rumsfeld why he lied about the need for a war on Iraq.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/rumsfeld 

Representatives of many of these organizations, which promoted the petition, will be present and available for comments: Gold Star Families for Peace, CODE PINK, Progressive Democrats of America, Democrats.com, Traprock Peace Center, Global Exchange, Velvet Revolution, Democracy Rising, Truthout, OpEdNews, Backbone Campaign, Consumers For Peace, Campus Antiwar Network, The Young Turks, Citizens for Legitimate Government, Counter Punch, United for Peace and Justice, Stop the War Coalition, This Can't Be Happening, Voters Evolt, Springs Action Alliance, Radio News America, OrbStandard, International Socialist Organization, Voters for Peace, Thom Hartmann Show, Environmentalists Against War, U.S. Peace Council, Grandmothers for Peace, Justice Through Music, Campaign Against Sanctions & Military Intervention in Iran, World Can't Wait, The Rational Response Squad, Idriss Stelley Foundation, Bush Free Zone, Voice International, Foundation for the Development of Human Resources, Tbi
 lisi, Georgia, Political Cooperative, City Sites, Agir contre la guerre (France), Americans Against the War (France), Spiritual Activism Conference, Muslims for Peace (Australia), AndrewBurgin.com, Peace Movement Aotearoa, Not in Our Name Aotearoa New Zealand, Pixel4Peace, Liberty News TV, IntelligentFuture, CampUS Strike for Peace.
http://www.dontattackiran.org 

FLYER:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/daiflyer.pdf

____________________

Cindy Sheehan and Ann Wright to Speak in Virginia
May 17, 2006 - 7 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center
Charlottesville, Virginia
Music -- Speakers -- Question & Answer Period
Cindy Sheehan is co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace and the mother of Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, KIA April 4, 2004, Baghdad. In August, 2005, she camped outside President Bush's home in an effort to ask him for what noble cause her son was sent to die.
Ann Wright resigned from the U.S. State Department in protest the day the Iraq War began. She had served as a diplomat for 16 years and received the State Department's Award for Heroism. She also served for 29 years in the US Army/Army Reserves and attained the rank of Colonel.
Terri Allard is a singer/songwriter with an extraordinary talent for capturing the human spirit in her songs. With power-packed vocals and infectious energy she has the uncanny ability to move her audiences to pin-drop silence.
Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice
434-961-6278
http://www.charlottesvillepeace.org

FLYER:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/may17color.pdf 

The MLK Jr. Performing Arts Center is located at 1400 Melbourne Rd Charlottesville, Va.
Suggested Donation - $5.00 (No one turned away)

________________________________

Wear This Shirt!
http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html 

________________________________

Read This Book!
http://www.gsfp.org 





____________________


FORWARD THIS EMAIL 

#####

If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe at:
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sun May 14 16:36:12 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 16:36:12 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Latest from Frank Rich
Message-ID: <C08D0CFC.A9EF%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sun May 14 20:29:57 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 23:29:57 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Markets brace for worst
Message-ID: <001001c677cf$dbf749b0$2e27e440@Harold>







             
                  Markets braced for the worst
                  By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (Filed: 15/05/2006)



                  Global markets are bracing for turmoil today after an ominous slide in the US dollar and a slump in equity and bond prices late last week sent tremors through the global financial system, evoking memories of the 1987 crash.

                  Emerging economies have led the sell-off as investors recoil from risky assets, pummelling stocks and bonds in Turkey, Hungary, Iceland and much of Latin America.

                  The currencies of Brazil, Mexico and South Africa all suffered their sharpest falls in two years as foreign funds rushed for the exits.

                  In New York, the Dow Jones industrial index fell 262 points over Thursday and Friday to 11381, setting off contagion in Japan and Europe. The FTSE 100 had its worst drop in three years on Friday, falling 129.9 points, or 2.2pc, to 5912.1.

                  Analysts said there were now clear signs that monetary tightening by the world's central banks was starting to crimp growth. Lombard Street Research warned the US was now heading into outright recession, with China also facing a hard landing.

                  "Stock markets in the middle of 2006 are confronting a tight Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, sharply higher bond yields, and a downswing in potential profits," it said.

                  It raised the risk of "an impending financial crisis" caused by excess credit and leverage across the global economy. The group advised investors to liquidate stocks and move into cash yen until the storm has blown over.

                  The dollar has slumped 6pc against the euro and 8pc against the yen this year as the markets anticipate an end to interest-rate rises by the US Federal Reserve, switching attention back to America's debt mountain and current account deficit of 7pc of GDP.

                  Volkmar Hable, chairman of Samarium Technology, said the world was now on the brink of a dollar crisis.

                  "The crash in the autumn of 1987 started with a massive dollar and bond decline in the spring. We are experiencing exactly the same now," he said.

                  Ominously, bonds are no longer viewed as a safe haven, a sign of fear that inflation is gaining a foothold in the major economies. 

                  Interest rates on 10-year Treasury bonds have jumped from 4.36pc to 5.19pc since February, in part because Asian investors are demanding a higher premium for holding risky dollar investments. The 10-year bond is the benchmark for economic activity in the US, setting corporate borrowing rates and the cost of most mortgages.

                  The bond slide is exacting a toll on the US property market, where the price of new homes has fallen for five consecutive months. A half-year inventory of unsold houses now hangs over the market.

                  Goldman Sachs, however, is sticking to its optimistic forecast, banking on a seamless "hand-over" from a slowing US economy to a re-awakening Europe and Japan, while China will continue to be an engine of global growth. The IMF is also bullish, forecasting roaring growth of 4.9pc in 2006, one of the highest rates in half a century.
                 
           
     
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From villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr  Mon May 15 09:11:57 2006
From: villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr (villasudjuan)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 12:11:57 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] FW: Son of the Ayatollah
In-Reply-To: <000701c67834$7b4834c0$6501a8c0@DF2ZTG61>
Message-ID: <E1FfgWO-0000N6-2A@smtpauth04.mail.atl.earthlink.net>


------ Forwarded Message
From: "Farhad Sepahbody" <sepa at sedona.net>
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 08:30:22 -0700
To: "villasudjuan" <villasudjuan at wanadoo.fr>
Subject: Son of the Ayatollah

Son of the Ayatollah
The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
Shortcut to: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060522/22fouad.htm

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent
sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail
security settings to determine how attachments are handled.

------ End of Forwarded Message

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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May 15 10:09:55 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 10:09:55 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Updates
Message-ID: <C08E03F3.AA2E%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From CLARKE445566 at msn.com  Mon May 15 03:14:22 2006
From: CLARKE445566 at msn.com (ROBERT CLARKE)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 06:14:22 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Fw: Globalization
Message-ID: <E1FfhH4-0003I7-AA@elasmtp-spurfowl.atl.sa.earthlink.net>



----- Original Message -----


  
  
Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?   
  Answer: Princess Diana's death.

Question: How come?  
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by   an African, using Bill Gates   's technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that use Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Pakistan lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegals....

That, my friend, is Globalization !!!!  
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Mon May 15 12:32:43 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 12:32:43 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Fascinating Detailed Information about Hydrogen
Message-ID: <C08E256B.AA5B%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Mon May 15 16:41:21 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 23:41:21 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - MORE REFUGEES SNEAKING INTO CANADA: STUDY
Message-ID: <20060515234121.9970B7DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Mon May 15 16:46:44 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 23:46:44 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - CLOSING ARGUMENTS START IN ENRON TRIAL
Message-ID: <20060515234644.0F5607DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May 16 12:12:23 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 12:12:23 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] UPDATE
Message-ID: <C08F7227.AB15%michael@michaelbutler.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May 16 12:03:13 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 12:03:13 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Tough To Believe - Sure Some Questions?
Message-ID: <C08F7001.AB10%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May 17 05:27:07 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (harry.sifton at sympatico.ca)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 05:27:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] USATODAY.com
Message-ID: <14458035.1147868827925.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost>



*Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified.



Israeli land grab, root of problem,Carter.



 
********************
 
If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email.
 
Title: USATODAY.com
 
  
Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link:
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=365705336&pt=Y
 

Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to SAVE THIS link:
http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisPopupApp?clickMap=saveFromET&partnerID=1660&etMailToID=365705336&pt=Y

 
Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to forward this link:
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=forward&etMailToID=365705336&partnerID=1660&pt=Y

  
 
********************


Email pages from any Web site you visit - add the EMAIL THIS button to your browser, copy and paste the following into your Web browser:
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=browserButtons&pt=Y"


*********************



Instructions:
-----------------------------------------
If your e-mail program doesn't recognize Web addresses:
1. With your mouse, highlight the Web Address above. Be sure to highlight the entire Web address, even if it spans more than one line in your email. 
2. Select Copy from the Edit menu at the top of your screen. 
3. Launch your Web browser.
4. Paste the address into your Web browser by selecting Paste from the Edit menu.
5. Click Go or press Enter or Return on your keyboard. 
 
********************
 
 
 
 
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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May 17 05:32:57 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 08:32:57 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Israeli land grab
Message-ID: <000801c679ae$0ba17980$0227e440@Harold>

Israeli land grab root of problem 

Article by President Carter

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060516/oplede16.art.htm

Later H
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 17 11:27:36 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 11:27:36 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Update 17 May
Message-ID: <C090B928.ABA2%michael@michaelbutler.com>



http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 17 11:17:46 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 11:17:46 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler
Message-ID: <C090B6DA.AB9C%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From ialterman at nyc.rr.com  Wed May 17 16:32:51 2006
From: ialterman at nyc.rr.com (Ian)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 19:32:51 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler
References: <C090B6DA.AB9C%michael@michaelbutler.com>
Message-ID: <003501c67a0a$37c84050$99ca6c42@iancn2ccrvzt0j>

Michael:

How strange!  I posted a response to this, and I saw it posted as #4.  Yet 
now I go to the blog and find that my response has disappeared!!  Any idea 
why?

Peace.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Butler" <michael at michaelbutler.com>
To: "SPECIAL from Michael Butler" <michael at michaelbutler.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 2:17 PM
Subject: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler


>
> Michael Butler's Blog
>
> http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/
>
> http://www.michaelbutler.com
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
> 



From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Wed May 17 16:35:33 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 23:35:33 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - U.S. DELAYS IMPLEMENTING NEW BORDER RULES
Message-ID: <20060517233533.E4BC77DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From lindahassler at sbcglobal.net  Wed May 17 17:10:22 2006
From: lindahassler at sbcglobal.net (Linda Hassler)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 19:10:22 -0500
Subject: [Mb-civic] Immigration Wisdom in 1907
Message-ID: <60ec6f43e0da77ef100babc40e4bdb11@sbcglobal.net>



Begin forwarded message:
The wisdom of our fathers

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?

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an American in 1907:
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes 
here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, 
he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is 
an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or 
birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's 
becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an 
American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he 
is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We 
have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but 
one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room 
for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

  Theodore Roosevelt 1907


From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 17 18:02:11 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 18:02:11 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Mb-civic Digest, Vol 23, Issue 33
In-Reply-To: <mailman.2173.1147912236.3391.mb-civic@islandlists.com>
Message-ID: <C09115A3.ABF0%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Ian,
I would go to MB Blog and post your comments again. I am not an expert but
that is what I would do.
Michael




> Send Mb-civic mailing list submissions to
> mb-civic at islandlists.com
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> mb-civic-request at islandlists.com
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> mb-civic-owner at islandlists.com
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Mb-civic digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler (Michael Butler)
>    2. Re: My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler (Ian)
>    3. CBC News - U.S. DELAYS IMPLEMENTING NEW BORDER RULES
>       (CBC News Online)
>    4. Immigration Wisdom in 1907 (Linda Hassler)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 11:17:46 -0700
> From: Michael Butler <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Subject: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler
> To: SPECIAL from Michael Butler <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Message-ID: <C090B6DA.AB9C%michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> 
> Michael Butler's Blog
> 
> http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/
> 
> http://www.michaelbutler.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 19:32:51 -0400
> From: "Ian" <ialterman at nyc.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael
> Butler
> To: <mb-civic at islandlists.com>
> Message-ID: <003501c67a0a$37c84050$99ca6c42 at iancn2ccrvzt0j>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
> 
> Michael:
> 
> How strange!  I posted a response to this, and I saw it posted as #4.  Yet
> now I go to the blog and find that my response has disappeared!!  Any idea
> why?
> 
> Peace.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Butler" <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> To: "SPECIAL from Michael Butler" <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 2:17 PM
> Subject: [Mb-civic] My Comments About Conspiracies By Michael Butler
> 
> 
>> 
>> Michael Butler's Blog
>> 
>> http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/
>> 
>> http://www.michaelbutler.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Mb-civic mailing list
>> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
>> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 23:35:33 UT
> From: CBC News Online <nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca>
> Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - U.S. DELAYS IMPLEMENTING NEW BORDER
> RULES
> To: mb-civic at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <20060517233533.E4BC77DC2 at web04.nm.cbc.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain
> 
> This email has been sent to you by harry.sifton at sympatico.ca
> The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE
> at http://www.cbc.ca/news
> ____________________________________________________
> U.S. DELAYS IMPLEMENTING NEW BORDER RULES
> Web Posted Wed, 17 May 2006 18:14:52
> 
> ---There will be a delay before Canadians are required to show passports
> or sophisticated ID cards in order to enter the United States.?
> 
> The new rules were supposed to take effect in 2008.? But on Wednesday,
> the U.S. Senate passed an amendment to the controversial immigration
> reform package, pushing back the requirements by 17 months.?
> 
> The new rules?will now come into effect on June 1, 2009.
> 
> Canadian officials and other critics worry the new rules, which will also
> require Americans to show passports or government-issued ID cards, will
> create a bureaucratic nightmare, damage trade and tourism, and complicate
> life in border communities.?
> 
> Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said the delay will give governments
> "enough time to fix these problems beforehand, instead of having to fix
> the mess it will cause afterward." ?
> 
> Copyright (C) 2006 CBC. All rights reserved.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 19:10:22 -0500
> From: Linda Hassler <lindahassler at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: [Mb-civic] Immigration Wisdom in 1907
> To: CIVIC <MB-Civic at islandlists.com>, Marie Reilly <REILMJ at aol.com>,
> Vic Simon <Roselotus at earthlink.net>, Stephanie Harrover
> <sharrover at aol.com>, Mark Head <markhead at comcast.net>, Barbara Spencer
> <Spentoro at aol.com>
> Message-ID: <60ec6f43e0da77ef100babc40e4bdb11 at sbcglobal.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> 
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> The wisdom of our fathers
> 
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> -------------- next part --------------
> ?
> 
> Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an American in 1907:
> "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes
> here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us,
> he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is
> an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or
> birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's
> becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an
> American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he
> is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We
> have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but
> one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room
> for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
> 
>   Theodore Roosevelt 1907
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-civic mailing list
> Mb-civic at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-civic
> 
> End of Mb-civic Digest, Vol 23, Issue 33
> ****************************************




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Wed May 17 20:16:27 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 23:16:27 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Murtha "Marines killed civilians"
Message-ID: <000801c67a29$77fc7780$5a27e440@Harold>



     Marines killed Iraqi civilians 'in cold blood': US lawmaker
            May 17 8:39 PM US/Eastern
             

      A US lawmaker and former Marine colonel accused US Marines of killing innocent Iraqi civilians after a Marine comrade had been killed by a roadside bomb. 

      "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," John Murtha told reporters. The November 19 incident occurred in Haditha, Iraq. 

       

      "There was no firefight" that led to the shootings at close range, the Vietnam war veteran said, denying early official accounts, which said that a roadside bomb had killed the Iraqis. 

      "There were no (roadside bombs) that killed these innocent people," he said. 

      Time magazine reported the shootings on March 27, based on an Iraqi human rights group and locals, who said that 15 unarmed Iraqis died, including women and children, when Marines barged into their home throwing grenades and shooting. 

      "It's much worse than reported in Time magazine," Murtha said. 

      At least three Marine officers are under official investigation, and no report has been released, Army Times said Tuesday. 

      Murtha is a harsh critic of the war in Iraq and said that such incidents are the result of inadequate planning, training and troop numbers in Iraq. 
     
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From newsletter at villagevoice.com  Wed May 17 21:21:09 2006
From: newsletter at villagevoice.com (Village Voice Newsletter)
Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 00:21:09 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's 'Voice': The 51st Annual Obie Awards
Message-ID: <20060518042109.43447.qmail@www3.villagevoice.com>

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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Thu May 18 13:22:07 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 13:22:07 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Civic Blog
Message-ID: <C092257F.AC68%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Hi,
On 1 June this Civic List is going to be replaced by the Civic Blog. Do
check it out and register so you can participate.
Michael
http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Thu May 18 19:10:09 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (HS)
Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 21:10:09 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: [Mb-civic] From A Friend: 'TheWBALChannel.com - News - Couple
	Arrested For Asking For Directions'
Message-ID: <26753499.1148004609460.JavaMail.nfsnobody@app106.mtc.ibsys.com>


    
HS has sent you a story: "TheWBALChannel.com - News - Couple Arrested For Asking For Directions"

the link:
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/9229472/detail.html?taf=bal

Message from HS:  I just had to forward this!

  

From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Fri May 19 07:42:16 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 10:42:16 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Big 3 Auto Makers push for alternative / renewable
	fuels. Bush not in town.
Message-ID: <000801c67b52$719cbd30$3f27e440@Harold>



Journalists found it odd that Bush would rather be at a photo-op along the Mexican border, than be in Washington meeting with the leaders of the big Three auto makers! "The optics are not encouraging" was one reporter's thoughts on Bush not being there.

Later H


The Toronto Star


Auto makers press Congress on ethanol
`We want to be a leader in this historic shift'

Big 3 executives arrive in cars with corn stalk trim
May 19, 2006. 01:00 AM
KEN THOMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON?Leaders of the Big Three North American auto makers pressed the U.S. Congress yesterday to help make ethanol fuels more widely available to motorists, calling it an immediate step toward weaning the nation from foreign oil. 

General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner, Ford Motor Co. chairman and CEO Bill Ford, and Tom LaSorda, president and CEO of DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, said they urged congressional leaders to boost the number of gas stations that carry ethanol blends. 

The executives also endorsed an initiative to have renewable fuels meet 25 per cent of the nation's transportation energy needs by 2025. 

"We want to be a leader in this historic shift," Wagoner said. 

Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, described the Illinois Republican's meeting with the auto executives as a ``positive and constructive dialogue" on ways to encourage alternative fuel vehicles and wider availability of ethanol blends. The auto makers also expressed support for pension reform. 

Auto industry officials had said the Washington meetings would centre on energy issues such as making ethanol fuels more widely available, the industry's challenges in meeting rising health-care costs, trade issues and the need for more alternative fuel vehicles. 

Ford, following a meeting with Senate Democrats, said it was a "great opportunity for the three of us to get together with the leadership and talk about the opportunities we have as a country and as an industry, particularly on fuels, and how we start to wean ourselves from dependence on foreign oil.'' 

Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, said, "We recognize that there are problems, and we are going to work as partners with them." He added, "Perhaps, in the last many years, we have not worked together as well as we should have.'' 

Reid said it was the first of many meetings to develop a better partnership between government and industry. 

The Big Three executives arrived in vehicles powered by ethanol, decorated with images of corn stalks, to underscore their commitment to alternative fuels. 

Domestic auto makers have ramped up production of flexible fuel vehicles, capable of running on gasoline and fuel blends of up to 85 per cent ethanol. 

But one of the obstacles is finding pumps that offer ethanol ? industry officials estimate that about 685 of the 165,000 fueling stations across the country offer ethanol blends, less than 1 per cent of the stations. 

The auto executives plan to meet in June with U.S. President George W. Bush. 

Wagoner also said yesterday he was optimistic bankrupt Delphi Corp. of Troy, Mich., and the United Auto Workers union would resolve their differences at the bargaining table, though GM has stockpiled parts in case of a work stoppage.
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Fri May 19 10:26:09 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 10:26:09 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Civic Blog
Message-ID: <C0934DC1.ACEB%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Two more Editors signed in.
Now organized to take Comments
Michael
http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/





From michael at michaelbutler.com  Fri May 19 12:04:36 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 12:04:36 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] How The Right Stole The 60's
Message-ID: <C09364D4.ACFD%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com

-- The Battle
"There are two great powers and they've been fighting since time began.
Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency
we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little
increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who
want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to
obey and be humble and submit"
 "The Subtle Knife"  by Philip Pullman





From michael at intrafi.com  Fri May 19 13:25:03 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 13:25:03 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] How The Right Stole The 60's
Message-ID: <C09377AF.AD13%michael@intrafi.com>

Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com

-- The Battle
"There are two great powers and they've been fighting since time began.
Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency
we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little
increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who
want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to
obey and be humble and submit"
 "The Subtle Knife"  by Philip Pullman



From michael at intrafi.com  Sat May 20 11:41:18 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 11:41:18 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Update
Message-ID: <C094B0DE.AD7B%michael@intrafi.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sat May 20 13:39:40 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (harry.sifton at sympatico.ca)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 20:39:40 GMT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Guardian Unlimited: Inside Iraq's hidden war
Message-ID: <20060520203940.B57C13408C@mx01.guardian.co.uk>

Harry spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.

To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk

Inside Iraq's hidden war
As a new 'national unity' government prepares to take power in Baghdad, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports from behind the lines of a vicious sectarian conflict rapidly spiralling towards civil war
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad 
Saturday May 20 2006
The Guardian


Some men hold paper tissues under their noses; others wrap their kuffiya ends around their mouths. It is a hot and humid day at the city's main morgue where 20 men stand in a yard, their faces pressed with silent urgency against the bars of a window, next to a white plastic sign that baldly announces the location of "The Refrigerator".

Inside sits the clerk of the morgue, his computer monitor turned towards them. Faces flash on the screen: a man with his face blackened and bruised; another man, older, maybe in his 50s, with a white beard and an orange-sized hole in his forehead; and another on a green stretcher, his arms twisted unnaturally behind him.

Occasionally the silence of Baghdad's daily slideshow of death is broken by an appalled act of recognition, as one of the men mumbles "No god but the one God" or "God is great."

So many bodies arrive at the morgue each day - 40 is not unusual on a "quiet" day - that it is impossible to let relatives in to identify them. Hence the slideshow in the yard outside. The bodies are dumped in sewage plants or irrigation canals, or just in the middle of the street. Many show signs of torture. Every morning a procession of pickup trucks, minibuses and cars line up with their coffins outside the concrete blast walls of the ministry of health to pick up their cargo. One death often courts another. Many Sunnis say the mourners are attacked en route. When they go to retrieve the body of a relative, family members often wait in the car clutching their weapons in anticipation.

The ministry is under the control of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and a large mural of his dead ayatollah father decorates the entrance to the compound. Most of the security guards in the morgue and the ministry are affiliated to his militia, the Mahdi army, one of the militias thought to be behind the sectarian killing going on in their neighbourhoods.

"Why do you want to go inside? Those inside are all terrorists, Sunni terrorists," said Captain Abu Ahmad, the officer in charge of security at the morgue, when the Guardian presented a document granting permission from the ministry of health to visit. "If you want to see innocent victims, go to the hospitals and see the victims of Sunni terrorism on Shia civilians."

After months of argument about whether Iraq is teetering on the verge of civil war, a "national unity" government is due to be inaugurated today. Legislators plan to swear in a new prime minister and cabinet, and much will be made in London and Washington of the fact that this completes a democratic transition that began in December with the election of its parliament. But the reality encountered during three weeks behind the barricades of Baghdad's increasingly bloody sectarian conflict has more in common with the "ethnic cleansing" of the Balkans than the optimistic rhetoric to be heard on the manicured lawns of the embassy compounds and in western capitals.

The Patriot

Adel is 26. He is tall and well built, with long, thick dark hair styled with gel and a thin goatee beard. With his basketball shirt and knee-length shorts, he looks more like a rapper than a vigilante commander. Four years ago, when most of his friends were still reeling from the shock and awe of America's occupation, Ali stepped out of his life as a wealthy playboy from the leafy neighbourhood of Yarmouk in the west of Baghdad, and into the life of a Sunni insurgent.

"When I saw the first American patrol in my street I went to my room and cried for three days," he said as we sat in his family's huge living room. He emerged from his bedroom, crossed the street to a school that was used during the war as a Ba'ath party office, collected some RPG rockets, a launcher and ammunition, and drove around the neighbourhood looking for American troops. He soon found them.

"You think you are brave and you want to fight for your country and defend your home, but when I stood in front of them with the RPG on my shoulder, my legs were shaking from fear and my body went stiff. I just remember a huge bang and a cloud of dust and my friend grabbed and pushed me to the car and we drove away.

"Now its much easier. I am more focused and I know it's a split-second decision: either I kill or get killed."

For months Adel fought the Americans almost every day, firing RPGs and laying IEDs (improvised explosive devices). His friends mocked his enthusiasm and his talk about the need to defend his country and started calling him "The Patriot".

But it has been a few months since he has taken part in any attacks against the hated occupiers. Adel The Patriot has a new mission. He commands a Sunni vigilante group, a dozen or so men armed with Kalashnikovs and a heavy calibre machine gun, attempting, they say, to defend their area against raids and "arrests" made by Shia interior ministry commandos.

It was early afternoon when we met and he had just woken up. He doesn't get much sleep these days. At midnight, just as the streets fall silent, Shia death squads roam the streets looking for prey. Adel and his group sit outside and wait. Most of the streets in Yarmouk are barricaded by bits of metal, palm tree trunks, boxes, bricks and cinder blocks. Streets are cut off to make a maze that only local people know how to negotiate.

One of Adel's friends was snatched from his shop by men wearing Iraqi police force uniforms, he says. "They knew the area where his house is was well protected, so they went to his shop." The friend's body surfaced three days later. His nose had been mutilated, he was handcuffed and left to die in a garbage dump. "I knew he was dead from the moment he was taken. We feel very angry. Even the people who didn't want to kill the Shia have joined the fight now."

Adel says 10 Sunnis have been killed in his neighbourhood in the past month. In retaliation 20 Shia were kidnapped and killed by Sunni insurgents. During one week the Guardian spent in Yarmouk in May, a grocer, his two brothers and a cousin, a school guard, a generator operator, and four ministry of education employees, all Shia, were killed. Two Sunnis were killed in the same week.

"Look, a full-scale civil war will break out in the next few months. The Kurds only care about their independence. We the Sunnis will be crushed - the Shia have more fighters and they are better organised, and have more than one leadership. They are supported by the Iranians. We are lost. We don't have leadership and no one is more responsible for our disarray than [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi, may God curse him," he said.

The logic of Adel The Patriot's new sectarian struggle against the Shia is driving him and his fellow Sunnis into radical new directions. Asked what will save the Sunnis, he replies almost instinctively.

"Our only hope is if the Americans hit the Iranians, and by God's will this day will come very soon, then the Americans will give a medal to anyone who kills a Shia militiaman. When we feel that an American attack on Iran is imminent, I myself will shoot anyone who attacks the Americans and all the mujahideen will join the US army against the Iranians.

"Most of my fellow mujahideen are not fighting the Americans at the moment, they are too busy killing the Shia, and this is only going to create hatred. If someone kills one of my family I will do nothing else but kill to avenge their deaths."

Most of the Shia in Yarmouk and other Sunni areas have left and their young people have now joined the Shia militias. So what would Adel do to stop the cycle of violence? "If I have some money I will pay regular salaries to my men, buy three black Opel cars [the preferred assassination car in Baghdad]. We will kidnap members of Badr brigade [the main Shia militia], we will kill some and get ransom on the other and the ransom money will finance more operations and I can have my own mujahideen faction."

Later he and two friends explain how to distinguish a Sunni from a Shia. One of the friends says: "The Shia are darker. Sunnis have coloured eyes. Shia foreheads are smaller. Sunnis walk with arms away from the body. It's so easy: look at that man, the way he is walking he is obviously a Sunni."

The Shia

No one tries to move the body of a man in grimy tracksuit bottoms, lying in Mu'alemeen Street, in Dora. A grocery store continues to sell vegetables across the street, and two women carrying plastic bags pass by the body, a pool of dried blood around his head, without looking.

"He is a Shia, no one can move him. If anyone tries to touch the body, they will be killed. The mujahideen want him to rot in the street in front of his family and friends," a local man says.

Dora used to be one of Baghdad's most mixed neighbourhoods. Shia, Sunnis and Christians all lived together. The Christians were the first to leave after attacks on their churches. They were followed by the Shia, killed and intimidated by Sunni insurgents. Then came the Shia retaliation, raids by interior ministry commandos, Mahdi army death squads; scores of Sunni men detained only for their mutilated bodies to reappear later.

Today gun battles erupt every week, between Sunnis defending their patch against the Shia militias or Shia defending their homes against the Sunni insurgents.

Abu Muhammad's family is one of two Shia families left in his street. The other 18 have all left. To survive, he has to pretend he is a Sunni. He stood in front of his house and shouted insults at the Shia government. He stopped calling two of his sons by their real Shia names. He bought a Kalashnikov and gave it to the local mujahideen. Even the screen on his mobile announces "the one of Fallujah", a reference to the battle between insurgents and US forces that is iconic to many Sunnis.

"What can I do? I have to make sure that they don't think that I am Shia. Every time I leave the house I say my prayers and kiss my children as if I am not going to see them again."

In Karrada, another Shia neighbourhood, a man speaks with detachment about the Shia death squads. "It's really bad what the Shia forces are doing now, but truth has to be said: most of the Sunnis who get killed deserve it. The terrorists come from the Sunni community. They are not insurgents themselves, they have cousins who are insurgents. For three years now the Shia have been patient and now Sunnis have to see what the Shia can do."

Sheikh Omar - director of the human rights office of the Iraqi Islamic party, one of the leading Sunni political groups - is explaining how it was all the Americans' fault for empowering Shia militia to fight the insurgency, when a man opens the door and rushs in.

"Sheikh, the ministry commandos are attacking the Mahdiya area in Dora and people are in the mosque fighting back."

Phone calls followed. One report spoke of a force of 20 interior ministry vehicles. Sheikh Omar bashes out a number on his mobile phone. "We are receiving reports that a force of 20 ministry of interior commandos are attacking this Sunni area and people are fighting back from the mosque. Can you ask Colonel Paul to send his troops? If our people see the Americans, we will stop fighting."

A couple of streets from Abu Muhammad's house, in an empty house deserted by its Shia occupants, five Sunni gunmen sit on the roof, one crouched behind the roof parapet, his rifles stuck through a breeze bloc. They are the local neighbourhood watch. An old woman with a white headscarf brings them a tray of glasses of tea. "May God protect you my sons," she says.

One of the gunmen explains: "We never fire in the morning - we don't want to expose where we are."

Back in Yarmouk, not far from Adel the Patriot's house, a group of eight-year-olds gather by a makeshift barricade, armed with plastic pistols and sunglasses. Their "commander", a 12-year-old, orders them to pull a log of wood away from their make-believe checkpoint, to let a car through.

But then a police pickup truck appears, its Shia occupants wearing balaclavas. The children instinctively take up firing positions with their plastic Kalashnikovs.

The police pickup takes a right and disappears up a sidestreet. The kids cheer and shout.

Some people's names have been changed to protect their identity.

Five days in the life of a nation on the brink

Saturday

Basra Two British soldiers killed in roadside bomb attack.

Baghdad US soldier killed when vehicle struck by roadside bomb.

Mosul Two policemen ambushed and killed by gunmen.

Balad Ruz Two bombs kill civilian and wound police officer.

Sunday

Yusufiya Insurgents shoot down US helicopter, killing two soldiers.

Baghdad Two suicide car bombs explode near entrance to international airport zone, killing 14. Roadside bomb kills two US soldiers. Bomb at al-Mustansiriya University kills one and wounds 11. Three killed by bomb at market, four killed by another roadside bomb, two more die in further roadside bombing.

Kerbala Bodies of four brothers who worked for humanitarian organisation found beheaded.

Adhaim Three bodyguards working for Iraq's foreign minister killed when motorcade hit by bomb.

Mosul Two killed by car bomb.

Yusufiya US forces kill more than 25 insurgents during ground and air attacks.

Monday

Baghdad Saddam Hussein trial resumes.

Amara Four British soldiers wounded in mortar attack.

Balad Two US killed by roadside bomb.

Mosul Policeman killed when bomb explodes near house where gunmen killed six members of same family.

Mahaweel Roadside bombs kill two.

Latifiya 16 suspected al Qaida-linked militants killed in raids.

Kerbala Body of policeman abducted by gunmen two days earlier found.

Balad Ruz Gunmen kill four primary school teachers.

Wajihiya Girl of seven dies and seven members of her family wounded when mortar round lands on their house.

Tuesday

Baghdad 19 people killed in attack at bus garage. US soldier killed by roadside bomb. Four workers at US military base shot dead. Kidnappers abduct United Arab Emirates diplomat. Six die in clashes between insurgents and police.

Wednesday

Anbar province US navy member killed in combat operation. Most naval personnel in that area are attached to marine units as medics.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited


From Reuters_News at reuters.com  Sat May 20 08:22:41 2006
From: Reuters_News at reuters.com (Reuters_News at reuters.com)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 11:22:41 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Reuters.com - Some Iraq war vets go homeless after
	return to US - Fri May 19, 2006 2:44 PM ET
Message-ID: <01d001c67c21$3c47eef0$a99e4ca7@RCUSSTLA8>

Harry (harry.sifton at sympatico.ca) has sent you this article.

Reuters.com - Some Iraq war vets go homeless after return to US
	http://today.reuters.com/news/ArticleNews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-05-19T184405Z_01_N19384748_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-HOMELESS-VETERANS.xml

This service is not intended to encourage spam. The details provided by your colleague have been used for the sole purpose of facilitating this email communication and have not been retained by Reuters. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list.

If you would like to receive news articles delivered to your email address, please subscribe at www.reuters.com


From michael at intrafi.com  Sat May 20 12:31:00 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 12:31:00 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] WHY RELIGION MUST END
Message-ID: <C094BC84.AD89%michael@intrafi.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com

What truly frightens me is the rise all over the world and particularly in
America of the so-called fundamentalists and the religious right. They are
making a mockery of spiritual values and the separation of church and state,
a tenet upon which this nation was formed. How much killing has been done in
the name of God. I really fear for our freedom. We had best address this
problem, more important than anything else., MB





From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sat May 20 14:24:22 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 17:24:22 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] The Worst President in History? (Rolling Stone Mag)
Message-ID: <000501c67c53$c80294e0$2627e440@Harold>

Cover Story by Sean Wilentz

"Worst President in History"

I did not get a chance to read it until now, 


 http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_history on rollingstone.com.

Later H
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From hecate at diamonddragon.com  Sat May 20 17:48:13 2006
From: hecate at diamonddragon.com (Hecate)
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 00:48:13 +0000
Subject: [Mb-civic] BBC E-mail: Politician Gore appears at Cannes
Message-ID: <20060521_004709_078735.hecate@diamonddragon.com>

Hecate saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.



** Politician Gore appears at Cannes **
Former US vice-president Al Gore tells the Cannes Film Festival global warming is a "planetary emergency".
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/4998856.stm >


** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ >


** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified.

If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm


From michael at intrafi.com  Sun May 21 09:10:06 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 09:10:06 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] UPDATES
Message-ID: <C095DEEE.ADF1%michael@intrafi.com>


http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/




From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Sun May 21 16:15:22 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 23:15:22 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - BATON ROUGE SHOCKED AFTER CHURCH KILLINGS
Message-ID: <20060521231522.3E0BA7DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca  Sun May 21 16:17:02 2006
From: nwonline at toronto.cbc.ca (CBC News Online)
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 23:17:02 UT
Subject: [Mb-civic] CBC News - NEW ORLEANS RE-ELECTS NAGIN IN TIGHT MAYORAL
	RACE
Message-ID: <20060521231702.5A56F7DC2@web04.nm.cbc.ca>

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From harry.sifton at sympatico.ca  Sun May 21 16:54:58 2006
From: harry.sifton at sympatico.ca (Harold Sifton)
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 19:54:58 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Mike Wallace
Message-ID: <000801c67d31$fc5cd690$1b27e440@Harold>

I just caught Mike Wallace on 60 minutes.

What an amazing reporter's life, whether right or wrong in his journey, he is true to himself, I have the greatest respect and interest in his journalism.

On this note, this is my last post on MB-Civic and will try to post on Michael's new site/blog, once I figure it out.

It is all in the thinking/learning, the knowledge gathered from life's experiences as to one's on going conduct/life in the community!

Love Harold

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From michael at intrafi.com  Mon May 22 10:23:45 2006
From: michael at intrafi.com (michael at intrafi.com)
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 10:23:45 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Updates 22 May 2006
Message-ID: <C09741B1.AE92%michael@intrafi.com>


-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/
-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/hair/




From activist at democrats.com  Mon May 22 16:02:16 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 19:02:16 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Tell the Religious Right - Stop Blocking Stem Cell
	Research
Message-ID: <20060522190216.687304@democrats.com>

HTML Message - Tell the Religious Right - Stop Blocking Stem Cell Research
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From TSawyer456 at aol.com  Tue May 23 11:59:07 2006
From: TSawyer456 at aol.com (TSawyer456 at aol.com)
Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 14:59:07 EDT
Subject: [Mb-civic] Tell the Religious Right - Stop Blocking Stem Cell
	Research
Message-ID: <447.172e466.31a4b57b@aol.com>

 
Wouldn't you love it if some Dem had the cojones to say: 
 
Look, we respect your right to believe what you want to believe. But you do  
NOT have the right to impose those beliefs and values on the rest of  us.

 
They  gave such a speech to Jimmy Smits this season on "West Wing". It should 
be  written on the foreheads of all politicians. 
 
But  then - how could the Jesus-types justify being missionaries, or having 
fought in  the Crusades?
 
Sigh... 
 
Tom
_www.ThomasBSawyer.com_ (http://www.thomasbsawyer.com/)  
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From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Wed May 24 15:55:57 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 18:55:57 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Khomeini Rules From The Grave
Message-ID: <000601c67f85$38818cb0$1f1c7c46@CowBox>


Khomeini Lives

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-24/0605249751182713.htm


Peace
Robin


www.robinmcnamara.com
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 24 20:18:03 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 20:18:03 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Valle de San Felix,
	the purest water in Chile needs Saving
Message-ID: <C09A6FFB.AFF6%michael@michaelbutler.com>


From newsletter at villagevoice.com  Wed May 24 22:44:10 2006
From: newsletter at villagevoice.com (Village Voice Newsletter)
Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 01:44:10 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's Voice: VLS Savors the Chick Lit Scandal
Message-ID: <20060525054410.8956.qmail@www3.villagevoice.com>

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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Fri May 26 09:40:12 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 09:40:12 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Updated
Message-ID: <C09C7D7C.B0D6%michael@michaelbutler.com>


-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/
-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/hair/




From activist at democrats.com  Fri May 26 19:29:21 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 22:29:21 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Stop Another Trillion Dollar Tax Cut for Millionaires
Message-ID: <20060526222921.898522@democrats.com>

Tell the Senate to Block Another Trillion Dollar Tax Cut for the Super Wealthy

The Senate is set to consider next week proposals to eliminate or "reform" the estate tax. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) has proposed a "reform" that would eliminate most of this tax.

But the estate tax is needed to slow the division of our nation into permanent hereditary classes, and the revenue it raises is desperately needed right now to pay for essential services like Medicaid and student loans. These services are under threat from huge deficits driven by reckless spending on an illegal war and on other destructive tax cuts.

Write to your Senators now!
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/82

____________

Introducing the Impeachment Resource Center

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

We have put together an Impeachment Resource Center. It includes not only resources you can access online, but the means to contact experts who can assist you with resolutions, research, websites, media, or events planning.

Please use the resource center to continue building a movement!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

____________

Tim Robbins Speaks Out on Impeachment

Listen to Tim Robbins' PSA
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/robbins.mp3


____________________


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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sun May 28 12:32:20 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 12:32:20 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Updated
Message-ID: <C09F48D4.B1D1%michael@michaelbutler.com>


-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/
-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/hair/




From michael at michaelbutler.com  Sun May 28 11:52:53 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 11:52:53 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] You Have Asked For More About Faith,
	Religion & Spirituality
Message-ID: <C09F3F95.B1CA%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Tue May 30 09:53:29 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 12:53:29 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Passwords
Message-ID: <000601c68409$941c42d0$1f1c7c46@CowBox>

I registed with the new formats but never got any passwords.




www.robinmcnamara.com
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From olhippie at tampabay.rr.com  Tue May 30 09:56:53 2006
From: olhippie at tampabay.rr.com (Robin McNamara)
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 12:56:53 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] "Ahmadinejad's Interview"
Message-ID: <000d01c6840a$0d907c30$1f1c7c46@CowBox>


President of Iran speaks in interview


http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,418660,00.html


Peace
Robin



www.robinmcnamara.com
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Tue May 30 11:54:40 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 11:54:40 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Updates
Message-ID: <C0A1E300.B2E3%michael@michaelbutler.com>


-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/civic/
-- http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/hair/




From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 31 11:18:28 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 11:18:28 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Last Day
Message-ID: <C0A32C04.B38C%michael@michaelbutler.com>

Hi,
This is the last day for the Lists.
I am trying to do a system whereby Nina and I can remind from time to time
about the Blogs. 
The best for the future is to take the links and put them on your toolbar.
What I have done is give each a shorter title, I.E. Civic Blog, Hair Blog.
Peace and Love,
Michael



From activist at democrats.com  Wed May 31 12:27:06 2006
From: activist at democrats.com (Democrats.com)
Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 15:27:06 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Help Darfur: Tell Congress to Pass the Budget Bill!
Message-ID: <20060531152706.747921@democrats.com>

HTML Message - Help Darfur: Tell Congress to Pass the Budget Bill!
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From michael at michaelbutler.com  Wed May 31 11:31:26 2006
From: michael at michaelbutler.com (Michael Butler)
Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 11:31:26 -0700
Subject: [Mb-civic] Michael Butler: Answers Steve's Questions
Message-ID: <C0A32F0E.B38F%michael@michaelbutler.com>


Michael Butler's Blog

http://www.michaelbutler.com/blog/mbutler/

http://www.michaelbutler.com




From newsletter at villagevoice.com  Wed May 31 22:07:03 2006
From: newsletter at villagevoice.com (Village Voice Newsletter)
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:07:03 -0400
Subject: [Mb-civic] Today's 'Voice': The Sober Hipster
Message-ID: <20060601050703.45297.qmail@www3.villagevoice.com>

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