egypt to control gaza border

some good news for a change... let's hope this really comes to pass.

Israel to cede control of Egypt-Gaza border to Egypt
Wed Aug 31, 1:06 PM ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli parliament on Wednesday approved a deal to hand control of a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border to Egyptian security forces after
Israel completes its pullout from the territory.

The agreement, sanctioning the deployment of 750 Egyptian border police on the Egyptian side of the Gaza frontier to replace Israeli troops stationed in the volatile "Philadelphi Corridor," passed by a vote of 53-28, the Knesset said.

The deal was approved by Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's cabinet on Sunday and brought to parliament after months of discussions, in which ministers demanded assurances Egypt would not allow weapons to move in and out of Gaza.
...

poverty rises, again

the fruits of bushonomics. poverty increased every year of this mis-administration. a lot of good those massive tax cuts did. surprise, suprise, surprise.

Poverty Rate Rises to 12.7 Percent

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 30, 7:31 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Even with a robust [sic] economy that was adding jobs last year, the number of Americans who fell into poverty rose to 37 million — up 1.1 million from 2003 — according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday.


It marks the fourth straight increase in the government's annual poverty measure.

The Census Bureau also said household income remained flat, and that the number of people without health insurance edged up by about 800,000 to 45.8 million people.
...

While disappointed, the Bush administration — which has not seen a decline in poverty numbers since the president took office — said it was not surprised by the new statistics.
...

no higher calling?

no higher calling than shooting people, blowing them up, torturing them, destroying their buildings and their civilian infrastructure? all for a stinking pack of lies? who does bush think he's fooling? if it's such a noble cause, then why doesn't he send his own children to die for it? surely, it's a much higher calling than being a doctor, a teacher, a scientist or an engineer. not to mention a politician, a TV commentator, or a corporate lobbyist.

``...
Some military leaders privately argue the recruiting challenge is too big for the Army to fix on its own. They have privately asked President Bush to help.

The president did make one appeal in a primetime address in June.

"There is no higher calling than service in our armed forces," Bush said.
...'' link

bushites score own goal

hilarious. of course, the pro-bush protest sign was off-target, too, because many of us protested just as strongly against the wars started by dem presidents.

``...
There also were some heated moments at the pro-Bush rally when Bush supporters mistakenly identified two people as war protesters. The two walked in with a sign that read "Say No to War — Unless a Democrat is President."

Many Bush supporters only saw the top of the sign and believed the men were war protesters, so they began shouting and chasing the pair out. One man tore up their signs.

When Will Marean of Minneapolis kept repeating that he was on the Bush side, one Bush supporter shook his hand and apologized.
...'' link

bush asks for patience

the chimp now pleads with us to "be patient", but how patient was he in the spring of 2003? if he'd been more "patient", this pointless war could have been averted, and hundreds of thousands of lives saved. (not to mention hundreds of billions of dollars.)

Bush Calls for Patience on Iraq Mission

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
Sat Aug 27, 4:48 PM ET

CRAWFORD, Texas -
President Bush on Saturday asked Americans to be patient with the U.S. military mission in Iraq, a request issued as less than half of those polled supported his war policy and thousands of pro-Bush and anti-war demonstrators competed for attention in his tiny hometown.
...

high gas prices begin to bite

as the price of crude edges toward $70 per barrel...

gas costs cramp consumer spending

...

For months, economists have warned that rising costs at the pump will leave people with less money for other purchases, and could even stall the economic recovery. Yet consumers continued to spend with gusto.

Now there are signs that some areas of consumer spending are starting to get pinched, especially among low-income households. But the cutbacks have yet to spread up the income chain. With gas prices still heading into the stratosphere, economists figure a breaking point must lie ahead.

``You can try to ignore it for some time,'' said Scott Anderson, senior economist for Wells Fargo. ``But eventually you have to adjust your behavior.''

Linda Baker is one of the few who are already adjusting. Higher gas prices are changing her life.

The Baker household used to have a full slate of premium channels on their cable service, but now they've cut back to just HBO. She used to buy all kinds of snacks for her eight kids, but she's paring those down to just necessities -- like fruits and vegetables. Baker, a paralegal, and her husband, a respiratory therapist, used to take their kids out to the movies every Friday, and then eat out. Now, they just go to the park and eat homemade sandwiches.
...

She points to the culprit: her Chevy Suburban. ``Look at what I drive,'' she said. The last time she filled up, the bill came to $78. She's unsure of the exact mileage, but driving around town, ``it feels like five miles per gallon.''
...

For people on a fixed or low income, the squeeze may have already started. According to the Consumer Federation of America, a low-income American will spend about 11 percent -- or $1,000 -- of their average income on gas. That's up from 8 percent in 2002.

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart's stock tumbled when executives said gas prices were cutting into customers' spending. And last week, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that orders for big-ticket manufactured goods dropped a surprisingly sharp 4.9 percent in July.
...

what has bush himself sacrificed?

just wonderful. he calls for the nation to sacrifice, while he himself is on a five-week vacation. the so-called commander in chief. so what has he sacrificed? he used family connections to wangle a safe stateside berth during the Vietnam war, and went AWOL to boot. now he's telling Americans that we have to "sacrifice" for his stupid war. well, if it's such a worthwhile cause, then why doesn't he lean on his own daughters, Jenna and Barbara, to join up and ship out?

Bush warns of sacrifice, war protesters square off

By Jeremy Pelofsky
58 minutes ago

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush called on Saturday for Americans to brace for additional sacrifice in Iraq as his supporters and anti-war protesters converged just outside his vacation ranch.
...

greedy israel gives back with one hand, steals with the other

the land theft in the West Bank never stops, even as Israel withdraws settlers from Gaza.

Israel to seize land for barrier

By Laura King
Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
Thu Aug 25, 9:40 AM ET

Israel said Wednesday that it had authorized the seizure of land owned by Palestinians to build a separation barrier that will encompass the West Bank's largest Jewish settlement.
...

Israel built the barrier to keep out Palestinian bombers, but the World Court ruled it illegal because it appropriates large tracts of Palestinian land.

robertson waffles on assassination apology

it'd take a team of top-flight surgeons to remove Rev Pat's foot from his oral cavity.

Robertson apologizes for remark on Chavez
Call for assassination result of 'frustration'

Alan Cooperman, Washington Post
Thursday, August 25, 2005

Washington -- The Rev. Pat Robertson apologized Wednesday for calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying he "spoke in frustration" over the U.S. government's inaction toward a man who has "found common cause with terrorists."

"Is it right to call for assassination?" Robertson said. "No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."
...

Earlier Wednesday, Robertson, 75, insisted that his remarks had been misinterpreted by the press.

"Wait a minute, I didn't say 'assassination.' I said our special forces should 'take him out,' and 'take him out' can be a number of things, including kidnapping," he said on Wednesday's edition of his flagship show on the Christian Broadcasting Network.

On Wednesday evening, however, Robertson issued a written clarification acknowledging that he had, in fact, used the word "assassination."

A video of Monday's telecast shows Robertson's exact words were: "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."
...

This is not the first time that Robertson has issued a convoluted apology. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he appeared to agree with the Rev. Jerry Falwell on a "700 Club" broadcast that the attacks were God's punishment for feminists, gays, lesbians and liberal groups. But Robertson later said he had conducted the interview with Falwell over a studio monitor and had not fully understood what Falwell was saying.

gov groper's fenway debut turns into bust

way to go, CA nurses!!

excerpt from Matier & Ross, 2005.08.24

The plan was to resell tickets to the Stones kickoff concert for $10,000 to raise big money for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's November special election initiatives.

For $100,000, you got to meet and greet with Arnold himself at a preconcert luxury box wing-ding.

Reviews of the bash, however, were mixed at best.

The Boston Herald judged that Arnold's "high-voltage foray" into the Hub (as Boston calls itself) was a "VIP fiasco," reporting that controversy over the election turned the $10,000- to $100,000-a-head tickets into "box office poison."

"Schwarzenegger also managed to clumsily snub (Massachusetts Republican) Gov. Mitt Romney by not calling his fellow guv before swanning into town," the paper reported.

Then there were the pickets, including a dozen or so California nurses who traveled across the country to protest Schwarzenegger's policies.

One of the those nurses was Kelly DiGiacomo -- a self-styled Arnold stalker who managed to get a last-minute ticket to the concert and went in dressed in her full uniform.

"I had a really good seat about 20 rows from the stage," where she could see Arnold's near-empty box, DiGiacomo told us.

"I stood up (in cap and uniform) and waved at him. The guy he was sitting with nudged him and pointed at me -- but Arnold wouldn't look at me,'' DiGiacomo said.

When quizzed by Chronicle political writer Carla Marinucci, Marty Wilson, the chief fundraiser for Schwarzenegger, wouldn't specifically dispute reports that sales of the $100,000 seats for the preconcert event were less than stellar.

"We raised a substantial sum of money,'' Wilson said, though he declined to say how much, how many tickets were sold or at what price.

"It was a good event,'' Wilson said. "The donors had a real good time."

bush hides behind pro-war mom

still unanswered is the question: if this war is so noble, why doesn't Bush send his own children to fight in it? why does he have to hide behind some random person who's content to have her offspring die in the war --- why doesn't he trot out Laura to say how proud she'd be if her twins died for this great cause? Bush calls on the nation to continue making sacrifices, but what has he sacrificed? he's on a freaking 5-week vacation. surely this is why he steadfastly refuses to meet Cindy Sheehan. he dare not allow anyone to ask him these questions publicly. there'd be no hiding the hypocrisy.

August 25, 2005
The Times
Bush fights back over mother's Iraq protest
From Tom Baldwin in Washington

GEORGE BUSH sought to neutralise Cindy Sheehan’s summer peace protest yesterday by highlighting the case of another mother who has four sons serving in Iraq.

Speaking at a rally of 10,000 servicemen and their families in Idaho, the President quoted Tammy Pruett, from Idaho, who has also seen her husband and a fifth son serve in Iraq, as saying: “If something happened to one of the boys, they would leave this world doing what they believe, what they think is right for our country. And I guess you couldn’t ask for a better way of life than giving it for something that you believe in.”

To loud cheers, Mr Bush declared: “America lives in freedom because of families like the Pruetts.”
...

who would Jesus assassinate?

and this man calls himself a "Christian".

Robertson Calls for Chavez Assassination

By SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 23,12:21 PM ET

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has suggested that American agents assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
...

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club."

"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."

Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous.

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
...

David Brock, president of Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog group, said the remarks should discredit Robertson as a spokesman for the religious right.

Robertson, 75, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, accused the United States of failing to act when Chavez was briefly overthrown in 2002.

A Robertson spokeswoman, Angell Watts, said he would not do interviews Tuesday and had no statement elaborating on his remarks.

A call seeking comment from the U.S. State Department was not immediately returned Tuesday.
...

Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier of oil to the United States. The CIA estimates that U.S. markets absorb almost 59 percent of Venezuela's total exports.
...

Robertson has made controversial statements in the past. In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device. He has also said that feminism encourages women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."

corruption by proxy

the guy who constantly harped on "corruption" while campaigning has become a poster boy for corruption and hypocrisy. he's the "collectinator", all right.

Nonprofits Cloak Donors to Governor

By Robert Salladay and Peter Nicholas
Times Staff Writers
Wed Aug 24, 7:55 AM ET

SACRAMENTO — Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is benefiting from millions of dollars raised by a network of tax-exempt groups without revealing that the money comes from major corporations with business before his office.

The groups are run by Schwarzenegger's closest political allies, who also represent some of California's biggest interest groups. Unlike the governor's many campaign funds, the nonprofits are not required to disclose their contributors and can accept unlimited amounts.

One group controlled by a powerful corporate consultant pays the $6,000-a-month rent on a Sacramento hotel suite used by the governor, who is a multimillionaire. Others have funded media events and political rallies featuring Schwarzenegger and helped pay for his foreign travel. So far, five tax-exempt groups aiding Schwarzenegger have collected $3 million.

Other elected officials also raise money through nonprofit groups. But Schwarzenegger campaigned on creating an open government answerable to the public. His use of the nonprofit groups has the opposite effect, ethics watchdogs said.

State and federal laws allow groups performing a broadly defined "public benefit" to operate tax exempt. But the lack of disclosure requirements means potential conflicts of interests between the governor and his contributors remain hidden, allowing powerful donors to curry favor with Schwarzenegger behind the scenes, they said.

"This is an end run around the campaign finance laws," said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington. "It does away with the contribution limits and it avoids disclosure, and it's a way for the special interests who are supporting him to buy access and buy influence."
...

data bureaus profit from own incompetence

something's very wrong with this picture.

Firms Hit by ID Theft Find Way to Cash In on Victims

By Joseph Menn
Times Staff Writer
Mon Aug 22, 7:55 AM ET

Elizabeth Rosen was plenty angry when ChoicePoint Inc. sent her a form letter acknowledging that crooks might have perused some of her most sensitive personal and financial data.
ADVERTISEMENT

But the Hollywood nurse was flabbergasted when the company, one of the nation's largest collectors of consumer records, also offered to sell her some of the same information so she could see what might have been compromised.

Rosen was among the 150,000 people whose records were released to identity thieves who scammed their way into ChoicePoint's databases, which the company says constitute the largest private collection of court records,
Social Security numbers and other public and personal data in the country.

Insurance companies, banks, law enforcement agencies and many arms of federal and local governments buy information from ChoicePoint to perform background checks on potential clients, tenants or employees. Now the Alpharetta, Ga., firm is finding a lucrative new business charging consumers worried about identity theft for access to their own criminal, education and employment histories.

...

as the noose tightens around another corrupt repub

i can hardly wait til it's Tom Delay's turn to have his house seized...

Firm Fined for Channeling Donations to GOP

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 19, 2005; Page A10

The Federal Election Commission yesterday fined Westar Energy Inc., two former corporate officers and the firm's lobbyist a total of $40,500 for their roles in channeling contributions to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) and other Republicans.

Westar, a Kansas energy company, was fined $20,000; it admitted in a conciliation agreement that it violated campaign laws by engaging "on two separate occasions in the practice of facilitating corporate contributions to candidates for federal office." Corporations are barred from contributing to federal campaigns.

Politics Trivia
Which of the following men did not serve as Director of Central Intelligence?

John Foster Dulles
James R. Schlesinger
James Woolsey
John M. Deutsch

The agreements made public do not apply to DeLay and to some other corporate officials.

But DeLay was admonished in connection with the case for creating the "improper appearance" that Westar might receive special access or treatment when he attended the company's golf fundraiser in June 2002, according to the House ethics committee.

At the time, energy legislation critically important to the company was about to go to a House-Senate conference committee. Language was inserted protecting Westar from financial damage that might be caused by other provisions of the bill.

Stuart Roy, then DeLay's spokesman, acknowledged that DeLay met with Westar representatives but said that "we have no control over any fantasies they might have about what they might get for a campaign contribution." The language was withdrawn from the bill after disclosures that the firm was under grand jury investigation.
...

cunningham home to be seized

[applause] they caught this self-righteous crook red-handed. i hope they nail him good and make an example out of him.

U.S. prosecutors claim home of Calif. lawmaker

By Marty Graham Thu Aug 18, 6:54 PM ET

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Attorney's Office has initiated attempts to seize the home of U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, alleging that the California Republican's $3.5 million estate was purchased with bribe money, court records show.

Cunningham, 63, an eight-term congressman, has been under investigation by federal prosecutors, the Internal Revenue Service and the criminal investigative arm of the
Pentagon over his ties to a defense contractor who purchased another home of his in late 2003, then sold it for a loss.

The sealed court documents, filed on July 21 and first reported by the San Diego Union Tribune, give notice of a civil lawsuit seeking title to the Rancho Santa Fe, California, property, owned by Cunningham and his wife, Nancy.

The court filing, which was made a week after Cunningham announced he would not seek re-election in 2006, said that the congressman's house "constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201."
...

usaf lt col caught defacing pro-bush vehicles

they went to a lot of trouble to catch this guy. i wonder if they would have gone to as much trouble to catch a vandal who targeted pro-Kerry vehicles? i do not condone this man's actions, but i sure can sympathize. Bush himself is a far bigger criminal, who has stolen the white house, killed thousands of our troops in a pointless war, defaced our constitution, and run the nation into bankruptcy. all the while, steadfastly refusing to meet with critics of his insane policies. i'd say it's more than enough to drive a real patriot over the edge.

I-Team: Air Force officer allegedly vandalized cars with pro-Bush bumper stickers
written by: Chip Yost 9NEWS Investigative Reporter
Created: 8/9/2005 7:13 PM MDT - Updated: 8/10/2005 7:47 AM MDT

DENVER - Denver police say a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force has admitted to vandalizing cars bearing pro-President Bush bumper stickers at Denver International Airport.

Police say he's responsible for thousands of dollars in damage on at least 12 cars. Lt. Colonel Alexis Fecteau, 42, of Colorado Springs, turned himself in to Denver police Friday.

He is director of reserve operations at the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, in charge of more than 40 full-time and traditional reservists.

In the arrest affidavit, Denver police say Fecteau admitted to damaging several cars after police conducted a sting-operation to catch the anti-Bush vandal.
...

gov groper raking in the bribes (donations)

and this is the guy who's trying to sell the proposition that unions should not be able to make political contributions. the guy who campaigned on a platform of eliminating the influence of "special interests"...


Governor cashing in on Rolling Stones
For $100,000, you can watch concert with Schwarzenegger

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Thursday, August 11, 2005

Here's the ticket: a private evening rockin' the night away with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the kickoff of the Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang'' U.S. tour on Aug. 21 at Boston's Fenway Park.

Here's the bottom line: $10,000 a pop to get in on a private preconcert reception and front-and-center seats to watch the show -- or $100,000 to sit with the governor in his luxury box.

The eyebrow-raising event is one of a cluster of glitzy fundraisers the star-power governor will headline in the next few weeks as he seeks to arm his campaign fund with $50 million in preparation for the Nov. 8 special election -- which will determine the fate of his political agenda and, observers say, his chances for re-election in 2006.

Marty Wilson, the governor's chief fundraiser, said Wednesday that Schwarzenegger has planned about half a dozen state events and other fundraisers coast to coast this month and next.

"We have a very ambitious finance plan that will go a long way to helping us meet our overall fundraising goals -- and be in a position to fund our television campaign this fall,'' Wilson said Wednesday.

The Rolling Stones benefit, limited to 40 lucky fans, comes thanks to a donation of a rare block of center-stage seats and a luxury box to the group's 2005 tour kickoff -- courtesy of mortgage lender and mega-political donor Ameriquest. The company, based in Orange, is the lead sponsor of the Stones' 2005 tour and has written $1.5 million in checks to Republican Schwarzenegger's campaign coffers to date.
...

The governor and committees backing his ballot measures had spent more than $23 million during the first six months of the year, according to the most recent disclosure statements released last month. Groups opposing the governor's measures that would change teacher tenure and the state budget process had spent slightly more than $10 million.

Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver liked the idea of sponsoring a Rolling Stones fundraiser because "he's apparently a big Stones fan,'' Massachusetts GOP activist Melissa Lucas told the Boston Herald.

The event was arranged after Ameriquest offered the governor more than three dozen center stage and luxury box seats for the Stones' first 2005 U.S. concert -- seats currently going for $1,600 each on ticket brokers' Web sites.
...

"Schwarzenegger ... has appeal in numerous parts of the country, and he's leveraging that to raise money in places far away from California,'' said Weiss of the Center for Responsible Politics. "The interesting question is why are the donors in, say, Boston, contributing to him? What is their interest in policies in California -- and how do those interests serve the voters?''

5 days in August

Some of the governor's scheduled fundraisers:

Aug. 17: A $500-per-person event at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino.

Aug. 18: A "private dinner" at the Sutter Club in Sacramento, where $100, 000 buys six VIP table tickets -- two tickets at the head table with the governor -- and three photos with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Aug. 19: A Lake Tahoe "evening of casual elegance" at Shakespeare Ranch in Glenbrook, Nev., sponsored by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and other Nevada politicians. The $25,000-per-couple "Platinum" tickets buy a host reception, cocktail reception, photo with Schwarzenegger and seats at his table.

Aug. 20: A $25,000-per-person fundraising barbecue dinner in New Jersey with GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester.

Aug. 21: An evening at a Rolling Stones concert in Boston.

Chronicle political writer John Wildermuth contributed to this report.E-mail Carla Marinucci at cmarinucci@sfchronicle.com.

groper donation came from stolen funds

in case any more proof was needed, that $10,000 donation from Tom "Coingate" Noe was as tainted as tainted can be. the gropinator should have returned it immediately, without even being asked. anyone with a shred of ethical sensibility should have recognized that in a flash. instead, he first refused, and now can't even confirm the money was returned.


Article published Tuesday, August 9, 2005

CREDIT CARD RECORDS
Noe used company credit card to charge $10,000 contribution for California governor
Schwarzenegger benefited

By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

COLUMBUS — Tom Noe used his American Express credit card from Thomas Noe, Inc. — the same entity he’s accused of using as a vehicle to steal millions of dollars from Ohio’s rare-coin funds — to contribute $10,000 to California’s governor.

Transaction records released yesterday from the $50 million funds that Mr. Noe managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation included a credit-card statement for Thomas Noe, Inc., containing a pair of $5,000 charges from March 9, 2004, for “political contributions” to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After initially refusing to return the contributions, Mr. Schwarzenegger in June decided to reverse course and not keep the money after all. His spokesman could not confirm that the money has been returned.
...

nuke lab error contaminates 4 states

meanwhile, the Bush administration's energy bill encourages nuclear power. why should we believe that the operators of a nuke plant that generates 48 tons of waste a year will be able to contain that massive quantity of radioactive material any better than Los Alamos handles its relatively small amount?

Error at lab spreads nuclear material
Contamination from Los Alamos found in 4 states

Keay Davidson, Chronicle Science Writer

Tuesday, August 9, 2005

The apparent mishandling of a potentially hazardous radioactive substance by an employee of the University of California-run Los Alamos National Laboratory has resulted in contamination of sites in four states, according to a report released Monday.

Traces of the substance have been found in homes in Colorado and Kansas that the Los Alamos employee visited, his own home in New Mexico, and also at the Pennsylvania laboratory where the employee apparently shipped a contaminated package via FedEx.
...

judge gets slap on wrist for dui

another sad case that shows how lightly the crime is treated in this state. at the very minimum, she should have had her drivers license revoked for life.

SANTA ROSA
Judge sentenced on DUI charges

Leslie Fulbright

Tuesday, August 9, 2005

A Sonoma County judge pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge on Monday and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and three years on probation.

Elaine Rushing, 57, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after she ran off of Riebli Road in Santa Rosa in June. A blood alcohol test given by the California Highway Patrol showed she was over the legal limit at which a person is presumed to be too intoxicated to drive, authorities said.
...

majority says iraq war made us less safe

so Americans finally wake up and smell the coffee. the war made us less safe. so much for even that weak rationale put forward after Bush's minions failed to turn up any WMD's in Iraq. over 1800 US troops dead, thousands more maimed for life, 100,000 Iraqis dead, a country ruined, $300+ billion spent; and it made us LESS safe.

Most Americans say Iraq war has made US more vulnerable to terrorism: poll
Tue Aug 9, 9:53 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - By a record 57-34 percent margin, most Americans believe the
Iraq war has made their country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to a poll.

And by a 56-41 percent margin, Americans believe some or all US troops should be withdrawn from Iraq -- a record 33 percent said all troops should be pulled out, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.

By a 54-44 percent margin, the 1,004 adults polled by telephone August 5-7 said the Iraq War was a mistake and by a 56-43 percent margin, they felt the war was going badly.

The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, found that
President George W. Bush's approval rating was 45 percent -- one point higher than his lowest score -- and his disapproval rating 51 percent.
...

naked racism of settlers on display

thoughts on reading a recent news article

To Obey Orders or Obey God

By Laura King Times Staff Writer Mon Aug 8, 7:55 AM ET

KISSUFIM CROSSING,
Israel — The young Israeli soldier blinked, but did not flinch, when the bearded settler standing nose-to-nose with him spat out a single sentence: "The Nazis were just obeying orders too."

[but the Nazis also claimed to be obeying God. the Nazis believed they were of a superior race, just like these settlers believe.]

Moments later, a young woman, her long skirt grazing the ground, approached the same soldier, speaking in gentle tones. "You are my brother," she told him. "How can you even think of tearing us away from our homes? Don't help do this…. Refuse orders. Refuse."

[the young woman begs for empathy, but how much empathy did she have for the Palestinians whose home this was before she and her kin stole it? does she think it was less painful for the Palestinians to be torn from their homes?]
...

By far the most notorious case entangled with refusal of orders has been that of 19-year-old Eden Natan-Zada. After deserting the army because of his opposition to the Gaza withdrawal, he gunned down four Israeli Arab civilians on a bus last week and was then beaten to death by a mob.

Much more typical is Avi Bieber, a fresh-faced 19-year-old corporal who was sentenced last month to 56 days in jail for disobedience.

Bieber made headlines in June when, in the midst of an army operation to clear abandoned buildings in a Gaza settlement that protesters had taken over, he suddenly contorted his face and shouted the slogan of the anti-withdrawal forces: "A Jew does not expel a Jew!"

[there you have it. ``a Jew does not expel a Jew''. apparently it's perfectly acceptable for a Jew to expel non-Jews. after all, these Jews had no qualms about forcibly evicting thousands of Palestinians in the first place, in order to create the precious homes that they now cling to with such theatrical poignancy. but do they really believe the Palestinians had any less love for their own homes?]

Before a gaggle of TV cameras, he cursed his commander and urged others in his unit to join him in refusing orders. None did, though several were visibly shaken when he was led off to jail.

Bieber's parents, immigrants from New Jersey who live in a
West Bank settlement, declared their pride in his actions. He swiftly became a heartthrob of teenage settler girls who have spent the long, hot summer protesting the withdrawal. Right-wing websites proclaimed him a hero, and a settlement in Gaza named a street after him.
...

presbyterians threaten divestment over israel policies

may this be but the first of many such actions.

Threat to Divest Is Church Tool in Israeli Fight

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: August 6, 2005

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. announced Friday that it would press four American corporations to stop providing military equipment and technology to Israel for use in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, and that if the companies did not comply, the church would take a vote to divest its stock in them.

The companies - Caterpillar, Motorola, ITT Industries and United Technologies - were selected from a list of several dozen possibilities by a church investment committee that met Friday in Seattle. The Presbyterians accused these companies of selling helicopters, cellphones, night vision equipment and other items Israel uses to enforce its occupation.

In an effort to appear even-handed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the church committee also included Citigroup on its list of targets, alleging it had a connection to a bank accused of having a role in funneling money from Islamic charities to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. The church said it included Citigroup because it was mentioned in an article in The Wall Street Journal.

A spokeswoman for Citigroup called the church's assertion "an outrage," a reaction echoed at several of the other corporations.

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. is in the forefront of a campaign now spreading to other mainline Protestant churches to use corporate divestment as a tactic in the Middle East conflict, a tactic that is roiling relations with Jewish groups.

The Episcopal Church U.S.A., the United Church of Christ, two regions of the United Methodist Church, as well as international groups like the World Council of Churches and the Anglican Consultative Council have all urged consideration of divestment or economic pressure in recent months, though the tone and emphasis of each resolution varies. The Disciples of Christ passed a resolution last month calling on Israel to tear down the barrier it has built to wall off the occupied territories, and other churches are considering similar resolutions.

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