Saturday, January 21, 2006
Another Angle 21 - January - 2006
ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
Report: 5 photos of Abramoff, Bush
If the White House can’t find the photos, prosecutors already know where to look. The Washingtonian has seen five photos of the President with Abramoff or his family. One photo shows the President and Abramoff shaking hands at a meeting in the Old Executive Office Building, where a bearded-Abramoff introduced Bush to several of the lobbyist’s native-American clients.
KIA in Alabama
On January 16th, after having talked quite normally on the phone with at least two other people that same day, Douglas Barber, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) living in Lee County, Alabama, changed the answer-message on his telephone. "If you're looking for Doug," it said in his Alabama drawl, "I'm checking out of this world. I'll see you on the other side."
Claim: Insider trades from House offices
After a comment by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) on Air America's Majority Report Wednesday evening, RAW STORY has learned that House Democrats are pushing the ethics committee to investigate allegations of congressional offices providing privleged information to Wall Street investors. On Air America, Slaughter alleged that "day traders" in the offices of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) had aided such investors. She mentioned as a specific example that individuals got advance notice that an asbestos bill was not going to emerge from the Senate (Audio here).
Mystery firm linked to US lobbyist scandal
Abramoff recorded Rose Garden's address as a luxury flat in Tai Hang, above Causeway Bay, and its business as international trade. Hong Kong's Companies Registry has no record of Rose Garden Holdings; nor does the telephone directory. The apartment listed by Abramoff as Rose Garden's premises has been owned since 1992 by Luen Thai Shipping and Trading, according to the Land Registry.
Powerful Men Who Meet Secretly and Plan
The first group met at the Bilderberg Hotel in Holland. The first meeting was called by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in response to his concerns regarding the increasingly antagonistic relationship between the U.S. and Western Europe thus providing the Group with a declared purpose - to further the understanding between Western Europe and North America through informal meetings between powerful individuals. The Group has grown since that first meeting in 1954 and has met once a year every year since that time.
Latest Bin Laden Tape: Another of the NeoCons' "Greatest Hits"
Just like Orwell's ubiquitous Emmanuel Goldstein, Bin Laden always seems to pop up right on cue so we can disengage our minds from reality and join in the two minutes hate.
INTERNATIONAL:
Iran will be taught a lesson: Burns
Undersecretary of State R Nicolas Burns has called Iran “a threat to world peace” and vowed to “teach it a lesson”. He said this in a press conference following talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran on Friday. Iran has “crossed so many international red lines, that it has to know that will be a penalty to be paid.
Japan again halts import of US beef
The discovery of bone in a veal shipment from New York prompted the order. Asian countries believe the presence of bone indicates a risk of mad cow disease and restrictions against it in beef shipments have remained.
In Bolivia, a $100 Million Question
What will become of the U.S.-financed program to eradicate coca, the plant used to make cocaine, now that the longtime head of the coca growers' union, Evo Morales, is about to become the country's president?
Terrorism & incitement trial date certain for Trinidad’s Muslim leader
Abu Bakr will face a jury after he allegedly said during a sermon that there will be “war” and “bloodshed” , if rich Muslims did not contribute zakaat; a compulsory contribution which is usually made twice a year to be given to poorer people.
Black TV Channel Ignites Ire in Brazil
A Brazilian TV channel dedicated especially to black people has been provoking controversy. Not only Brazil, but parts of Europe, the western U.S., Asia and Angola have been watching "Canal da Gente," or "Our Channel," since Nov. 20, 2005.
IRAQ:
Italy to pull troops out of Iraq
Italy will withdraw 1 000 of its 2 600 troops in Iraq by June and aims to finish its mission there by the end of this year, Defence Minister Antonio Martino said on Thursday.
ECONOMY:
Steve Clemons: Paul Wolfowitz Busy Neo-Conning the World Bank ...
Wolfowitz may be showing his stripes now -- and may be finally tilting the Bank into a groove where it becomes a harsher instrument of U.S. foreign policy -- rewarding friends and punishing those who don't fall into lockstep behind George W. Bush's vision.
Collapse of U.S. Economy Imminent
Should America (along with British & Israeli forces) launch a war against Iran, or another country, without yet paying for, or even recovering from the current losses in Iraq and elsewhere - the costs of such of an invasion will overwhelm an already crippled economy and push the U.S. over the edge into oblivion.
OP-ED:
Jesse Jackson Jr.: The Right to Vote
"The vote" is a human right. It is seen as an American right. In a democracy there is nothing more fundamental than having the right to vote. And yet the right to vote is not a fundamental right in our Constitution. Some liberals argue that the fundamental right to vote for every American citizen is implied in the Constitution, based on Supreme Court precedent. Yet when I ask them about the denial of voting representation in Congress to District of Columbia citizens, or about the denial of ex-felons' voting rights in most states, many liberals concede that the current structure of our Constitution limits the ability of the courts and Congress to adequately address important voting-rights issues.
Medicare Drug Plan Looks Like a Big Scam
The Medicare drug benefit is shaping up as the single most cynical scam perpetrated by the Bush administration on American consumers. Designed to maximize profits for drug makers and health insurers, the program was launched so ineptly Jan. 1 that hundreds of thousands of patients have been prevented by computer glitches from filling their prescriptions. California and 25 other states have had to step in temporarily to pay for improperly rejected prescription claims.
FOOD&DRINK:
BANANA NUT BREAD
Mother's learned to cook this bread during the Depression, when nothing was wasted — especially overripe bananas. I've discovered that overripe bananas can be peeled, mashed, and frozen, then defrosted whenever you want to bake up a memory.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
A Coming of Age, an Era of Change
"Quinceañera," which will premiere Monday afternoon at the Sundance Film Festival is a heartfelt story about — as the filmmakers put it — "what happens when teenage sexuality, age-old rituals and real-estate prices collide."
'Glory Road' Plays Fast and Loose with Facts
Hollywood sports films often ignore facts in favor of plot, and the new hit Glory Road is no exception.
HUMOR?:
Fiore: Welcome to Greater Georgelandia!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Another Angle 17 - January - 2006
ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
Spotlight on Lobbying Swings to Little-Known Congressman
According to Mr. Abramoff's plea agreement, Mr. Ney provided a stream of official favors to Mr. Abramoff and his associates. In one case, the court papers say, Mr. Ney helped an Israeli company win a contract in 2001 to provide wireless service to Congress.
McCain campaigns for George Wallace, Jr.
McCain's Alabama visit drew fire from the Democratic National Committee, which said McCain should have denounced past speeches Wallace has made to the "racist Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC)," a group which opposes "all efforts to mix the races".
White House: Gore guilty of hypocrisy
McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge.
In Desperation, Gonzales Smears Gore
The issue with the Bush’s warrantless domestic wiretapping program is that it violates a federal criminal law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Despite what Gonzales is implying, the Clinton administration never violated FISA and never claimed they could violate FISA.
American who advised Pentagon says he worked at magazine that found forged Niger documents
While most Americans have yet to hear of Ledeen or Panorama, the confirmation of his work with the publication adds yet another dimension to the Niger forgeries scandal and possible U.S. government involvement in pre-war intelligence manipulation.
Nuclear War: Depleted Uranium
Since 1991, the U.S. has staged four nuclear wars using depleted uranium weaponry, which, like Agent Orange, meets the U.S. government definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Vast regions in the Middle East and Central Asia have been permanently contaminated with radiation.
IRAQ:
Iraq captors threaten to kill journalist
Aljazeera aired a brief video on Tuesday showing Jill Carroll speaking to the camera, without broadcasting her voice. Carroll's former employers The Jordan Times published a Sunday editorial, stating: "The kidnappers who abducted her could not have chosen a more wrong target. True, Jill is a US citizen. But she is also more critical of US policies towards the Middle East than many Arabs… Jill has been from day one opposed to the war, to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. "
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
The man cannot even keep the lies straight any more
Bush at his best. Speaking off script.
Bush Can Be Sued on Faith Based Initiative
A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated the lawsuit brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group claims Bush's program, which helps religious organizations get government funding to provide social services, violates the separation of church and state.
ECONOMY:
Worry as Chinese reserves poised to touch historic US$1 trillion level
China has been investing its reserves in US government debt and held US$247 billion in treasury bonds at the end of October, making it the largest investor after Japan. The bank said the Government was looking for new ways to invest the money to seek higher returns.
OP-ED:
Black Students Under Fire: Racial Profiling in Public Schools
In the past year black students have gotten dumped from classrooms or hauled off to jail for using a cell phone, talking in class, or simply calling names. And those being severely punished are getting younger. The arrest and manhandling by police of a five year old in Florida earlier this year ignited a firestorm of protest.
HEALTH&FITNESS:
FDA warns diet drugs contain Prozac and Librium
Emagrece Sim, also known as the Brazilian Diet Pill and Herbathin Dietary Supplement contain controlled substances, found in prescription drugs that could lead to serious side effects or injury.
Pesticides Raise Child Risk of Leukaemia - Study
Exposure to pesticides in the womb or as a child can double the risk of developing acute leukaemia, French scientists said on Tuesday.
FOOD&DRINK:
Nana Edie's Devil's Food Cake
This cake was very moist and chocolatey. Excellent frosting in terms of flavour and consistency. A very attractive homemade cake. And so easy and quick to put together. This is a classic old-fashoned chocolate cake, just like mom should have made!
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
Justice, Texas Style
Early one morning in 1999, dozens of young men, most of them black, were rounded up by police in Tulia, Texas, and charged with dealing cocaine. Texas Observer reporter Nate Blakeslee discussed the defendants' eventual exoneration, the corruption of the system, and his new book, Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town.
JUST WEIRD:
'Alien' Embryo Removed From Man’s Back
A 35-year-old tractor operator, Igor Namyatov, has undergone surgery to be relieved of what had initially been diagnosed as a tumor, but turned out to be the embryo of his unborn twin brother (with photo).
HUMOR?:
Tom Tomorrow: 2006: An Excessively Optimistic Look Ahead
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
Spotlight on Lobbying Swings to Little-Known Congressman
According to Mr. Abramoff's plea agreement, Mr. Ney provided a stream of official favors to Mr. Abramoff and his associates. In one case, the court papers say, Mr. Ney helped an Israeli company win a contract in 2001 to provide wireless service to Congress.
McCain campaigns for George Wallace, Jr.
McCain's Alabama visit drew fire from the Democratic National Committee, which said McCain should have denounced past speeches Wallace has made to the "racist Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC)," a group which opposes "all efforts to mix the races".
White House: Gore guilty of hypocrisy
McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge.
In Desperation, Gonzales Smears Gore
The issue with the Bush’s warrantless domestic wiretapping program is that it violates a federal criminal law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Despite what Gonzales is implying, the Clinton administration never violated FISA and never claimed they could violate FISA.
American who advised Pentagon says he worked at magazine that found forged Niger documents
While most Americans have yet to hear of Ledeen or Panorama, the confirmation of his work with the publication adds yet another dimension to the Niger forgeries scandal and possible U.S. government involvement in pre-war intelligence manipulation.
Nuclear War: Depleted Uranium
Since 1991, the U.S. has staged four nuclear wars using depleted uranium weaponry, which, like Agent Orange, meets the U.S. government definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Vast regions in the Middle East and Central Asia have been permanently contaminated with radiation.
IRAQ:
Iraq captors threaten to kill journalist
Aljazeera aired a brief video on Tuesday showing Jill Carroll speaking to the camera, without broadcasting her voice. Carroll's former employers The Jordan Times published a Sunday editorial, stating: "The kidnappers who abducted her could not have chosen a more wrong target. True, Jill is a US citizen. But she is also more critical of US policies towards the Middle East than many Arabs… Jill has been from day one opposed to the war, to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. "
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
The man cannot even keep the lies straight any more
Bush at his best. Speaking off script.
Bush Can Be Sued on Faith Based Initiative
A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated the lawsuit brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group claims Bush's program, which helps religious organizations get government funding to provide social services, violates the separation of church and state.
ECONOMY:
Worry as Chinese reserves poised to touch historic US$1 trillion level
China has been investing its reserves in US government debt and held US$247 billion in treasury bonds at the end of October, making it the largest investor after Japan. The bank said the Government was looking for new ways to invest the money to seek higher returns.
OP-ED:
Black Students Under Fire: Racial Profiling in Public Schools
In the past year black students have gotten dumped from classrooms or hauled off to jail for using a cell phone, talking in class, or simply calling names. And those being severely punished are getting younger. The arrest and manhandling by police of a five year old in Florida earlier this year ignited a firestorm of protest.
HEALTH&FITNESS:
FDA warns diet drugs contain Prozac and Librium
Emagrece Sim, also known as the Brazilian Diet Pill and Herbathin Dietary Supplement contain controlled substances, found in prescription drugs that could lead to serious side effects or injury.
Pesticides Raise Child Risk of Leukaemia - Study
Exposure to pesticides in the womb or as a child can double the risk of developing acute leukaemia, French scientists said on Tuesday.
FOOD&DRINK:
Nana Edie's Devil's Food Cake
This cake was very moist and chocolatey. Excellent frosting in terms of flavour and consistency. A very attractive homemade cake. And so easy and quick to put together. This is a classic old-fashoned chocolate cake, just like mom should have made!
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
Justice, Texas Style
Early one morning in 1999, dozens of young men, most of them black, were rounded up by police in Tulia, Texas, and charged with dealing cocaine. Texas Observer reporter Nate Blakeslee discussed the defendants' eventual exoneration, the corruption of the system, and his new book, Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town.
JUST WEIRD:
'Alien' Embryo Removed From Man’s Back
A 35-year-old tractor operator, Igor Namyatov, has undergone surgery to be relieved of what had initially been diagnosed as a tumor, but turned out to be the embryo of his unborn twin brother (with photo).
HUMOR?:
Tom Tomorrow: 2006: An Excessively Optimistic Look Ahead
Monday, January 16, 2006
Another Angle 16 - January - 2006
ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
GORE CALLS FOR SPECIAL PROSECUTOR OVER WIRETAPS; 'CONSTITUTION IN GRAVE DANGER'
I endorse the words of Bob Barr, when he said, "The President has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will."
Police Department gives officer medal for shooting black teen in the back of the head
There's only one plausible reason to give Sgt Dan May a Medal of Valor fifteen years later, for shooting an un-armed kid in the back of the head.
In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy
Ralph Reed's records have been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, and neither he nor his staff will discuss whether Reed has been interviewed or has been called as a witness to grand jury proceedings.
TV Critic: Cronkite urges news anchors to push withdrawal
Television news anchors should be calling for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq, former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite said Sunday, remembering his own editorial demand for American withdrawal from Vietnam as one of the proudest moments of his career.
CNN banned from Iran for misquoting president
During CNN's live translation of a press conference by Ahmadinejad on Saturday, the president was quoted as saying that "we believe all nations are allowed to have nuclear weapons" and that the West should not "deprive us to have nuclear weapons".
The president was, however, using a Farsi word that meant "technology" and not "weapons".
When the FBI tried to persuade Martin Luther King Jr....
The FBI campaign to discredit and destroy Dr. King was marked by extreme personal vindictiveness. As early as 1962, Director Hoover penned on an FBI memorandum, "King is no good."
MARTIN LUTHER KING - THE FATAL SHOT CAME FROM A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
After a recent trip to Memphis, and a visit to the crime scene, here's what I know. It was IMPOSSIBLE for the shot to have come from the bathroom in the rooming house without the shooter being seen by everyone. The ONLY way the shot came from there was if the shooter actually leaned two-four feet outside the window.
INTERNATIONAL:
Russia's SS-27 Makes Bush's Missile Defense A Fantasy
The Topol SS 27 can be manoeuvred mid-flight. this makes it impossible for radar systems to figure out its flight path. It is invulnerable to radiation and electromagnetic and physical interference. It can be mounted on the back of a truck, which makes it difficult to monitor how many of these missiles have been deployed and where.
It also acheived a speed of 180 miles a minute or 10,800 miles an hour.
Israel prepares to launch attack on Iran nuclear sites
A recent statement by the Israeli military chief of intelligence, General Aharon ZeeviFarkash, indicated that Israel had set a March 1 time limit for diplomatic means to deter Iran's plans. Sources in Tel Aviv say the general's remarks were based on a military planning timetable and could indicate a likely date for the missile strike.
Why an Economic Boycott of Israel is Justified
In a courageous initiative American-based Human Rights Watch recently called on the U.S. government to reduce significantly its financial aid to Israel until Israel terminates its illegal policies in the West Bank. An economic boycott would seem to be an equally judicious undertaking. A nonviolent tactic the purpose of which is to achieve a just and lasting settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict cannot legitimately be called anti-Semitic.
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon
President Bush has used "signing statements" hundreds of times to vitiate the meaning of statutes passed by Congress. In effect, Bush is vetoing the bills he signs into law by asserting unilateral authority as commander-in-chief to bypass or set aside the laws he signs.
OP-ED:
The Black Commentator - The Demise of Public Schooling
Either turn all public schools into independent charter schools, revamp the public school system or come up with some better solutions. These are the only choices. The aftermath of hurricane Charter will be penitentiary schools and schooling.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
Billy Childs and the Lush Jazz of 'Lyric'
The Grammys will be awarded in less than a month and pianist Billy Childs' new CD Lyric is up for Best Jazz Instrumental Album -- one of several nominations for Childs.
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
GORE CALLS FOR SPECIAL PROSECUTOR OVER WIRETAPS; 'CONSTITUTION IN GRAVE DANGER'
I endorse the words of Bob Barr, when he said, "The President has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will."
Police Department gives officer medal for shooting black teen in the back of the head
There's only one plausible reason to give Sgt Dan May a Medal of Valor fifteen years later, for shooting an un-armed kid in the back of the head.
In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy
Ralph Reed's records have been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, and neither he nor his staff will discuss whether Reed has been interviewed or has been called as a witness to grand jury proceedings.
TV Critic: Cronkite urges news anchors to push withdrawal
Television news anchors should be calling for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq, former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite said Sunday, remembering his own editorial demand for American withdrawal from Vietnam as one of the proudest moments of his career.
CNN banned from Iran for misquoting president
During CNN's live translation of a press conference by Ahmadinejad on Saturday, the president was quoted as saying that "we believe all nations are allowed to have nuclear weapons" and that the West should not "deprive us to have nuclear weapons".
The president was, however, using a Farsi word that meant "technology" and not "weapons".
When the FBI tried to persuade Martin Luther King Jr....
The FBI campaign to discredit and destroy Dr. King was marked by extreme personal vindictiveness. As early as 1962, Director Hoover penned on an FBI memorandum, "King is no good."
MARTIN LUTHER KING - THE FATAL SHOT CAME FROM A DIFFERENT DIRECTION
After a recent trip to Memphis, and a visit to the crime scene, here's what I know. It was IMPOSSIBLE for the shot to have come from the bathroom in the rooming house without the shooter being seen by everyone. The ONLY way the shot came from there was if the shooter actually leaned two-four feet outside the window.
INTERNATIONAL:
Russia's SS-27 Makes Bush's Missile Defense A Fantasy
The Topol SS 27 can be manoeuvred mid-flight. this makes it impossible for radar systems to figure out its flight path. It is invulnerable to radiation and electromagnetic and physical interference. It can be mounted on the back of a truck, which makes it difficult to monitor how many of these missiles have been deployed and where.
It also acheived a speed of 180 miles a minute or 10,800 miles an hour.
Israel prepares to launch attack on Iran nuclear sites
A recent statement by the Israeli military chief of intelligence, General Aharon ZeeviFarkash, indicated that Israel had set a March 1 time limit for diplomatic means to deter Iran's plans. Sources in Tel Aviv say the general's remarks were based on a military planning timetable and could indicate a likely date for the missile strike.
Why an Economic Boycott of Israel is Justified
In a courageous initiative American-based Human Rights Watch recently called on the U.S. government to reduce significantly its financial aid to Israel until Israel terminates its illegal policies in the West Bank. An economic boycott would seem to be an equally judicious undertaking. A nonviolent tactic the purpose of which is to achieve a just and lasting settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict cannot legitimately be called anti-Semitic.
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon
President Bush has used "signing statements" hundreds of times to vitiate the meaning of statutes passed by Congress. In effect, Bush is vetoing the bills he signs into law by asserting unilateral authority as commander-in-chief to bypass or set aside the laws he signs.
OP-ED:
The Black Commentator - The Demise of Public Schooling
Either turn all public schools into independent charter schools, revamp the public school system or come up with some better solutions. These are the only choices. The aftermath of hurricane Charter will be penitentiary schools and schooling.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
Billy Childs and the Lush Jazz of 'Lyric'
The Grammys will be awarded in less than a month and pianist Billy Childs' new CD Lyric is up for Best Jazz Instrumental Album -- one of several nominations for Childs.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Another Angle 14 - January - 2006
ANOTHER ANGLE
News others would keep from you
NATIONAL:
Should Black People Leave America?
In light of all that has happened to Black people in this country, in addition to what is occurring now in the new millennium, should Black people seriously consider leaving America? We have been here since the beginning, contributed more than anyone else to the foundational wealth of this country, sacrificed more than anyone else for this country, and yet we are still treated like the “three-fifths” they called us when they wrote their Constitution. Should we now walk away?
More Stories Rolling In About Levees Being Blown In New Orleans
More information and stories are rolling in, ignored by the media and scoffed at by conservative radio hosts, suggesting U.S. government operatives purposely detonated and blew the New Orleans levees to racially cleanse the city making way for a huge land grab by rich developers. Since the levees gave-way well after Hurricane Katrina passed over the Crescent City, major media outlets have ignored numerous eye witness accounts.
Standing With Dr. King in Memphis
"You just really can't describe it. He stopped everything, put everything aside to come to Memphis to see about the people on the bottom of the ladder, the sanitation workers. After his death, we marched. You couldn't hear a sound. You couldn't hear nothin' but leather against pavement."
INTERNATIONAL:
U.S. Bombs Pakistan
This incident is yet another evidence that Musharraf has made Pakistan a big loser after September 11 with the misconception that it had no option except bending backwards to the US demands.
Spain defies US on Venezuela
Earlier this week, Venezuela accused Washington of blocking the purchase of training jets from Brazil, because the planes contained protected US technology. The aircraft will be made with more expensive European parts because the US has blocked the use of its technology for Venezuela.
Sudan says Western forces in Darfur unwelcome
Sudan on Friday rejected a suggestion by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the United States and Europe help set up a possible mobile force in Darfur to supplement African troops now on the ground.
A proud nation surrounded by nuclear states
Iran is an ancient and proud nation and reacts badly to being treated as a pariah state. It can see how Pakistan's prestige was enhanced in the Islamic world when a Pakistani scientist developed the first Islamic bomb. Iran could do the same for Shia Islam.
I had an Iranian roomate in college. That was a while back, and much has changed there. But one constant is, they remember what our government did to them. And they will never let it happen again.
China map lays claim to Americas
A map due to be unveiled in Beijing and London next week may lend weight to a theory a Chinese admiral discovered America before Christopher Columbus. The map, which shows North and South America, apparently states that it is a 1763 copy of another map made in 1418. If true, it could imply Chinese mariners discovered and mapped America decades before Columbus' 1492 arrival.
I still see one problem. How could anyone DISCOVER land that already had people living on it?
ECONOMY:
Iran sanctions may cause $100 oil barrels
In response to the looming threat, crude futures soared to three-month highs yesterday after Britain, France and Germany called for Iran to be hauled before the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions for resumption of work at the country's nuclear facilities.
Just a thought here. For the last few days we have been seeing stories about how gas prices would be going up in the near future. Now we have this one.
Let's connect some dots.
We have a situation domestically where "The Family" is under intense scrutiny and pressure. What better way to divert attention for awhile than to artificially create market pressures that will make people look the other way.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
Melvin Van Peebles: The MVP of Black Cinema
Van Peebles, like hiphop, doesn't know the meaning of stop. He's never stopped working multiple hustles on multiple fronts. Some boomers will recall that after Sweet back he had two Tony-nominated Broadway musicals, that he took screenwriting credit for Richard Pryor's Greased Lightning, that in the '90s he reinvented himself as the first Black floor trader in history at the American Stock Exchange, and that he adapted the script for his son Mario's Panther from his own novel.
Friday, January 13, 2006
What are you prepared to do?
"The Negro is not struggling for some abstract vague rights but for concrete improvement in his way of life. Special measures for the deprived have always been accepted in principle by the U.S. It was the principle behind land grants to farmers who fought in the Revolutionary Army and other measures that the nation accepted as logical and moral." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1963
As we approach yet another so-called King holiday, I sit here on a slow simmer watching the buildup.
Monday, some will gather together, sing that repulsive song as they make that short symbolic march. Listen to a few speeches. And then go back and participate in the very thing that he was fighting.
This past week in Cincinnati, we had a young black man shoot a police officer. And while no one is condoning his actions, many so-called negroes in this city immediately started the "Let's lock them all up" talk within hours of the incident. One City Council member, a former officer himself, said "WE WILL SHOOT BACK". "If somebody is to the point where they are going to take pot shots at officers and not care, the only thing you can do about that is much more aggressive enforcement. If I approach that car, and I feel uncomfortable, I put my gun down by my leg until I feel comfortable," he said. "It's those veteran kind of tactics." said City Councilman Cecil Thomas, himself a former city officer. Cops: We'll shoot back And the very next day accepted an award in conjunction with King day celebrations. Honoree: Few feel King's 'dream'
I never met Dr. King but, I doubt he would advocate shooting back as the solution to the root causes that got that young man to that point. It is definately too late for that particular young man but "agressive enforcement" is a police reaction and tactic that will solve nothing and possibly led to another Roger Owensby. Outside Expert: Police Officer Killed Roger Owensby
The Dr. King that I watched and read about would probably have had issues with a covert government operation that was responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic that we face. The Dr. King that I admired would have issues with a government that does everything it can to take from its citizenry and give nothing in return. A government that is complicite in closing off most avenues for a person to rise up from despair. A nation that now uses the codeword of "being tough on crime" for what it wants to do to black and poor people. He would be out there doing something to bring about change, not saying lock their asses up and throw away the key. He would have been on the forefront of true economic change which would have included reparations.
Don't think so? Well consider this. I have a dream was the conclusion of the speech. He went to Washington to cash a check written to the desendants of slaves that this nation bounced. And before you say that was so long ago, there are still folks alive today whose parents WERE slaves. Daughter of Freed Slave Celebrates 100th Birthday
So go and march, sing that song and accept the awards. But at some point realize that action will be required. He did. What are you prepared to do?
All I'm trying to say is, our world hinges on moral foundations. God has made it so! God has made the universe to be based on a moral law. So long as man disobeys it he is revolting against God. That's what we need in the world today--people who will stand for right and goodness. It's not enough to know the intricacies of zoology and biology. But we must know the intricacies of law. It is not enough to know that two and two makes four. But we've got to know somehow that it's right to be honest and just with our brothers. It's not enough to know all about our philosophical and mathematical disciplines. But we've got to know the simple disciplines, of being honest and loving and just with all humanity. If we don't learn it, we will destroy ourselves, by the misuse of our own powers. "Rediscovering Lost Values"
As we approach yet another so-called King holiday, I sit here on a slow simmer watching the buildup.
Monday, some will gather together, sing that repulsive song as they make that short symbolic march. Listen to a few speeches. And then go back and participate in the very thing that he was fighting.
This past week in Cincinnati, we had a young black man shoot a police officer. And while no one is condoning his actions, many so-called negroes in this city immediately started the "Let's lock them all up" talk within hours of the incident. One City Council member, a former officer himself, said "WE WILL SHOOT BACK". "If somebody is to the point where they are going to take pot shots at officers and not care, the only thing you can do about that is much more aggressive enforcement. If I approach that car, and I feel uncomfortable, I put my gun down by my leg until I feel comfortable," he said. "It's those veteran kind of tactics." said City Councilman Cecil Thomas, himself a former city officer. Cops: We'll shoot back And the very next day accepted an award in conjunction with King day celebrations. Honoree: Few feel King's 'dream'
I never met Dr. King but, I doubt he would advocate shooting back as the solution to the root causes that got that young man to that point. It is definately too late for that particular young man but "agressive enforcement" is a police reaction and tactic that will solve nothing and possibly led to another Roger Owensby. Outside Expert: Police Officer Killed Roger Owensby
The Dr. King that I watched and read about would probably have had issues with a covert government operation that was responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic that we face. The Dr. King that I admired would have issues with a government that does everything it can to take from its citizenry and give nothing in return. A government that is complicite in closing off most avenues for a person to rise up from despair. A nation that now uses the codeword of "being tough on crime" for what it wants to do to black and poor people. He would be out there doing something to bring about change, not saying lock their asses up and throw away the key. He would have been on the forefront of true economic change which would have included reparations.
Don't think so? Well consider this. I have a dream was the conclusion of the speech. He went to Washington to cash a check written to the desendants of slaves that this nation bounced. And before you say that was so long ago, there are still folks alive today whose parents WERE slaves. Daughter of Freed Slave Celebrates 100th Birthday
So go and march, sing that song and accept the awards. But at some point realize that action will be required. He did. What are you prepared to do?
All I'm trying to say is, our world hinges on moral foundations. God has made it so! God has made the universe to be based on a moral law. So long as man disobeys it he is revolting against God. That's what we need in the world today--people who will stand for right and goodness. It's not enough to know the intricacies of zoology and biology. But we must know the intricacies of law. It is not enough to know that two and two makes four. But we've got to know somehow that it's right to be honest and just with our brothers. It's not enough to know all about our philosophical and mathematical disciplines. But we've got to know the simple disciplines, of being honest and loving and just with all humanity. If we don't learn it, we will destroy ourselves, by the misuse of our own powers. "Rediscovering Lost Values"
Another Angle 13 - January - 2006
ANOTHER ANGLE
News others won't tell you
NATIONAL:
SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF COPS CAN BARGE IN UNANNOUNCED
In a case involving a private citizen and police authorities of the Midwestern state of Michigan, a team of civil rights lawyers appeared before the Supreme Court this week to challenge the police practice of storming into homes to look for whatever they want as evidence of a crime.
Bush could seize absolute control of U.S. government
President George W. Bush has signed executive orders giving him sole authority to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus and ignore the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits deployment of U.S. troops on American streets. This would give him absolute dictatorial power over the government with no checks and balances. John Brinkerhoff, deputy director of FEMA, developed the martial law implementation plan, following a template originally developed by former FEMA director Louis Guiffrida to battle a “national uprising of black militants.” Gifuffrida’s implementation of martial law called for jailing at least 21 million African Americans in “relocation camps.” Brinkerhoff later admitted in an interview with the Miami Herald that President Reagan signed off on the initiatives and they remained in place, dormant, until George W. Bush took office.
(More) Loss and Displacement in New Orleans
For years, developers have coveted the city's public housing projects, many of which occupy prime real estate. New Orleans real estate mogul Pres Kabacoff, who currently sits on Mayor Nagin's rebuilding Commission, transformed the St. Thomas projects into condos and a Wal-Mart. Kabacoff has made clear his designs on the Iberville housing projects, which occupy prime real estate near the French Quarter.
NYC Transit Strike: Union Power vs. Class Collaboration
The 2005 New York City transit strike stunned the obscenely rich capitalist rulers of this society and gave a shot in the arm to all working people. For three days, 33,700 members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 defied the state Taylor Law banning public workers strikes and shut down the city.
Mystery of the Negro Conservative
Negro conservatives have always been with us, starting with old Tom on the plantation (“Massa, we sick?”). To be fair, some have been honest in having a different approach to the road to freedom; Booker T. Washington comes to mind. Others have been charlatans. (I won’t call any names here, you know who they are.) Others have just been inexplicable; Zora Neale Hurston comes to mind. Pardon me, but it must also be said that even though I have not met a black person over 40 who didn’t “march with Dr. Kang,” I remember the black preachers and churches that ran away from him. I remember scary Negroes saying Dr. King should “just oughta hush and go somewhere and sit down.”
INTERNATIONAL:
US blocks aircraft sale to Venezuela
Doomsday vault to avert world famine
The room is designed to hold around 2 million seeds, representing all known varieties of the world's crops. It is being built to safeguard the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change, terrorism, rising sea levels, earthquakes and the ensuing collapse of electricity supplies. "If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet," says Cary Fowler, director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust. http://www.croptrust.org
Bolivia to Seize Oil and Gas Reserves, President-Elect Says
"The state will exercise its right of ownership, and that means it will decide on the use of those resources," Evo Morales told reporters yesterday in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is visiting the country's President Thabo Mbeki. Oil companies "will be partners, not owners."
IRAQ:
Situation in Iraq Is Civil War
According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition, the definition of a civil war is a "war between political factions or regions within the same country." 93 percent of those fighting in Iraq are Iraqis. A very small percentage of the fighting is being done by foreign fighters. Our troops are caught in between the fighting. 80 percent of Iraqis want us out of there and 45 percent think it is justified to kill American troops.
Why US 'precision bombing' kills 1000's
Consider this gruesome arithmetic: if the US fulfills its expectation of surpassing 150 air attacks per month, and if the average air strike produces the (gruesomely) modest total of 10 fatalities, air power alone could kill well over 20,000 Iraqi civilians in 2006. Add the ongoing (but reduced) mortality due to other military causes on all sides, and the 1,000 civilian deaths per week rate recorded by the Hopkins study could be dwarfed in the coming year.
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
Bush Authorized Domestic Spying Before 9/11
The National Security Agency advised President Bush in early 2001 that it had been eavesdropping on Americans during the course of its work monitoring suspected terrorists and foreigners believed to have ties to terrorist groups, according to a declassified document. The NSA's vast data-mining activities began shortly after Bush was sworn in as president and the document contradicts his assertion that the 9/11 attacks prompted him to take the unprecedented step of signing a secret executive order authorizing the NSA to monitor a select number of American citizens thought to have ties to terrorist groups.
Bush Visits New Orleans, Avoiding Protesters
President Bush toured the Gulf Coast Thursday, noting improvements since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, the president did not tour any of the city's still-deserted neighborhoods.
OP-ED:
Predictions of an Economic Hit Man
Unrest in New York and Latin America, as well as in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East are harbingers of the difficulties that will haunt future generations -- unless we take heed. They serve notice that if we want a peaceful and prosperous future for our children, we must recognize basic human needs; we must insist that all people -- not just those at the top -- have the right to justice and dignity. Bolivian voters, NYC transit workers and democratically elected presidents of other countries are warning us that the bottom line of the corporate balance sheet is not the final statement upon which our society will ultimately be graded.
FOOD&DRINK:
Mexican-Style Cheese and Sausage Casserole
For an easy and informal dinner, make a salad and some rice to go alongside this bubbling cheese mixture known as queso fundido. Each diner spoons some of the cheese into warm tortillas. This can also be served as an appetizer at parties. Mix up some Margaritas to add to the fun.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
A Founder of CORE Recalls Freedom Rides
James Farmer was a co-founder of CORE, the Congress On Racial Equality. He served as its National Director from 1961-1966. Farmer's long life as an advocate of civil rights was detailed in his autobiography, Lay Bare the Heart. Farmer died in 1999. This interview was originally broadcast in 1985.
HUMOR?:
In Living Color - Fire Marshal Bill
Negro conservatives have always been with us, starting with old Tom on the plantation (“Massa, we sick?”). To be fair, some have been honest in having a different approach to the road to freedom; Booker T. Washington comes to mind. Others have been charlatans. (I won’t call any names here, you know who they are.) Others have just been inexplicable; Zora Neale Hurston comes to mind. Pardon me, but it must also be said that even though I have not met a black person over 40 who didn’t “march with Dr. Kang,” I remember the black preachers and churches that ran away from him. I remember scary Negroes saying Dr. King should “just oughta hush and go somewhere and sit down.”
INTERNATIONAL:
US blocks aircraft sale to Venezuela
Doomsday vault to avert world famine
The room is designed to hold around 2 million seeds, representing all known varieties of the world's crops. It is being built to safeguard the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change, terrorism, rising sea levels, earthquakes and the ensuing collapse of electricity supplies. "If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet," says Cary Fowler, director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust. http://www.croptrust.org
Bolivia to Seize Oil and Gas Reserves, President-Elect Says
"The state will exercise its right of ownership, and that means it will decide on the use of those resources," Evo Morales told reporters yesterday in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is visiting the country's President Thabo Mbeki. Oil companies "will be partners, not owners."
IRAQ:
Situation in Iraq Is Civil War
According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition, the definition of a civil war is a "war between political factions or regions within the same country." 93 percent of those fighting in Iraq are Iraqis. A very small percentage of the fighting is being done by foreign fighters. Our troops are caught in between the fighting. 80 percent of Iraqis want us out of there and 45 percent think it is justified to kill American troops.
Why US 'precision bombing' kills 1000's
Consider this gruesome arithmetic: if the US fulfills its expectation of surpassing 150 air attacks per month, and if the average air strike produces the (gruesomely) modest total of 10 fatalities, air power alone could kill well over 20,000 Iraqi civilians in 2006. Add the ongoing (but reduced) mortality due to other military causes on all sides, and the 1,000 civilian deaths per week rate recorded by the Hopkins study could be dwarfed in the coming year.
BUSH CRIME FAMILY:
Bush Authorized Domestic Spying Before 9/11
The National Security Agency advised President Bush in early 2001 that it had been eavesdropping on Americans during the course of its work monitoring suspected terrorists and foreigners believed to have ties to terrorist groups, according to a declassified document. The NSA's vast data-mining activities began shortly after Bush was sworn in as president and the document contradicts his assertion that the 9/11 attacks prompted him to take the unprecedented step of signing a secret executive order authorizing the NSA to monitor a select number of American citizens thought to have ties to terrorist groups.
Bush Visits New Orleans, Avoiding Protesters
President Bush toured the Gulf Coast Thursday, noting improvements since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, the president did not tour any of the city's still-deserted neighborhoods.
OP-ED:
Predictions of an Economic Hit Man
Unrest in New York and Latin America, as well as in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East are harbingers of the difficulties that will haunt future generations -- unless we take heed. They serve notice that if we want a peaceful and prosperous future for our children, we must recognize basic human needs; we must insist that all people -- not just those at the top -- have the right to justice and dignity. Bolivian voters, NYC transit workers and democratically elected presidents of other countries are warning us that the bottom line of the corporate balance sheet is not the final statement upon which our society will ultimately be graded.
FOOD&DRINK:
Mexican-Style Cheese and Sausage Casserole
For an easy and informal dinner, make a salad and some rice to go alongside this bubbling cheese mixture known as queso fundido. Each diner spoons some of the cheese into warm tortillas. This can also be served as an appetizer at parties. Mix up some Margaritas to add to the fun.
REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:
A Founder of CORE Recalls Freedom Rides
James Farmer was a co-founder of CORE, the Congress On Racial Equality. He served as its National Director from 1961-1966. Farmer's long life as an advocate of civil rights was detailed in his autobiography, Lay Bare the Heart. Farmer died in 1999. This interview was originally broadcast in 1985.
HUMOR?:
In Living Color - Fire Marshal Bill
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