Saturday, January 12

Protests Mark 6 Years of Guantanamo

“The ACLU’s ‘ Close Guantanamo Bay ’ day marks the six anniversary of the arrival of prisoners at the U.S. military base in Cuba , where hundreds of foreigners continue to languish behind bars without any trial in the U.S. courts. In all about 800 people have been held at the Guantanamo prison — some of them for years on end — since it opened in January 2002.” Six years of torture, what an anniversary for America ….

Bush: US Should Have Acted on Auschwitz

“Yad Vashem's chairman, Avner Shalev, quoted Bush as saying the U.S. should have ‘bombed it.’ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Bush referred to the train tracks leading to Auschwitz , not the camp itself, where between 1.1 million and 1.5 million people were killed by Nazi Germany.” Bombing seems to be one of Bush’s favorite solutions.

Bush: U.S. Could 'Easily' Be in Iraq for 10 Years

“U.S. President George W. Bush said on Friday the United States would have a long-term presence in Iraq that could ‘easily’ last a decade, but that it would be at the invitation of the Iraqi government.” Invitation? Did Bush forget the back-room deal that he has already made with Maliki for continued occupation, without the Iraqi parliament’s permission?

More Marines Heading to Afghanistan

“Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday that a proposal will go before Gates on Friday that would send a ground and air Marine contingent as well as a Marine battalion — together totaling more than 3,000 forces — to southern Afghanistan for a ‘one-time, seven-month deployment.’” The surge is working so well in Iraq . Why not copy it in Afghanistan ?

Pakistan President Tells US to Stay Out

“Musharraf warned in an interview published Friday that Pakistan would resist any unilateral military action by the United States against militants sheltering in its lawless, tribal regions close to the Afghan border. ‘I challenge anybody coming into our mountains,’ he told Singapore 's The Straits Times in the interview notable for its unusually strident language. ‘They would regret that day.’” Bush seems to be losing his buddy in the war on terror….

Administration Times Arms Sale, Visit

“The Bush administration will notify Congress on Monday of its intent to sell $20 billion in weapons, including precision-guided bombs, to Saudi Arabia , moving up the announcement to coincide with the president's arrival in Riyadh ….The official said the new timing was ‘appropriate’ and ‘symbolic’ as it would come within hours of Bush's arrival in Saudi Arabia, the penultimate stop on his current Middle East trip.” Sure, the timing is symbolic. Bush is promoting peace in the Middle East , and making arms deals at the same time.

Pentagon, Big Pharma: Drug Troops to Numb Them to Horrors of War

“A soldier who has lost an arm can be welcomed home because he or she still shares fundamental societal values. But the soldier who sees her friend emulsified by a bomb, or who is ordered to run over children in the road rather than slow down the convoy, or who realizes too late that the woman was carrying a baby, not a bomb -- if that soldier's ability to feel terror and horror has been amputated, if he or she can no longer be appalled or haunted, something far more precious has been lost.” I am sure that with enough drugs, soldiers could be convinced to fire on anyone, perhaps even Americans. It is a frightening prospect.

2005 Use of Gas by Blackwater Leaves Questions

“Officers and noncommissioned officers from the Third Infantry Division who were involved in the episode said there were no signs of violence at the checkpoint. Instead, they said, the Blackwater convoy appeared to be stuck in traffic and may have been trying to use the riot-control agent as a way to clear a path.” Apparently, even the U.S. military is fair game for a Blackwater attack. (Free Registration Required)

FBI Wiretaps Cut Off Over Unpaid Bills

“In addition to more than half of 990 wiretap bills in five FBI offices not being paid on time, it highlighted the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations, which it also said had allowed one employee to steal $25,000.” If Congress refuses to protect us from illegal wiretaps, perhaps the inherent inefficiency of government will provide some layer of accidental protection.

Repress U: How to Build a Homeland Security Campus in Seven Steps

“From Harvard to UCLA, the ivory tower is fast becoming the latest watchtower in Fortress America . The terror warriors, having turned their attention to 'violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism' - as it was recently dubbed in a House of Representatives bill of the same name - have set out to reconquer that traditional hotbed of radicalization, the university.”

Florida: Man Dies After Police Taser Him Near UM

Meanwhile, the stylish “C2 Personal Protector” from Taser is being marketed as a non-lethal device for public use.

N.H. Plans Hand Recount of Primary Ballots

“ New Hampshire officials on Friday said they'll conduct a statewide hand recount of the results of Tuesday's primary in response to complaints from two underdog candidates.” Not surprisingly, New Hampshire has many machines from the recently renamed Diebold Corporation, and there seem to be inconsistencies.

Gold Hits Record $900 Per Ounce

“Gold futures briefly rose above $900 an ounce Friday for the first time as high oil prices, a weak dollar and fears of a U.S. recession led uneasy investors to keep buying the precious metal.”

Source of Mysterious Antimatter Found

“Antimatter, which annihilates matter upon contact, seems to be rare in the universe. Still, for decades, scientists had clues that a vast cloud of antimatter lurked in space, but they did not know where it came from.” Now where is the warp drive?

Firefighters Find Archaeological Treasure in Burnt-Out Flat       

“The illegal archaeological collection of about 3,300 pieces, uncovered in a burnt out flat in Prague , is worth millions of crowns, Czech Archaeological Institute Lubos Jiran said at a press conference Thursday.”

Germany: Boss Fires Staff for Not Smoking

“The owner of a small German computer company has fired three non-smoking workers because they were threatening to disturb the peace after they requested a smoke-free environment. The manager of the 10-person IT company in Buesum, named Thomas J., told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper he had fired the trio because their non-smoking was causing disruptions.” 

NYC Comedian Finds Lodging at IKEA

“When Mark Malkoff thought about where he could stay while his New York City apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches, he quickly ruled out friends' places (too small) and hotels (too expensive).”

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