Apr 02 2011

Six In The Morning

Kadafi government rebuffs Libya rebel cease-fire offer

After rebels refused for weeks to negotiate with Moammar Kadafi’s regime, a rebel leader offers a cease-fire if Kadafi agrees to withdraw his forces from besieged cities and permit peaceful protests.

By Borzou Daragahi and David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya- Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s regime brusquely swatted down a truce offered by rebels Friday and continued to pummel opposition positions in both the eastern and western sections of the country.

After rebels had refused for weeks to negotiate with Kadafi’s government, the leader of the opposition’s national council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, offered a cease-fire if Kadafi agreed to withdraw his forces from besieged Libyan cities and permitted peaceful protests.

But Musa Ibrahim, a spokesman for the regime, dismissed the offer as a trick.

Europe’s twilight zone

As the world looks to Libya, a refugee crisis unfolds

By Jerome Taylor in Lampedusa Saturday, 2 April 2011

Night after night they huddle together in groups, desperately trying to stay warm. The lucky ones scavenge blankets and plastic sheeting, or gather around sputtering fires. Others sleep on the hillsides, waiting for help to arrive.

While the world focuses its attention on events in the Middle East and North Africa, a humanitarian crisis is under way in Europe. This is Lampedusa, a tiny piece of normally unspoilt Italian paradise in the southern Mediterranean that has become a fetid refugee camp for thousands of desperate people fleeing turmoil and poverty.

Brazil’s parliamentary clown: profile

Tiririca, whose real name is Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, started working in a circus aged eight in the state of Ceara in the poor north-east of Brazil.  

12:09AM BST 02 Apr 2011

He survived a legal challenge to his right to stand as an electoral candidate in the Brazilian election amid claims that he was not fully literate after taking tests in reading and writing.

In October, the professional entertainer received more than 1.3 million votes in Sao Paulo state, more than any other candidate.

Tiririca caught the attention of disillusioned voters by asking for their support with the humorous slogan: “It can’t get any worse” and a promise to do nothing more in congress than report back to them on how politicians spend their time.

“What does a congressman do? The truth is I don’t know, but vote for me and I’ll tell you,” the 45-year-old said in his campaign advertisements.

Visions of Female Identity in the New Egypt

The Muslim Sisterhood

By Dialika Krahe

Jihan, the eldest, is sitting in an armchair in her second apartment in Cairo. A flowered veil frames her red cheeks, and a glass of apple juice rests in her hand. She says that, Inshallah, even a woman could become president in the new Egypt.

Arwa, the youngest, is sitting in front of a computer outside her pink children’s room in the small city of Abu Kebir, scrolling through her blog. “Mubarak is gone,” she says. “When I’m old enough, I will have a seat in parliament, Inshallah.”

Zahraa, who is between the two in age, is standing in the shadow of Cairo’s Tora Prison. She pulls her white hijab tight around her face, as if to arm herself for the future. “Our task is to raise the nation,” she says.

Experts: Scrapping Fukushima plant could take decades

 

2011/04/02

Regaining control of the four stricken reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could take months or years, according to nuclear experts.

And, even if the reactor cores can be cooled below 100 degrees, known as the “cold shutdown” stage, decommissioning will take several decades.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the cooling system at the Fukushima plant. Since then, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), has been using fire trucks and electric pumps to try to cool the cores.

Gbagbo guard mounts last stand in Côte d’Ivoire



ABIDJAN, CôTE D’IVOIRE – Apr 02 2011 07:36

Rebel forces in Côte d’Ivoire have laid siege to the presidential palace as president Laurent Gbagbo made a last stand and the battle for power in Abidjan raged for a second day, with the UN mission coming under heavy fire.

Forces backing presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara have overrun nearly three-quarters of Côte d’Ivoire and looked poised to topple Gbagbo, but after entering the economic capital met with stiff resistance outside his fortified residence and office. With reports of beatings, looting and arson on the streets of Abidjan, residents barricaded inside their homes reported heavy arms fire throughout the early morning on Friday. On the peninsula where the palace is situated buildings were shaking with each explosion, witnesses said.

Apr 02 2011

School House Rock: “I’m Just A Bill”

(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

At the beginning of the new congressional session, the House Republicans decided that they would read the Constitution, selectively leaving out a couple of amendments. They then passed new rules stating that each bill would meet constitutional requirements and a few other rules that they have selectively applied. A mere three months after reaffirming their commitment to the constitution, they proceeded to trash it and amazingly pass a completely unconstitutional bill that, fortunately, will never become a law, no matter how much Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) would wish.

“What this bill says is it reiterates again the deadline, and that the Senate should act before the deadline, and that’s what the American people are expecting. The bill then says if the Senate does not act, then H.R. 1 [the House-passed bill] will be the law of the land.”

Cantor conveniently forgets that bills, even symbolic ones, cannot become law without also passing the Senate and getting the President’s signature.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) took to the House floor to explain to the how a bill is passed to the Tea Party Republicans (including mine, oy). Weiner laid it out in the simplest of terms using a children’s book, “House Mouse, Senate Mouse,” in which the “Squeaker of the House” and the “Senate Mousejority Leader” compromise on a national cheese.

Apr 02 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features-

Featured Essays for April 1, 2011-

DocuDharma

Apr 02 2011

Popular Culture (“Music”) 20110401. “Pat” Boone

Last week a commentator put the bug in my ear that I do not ALWAYS have to write about subjects that I like very much.  I have done it before, but usually in connexion with other topics.  This installment is different.

This one is concerned with Pat Boone, one of the most insipid and untalented “artists” ever to plague us with his presence.  He was a creation of his time, and although he could sing, sort of, was and still is, in my opinion, more of a curious relic of desegregation.

Please come with us on a very curious journey that still does not very well explain how a relatively talentless individual has continued to be in the spotlight since before I was born, and I am not that young.  Please enter here.

Charles Eugene Boone, born 19340601, now 76 years old, is still with us to annoy us.  He, although born in Florida, claims to be a direct descendant of Daniel Boone, yes, that one, not Fess Parker.  Here is a quote from him from the ultra right show from the Christian Broadcasting Network, Pat Robertson’s notorious for truth distortion, The 700 Club.

I have, but I know I have inherited some of the DNA of my great, great, great grandfather, Daniel Boone.

Let us do some maths here.  A generation is generally defined as a 30 year span, give or take, in a family’s heritage.  Great, great, great, grandfather then implies four generations, or around 120 years, give or take.  Taking 1934, the year of his birth, and subtracting 120 years comes to 1812.  Daniel Boone died, at the age of 85 (a very long life for the time) 18200926.  So it is POSSIBLE that a 77 year old man could have had an offspring at that time, but I find it unlikely.  Also, there is no record of Daniel Boone having children at this time in his life, and also no record of him ever being in Florida.

Thus, it is obvious that “Pat” Boone’s first name is made up, just as I suspect his “heritage” is.  I believe this man to be fundamentally a fake, at least as far as his real first name and his heritage goes.  His family moved to Kentucky when he was 2 years old, around 1936.  As far as I have been able to tell, that was his first contact with Kentucky and the Daniel Boone tradition (which is very fluid, and lost in the fog of history).

He pretty much grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, which is a very beautiful city.  I used to drive through it often, and compliment the excellent design of their interstate and feeder highways.  I have never been stalled there except for twice, once with a construction delay, and another time because of an accident.  Those highways are well marked, and the electronic signs give excellent information for those of us driving through.

In any event, “Pat” Boone went to high school at the pubic David Lipscomb High School, and to college at the private David Lipscomb College, also in Nashville.  Hmmm, just who is this David Lipscomb?  Well, he was a fundamentalist preacher, and also a pacifist and, according to some folks, an anarchist.  That does not jibe with “Pat’s” extremely conservative leanings now.  I can not say what the college advocated at the time, but the founder even advocated not to vote because of religious concerns.

Let us move on a bit, because trying to unscrew Charles’ (I refuse to use the name “Pat” any more unless there is evidence that he legally changed his name) past is difficult.  There are too many contradictions.  By the way, he is an Ivy League graduate, from Columbia in 1958, the year after I was born.  He was graduated magna cum laude from there in a really technical, and highly respected curriculum:  General Studies.  How can one even get a degree in General Studies?  The Geek could be graduated in that curriculum in about ten seconds, also magna cum laude and with oak clusters and laurel leaves.  What is it with this guy?  Oh, before I forget, he is a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity, a racist one that admires Robert E. Lee in its spiritual source of chivalry.  Getting the picture about Charles now?

Well, before that, he started recording “music”.  Here is one of his first faux hits, from 1954 on Republic Records, welcomed by the frightened white folks who thought that Fats Domino might be a threat to little white girls.  Yes, I am using racist terms, but that was an extremely racist time, and that was the mindset of many, many people, especially folks from the southern United States.  He did not write this song.

How about the real deal?  By the way, Antoine is still with us, only 9 years younger than my dad was.  You tell me which version is better.

That was not all.  Charles made his fortune by demelanating black music to make it more acceptable to white record listeners, who had much more disposable income at the time, and so could buy many more records.  I would be interested in seeing the royalty payments as well.

I just came on a piece of his, in color, that has a very interesting gesture that comes in at 1:39.  Unfortunately, the embed code is blocked, but here is the link.  It his cover of Tutti Frutti, the Little Richard hit.  Is this just a coincidence, or is this a Nazi salute?  You decide.  He did not write this song.

How about a better version?  Even recorded when Little Richard was much older, this 1995 version still has much more feeling than Charles’ cover did in the 1950s.

He also covered another Penniman hit, Long Tall Sally.  His version, although competent from the standpoint of his singing, is completely without feeling or, as we would say now, soul.  He did not write this song.

Once again, please compare it with Little Richard’s version.  You tell me which one has more feeling in it.

Here are some other songs of his that charted.  Don’t Forbid Me was #1 on Billboard in 1957 for some strange reason.  It comes over with as much feelings as his covers do.  He did not write it.

His next #1 is sort of his signature song, Love Letters in the Sand.  It spent five weeks at #1.  He did not write it, since it was written in 1931!

Why anyone liked it is beyond me.  However, taste has little logic about it.

He last charted #1 in June of 1961 with Moody River.  He did not write it.  It is just about as insipid as his other works.

Charles has always worn his cross on his sleeve and has also been extremely active in conservative politics.  One cause that he strongly supported was the war in Veit Nam, perhaps because by the time that it really accelerated he way way too old for the draft.  He supported Reagan for Governor and President, and was also an ardent supporter of W. and the Gulf War, going so far as to question the patriotism of those opposed.  That is a pretty far cry from being brought up in a church that urged its members not to get politically involved, as far as urging them not to vote!

I was living in the Bluegrass region in Kentucky in 2007 when I actually got a robocall that he recorded for Ernie Fletcher, but I hung up on it before I listened to it all.  I now wish that I had listened, because only during the research phase for this piece did I realize that he was using homophobia as the pitch, saying that Steve Beshear would turn Kentucky into another San Francisco by supporting every homosexual cause.

He is a regular contributor to World Net Daily, a vile rag.  One of his editorials compares progressives to horrible disease, calling us “…black, filthy cells.”  This sort of emphasizes my mention of the Nazi salute, the only musical reference above that had the embed code disabled, but I did provide the link.  If you did not look, go back and see it.

In 1997, Charles underwent a bizarre transformation into a tight leather and sunglasses wearing heavy metal “artist”.  The reason is still obscure, and the results are horrible.  Here is a smattering of some of the work from his record, No More Mr. Nice Guy.  I do not know what to think of it.

The result was it got him thrown off Trinity Broadcasting Network, and he had to go hat in hand to the executives with his minister to get back into good graces.  He said that this was just a parody of himself, all in fun.  Right.

Charles has never been a stranger to pitching commercial products.  As far back as the late 1950s he was a pitchman for Chevrolet, and GM even sponsored his TeeVee show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.  That has removed a bit of the shine from my 1967 Camaro, sadly.

In the late 1970s he was pitching for a product called Acne-Statin, an acne remedy, obviously.  Of course, he was pimping out his kids for the adverts (daughter Debby in particular).  When the Federal Trade Commission shut down the adverts for false claims, he finally agreed to be held personally liable for a small fraction of any monetary claims against the company that manufactured the product.  He also indicated that the was essentially shocked, SHOCKED! that the company pulled him into making the adverts without scientific evidence that the product acutally worked.  Right.

Even today, he is pitching things.  Now, what would you imagine that a die hard conservative might advertise?  If you guessed that he has followed the lead of the convicted felon G. Gordon Liddy and said gold, you would be correct.

He is pitching for Swiss America Trading Corporation, a gold seller that also has employed Dr. Michael Wiener (aka Michael Savage, the horribly hateful radio talk person), who acutally holds an earned Ph.D. in a technical subject.  Here are a couple of his adverts:

Since none of the stills or vidoes seem to be newer than five years or so (although one of the gold adverts was running as lately as yesterday on The 700 Club), here is a more recent picture of him:

Photobucket

If you get the idea that I do not like Charles Eugene Boone very much, you would be correct.  I believe that he was always a sham, and never had any real talent, but rather was a relatively good looking young white man that could sing a little and was non threatening to the public.  This is not just my thesis, as he put it in his own words:

I have no special or extraordinary talent; it’s just that I’ve had the right breaks at the right time.

How true.  If you disagree, please let us discuss it in a civil manner.  I also welcome any and all other comments.

Warmest regards,

Doc

Apr 01 2011

from firefly-dreaming 01.4.11

(midnight. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

this is an Open Thread

Essays Featured Friday the 1st of April:

When Love Comes to Town Late Night Karaoke ROCKS!

Six Brilliant Articles! from Six Different Places!! on Six Different Topics!!!

                Six Days a Week!!!    at Six in the Morning!!!!

Friday Open Thoughts from slksfca are Sacred & Profane

Mishima Leaves DailyKos on a Huffy!

Gha!

Foods of the Supergods from patric juillet tells of some of the healthiest foodstuffs you can eat.

Afternoon music from Timbuk3: The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time!

Tonight #91  

The latest chapter of My Little Townfrom Translator Etta & Roy Chandler  

 

Apr 01 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 48 Top Stories.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Seven UN workers killed in Afghan Koran protest

AFP

1 hr 15 mins ago

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AFP) – Seven foreign UN workers were killed Friday in Afghanistan by protesters angered by a Koran burning in the United States, the provincial governor said, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on the United Nations there since the 2001 invasion.

“Seven UNAMA employees have been killed, out of which five are Nepalese and two others are Europeans, one woman and one man,” Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor said, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Five protesters also died in the unrest in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and 20 were injured, the governor told reporters. At least 20 were arrested over the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban.

AFP

2 Netherlands marks a decade of gay marriage

by Nicolas Delaunay, AFP

1 hr 57 mins ago

AMSTERDAM (AFP) – The Netherlands celebrated the 10th anniversary of the world’s first legally binding gay marriage with another set of nuptials Friday, mixing the formal with the casual.

“I declare you, in my position as mayor of Amsterdam, joined by the rights of marriage,” Eberhart van der Laan told Jan van Breda and his partner Thijs Timmermans at the Museum of History in the heart of Amsterdam.

The happy couple, dressed in dark formal suits with a mauve shirt for one and black T-shirt for the other, turned up for the ceremony on foot, with van Breda holding a red balloon in the shape of a heart carrying the figure “10.”

3 I. Coast battle rages as Gbagbo digs in

by Fran Blandy, AFP

Fri Apr 1, 11:49 am ET

ABIDJAN (AFP) – Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo desperately clung to power Friday with explosions and gunfire shaking Abidjan as forces loyal to leader-in-waiting Alassane Ouattara closed in on his last bastion.

While the 65-year-old strongman remained silent, his whereabouts unknown, a close aide said he had no intention of giving himself up.

Internationally recognised president Ouattara’s forces swept into the economic capital Thursday with little resistance from Gbagbo’s army.

4 Libya rebels propose ceasefire, clean up act

by Michel Moutot, AFP

1 hr 44 mins ago

AJDABIYA, Libya (AFP) – Libyan rebels proposed a conditional ceasefire on Friday as their fighters did their utmost to shed their rag-tag image in a battle with Moamer Kadhafi’s forces for the oil town of Brega.

The opposition is ready for a ceasefire provided Kadhafi’s forces end their assaults on rebel-held cities, Transitional National Council leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said.

The announcement came two days after rebels were driven out of a string of key oil terminals in eastern Libya they had twice seized during the weeks-old revolt aimed at toppling Kadhafi’s 41-year-old regime.

5 Rebels battle for control of Libyan oil town

by Joseph Krauss, AFP

Thu Mar 31, 7:31 pm ET

NEAR BREGA, Libya (AFP) – Libyan rebels failed Thursday to secure control of the oil town of Brega from Moamer Kadhafi’s forces, as the West shied away from supplying arms to their outgunned rag-tag army.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the rebels needed training more than guns but suggested other nations do that job, while French counterpart Gerard Longuet said providing weapons was not part of the UN mandate.

Gates said the military mission did not call for deposing Kadhafi and suggested ultimately it would be economic and political pressure and Libya’s people — not coalition air strikes — that would topple him.

6 Grim search for dead three weeks after Japan quake

by Hiroshi Hiyama, AFP

Fri Apr 1, 11:41 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Thousands of Japanese and US troops launched an intensive air and sea operation Friday to recover bodies still left from the huge earthquake and tsunami three weeks ago.

The grim search came as the government revealed radiation from a nuclear power plant crippled by the twin disaster had been found in groundwater, with contamination already reported in the air, ocean and food.

Japan is still struggling to cope with its worst post-war crisis three weeks after the seafloor quake struck on March 11, leaving about 28,000 people dead or missing.

7 Ireland orders banking overhaul as bailout tops 70 bn euros

AFP

Thu Mar 31, 4:10 pm ET

DUBLIN (AFP) – Ireland’s central bank on Thursday ordered a drastic overhaul of the eurozone nation’s stricken banking sector as the cost of bailing out its lenders was set to top 70 billion euros ($99 billion).

The Central Bank of Ireland said in a statement that four lenders needed to raise an extra 24 billion euros after it carried out vital stress tests on their ability to withstand another financial crisis.

The additional capital would be covered by the 35 billion euros provided for the banks as part of Ireland’s huge 85-billion-euro debt rescue agreed in November with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

8 Tendulkar, Muralitharan set for W. Cup farewell

by Dave James, AFP

Fri Apr 1, 7:52 am ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) – Praise and admiration rained down on Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan on Friday, as cricket’s two most successful performers prepared to bring their World Cup careers to an end.

India opener Tendulkar, playing in his sixth and probably last World Cup, is desperate to capture the only piece of silverware missing from his record-breaking collection.

Added spice is provided by Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka being played at his home Wankhede stadium in Mumbai where a century will make him the first batsman to score a hundred international centuries.

9 Home run fireworks highlight MLB opening day

Fri Apr 1, 2:08 am ET

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – There were walk-off homers, back-to-back dingers, heartbreaking double plays, hand-warmers and long-sleeve shirts as a dozen Major League Baseball teams suited up for opening day.

Ramon Hernandez provided the early fireworks on Thursday, hitting a two-out three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Cincinnati Reds rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6.

The World Series champions San Francisco Giants got their defence off to a inauspicious start, losing 2-1 to their National League rival Los Angeles Dodgers in night match.

Reuters

10 Up to 20 U.N. staff killed in north Afghan city

By Mohammad Bashir, Reuters

48 mins ago

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghan protesters angered by the burning of a Koran by an obscure U.S. pastor killed up to 20 U.N. staff, beheading two foreigners, when they over-ran a compound in a normally peaceful northern city on Friday in the worst ever attack on the U.N. in Afghanistan.

At least eight foreigners were among the dead after attackers took out security guards, burned parts of the compound and climbed up blast walls to topple a guard tower, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a police spokesman for the northern region.

Five protesters were also killed and around 20 wounded.

11 Fierce fighting spreads in Ivory Coast showdown

By Loucoumane Coulibaly and Ange Aboa, Reuters

1 hr 25 mins ago

ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Fierce fighting spread across Abidjan on Friday as troops loyal to Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo fended off attacks by forces supporting Alassane Ouattara’s rival claim to the presidency.

The heaviest clashes centered around the state television station, which went off the air after it was attacked by pro-Ouattara forces overnight.

The boom of heavy weapons fire rang out constantly from near Gbagbo’s residence and presidential palace, both of which have come under attack, as well as two major military bases — turning Ivory Coast’s main city into a war zone.

12 Heavy fighting after Ouattara troops reach Abidjan

By Loucoumane Coulibaly and Tim Cocks, Reuters

Thu Mar 31, 5:00 pm ET

ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Heavy weapons fire rang out in central Abidjan on Thursday after presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara’s forces marched into Ivory Coast’s main city, and his camp said incumbent Laurent Gbagbo had just hours left in power.

Residents reported heavy fighting near the state broadcaster, RTI, as well as in neighborhoods in the south of the city after pro-Ouattara forces swiftly advanced on the lagoon-side city from several directions.

Gbagbo’s elite forces took positions around the presidential palace while French soldiers were also deployed in the city to protect foreign residents. A United Nations helicopter gunship flew overhead.

13 Gaddafi forces storm Misrata, rebels offer truce

By Maria Golovnina and Alexander Dziadosz, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 11:37 am ET

TRIPOLI/AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi’s forces stormed the western rebel outpost of Misrata with tanks and artillery on Friday, a rebel spokesman said, while insurgents marshaled defenses in their eastern heartland.

A rebel leader speaking after talks with a U.N. envoy in Benghazi offered a ceasefire on condition Gaddafi left Libya and his forces withdrew from cities now under government control. It was unclear if the offer was part of broader diplomatic moves to end a conflict that appears deadlocked on the military front.

Rebels speaking from Misrata said Gaddafi’s forces had brought their superior firepower to bear on the insurgents’ last western enclave with an intense bombardment.

14 Special report: The West’s unwanted war in Libya

By Paul Taylor, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 4:27 am ET

PARIS (Reuters) – It is a war that Barack Obama didn’t want, David Cameron didn’t need, Angela Merkel couldn’t cope with and Silvio Berlusconi dreaded.

Only Nicolas Sarkozy saw the popular revolt that began in Libya on February 15 as an opportunity for political and diplomatic redemption. Whether the French president’s energetic leadership of an international coalition to protect the Libyan people from Muammar Gaddafi will be enough to revive his sagging domestic fortunes in next year’s election is highly uncertain.

But by pushing for military strikes that he hopes might repair France’s reputation in the Arab world, Sarkozy helped shape what type of war it would be. The road to Western military intervention was paved with mutual suspicion, fears of another quagmire in a Muslim country and doubts about the largely unknown ragtag Libyan opposition with which the West has thrown in its lot.

15 U.S. agents were in Libya before secret Obama order

By Mark Hosenball, Reuters

Thu Mar 31, 6:21 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. intelligence operatives were on the ground in Libya before President Barack Obama signed a secret order authorizing covert support for anti-Gaddafi rebels, U.S. government sources told Reuters.

The CIA personnel were sent in to contact opponents of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and assess their capabilities, two U.S. officials said.

“They’re trying to sort out who could be turned into a military unit and who couldn’t,” said Bob Baer, a former CIA case officer whose memoirs were turned into the Hollywood thriller “Syriana.”

16 Thousands call for freedom in Syria, 3 killed in unrest

Reuters

33 mins ago

DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syrian security forces killed at least three protesters in a Damascus suburb on Friday, witnesses said, as thousands turned out in pro-democracy marches despite a reform gesture by President Bashar al-Assad.

Activists said Syrians took to the streets after Friday prayers in the capital Damascus, Banias on the coast, Latakia port and the southern city of Deraa, where the unprecedented protests challenging Assad’s 11 years in power began in March.

Witnesses in the Damascus suburb of Douma said the three killed were among at least 2,000 people who chanted “Freedom. Freedom. One, one, one. The Syrian people are one,” when police opened fire to disperse them from Municipality Square.

17 Yemen’s Saleh signals defiance at loyalist rally

By Mohamed Sudam and Mohammed Ghobari, Reuters

1 hr 44 mins ago

SANAA (Reuters) – Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told a huge rally of supporters on Friday that he would sacrifice everything for his country, suggesting he has no plans to step down yet.

Weeks of protests across Yemen have brought Saleh’s 32-year rule to the verge of collapse but the United States and neighboring oil giant Saudi Arabia, an important financial backer, are worried about who might succeed him in a country where al Qaeda militants flourish.

Tens of thousands, both for and against Saleh, took to the streets of the capital Sanaa, as negotiators struggle to revive talks to decide his fate.

18 Japan PM to visit disaster zone, nuclear crisis drags

By Chizu Nomiyama and Kiyoshi Takenaka, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 11:53 am ET

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s prime minister was headed to the nuclear disaster zone on Saturday where workers are braving radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant to battle the world’s worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.

Naoto Kan was due to visit a sports camp turned into a base for military, firefighters and engineers working inside an evacuation zone to cool the six-reactor complex and contain contamination before Japan seeks a permanent solution.

Kan has warned of a “long-term battle” at Fukushima where the nuclear crisis entering its fourth week has compounded national anguish after an earthquake and tsunami that left 28,000 people dead or missing.

19 "Jumpers" offered big money to brave Japan’s nuclear

By Terril Yue Jones, Reuters

2 hrs 55 mins ago

TOKYO (Reuters) – It’s a job that sounds too good to be true — thousands of dollars for up to an hour of work that often requires little training.

But it also sounds too outrageous to accept, given the full job description: working in perilously radioactive environments.

In its attempts to bring under control its radiation-gushing nuclear power plant that was severely damaged by last month’s massive earthquake and tsunami, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) is trying to get workers ever closer to the sources of stubborn radiation at the plant and end the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

20 Japan plans to bail out stricken nuclear plant

By Kazunori Takada and Yoko Nishikawa, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 6:44 am ET

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan plans to take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the country’s stricken nuclear plant, in the face of mounting public concerns over the crisis and a huge potential compensation bill, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Shares of the company, also known as TEPCO, fell as much as 10 percent after the Mainichi newspaper said the government plans to inject public funds into the firm, although it is unlikely to take more than a 50 percent stake.

“It will be a type of injection that will allow the government to have a certain level of (management) involvement,” the daily quoted a government official as saying. “If the stake goes over 50 percent, it will be nationalized. But that’s not what we are considering.”

21 Tokyo tiptoes toward normality as disaster effect lingers

By Linda Sieg, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 4:01 am ET

TOKYO (Reuters) – Yoko Hashiguchi and her toddler fled Tokyo after a deadly earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan and triggered a nuclear disaster at a power plant 240 km (150 miles) away.

Three weeks later, they’re back in the capital, hoping life will get back to normal.

“After the quake, my husband said ‘Leave’ so we went to (the southern island of) Okinawa. Now I have to return to work and my daughter starts daycare, so we came back,” said Hashiguchi, 33, cuddling her daughter on a park swing.

22 Nasdaq, ICE bid to snatch NYSE from Germans

By Jonathan Spicer and Lauren Tara LaCapra, Reuters

33 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Nasdaq OMX and IntercontinentalExchange bid $11.3 billion for NYSE Euronext in an effort to trump Deutsche Boerse’s deal, and pushed their case with an appeal to U.S. patriotism.

The counterbid — unveiled on Friday to some skepticism it can succeed — would redraw the world’s capital markets so that Americans have a stronger hand than Europeans, just as exchange operators globally maneuver to come out on top.

The move presents U.S. lawmakers and regulators with a dilemma: whether to allow a German exchange to take control of the venerable New York Stock Exchange, or to allow the creation of a dominant American-run platform with massive market power.

23 Special Report: Dumping print, publisher bets the ranch on apps

By Mark Egan, Reuters

Fri Apr 1, 9:34 am ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The prince of coffee table books believes paper books are dead. Now he wants to be king of the app.

Since 1980, Nicholas Callaway has made the finest of design-driven books, building a publishing house and his fortune on memorable children’s stories and on volumes known for the fidelity of their reproductions of great art. But the quality of paper, ink and binding mean nothing to him now.

For Callaway, it’s all about apps — small applications sold in Apple’s App Store where books are enhanced beyond the mere text of e-books. In this cutting-edge new medium, cooks can clap hands to turn pages of an interactive recipe, a book about Richard Nixon can include footage of him sweating during presidential debates, a Sesame Street character can read a story out loud and, should your child get bored, the app can turn the tale into a jigsaw puzzle or a computerized finger-painting set.

24 Tide rolls out for Buffett: is he wearing trunks?

By Nick Carey and Ben Berkowitz, Reuters

Thu Mar 31, 6:24 pm ET

CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Just last week the “Oracle of Omaha” was greeted in India as if he spoke on behalf of a god like the oracles of old.

Attendees at an event in a plush hotel in New Delhi raced for front row seats to hear Warren Buffett talk. At a conference in Bangalore on March 23, a crowd including investors gathered to heap praise upon him.

“I really am extremely thankful on behalf of all Indians that you have showered so much wisdom on us,” one Indian investor told the 80-year-old billionaire.

25 Focus turns to details in budget battle

By Andy Sullivan, Reuters

Thu Mar 31, 6:43 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Though lawmakers have tentatively agreed to the largest domestic spending reduction in U.S. history, they now must delve into the details to decide which programs to cut to meet their $33 billion target.

One day after Republican and Democratic leaders agreed on the outlines of a budget deal that could avert a government shutdown, they jockeyed on Thursday to protect areas where they fear it will do the most harm.

“What we cut is much more important than how we cut,” Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said.

AP

26 Afghans storm UN office; 7 foreigners killed

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press

3 mins ago

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.

Afghan authorities suspect insurgents melded into the mob and they announced the arrest of more than 20 people, including a militant they suspect was the ringleader of the assault in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh province. The suspect was an insurgent from Kapisa province, a hotbed of militancy about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the city, said Rawof Taj, deputy provincial police chief.

The topic of Quran burning stirred outrage among millions of Muslims and others worldwide after the Rev. Terry Jones’ small church, Dove Outreach Center, threatened to destroy a copy of the holy book last year. The pastor backed down but the church in Gainesville, Florida, went through with the burning last month.

27 More disciplined Libyan opposition force emerging

By BEN HUBBARD and RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press

29 mins ago

AJDABIYA, Libya – Something new has appeared at the Libyan front: a semblance of order among rebel forces. Rebels without training – sometimes even without weapons – have rushed in and out of fighting in a free-for-all for weeks, repeatedly getting trounced by Moammar Gadhafi’s more heavily armed forces.

But on Friday only former military officers and the lightly trained volunteers serving under them are allowed on the front lines. Some are recent arrivals, hoping to rally against forces loyal to the Libyan leader who have pushed rebels back about 100 miles this week.

The better organized fighters, unlike some of their predecessors, can tell the difference between incoming and outgoing fire. They know how to avoid sticking to the roads, a weakness in the untrained forces that Gadhafi’s troops have exploited. And they know how to take orders.

28 FACT CHECK: Senate did favor Libya no-fly zone

By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

15 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Some lawmakers are grousing loudly that President Barack Obama sent the nation’s military to Libya without Congress’ blessing. They’re ignoring a key fact: The Senate a month ago voted to support imposing a no-fly zone to protect civilians from attacks by Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

With no objections, the Senate on March 1 backed a resolution strongly condemning “the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya” and urging the U.N. Security Council to take action, “including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory.”

There was no recorded vote. It was simply approved by unanimous consent.

29 US pulling Tomahawk missiles out of Libya combat

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

46 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon will soon stop firing Tomahawk cruise missiles against Libya, in addition to pulling its attack planes out of the international air campaign, two U.S. defense officials said Friday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Thursday announced in congressional testimony the decision to withdraw U.S. combat aircraft from the NATO-commanded mission as of this coming Sunday.

They made no mention of putting the Tomahawk-firing ships and subs on standby as well. But the U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning, said the Pentagon won’t fire the powerful long-range missiles unless the situation changes.

30 Yemenis hold largest protest yet against leader

By AHMED AL HAJ, Associated Press

1 hr 41 mins ago

SANAA, Yemen – Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis packed a square in the capital and marched in villages and cities across the nation on Friday in what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of demands the country’s longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh step down.

Youth leaders said they planned a march in the direction of the heavily guarded presidential palace.

Many mosques in the capital shut down – a move unprecedented for Friday, the Muslim day of prayer – as worshippers and clerics streamed to the square outside Sanaa University.

31 Japanese, US military search for tsunami victims

By JAY ALABASTER and MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press

1 hr 4 mins ago

SENDAI, Japan – Japanese and U.S. military ships and helicopters trolled Japan’s tsunami-ravaged coastline looking for bodies Friday, part of an all-out search that could be the last chance to find those swept out to sea nearly three weeks ago.

More than 16,000 are still missing after the disaster, which officials fear may have killed some 25,000 people. The 9.0-earthquake and tsunami also ravaged a nuclear plant that continues to leak radiation despite frantic efforts to control it.

Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan sounded a resolute note Friday, promising to win the battle against the overheating plant even as atomic safety officials raised questions about the accuracy of radiation measurements there. Residents have been evacuated from around the plant.

32 Flotsam from Japan’s tsunami to hit US West Coast

By PHUONG LE, Associated Press

Fri Apr 1, 9:57 am ET

SEATTLE – John Anderson has discovered just about everything during the 30 years he’s combed Washington state’s beaches – glass fishing floats, hockey gloves, bottled messages, even hundreds of mismatched pairs of Nike sneakers that washed up barnacled but otherwise unworn.

The biggest haul may come in one to three years when, scientists say, wind and ocean currents eventually will push some of the massive debris from Japan’s tsunami and earthquake onto the shores of the U.S. West Coast.

“I’m fascinated to see what actually makes it over here, compared to what might sink or biodegrade out there,” said Anderson, 57, a plumber and avid beachcomber who lives in the coastal town of Forks, Wash.

33 Huge pumps from US to help in Japan nuclear crisis

By JEFF MARTIN, Associated Press

Thu Mar 31, 11:55 pm ET

ATLANTA – Two gigantic concrete pumps – described as the largest such equipment in the world – will soon be on their way to join the machinery being used to pour water on damaged reactors in Japan’s nuclear crisis, company officials said Thursday.

The two machines are normally used to spray concrete for new skyscrapers, bridges and other massive construction projects.

The machines are now being retrofitted in North Charleston, S.C., and Sante Fe Springs, Calif. That will allow them to spray water instead of concrete on the nuclear reactors, said Kelly Blickle, a spokeswoman at Putzmeister America Inc. in Sturtevant, Wis. The German firm manufactured the equipment.

34 Obama: GOP, Dems close to deal on budget cuts

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

1 hr 15 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Pushing negotiators to avoid a looming government shutdown, President Barack Obama warned Friday that outcome could be ruinous and said a deal was in sight.

On Capitol Hill White House officials and congressional Democrats maneuvered furiously to gain advantage over the GOP on details of a government-wide spending bill.

Both sides are discussing cuts in the range of $33 billion, and Obama said that after weeks of talks among Democrats, Republicans and the White House team, “it appears that we’re getting close to an agreement.”

35 Army group says there ARE atheists in foxholes

By TOM BREEN, Associated Press

27 mins ago

RALEIGH, N.C. – The cliche notwithstanding, there are atheists in foxholes. In fact, atheists, agnostics, humanists and other assorted skeptics from the Army’s Fort Bragg have formed an organization in a pioneering effort to win recognition and ensure fair treatment for nonbelievers in the overwhelmingly Christian U.S. military.

“We exist, we’re here, we’re normal,” said Sgt. Justin Griffith, chief organizer of Military Atheists and Secular Humanists, or MASH. “We’re also in foxholes. That’s a big one, right there.”

For now, the group meets regularly in homes and bars outside of Fort Bragg, one of the biggest military bases in the country. But it is going through the long bureaucratic process to win official recognition from the Army as a distinct “faith” group.

36 Locally grown? It all depends on how you define it

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

2 hrs 44 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The No. 2 official at the Agriculture Department recently got a real-life lesson in the loose definition of the trendiest word in groceries: “local.”

Walking into her neighborhood grocery store in Washington, Kathleen Merrigan saw a beautiful display of plump strawberries and a sign that said they were local produce. But the package itself said they were grown in California, well over 2,000 miles away.

The popularity of locally grown food – which many assume means the food is fresher, made with fewer chemicals and grown by smaller, less corporate farms – has led to an explosion in the use of the word “local” in food marketing. It’s the latest big thing after the surge in food marketed as “organic,” another subject of continuing labeling controversy.

37 April Fools’ Day noted online with spoof redesigns

By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer

28 mins ago

NEW YORK – The online world got an April Fools’ Day makeover as YouTube rolled out 1911 viral videos and the Huffington Post put up a mock pay wall.

Lighthearted pranks are an annual Web tradition on April Fools’ Day, with jokey redesigns and parody products.

Comedy video website Funny or Die, which last year became “Bieber or Die,” turned into “Friday or Die.” The site’s home page was taken over by teenage viral video star Rebecca Black, complete with “Behind the Music”-style featurettes on her song “Friday.” Escape was futile: Even pressing “back” in one’s browser only added Black’s lyrics to the address bar.

38 Audio of Eisenhower speech at Met found

By JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press

Fri Apr 1, 7:41 am ET

DALLAS – As commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower explicitly ordered his troops to safeguard objects of cultural and historical importance whenever possible – even while fighting a war of devastating destructiveness. Now, historians can hear the reasoning behind Eisenhower’s order, in his own words, thanks to the recent recovery of a recording of a speech he gave on April 2, 1946, at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Digging through museum archives, Robert Edsel, founder of an arts preservation organization based in Dallas, discovered the recording of Eisenhower’s speech that the general delivered when he was honored with a life fellowship from the museum.

Transcripts of the speech have long been available. But, “when you have Gen. Eisenhower saying it and when you hear his words, it’s electrifying,” said Edsel, whose nonprofit, the Monuments Men Foundation, honors those who helped protect the cultural treasures in Europe during World War II.

39 House GOP bill would make its budget law, period

By JIM ABRAMS and LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press

24 mins ago

WASHINGTON – It’s just a bill. Yes, it’s only a bill, and that’s the way it’ll stay up on Capitol Hill.

The Republican legislation to “deem” its federal budget law – Senate approval or not – passed the House Friday 221-202 after colorful debate that included lessons meant for children on how a bill becomes a law.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., chose “House Mouse, Senate Mouse,” in which the “Squeaker of the House” and the “Senate Mousejority Leader” compromise on a national cheese.

40 Mine workers rally in Pa. for public employees

By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press

46 mins ago

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Thousands of union coal miners and supporters from several states tried to fuel an uprising in southwestern Pennsylvania on Friday, proclaiming themselves ready to mobilize for the war they say is being waged on organized labor in the United States.

“There’s a bad, bad wind coming out of the west, and it’s up to us to stop it at the doors,” said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale as snow whipped into the metal bleachers at the Greene County Fairgrounds.

Like nearly a dozen other speakers from several national unions, Bloomingdale urged miners decked mostly in camouflage to prepare for battle, calling unions the last line of defense for the American middle class.

41 Montana lawmaker’s speech perpetuates boozy image

By STEPHEN DOCKERY, Associated Press

58 mins ago

HELENA, Mont. – A lawmaker’s speech railing against drunken driving reform – mocked mercilessly by political opponents – is no laughing matter to activists who say it perpetuates the state’s dangerous boozy culture.

Bar owner Alan Hale said in a speech on the House floor this week that DUI laws are harmful to small businesses, implying people need to drive home after drinking.

Tough DUI laws “are destroying a way of life that has been in Montana for years and years,” said the Republican from the rural town Basin, where a few hundred people live near the mountains of the Continental Divide.

42 APNewsBreak: Blackwater founder questions FBI work

By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press

2 hrs 13 mins ago

RALEIGH, N.C. – The founder of the security firm once known as Blackwater questioned in a sworn deposition how federal authorities handled their investigation of an infamous Baghdad shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Erik Prince said during the seven-hour testimony that he didn’t believe the FBI fully investigated the sources of all the used bullets in Nisoor Square, arguing that it would have been helpful for the defense to have a complete ballistics report.

“It seems the ballistics analysis was done to prove the guilt of the Americans, not to just try to identify what happened there,” Prince said. His comments about the case and throughout the deposition underscore how tensions between the government and one of its go-to contractors have lingered for years.

43 House passes aviation bill, targets safety rules

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press

2 hrs 40 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A sweeping aviation bill that could thwart proposed new safety regulations, including one that would prevent tired pilots from flying, passed the House Friday.

The $59.7 billion Republican-drafted bill is a blueprint for Federal Aviation Administration programs for the next three and a half years. It cuts the agency’s budget by $4 billion, money GOP lawmakers said the agency can do without. Democrats said the cuts would endanger air safety.

The bill passed on a 223 to 196 mostly party line vote. It would require the FAA to tailor regulations to different segments of the aviation industry rather than set across-the-board safety standards. It also would prohibit new safety regulations if the agency can’t justify the costs to the industry.

44 Sexy costumes lead to firing of NJ casino servers

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press

2 hrs 58 mins ago

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – When Kathryn Felici was told that she and other cocktail waitresses at Resorts Casino Hotel were to pose for photos in skimpy new flapper costumes, she thought it was to evaluate the sexy black outfits to make sure they fit and looked right.

What the women didn’t know, she said, was that the photo shoot would determine which of them would still have jobs when the 10-minute encounter was over.

Felici, who had been with Resorts since the day it opened in 1978 and was twice named employee of the month, was one of 15 cocktail waitresses fired last month from Resorts.

45 Thrill is back, so are crowds at amusement parks

By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer

Fri Apr 1, 1:05 pm ET

TOLEDO, Ohio – Amusement parks thrown for a loop by the slumping economy over the last few years are starting to rebound, drawing bigger crowds over the past year and spending more money on new attractions and shows this season.

Crowds increased at many of the nation’s parks in 2010, with some seeing record attendance. Profits were up as families sought out fun close to home and began traveling again. Better weather helped, too.

Those within the amusement industry are optimistic this year will be even better and think rising gasoline prices might even help them out by forcing families to spend their vacation time near home.

46 Alaska battles over how lifeblood oil is taxed

By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press

Fri Apr 1, 1:06 am ET

JUNEAU, Alaska – A high-stakes political battle is being waged in Alaska over whether to cut oil production taxes, an issue that could determine whether the trans-Alaska pipeline keeps pumping billions of dollars into the state’s coffers.

On one side are Gov. Sean Parnell, top House Republicans and the oil industry, who argue that the current tax structure is stifling investment and must be changed to boost oil production and avert a now-looming shutdown of the pipeline that carries at least 10 percent of the nation’s crude oil production, on average.

On the other side are House Democrats and leading senators, who say the Parnell administration hasn’t justified the need for tax cuts and credits that could cost up to $2 billion a year, and they question what – if anything – the state will get in return.

47 DOJ launches investigation of Seattle police

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

Fri Apr 1, 12:00 am ET

SEATTLE – The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a formal civil rights investigation into the Seattle Police Department following the fatal shooting of a homeless Native American woodcarver and other incidents of force used against minority suspects.

The investigation aims to determine whether Seattle police have a “pattern or practice” of violating civil rights or discriminatory policing, and if so, what they should do to improve, Seattle U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan and the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division, Thomas E. Perez, said during a conference call Thursday morning. Durkan’s office previously conducted a preliminary investigation.

Perez said the investigation would involve reviewing the police department’s policies, watching officers on the beat, gathering records, and interviewing officers, police brass and community groups.

48 Nixon library offers candid new take on Watergate

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, AP Political Writer

Thu Mar 31, 11:48 pm ET

YORBA LINDA, Calif. – For years, Richard Nixon’s presidential library was accused of committing another Watergate cover-up. But now, archivists say, the stonewalling is over.

The library opened an expanded new exhibit Thursday that scholars say provides a more balanced and accurate account of the scandal that brought down a president.

“The public deserves nonpartisan, objective presidential libraries,” said library director Tim Naftali, who alluded to the original display as “inaccurate and whitewashed.”

Apr 01 2011

What Is Morality?

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

In my previous two entries, I discussed why it is important for people who call themselves left-wingers to have a solid moral foundation.  To sum up, one cannot call one’s self a progressive or a liberal and support the extreme right-wing policies of those in government.  To support Obama’s continuation and expansion of Bush-Cheney fascist policies, whether directly or by refusing to challenge him electorally, or by simply remaining silent in the face of ongoing crimes and usurpation of Constitutionally delegated powers, is immoral.

But what is morality, and how should the American left apply it to politics?

Every culture has its own ideas about what is right and what is wrong, and to be sure, there are often obvious differences among them all.  But when one digs more deeply, one finds common basic standards of right and wrong that transcend cultural differences:  Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t rape, don’t murder, and so on.  To ensure that these moral standards for right and wrong are enforced, systems of punishment for violating them are implemented, and we call these systems laws.

For example, it is wrong to torture people.  Both international and U.S. law render the act illegal, with stiff penalties written into our laws for those who commit this crime.  Why is torture wrong?  Beyond the practical reason that it produces little or no legitimate information – people under torture will say what they think their torturers want to hear, not the truth – there is the moral aspect.  Simply put, torture is designed to especially humiliate, and to dehumanize, the victims thereof.  Anyone who commits the crime of torture is subject to prosecution, as is anyone who orders or authorizes it.  There are no exceptions to laws against torture.  Nations that have signed and ratified treaties such as the Geneva Conventions are obligated to bring charges against torturers.  No one is supposed to be allowed to go unpunished.

Yet Barry Obama, the current U.S. dictator, has consistently refused to prosecute torturers from the Bush-Cheney regime, and has in fact authorized the ongoing torture of prisoners at Guantanamo, and probably the ongoing torture of Bradley Manning.  By all moral and legal standards, Obama is as guilty of the crime of torture as are Bush, Cheney, and their thugs.

Others have posted on the immorality of not challenging Obama in next year’s dictatorial election, only to be met with scorn, trollish flaming, and ultimately banishment from Democrat Party blogs.  The blog moderators, having no moral foundation, take extreme offense at the suggestion that morality should be applied to politics.  (One such moderator even wrote a post denouncing the application of morality as a “litmus test” as an act of futility).  In their morally relativistic world, there is no place for moral absolutism.  To do so would constrain the politicians they support to acting within the framework of an ideology, and we are told that this is a bad thing.

The flaw in this argument is that people make moral judgments each and every day – no one is exempt from this fundamental aspect of human nature.  Let’s pick a hot-button issue, say, abortion.  You might be for or against its legality, based on your personal beliefs.  Things you consider in deciding which position to take might include, but not be limited to:

Does the pregnant woman or girl have access to basic health care, including prenatal care?

Is the pregnant woman or girl carrying a child conceived in an act of rape or incest?

Is the pregnant woman or girl in a poor financial situation that makes it extremely difficult to support a child?

Is our nation’s foster care system adequate to ensure that a child will be placed in a loving home capable of seeing to his or her physical, emotional, and intellectual development?

Are there religious or other moral doctrines at work?

Based on these and other considerations, you might take a position on abortion that is in support or opposition to the procedure’s continued legality.  But at some point, you have to take a position – one way or another, no in between.  If you have taken a position, congratulations.  You’ve made a moral judgment.

Some people don’t like being told that they must base their political decisions on any concept of morality.  But human nature precludes us from being able to renounce morality as the basis of our political leanings.  Just as the far right has a set of depraved, savage principles that are evil in both thought and implementation, so the left has a moral duty to take positions that are the exact opposite of right-wing principles, to argue and defend them effectively, to fight for them even when we are told it is impractical to do so.

To reject morality is to reject the principles upon which liberal-progressive-socialist thought is founded.  To abandon those principles in the pursuit of power is to be absolutely no better, and certainly no different, than the far right.  We who are truly liberal, progressive, or socialist in our moral and political beliefs must challenge the immorality of supporting amoral politicians, and that means challenging Obama and the Democrats as well as the Republicans.  Otherwise, what are we if not hypocrites?

Note: I originally posted a version of this at FireDogLake.com, only to see it flagged as spam and my account deactivated.  I guess certain persons don’t like having their lack of any moral foundation challenged.  Oh well.

Apr 01 2011

WWL Radio #103 The Road to Sedition


Friday, April 1st at 6pm EDT!

Listen live by clicking the link icon below:

Listen to The Wild Wild Left on internet talk radio

The call in number is 646-929-1264 to join the conversation!

The live chat link goes live around 5:45, and can be found at the bottom of the show page when you listen, or by clicking the link below.

CHAT LINK

Tip: In order to comment in chat, you must create a BTR account, its free and only takes seconds. I read chat while on air, so make yourself heard.

Its the First of April, and we are being played as fools. I wish it were something so blythe as a prank. The Ruling Class of this country have initiated and succeeded in Sedition against every principle we were taught our country stands for; every action is Sedition against you, me, we the People.

PhotobucketState by State they illegally restrict our rights and our ability to redress our complaints. They outlaw Unions, they restrict aid, threaten our very right to representation.

Nationally, the Uniparty blows smoke up our collective hineys, while continuing the process of extraction upward to move the wealth of the land into a few Oligarch’s hands.

Internationally, the Military Industrial Complex continues its march toward hegemony and terror.

All the while the people continue to be distracted by shiny lies, false-flag enemies and the kabuki theater of Good Cop/Bad Cop that our two-party system has become. The Left, as well as the Right continue to believe that a D or an R is their only option, rather than trashing the corporate funded lot of them, and rallying behind a new Party, in some twisted logic of “lesser evil” that makes the Rich squeal in delight.

You fight fire with fire, and sedition with sedition. Only is it really sedition to defend ourselves and refuse to comply with those who have co-opted our government; demand freedom, health, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

We are being FORCED down this road. To live as slaves or die as free men.

Game On.

Miss the show? The podcasts are available at the link above, or at the Wild Wild Left

Join Wild Wild Left Radio every Friday at 6pm EST, via Blog Talk Radio, with Hostess and Producer Diane Gee to guide you through Current Events taken from a Wildly Left Prospective….  her Joplinesque voice speaking straight from the heart about the real-life implications of the Political and the Class War on everyday American Citizens like you.

Controversy? We face it. Cutting Edge? We step over it. Revolutions start with information, and The Wild Wild Left Radio brings you the best in information and op/eds from a position that others on the Left fear to tread…. all with a grain shaker of irreverent humor.



WWL Radio: Bringing you “out there where the buses don’t run” LEFT perspective with interviews, op/eds and straight talk since January of 2009!


Apr 01 2011

April Fools

An April Fools Day Joke-

A Word About Digital Subscriptions to The Huffington Post

Arianna Huffington

Posted: 04/ 1/11 07:55 AM ET

Today marks a significant transition for The Huffington Post Media Group, as we introduce digital subscriptions for employees of The New York Times. It’s an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Huffington Post. If you are not an employee of The New York Times, you will continue to have full and free access to our news, information, opinion, and the rest of our rich offerings. If you are an employee of The Times, you may view one free article a month or choose one of our NYT Employee Digital Subscription Plans®. In our most popular plan, Times employees can view the first 6 letters of each word at no charge (including slideshows of adorable kittens). After 6 letters, we will ask you to become a digital subscriber.

Not An April Fools Day Joke-

Jim Messina Is a Perfect Choice to Be Obama’s Campaign Manager

Robert Creamer

Posted: 04/ 1/11 09:06 AM ET

I’m not sure we could have gotten a Public Option no matter what the president did or did not do. The Senate filibuster, the health insurance lobby, and Senator Lieberman were our chief obstacles. The administration and Senate leadership had negotiated a deal with progressive Senators to include a Medicare buy-in for people from 55 to 65 years of age — which would have been a huge advance. But then the insurance industry told Lieberman — who had favored the plan — to drop it. And that was that.

I think Messina and others, like David Axelrod, would agree that there were mistakes made in the campaign. One of those was allowing the battle to go on for so long — indulging Senator Baucus’ attempt to get bipartisan compromise over so many months that it amplified our opponent’s ability to dominate the air waves. By the way, I don’t know that Messina could have personally done a lot more to get Baucus off of the bipartisan program more quickly — notwithstanding their close relationship — though I suspect he tried.

The White House was being told that the bill had to go through the committee process in order to keep sixty votes. Getting Baucus to move that process more quickly would have required a major confrontation, that at the time the White House apparently did not think would be productive. In retrospect Messina may view it differently, I don’t know.

Another problem was not shifting soon enough to framing the battle as a fight with the insurance industry — a message frame that ultimately allowed us to win. But the decision for the administration not to use the insurance frame early was not made to “coddle” the industry. It was made to keep their money off the airwaves as long as possible. I think there is now general acknowledgment that the campaign would have been better off moving to the insurance frame earlier.

Also Not A Joke-

Veal Appeal: Whitewashing of Health Care Reform Battle Continues

By: Jon Walker

Friday April 1, 2011 10:11 am

Over at the Huffington Post, in an attempt to defend Jim Messina, Robert Creamer reaches for the absolute biggest brush he can find to totally whitewash the actual history of the health care reform battle.

…

The problem for the public option wasn’t that the president didn’t fight hard enough for it. It’s failure to make it in the laws was the result of President Obama actively fighting hard against it, while lying about this support. It was confirmed by the New York Times that President Obama sold out the public option in a deal with the hospitals in exchange for their support of the law. His many behind-the-scenes efforts to undercut it shows he was committed to the secret deal.

In the end, it was fully proven without a doubt that the filibuster wasn’t ever a real obstacle to the public option. The Affordable Care Act was finished with a reconciliation bill that can’t be filibustered and could have included a deficit-reducing public option. The fact that it didn’t speaks volumes.

Apr 01 2011

Punting the Pundits

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”

Paul Krugman: The Mellon Doctrine

“Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.” That, according to Herbert Hoover, was the advice he received from Andrew Mellon, the Treasury secretary, as America plunged into depression. To be fair, there’s some question about whether Mellon actually said that; all we have is Hoover’s version, written many years later.

But one thing is clear: Mellon-style liquidationism is now the official doctrine of the G.O.P.

Two weeks ago, Republican staff at the Congressional Joint Economic Committee released a report, “Spend Less, Owe Less, Grow the Economy,” that argued that slashing government spending and employment in the face of a deeply depressed economy would actually create jobs. In part, they invoked the aid of the confidence fairy; more on that in a minute. But the leading argument was pure Mellon.

Robert Reich: The Awful, Unsaid Truth: We’re Heading Back Toward a Double Dip

Why aren’t Americans being told the truth about the economy? We’re heading in the direction of a double dip – but you’d never know it if you listened to the upbeat messages coming out of Wall Street and Washington.

Consumers are 70 percent of the American economy, and consumer confidence is plummeting. It’s weaker today on average than at the lowest point of the Great Recession.

The Reuters/University of Michigan survey shows a 10 point decline in March – the tenth largest drop on record. Part of that drop is attributable to rising fuel and food prices. A separate Conference Board’s index of consumer confidence, just released, shows consumer confidence at a five-month low – and a large part is due to expectations of fewer jobs and lower wages in the months ahead.

Pessimistic consumers buy less. And fewer sales spells economic trouble ahead.

Laura Flanders: Bringing the Budget Protests to New York

From Wisconsin to Indiana to right here in New York-the state capitol in Albany Wednesday night echoed as well with chants of “This is what democracy looks like” as protesters occupied the halls to protest budget cuts to education.

This time, it’s a Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, in the driver’s seat, and while he’s not threatening to take away union negotiating rights, the budget pushed through at 1 am contains steep cuts to primary education spending, the State University of New York, and job creation. It also allows the millionaires’ tax to expire-that’s a surtax on incomes over $1 million.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Time for Fair Share Politics

The lunatics are running the asylum that is Congress.

At a moment when nearly two-thirds of US corporations don’t pay any federal income taxes, and companies are sitting on trillions in cash while refusing to hire new workers, the only thing we hear when it comes to tax reform is that we need to cut the corporate tax rate.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Yet it’s par for the course in this take-no-prisoners, slashonomics budget debate, where fighting to protect programs that help people get basic needs like housing, healthcare and heat is derided, but no corporate loophole is left unprotected. The debate in Washington has almost always been out of touch with the realities of people’s lives, but that gap has now widened into a gulf-perhaps greater than we’ve seen in generations.

John Nichols: Obama’s CEO-in-Chief, GE’s Immelt, Must Go

General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is President Obama’s point person of job creation and economic growth.

That may be the problem.

While Obama says he wants to encourage the creation of family-supporting jobs and to grow the middle class, Immelt is all about enriching himself and growing the gap between rich and poor.

Immelt, the chair of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, heads America’s largest corporation. General Electric made $14,200,000,000 in profits last year, yet it paid $0 in taxes-as in “zero,” “nothing,” “not a penny.”

With all that extra money, Immelt enjoyed a doubling of his personal compensation. Yet, he was not interested in spreading the prosperity.  In fact, GE is expected to ask 15,000 of the company’s unionized workers to agree to sweeping cuts in pay and benefits.

Jeff Biggers: Nation Celebrates Arizona Cesar Chavez, As AZ Launches Air Posse

On the eve of Arizona’s most famous native son’s celebrated birthday, Phoenix-area Sheriff Joe Arpaio unveiled his latest media stunt, the war-time invoking Operation Desert Sky–a 30-plane air posse of armed volunteers to track Mexican smugglers. Only days before, Arpaio rolled his department’s private tank into a quiet west Phoenix neighborhood to apprehend a flock of chickens and their unarmed cock-fighting enthusiast.

It’s not enough to question the logic of Arpaio’s extremist follies, or the cost to taxpayers while Arizona continues to witness the deaths of denied transplant patients and deal with draconian cuts to education. Or the fact that the Tea Party-controlled state legislature openly refused to fund enforcement efforts for the level-headed Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, whose Pima County actually runs along the Mexican border (unlike Arpaio’s Maricopa County).

Richard (RJ) Escow: By the Time You Read This: Why the Mortgage Crisis Dwarfs Almost Everything

The mortgage crisis in this country doesn’t get much attention in Washington these days, but it’s huge. It’s so huge, in fact, that it dwarfs most of the economic issues that have Washington in their grip. It’s so huge that it’s dragging down our entire economy. It’s so huge that the numbers can be difficult to picture.

The scale of the crisis is, in a word, staggering.

Here are seven charts (and another that was borrowed from the Wall Street Journal) along with some facts and figures that will help sketch out the scope of the problem. The numbers that follow are most likely understated, if anything, because we’ve left out some forms of reduced spending (like that which takes place when homeowners who have paid off their mortgages lose home value.)

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