Bush Seizes Control Over State MilitiasA little-noticed change in federal law packs an important change in who is in charge the next time a state is devastated by a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina.
To the dismay of the nation’s governors, the White House now will be empowered to go over a governor’s head and call up National Guard troops to aid a state in time of natural disasters or other public emergencies. Up to now, governors were the sole commanders in chief of citizen soldiers in local Guard units ... (more)
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Washington 'snubbed Iran offer'Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC's Newsnight programme.
Tehran proposed ending support for Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups and helping to stabilise Iraq following the US-led invasion.
Offers, including making its nuclear programme more transparent, were conditional on the US ending hostility.
But Vice-President Dick Cheney's office rejected the plan, the o... (more)
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US housing bust getting worse, warns Goldman SachsThe US Federal Reserve will need to slash interest rates three times this year as the housing slump goes from bad to worse and the American consumer begins to buckle, Goldman Sachs has warned.
"Americans have shown a complete lack of self-control. The personal savings rate is at its lowest point ever, and has actually been negative since April 2005.
"We believe that housing will soon become the proverbial 'straw that breaks the camel's back'," said David Kostin, the... (more)
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Iran's President Did Not Say "Israel must be wiped off the map"Across the world, a dangerous rumor has spread that could have catastrophic implications. According to legend, Iran's President has threatened to destroy Israel, or, to quote the misquote, "Israel must be wiped off the map". Contrary to popular belief, this statement was never made, as this article will prove.
BACKGROUND:
On Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 at the Ministry of Interior conference hall in Tehran, newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivere... (more)
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The many trials of 9/11 widow Ellen MarianiYou’ve probably seen her name in 9/11 reports, heard it in discussions. There’s a reference to it in my article 9/11 and the Greenberg Familia in Online Journal. Among other things, that article brings you a list of items that the notorious Greenberg-Traurig law firm was involved in.
Item six is of particular relevance to Ellen Mariani:
“6) Traurig Greenberg works with... (more)
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UK's Brown: G8, UN Need To Reflect "New World Order"BANGALORE -(Dow Jones)- U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said Wednesday that multilateral institutions such as the Group of Eight leading nations, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund must reform to reflect a "new world order" in the global economy.
Speaking to the Confederation of Indian Industry in Bangalore, Brown said that the emergence of countries such as India necessitated changes to the membership and operations of such global bodies.
... (more)
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Gorbachev calls for "Democratic World Order"A watershed in international relations has occurred in recent months. Indeed, the past year may well have seen the end of an entire era in world affairs - the post-cold war period of unilateralism and missed opportunities.
When the cold war ended, avenues opened up for progress toward a better world. Major powers, particularly the United States, the Soviet Union and China, were working constructively together in the United Nations security council. International conflicts, includi... (more)
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Claim: Bin Laden Told Hamza Al-Qaeda Not Behind 9/11 A claim attributed to a friend of one of the six men accused of plotting to detonate bombs on London's underground tube system on July 21 2005, suggests that Osama bin Laden personally told hook handed cleric Abu Hamza that Al-Qaeda was not behind the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The London Independent today reports that Steven Bentley, a school friend of accused would-be suicide bomber Yassin Omar, was told by Omar that he did not think Bin Laden w... (more)
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Bill would nip chips in humansFor years, people have been implanting tiny microchips under their pet's skin so that if Rover's collar slips off, there's still a way to find him if he wanders away.
Now a state lawmaker has added a twist to that concept with a bill that would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to require two-legged critters to have a microchip implanted under their skin.
Under the bill, employers could not track workers' movements, for example.
Rep. Mary Hodge, D-Brig... (more)
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US condemns China 'space weapon'The United States, Australia and Canada have criticised China over a weapons test it is said to have carried out in space last week.
The Americans say the Chinese sent up a ballistic missile to destroy an ageing weather satellite.
They say the test went against the spirit of co-operation both countries aspire to in the area of civil space.
Reports say Britain, South Korea and Japan were expected to express their concerns to China soon.
... (more)
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'London bomb plot was just a hoax'One of the defendants in the London "bomb plot" trial, Hussein Osman, was arrested in Rome and interviewed at length by police.
He is said to have told officers after his arrest he and his co-accused had been making a political point and the devices they carried were never meant to explode.
Nigel Sweeney QC, prosecuting, told Woolwich Crown Court, Mr Osman had admitted to police that his real name was Hamdi Isaac and he was born in Ethiopia in 1978.
M... (more)
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Skipton 9/11 campaigners stage new Twin Towers talkTHE Skipton branch of a group which disputes the official version of events on 9/11 has invited the leader of a national movement to share his views on the terror attacks.
The West Yorkshire Truth Campaign, which has previously brought high-profile speakers such as ex-MI5 whistleblower David Shayler to the town, will be welcoming the chairman of the 9/11 Truth Campaign in Britain and Ireland, Ian Crane, to the Narrowboat pub on Thursday January 25.
Mr Crane, who spe... (more)
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Lethal secrets of 1918 flu virusScientists who recreated "Spanish flu" - the 1918 virus which killed up to 50m people - have witnessed its remarkable killing power first hand.
The lungs of infected monkeys were destroyed in just days as their immune systems went into overdrive after a Canadian laboratory rebuilt the virus.
The reason for the lethal nature of the 1918 flu was never fully understood.
But the experts behind this test say they have found a huma... (more)
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US headed for "fiscal crisis," Bernanke warnsWashington- The United States is headed for a fiscal crisis of historic proportions unless the government tackles the rising cost of social programmes for an ageing population, Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke warned Thursday.
Spending obligations under current government pension and health-care benefits "will put enormous pressure on the federal budget in coming years," Bernanke told a US Senate hearing in Washington.
The result may be "a vicious cycle" in which ... (more)
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Northrop Grumman Tooling Up First Ray Gun Production LineNorthrop Grumman Corporation today opened a specialized facility exclusively for system integration and production of high-energy laser systems for military uses - the first of its kind by private industry in the United States. Located at the Space Technology sector's Space Park campus, the Directed Energy Production Facility is specifically designed for the production of high-energy, solid-state lasers and their integration onto military vehicles.
"Powerful military lasers, with ... (more)
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ACLU, Conservatives Team to Fight New LawWASHINGTON, D.C. -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Traditional Values Coalition have joined as allies from opposite ends of the political spectrum to stop a new law proposed by the Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.
The law — the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 — would entangle nonprofit groups in a Web of red tape every time they tried to issue political alerts to their members.
Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, ... (more)
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Senate Bill S.1 Poses No Threat To Bloggers?My colleague Mitch Wagner and some other journalists have picked up on a report by an organization called Grass Roots Freedom that a Senate bill designed to bring transparency to the lobbying process could result in the jailing of political bloggers. Did you know that the bill does not even mention the words "blog" or "blogger"? There's also a couple of things you should know about "Grass Roots Freedom."
As Mitch reports on his own blog entry, Grass Roots Freedom says Senate b... (more) Note: This article is propaganda (Read Brian Miller's Comment on this article). Richard Viguerie of Grassrootsfreedom.com is likely a shill and an opportunist but the bill is still an attack on free speech. |
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New lobbying bill to criminalize political bloggers?One of the Democratic priorities for the new Congress was passage of a lobbyist reform bill, but the introduction of S.1 into the Senate has caused a veritable firestorm of controversy. That's because section 220 of the bill introduces disclosure requirements for "paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying." The Traditional Values Coalition calls this section the "most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever pr... (more)
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Congress preparing to criminalize critics?"In what sounds like a comedy sketch from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, but isn't, the U. S. Senate would impose criminal penalties, even jail time, on grassroots causes and citizens who criticize Congress," says Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com
Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to ... (more) Richard Viguerie appears to be a shill. GrassrootsFreedom.com asks for your address when you sign their petition. Why would they need it? There is no reason they would need it unless they wanted to sell your info for something called "lead generation" or send you crap in the mail. This bill may be an assault on the first amendment, but I would not recommend signing their petition. |
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Soldiers taunt crippled dog in Iraq
... (more) "Listen, little man! Every single one of your petty misdeeds throws a light on the wretchedness of human life. Every one of your petty actions diminishes the hope of improving your lot just a little more. That is ground for sorrow, little man, for deep, heartbreaking sorrow. To avert such sorrow you make silly little jokes. That's what you call your sense of humor." - Wilhelm Reich - Listen, Little Man! |
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Protesters Found in DatabaseA Defense Department database devoted to gathering information on potential threats to military facilities and personnel, known as Talon, had 13,000 entries as of a year ago -- including 2,821 reports involving American citizens, according to an internal Pentagon memo to be released today by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Pentagon memo says an examination of the system led to the deletion of 1,131 reports involving Americans, 186 of which dealt with "anti-military protest... (more)
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Lobbying Bill Will Violate Free Speech And The Right To Freely Petition GovernmentWashington, DC – “The Traditional Values Coalition is deeply concerned about the grassroots lobbying requirements in Section 220 of S.1, Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act,” said TVC Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon today. “Section 220 is a direct assault on the First Amendment and the right of citizens to freely petition their government for a redress of grievances!
“This legislation will place onerous reporting requirements on individuals... (more)
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Lobby Reform Bill Would Stifle Free Speech, Say Advocacy GroupsRailing against the lobbying reform bill scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, several conservative groups say the bill will stifle the free speech rights of grassroots organizations.
A similar bill was introduced last year but did not pass. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reintroduced the legislation on Jan. 8.
"Now that the new Congress is underway, we need to get down to business and show Americans that we are responding to their call for change," said Sen.... (more)
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Condi's Middle East Junket; a new dose of cynicismCondoleezza Rice has used her trip through the Middle East to announce her intention to “accelerate the road map and move to the establishment of a Palestinian state”. (NY Times) She plans to convene a summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert so that “informal talks” can be held on the main issues related to a permanent settlement.
Why? Why this sudden interest on Rice’s part in Palestinian statehood?
... (more)
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Iran shoots down U.S. spy drone amid growing military pressureTEHRAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival -- the United States.
The aircraft was brought down when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizeh, a member of the parliament, was quoted by the local Fars News Agency as saying.
The lawmaker ga... (more)
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