Pacific Free Press was launched in March 2007 by Dutch-Canadian Richard
Kastelein of V.O.F. Expathos, in the Netherlands along with Chris Cook- CFUV radio journalist and Editor in Chief of Pacific Free Press. Cook is based in , Victoria, British Columbia.
The mission of Pacific Free Press is simple: to dig out nuggets of truth from
the slag-heap of lies, ignorance and witless diversion that has buried
public discourse today. Pacific Free Press provides a new venue for
disseminating hard news and insightful, fact-based analysis of the
harsh realities too often ignored or distorted by the mainstream press.
Portends Congressional Battle"
by John Nichols The
Federal Communications Commission has, as expected, voted along party
lines to approve the demand of Rupert Murdoch and other
communications-industry moguls for a loosening of limits on media
monopolies in American cities.
New Map Lets Scientists 'See' Dark Matter: Researchers use Hubble Space Telescope to predict where dark matter is
by CBC News
A study headed by a University of British Columbia researcher is giving scientists a peek at dark matter's effects on distant galaxies.
Catherine Heymans, a post-doctoral fellow in the university's department of astronomy and physics, has generated the highest resolution map of dark matter ever captured.
Supercluster Abell 901/902 is seen in this photo compiled by astronomers. The magenta-tinted clumps represent a map of the dark matter in the cluster. (C. Heymans/M. Gray/M. Barden/C. Wolf/K. Meisenheimer/NASA)
"For the first time we are clearly detecting irregular clumps of dark matter in a supercluster," she said in a news release. "Previous studies were only able to detect fuzzy, circular clumps, but we’re able to resolve detailed shapes that match the distribution of galaxies."
Elmo Pimps War: Military Recruits Sesame Street
by C. L. Cook The BBC World News reports the iconic children's program, Sesame Street is broadcasting episodes to help kids cope with the long absence of their service personnel parents "manning" the walls of the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Mommy and Daddy are going away to help some folks overseas"
sings Elmo, trying to explain to the kinder of the United States their
parents' absence.
It's not the first time the venerable characters have been used to forward America's military ambitions; back in 2003, frustrated U.S. interrogators used the theme music from Sesame Street and Barney, the famous purple dinosaur, played at ear-splitting volumes to "break" recalcitrant Iraqi "detainees," among other methods made infamous later.
Canada is ready to fall. Following years of backroom machinations with representatives of foreign corporations on all levels of government, national sovereignty has become an illusion. Recent moves to "harmonize" more of the nation's laws in preparation for the so-called North American Union are in an advanced state, yet still governments remain mum, and the media refuses to press the issue.
Iran's efforts to produce highly enriched uranium, the material used to make nuclear bombs, are in chaos and the country is still years from mastering the required technology. Iran's uranium enrichment programme has been plagued by constant technical problems, lack of access to outside technology and knowhow, and a failure to master the complex production-engineering processes involved. The country denies developing weapons, saying its pursuit of uranium enrichment is for energy purposes.
Despite Iran being presented as an urgent threat to nuclear non-proliferation and regional and world peace - in particular by an increasingly bellicose Israel and its closest ally, the US - a number of Western diplomats and technical experts close to the Iranian programme have told The Observer it is archaic, prone to breakdown and lacks the materials for industrial-scale production.
This is the truth, but as we all know, the truth doesn't matter. Iran is nowhere near even having the capability to make a nuclear weapon – and there is still no serious or substantial proof that they even intend to make a nuclear bomb, with their supreme religious and political leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, having declared such a development to be sinful.
By the time Iran is capable of making a nuclear weapon, years down the road, a genuine diplomatic engagement with Tehran, coupled with increasing dissatisfaction among almost every sector of Iranian society, could have long defused the artificially created tension that poisons relations today – or even led to "regime change," from within, on terms created by the Iranian people themselves, not foisted on them at the point of a gun.
The United States has committed an act of war against Somalia (as Buzzflash noted), launching a gunship attack in pursuit of "suspected al Qaeda operatives." Several people were killed when US planes "strafed the village of Hayo near the Kenyan border" and possibly the village of Ras Kamboni, the Guardian reports. It is highly unlikely that whole villages can be strafed without killing some innocent civilians. But then again, George W. Bush clearly operates on the principle of statecraft laid down by Josef Stalin: "When wood is chopped, chips fly."
In launching the airstrike, Bush has now openly aligned the United States with the warlords once responsible for the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident, in which an American helicopter was shot down in Mogadishu (in response, as is rarely said, to a massive, indiscriminate U.S. assault in the city that left scores of Somalians dead). The attack also openly allies the United States with repressive dictatorship of Ethiopia, whose troops – trained and supplied by the Americans already – invaded Somalia to join with the local warlords in ousting the Islamic movement that had taken control of the country after more than 15 years of violent anarchy.
In other words, Bush has intervened in yet another civil war, aiding yet another bunch of unsavory characters, who need only promise fealty to the Bush Faction's geopolitical ambitions in order to receive armed American support (and bags of American taxpayer cash.) Evidently, the internal conflict in Somalia is yet another of the series of bloodlettings that Bush promised us back in 2002, when he proclaimed: "There's no telling how many wars it will take to secure freedom in the Homeland."
Feeling secure yet?
Tuesday, 09 January 2007 | 1158 Hit(s)0 comment(s)
“The average American has not been asked to sacrifice for the Iraq war…”
At least once a week for the past few years I've heard some version of the above quote and it implies that the average person has not been inconvenienced in any way by the war. Both the left and the right go to great lengths to perpetuate this illusion of no sacrifice while using the statement to fulfill whatever partisan goal they are currently chasing. Such vacuous statements leave me breathless mainly because they are so explosively ignorant that they suck all of the oxygen out of the air.
Every single person in America that uses money has sacrificed for this war. Anybody with savings, income, investments or who has bought anything over the past three years has sacrificed a significant portion of that money because of inflation brought on by excessive government spending on the Iraq War.
Literally every war in our history has been associated with a severe bout of inflation brought on by excessive government spending and this one is no different. Vietnam? Massive inflation – almost destroyed the dollar in the process. Korea? Big inflation. WWII? Ditto. WWI? Yep. Civil War? Huuuge inflation. The war of 1812? Yes, that one too. Revolutionary war? Crippling inflation. It is an easily verifiable fact that every single war in US history has been accompanied by serious inflation spawned by excessive government spending. For those keeping score at home that’s 7 out of 7 times.
In case there are any corporate stenographers, er, I meant journalists, reading this I offer a handy mnemonic device to help you remember this fiendishly complicated relationship: War = Inflation.
And since inflation is merely the underhanded confiscation of our
income and savings by the government (no different in outcome than a
direct tax) it could be said that we have sacrificed our savings and
earnings for this war. So here’s your second mnemonic device: Inflation = Sacrifice.
So putting the transitive rule into play (“If a=b and b=c, then a=c”) we can state that War = Sacrifice.
FALLUJAH, Dec. 14 (IPS) - Iraqi doctors and medical staff are outraged
over yet another U.S. military raid at Fallujah General Hospital.
The raid followed a roadside bombing Dec. 7 where four Iraqi policemen
were killed and two civilians injured. The injured were taken to
Fallujah General Hospital.
Shortly after this attack, a U.S. Marine who was on a patrol in the city
was wounded by a gunshot.
"U.S. soldiers replied to the source of fire then headed straight to the
general hospital across the (Euphrates) river hoping that they had shot
and injured the sniper," an eyewitness told IPS.
"American soldiers seem to have some imagination to think wounded
fighters might go to that so-called hospital," a retired surgeon told
IPS. "We know that they do not trust that place because of the
continuous raids by the U.S., and lack of everything in that hospital."
The hospital is functioning at minimal capacity due to lack of medicines
and equipment, the surgeon said.
Eyewitnesses at Fallujah General Hospital said U.S. soldiers raided the
hospital "as if it were a military target."
News Is Too Important To Just Laugh At
by Danny Schechter
Could it be that humor about the news — the satire we see on Stewart and Colbert and in all the news parody videos — are actually legitimating the very news system that they claim to be challenging?
Of course we like to laugh at people in power — younger people who respond more to attitude than analysis do especially — but, in a curious way, laughing about the news often leads to a feeling of being superior to it, the mistaken belief of being uninfluenced by it, and also usually unwilling to do anything about it.
A just-released study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, published in the current issue of the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, reports that the U.S. invasion
and occupation of Iraq has led to the deaths of between 426,000 and
794,000 Iraqis. This is a substantial increase over the 100,000 dead
that the same research group found through 2004, based upon a smaller
survey, and it represents an astonishing 2.5 percent of the country's
total population.
The grim news was widely--though not universally--reported in the U.S.
media (my local paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, blacked it out), but
few news organizations reported the most disturbing finding of the
study, which was that 31 percent of those killed were acatually slain
by U.S. and "coalition" forces (actually by U.S. forces, since most of
the other foreign forces working with the U.S., with the exception of
the British, have not played combat roles, and even the British have
largely operated in the south where fighting has been much less severe.
That means U.S. forces have, since the March 19, 2003 invasion, killed between 132,000 and 246,000 Iraqis.
The squatters of
Copenhagen dare to ask the question, "Who's world is this anyway?" Who
are these people who claim to own everything, these lords of the land?
Perhaps privatization and gentrification of society are neither just
nor inevitable. Perhaps the air, water, land and even the buildings on
the land should be held in common. Perhaps in such a prosperous society
every city should have free social centers like Ungdomshuset, and they
should not need to be fought for.The struggle for Ungdomshuset has received tremendous support
from much of Danish civil society, including the unions, who in
principle refuse to work under police protection. The rightwing
Christian sect that bought the building, Faderhuset ("Father House"),
however, has found people to work on clearing and destroying the
building. They are wearing masks because they don't want to be
recognized. A Danish flag is now flying on top of 69 Jagtvej.
There have been dozens of protests at Danish embassies around Europe in
solidarity with the struggle for Ungdomshuset, and in Paris, the Danish
embassy was occupied by protesters.
12. U.S. v. Bush (Opinion/Opinion)
Author : David Swanson
By David Swanson
Now, we almost all agree that Bush and Cheney have done bad things. But have they actually committed crimes? If you know anyone who has any doubts on this topic, may I recommend a brilliant little book for you to stick in their stocking next month?
In her new book, "United States v. George W. Bush et al.," former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega presents the case, as if to a grand jury, for an indictment of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and Powell. De la Vega does not address over a dozen clear criminal acts, including some openly confessed to — such as spying in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Instead she focuses on the area where the most significant harm has been done, but where the legal issues have seemed to many people complex and unclear.
De la Vega charges that Bush, Cheney, et al., "did knowingly and intentionally conspire to defraud the United States by using deceit, craft, trickery, dishonest means, false and fraudulent representations, including ones made without a reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to their truth or falsity, and omitting to state material facts necessary to make their representations truthful, fair and accurate, while knowing and intending that their false and fraudulent representations would influence the public and the deliberations of Congress with regard to authorization of a preventive war against Iraq, thereby defeating, obstructing, impairing, and interfering with Congress' lawful functions of overseeing foreign affairs and making appropriations."
That may sound like a longwinded and legalistic way of saying "Bush lied. People died." And more or less it is. But in some important ways it is not. De la Vega is arguing, as John Bonifaz did in this letter to Congressman John Conyers in May of 2005 , that there is probable cause to believe that the President and others have violated Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. This law makes it a felony "to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose…." The Congress is one such agency. To defraud the Congress is not the same thing as to lie to it.
The operation is just the latest example of the Defense Department’s long history of using service members and civilians as human test subjects, often without their consent or awareness.
To understand US-Latin American relations this year and its likely trajectory in 2007 it is obligatory to consider three dimensions:
1) the global context of US-LA relations;
2) internal dynamics of the US and
3) the real practical political-economic consequences of the 2006 elections in Latin America.
US imperial policy continues to pursue military victories in Iraq and Afghanistan, to give unconditional support to Israel’s war against the elected Palestinian Government and to threaten a direct or Israeli attack on Iran. In other words, the prolonged, costly and inconclusive wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine during 2006 will continue in 2007. Further military escalation, includes increased US troops and spending for wars in the Middle East; an extra $800 million USD in addition to the annual $3 billion USD for Israeli war plans against Lebanon, Palestine and especially Iran. Those commentators who interpreted US policy via public opinion polls, electoral processes (the victory of the Democrats), advisory reports (Baker’s Iraq Study Group) and casualty rates in Iraq, and predicted a ‘gradual’ withdrawal, failed to understand the logic of the White House’s political strategy. For the Bush regime, the military failures are a result of the application of insufficient power: what is necessary, they argue, is greater numbers of soldiers and bigger military budgets (BBC 12/16/06).
Numerous writers, journalists, public officials and academics on the Right and Left have noted changes in relations between the US and Latin America. Those on the Right bemoan the ‘end of US hegemony’, the growth of a ‘New Left’, the ‘revival of populism’ and the ‘loss of US influence’. Those on the Left herald the purported changes as a moment of progressive regional realignment. The Right speaks pessimistically of the threats to ‘national security and democracy’, and access to energy and other resources. One sector on the Left claims to perceive a new regional ‘axis of counter hegemony’ led by Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia sweeping the continent. While other prudent conservative observers argue that a broad ‘center-left’ alternative headed by ‘social democratic’ regimes like Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay are replacing traditional US allies and challenging both the Leftist regimes and past US policies.Inside the US Government, policymakers focus on isolating and destabilizing the Left, downplaying the challenges from the center-left and emphasizing political continuities and economic opportunities with neo-liberal regimes.
Faced with radically different assessments of the strength and weakness of US influence in Latin America, an independent analysis of the historiccontext for measuring the rise or fall of US power is required. This requires a serious assessment, which avoids overblown generalizations, and examines specific issues, areas and particular conjunctures in which agreements or disagreements between the US and Latin America occur. This includes looking at how differences are resolved as well as the structural convergences and divergences.
“What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” -Jesus Christ
Humanity’s “beacon of hope” is unraveling at its moral seams faster than George Bush can say nucular. 230 years ago, disciples of the Enlightenment shattered the shackles of colonial oppression and inaugurated their conception of a haven for humanity. While tainted by patriarchy and racism, the founding of the United States was arguably the pinnacle of social and political evolution. Tragically, the descendents of those who ascended to that zenith are racing to the bottom at a dizzying velocity.
In a collective sense, the soul of the United States is writhing in the agony of spiritual asphyxiation. Trapped in an overflowing cesspool of its own making, the nation’s élan vital desperately needs freedom and an infusion of spiritual oxygen. Sans significant change, its odds for survival equal those of an under-sized fish carelessly tossed ashore by a heartless angler.
Yet it is not too late for the “cradle of democratic civilization” to fulfill the dream of a nation governed by We the People. Our ancestors overcame seemingly insurmountable odds by defying a tyrant. What is preventing us from following their lead? Humanity and the Earth desperately need for us to end the Corporatocracy’s destructive rampage and direct our unparalleled resources, wealth, and technology toward the betterment of the world.
We the People need to recapture the Zeitgeist of 1776 and initiate a revolt. To overcome a ruling class that maintains its power through the manipulation and enslavement of our psyches, we need a spiritual revolution. Since reactionary forces have assassinated the influential spiritual leaders whom have arisen in recent history, it appears we will need to resurrect one in the abstract.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 28 (IPS) – Nearly two months since U.N. troops began launching heavy attacks that they say are aimed against gang members in poor neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, roadblocks and barbed wire remain in place and the atmosphere is grim.
Mercius Lubin of the Boston district of Cité Soleil told IPS that an assault earlier this month left his only two children dead. “It is the noise of MINUSTAH’s (the U.N. peacekeeping force) fire that awoke us.”
Accept HillaryCare or Face Homelessness
by Kurt Nimmo “Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that a mandate requiring every American to purchase health insurance was the only way to achieve universal health care but she rejected the notion of punitive measures to force individuals into the health care system,” reports News for clueless Yahoos.
Sure, Clinton rejects “punitive measures,” that is if you consider homelessness and the prospect of starvation, enforced by the government, something less than punitive.
Clinton said “she could envision a day when ‘you have to show proof to your employer that you’re insured as a part of the job interview — like when your kid goes to school and has to show proof of vaccination,’” Yahoo News continues.
Bush Bombs at the United Nations
by Larry C. Johnson Certainly not an earth shattering headline, but disturbing nonetheless. The lack of love between George Bush and the United Nations is an old “dog-bites-man” story. Having put haters like John Bolton at the helm of the U.S. delegation, Bush’s in your face “go fuck yourself” hostility to all things UN is no secret.
But today’s performance in New York set a new low even for the Bush Administration.
Except for tepid applause when Bush was introduced and when he left the podium, no one clapped. Not even our allies. The world has caught on to the George Bush propaganda game and declines to show him a modicum of respect.
The bodies keep piling up, but not just in Iraq. Police in a Maryland town killed an Iraq war vet. This news bite from the Washington, DC metro region:
LEONARDTOWN, Md. -- An Army reservist just called up to serve in Iraq was fatally shot by police Tuesday after a standoff that began Christmas night. . . . Dean's family contacted police Monday night, saying he was armed and threatening to kill himself, the sheriff said. Dean later told police he would shoot anyone who entered the house.Dean, who had ranger training, was despondent about several things, including recent orders for him to go to Iraq, the family told authorities. Dean had returned in 2005 from a year-and-a-half-long tour in Iraq. Cameron did not know what reserve unit Dean served in.
The tragedy was compounded by the incompetence of the Leonardtown police tactical team. These clowns dressed in their Ninja gear pushed for a violent solution rather than wait Dean out and talk him down. There was no justified tactical reason to launch the assault. No one other than Dean was in immediate jeopardy.
Although Dean was killed by local police his blood stains the hands of George Bush and Don Rumsfeld and every member of Congress who voted to send these kids to a war of choice. But no politician will be standing at Dean's grave mourning his loss or honoring his service.
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 | 840 Hit(s)0 comment(s)
There's a song from the legendary 1960 musical, "Bye, Bye Birdie," titled "Kids," which laments the peculiar behaviors of kids. It famously ponders, "Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way? What's the matter with kids today?"
Those telling words were the lyrical musings of adults. And logically so, for the questionable behaviors of kids are never ending bemusement for adults. Kids are silly. They lack the logic and moral framework from which to make reasoned decisions and act in civil respectable ways.They lack the character building acquired through the process of aging.
But how do the young gain knowledge? Upon what and whom do they model adulthood?
To
twenty five million Iraqis hell on Earth has been introduced to their
land by the demons roaming the halls of American power that care not an
ounce for the misery and wickedness now roaming like a vulture over
Iraq’s skies.
For
human evil has been imported into the Cradle of Civilization, an export
birthed, nurtured and molded by Old Glory itself, under the watchful
eyes of Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington, crafted by debasement and
corruption, becoming the most successful product launch America has
sent abroad in many, many years.
For the war culture has
perfected the art of sadistic mass murder, a new edition introduced
like a software program, resurrected every few decades to enrich war
profiteers and greed mongers while making comfortable the lives of
those residing inside the belly of the beast. Like a
virus the American angel of death has spread far and wide, free of
antidotes or miracle cures, given the freedom that is denied Iraqis,
like a haze enveloping almost every city and town, village and farm,
infecting madness and hatred and vengeance and anger into the minds of
millions, injecting civil war upon Iraq and genocide upon the Iraqi
people.
Many of you have written about the IKEA furniture commercial. Although IKEA is not a nationally known company, they are growing, with stores in most major U.S. cities. IKEA is a Sweden-based retail furniture company and they are trying to force their liberal worldview on Americans through television.
Their latest U.S.-aired commercial features a homosexual male couple and young female child on the floor, resting up against each other, as they lean on the front of their couch. The voiceover poses the question: “Why shouldn’t sofas come in flavors, just like families?”
This is just one of many pro-homosexual ads IKEA airs around the world.
Please let IKEA know that the promotion of homosexual couples as a “family” is offensive and undermines American values.
The American football hero may be gone but details of his mysterious
death in Afghanistan just won't go away. Most recently, as reported by
Time Magazine, "Nine officers, including up to four generals, should be
held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the friendly fire
death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan."
This is as good a time as any to contemplate how and why Pat Tillman
ended up in position to be killed by his fellow soldiers. Here's how
the New York Times described Tillman at the time of his death: "A
graduate of Arizona State University, Tillman, a safety, played for
four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. But as an unrestricted free
agent in 2002, he turned town a three-year, $3.6 million contract offer
from the Cardinals and enlisted in the Army."
While the Iraqis were busy counting their death toll of more than 650,000 since March 2003, the United Nations busy counting their dead of more than 34,000 in 2006 only, the Pentagon counting more than 3,070 American deaths and the U.S. treasury counting more than $600 billion of taxpayer money spent so far in Iraq , stealthily and suddenly the U.S. occupation’s oil prize rang louder than the war drums to alert the regional oil producers as well as the major world consumers to guard against the looming threat coming out of Iraq.
After listening to the monotonous and incredible U.S. lies for four years about “we are not there for Iraq's oil,” the oil truth is now unfolding. Without a decisive military victory, the U.S. occupation of Iraq seems to be about to grab its oil prize by establishing a new sharing arrangement between a major national producer and the multi-national giants, an arrangement that Washington plans to set as the model to be followed both by the oil-rich region and the world at large.
This prize has been the dream of the successive U.S. administrations; on January 18, it came one step closer to reality when Iraq's Oil Committee approved the new draft hydrocarbon law, sent it to the cabinet within a week and, when approved, will go to the parliament immediately thereafter.
The early draft of the law was prepared by Bearing Point American consultants, hired by the Bush administration, and sent to the White House and major western petroleum corporations in July, and then to the International Monetary Fund two months later, while most Iraqi legislators and public remained in the dark.
The approved production-sharing agreements (PSAs) favor investing foreign oil companies with 70 percent of oil revenue to recoup their initial outlay, then companies can reap 20 percent of the profit without any tax or other restrictions on their transfers abroad.
Mayors Challenge Use of Tar Sands Oil and Other High Carbon Fuels
by NRDC.org The U.S. Conference of Mayors convened in Miami this weekend and adopted a resolution that challenges the use of high carbon fuels such as tar sands, liquid coal, and oil shale.
The resolution calls for the creation of guidelines and purchasing standards to help mayors understand the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of the fuels they purchase.
US War Resisters in Canada Face Deportation and Prison: You Can Help Them
by Laura Kaminker
We all dream of peace. But what have we sacrificed to make peace a reality? Some American men and women have risked everything to help end the Iraq War. And right now they need our help.
Hundreds of United States servicepeople have refused to participate in the US occupation of Iraq. Some of these war resisters, now “absent without leave,” have gone to Canada, but Canada has not yet granted them asylum.
In fact, deportation proceedings have begun against some resisters. If forced to return to the U.S., they face court martial, military prison and damaging criminal records.
Bruce U. Utah Phillips
by Chris Chandler In a matter of a few minutes Anne Feeney phoned me from an airport in Houston. Al Grierson's "Lonely Deadhead Box-Car" was playing on Random on my iPod. After our conversation, I went to check my email. Jim Page was singing "Anna Mae." I had an email from Jim. I have pasted it below. As I read it Utah sang "All Used Up." As I responded to Jim's Email Arlo Guthrie sang "Hobo's Lullaby."
In the night of May 23, 2008, Bruce Duncan Phillips died in great peace, asleep in his bed in Nevada City, California, with his wife Joanna by his side.
Amazingly, at the very same instant that the scholar Bruce Phillips finally discovered his angle of repose, U. Utah Phillips flagged a westbound freight train. Yes, a mighty fast rattler, on a long west-bound track. He needed no ticket, he was welcomed on board.
Americans rank next-to-last on a survey of 34 nations' acceptance of evolution as a scientific fact. (See the chart, below.) Our awareness of this scientific reality has actually gone down over the past 20 years, no doubt as a result of the so-called "intelligent design" movement and other Christian fundamentalist campaigns. In fact, frequent churchgoers in the US are most likely to doubt evolution. How will their children - and ours - become the great scientists, doctors, and engineers of tomorrow?
The US scores well behind nine European countries in its acceptance of scientific fact. Jon Miller, the primary author of the survey on evolution, notes one likely cause:
"The biblical literalist focus of fundamentalism in the United States sees Genesis as a true and accurate account of the creation of human life that supersedes any scientific finding or interpretation. In contrast, mainstream Protestant faiths in Europe (and their U.S. counterparts) have viewed Genesis as metaphorical and--like the Catholic Church--have not seen a major contradiction between their faith and the work of Darwin and other scientists."
Atlantic Free Press Netherlands – (October 26,
2006) –
The overwhelming
response by alumni of United States service academies to the anti-war
efforts of West Point Graduates Against the
War (http://www.westpointgradsagains
tthewar.org) has resulted in a combined arms
organization of former and current land, sea, and air officers united
against the war in Iraq. The new organization, Service
Academy Graduates Against the War (http://www.sagaw.org), was established by three West Pointers,
William Cross, James Ryan, and Joseph Wojcik, all 1962 USMA graduates
and cofounders of the former organization. They were joined in the new
endeavor by Dud Hendrick, a 1963 United States Naval Academy graduate
and Terry Symens-Bucher, an alumnus of the United States Air Force
Academy, class of 1975.
The new
grassroots organization calls on graduates of all service academies to
speak out against the destruction of the honor of the United States and
the dissipation of its military caused by the deceitful policies of the
present administration. It also calls for the impeachment of the
president of the United States for high crimes and
misdemeanors.
Democrats Signal New Spying Cave-in
by Robert Parry An intriguing part of the Washington political dynamic is that the more the Democrats think they might win an upcoming election, the more timid they become – fearful that they will give the powerful right-wing media machine some issue that will destroy their victory dreams.
What often happens, however, is that once the Democrats slip into their four-corner stall offense, their lack of a clear purpose – or discernable principle – can become the lethal political issue that they so desperately wanted to avoid. John Kerry’s “flip-flopping” or Hillary Clinton’s “triangulations” can prove just as deadly as a controversial stand.
The recent election win of an incumbent and centrist GOP governor in California over his Democratic rival by double digits might suggest that the political status quo is alive and well. Is this gubernatorial landslide a triumph of centrism in the face of left and right extremism? Have California voters spoken and returned to their market-friendly roles as tame workers and faithful consumers? Such views might be off the mark.
Consider the coalition actions of union professors and students in the California State University system. An estimated 1,500 of them rallied at the system’s board of trustees meeting in Long Beach on November 15. Two dozen of these protesters locked arms in a sit-down action in front of the trustees, bringing to mind the black freedom movement’s fight to end racial segregation in the 1960s.
What is happening that propelled CSU professors and students to
demonstrate this way? Part of the answer is their discontent with
rising class size (50 students and up) and student fees, plus
six-figure senior management pay that continues after these managers
have left the system (also called “golden parachutes”).
Attention Geeks and Hackers: Uncle Sam's Cyber Force Wants You!
by William J. Astore Recently, while I was on a visit to Salon.com, my computer screen momentarily went black. A glitch? A power surge? No, it was a pop-up ad for the U.S. Air Force, warning me that an enemy cyber-attack could come at any moment -- with dire consequences for my ability to connect to the Internet.
It was an Outer Limits moment.
Remember that eerie sci-fi show from the early 1960s? The one that began in a blur with the message, "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission…." It felt a little like that.
Not Fit for Purpose
by William Bowles
The word Socialism is unfortunately, much-discredited yet and still the idea lives on regardless, as events in the Southern Americas reveal. But what of us in the so-called developed world?
Revolution I hear you cry? In the West? Not likely is it? In fact, both Marx and Lenin, when asked about revolution in the UK were a little more than disparaging about the idea. And what goes for the UK probably goes for the rest of the West.
by Zoe Blunt About 40 people showed up at today's rally in Langford and marched up the highway to view the damage. Two dozen or so were inspired to scramble over the fresh-cut trees and stand in front of the yarders and excavators that were working. All four machines had to be shut down for the day. The handful of police on the scene made no arrests and issued no warnings.
After stopping the machines, many of us made our way through the stumps and slash to Langford Lake Cave, which has a huge mass of rebar crisscrossed over the entrance like a drunken spider web. The second entrance has a triangular steel cap welded over it. The forest was cut down to within a few meters of the cave entrances.
Podcasts 
The
Federal Communications Commission has, as expected, voted along party
lines to approve the demand of Rupert Murdoch and other
communications-industry moguls for a loosening of limits on media
monopolies in American cities.
A study headed by a University of British Columbia researcher is giving scientists a peek at dark matter's effects on distant galaxies.
The BBC World News reports the iconic children's program, Sesame Street is broadcasting episodes to help kids cope with the long absence of their service personnel parents "manning" the walls of the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
lanes "strafed the village of Hayo near the Kenyan border" and possibly the village of Ras Kamboni, 
At least once a week for the past few years I've heard some version of the above quote and it implies that the average person has not been inconvenienced in any way by the war. Both the left and the right go to great lengths to perpetuate this illusion of no sacrifice while using the statement to fulfill whatever partisan goal they are currently chasing. Such vacuous statements leave me breathless mainly because they are so explosively ignorant that they suck all of the oxygen out of the air. 
Could it be that humor about the news — the satire we see on Stewart and Colbert and in all the news parody videos — are actually legitimating the very news system that they claim to be challenging?
The squatters of
Copenhagen dare to ask the question, "Who's world is this anyway?" Who
are these people who claim to own everything, these lords of the land?
Perhaps privatization and gentrification of society are neither just
nor inevitable. Perhaps the air, water, land and even the buildings on
the land should be held in common. Perhaps in such a prosperous society
every city should have free social centers like Ungdomshuset, and they
should not need to be fought for.The struggle for Ungdomshuset has received tremendous support
from much of Danish civil society, including the unions, who in
principle refuse to work under police protection. The rightwing
Christian sect that bought the building, Faderhuset ("Father House"),
however, has found people to work on clearing and destroying the
building. They are wearing masks because they don't want to be
recognized. A Danish flag is now flying on top of 69 Jagtvej.
Now, we almost all agree that Bush and Cheney have done bad things. But have they actually committed crimes? If you know anyone who has any doubts on this topic, may I recommend a brilliant little book for you to stick in their stocking next month?
Numerous writers, journalists, public officials and academics on the Right and Left have noted changes in relations between the US and Latin America. Those on the Right bemoan the ‘end of US hegemony’, the growth of a ‘New Left’, the ‘revival of populism’ and the ‘loss of US influence’. Those on the Left herald the purported changes as a moment of progressive regional realignment. The Right speaks pessimistically of the threats to ‘national security and democracy’, and access to energy and other resources. One sector on the Left claims to perceive a new regional ‘axis of counter hegemony’ led by Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia sweeping the continent. While other prudent conservative observers argue that a broad ‘center-left’ alternative headed by ‘social democratic’ regimes like Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay are replacing traditional US allies and challenging both the Leftist regimes and past US policies.Inside the US Government, policymakers focus on isolating and destabilizing the Left, downplaying the challenges from the center-left and emphasizing political continuities and economic opportunities with neo-liberal regimes.
In a collective sense, the soul of the United States is writhing in the agony of spiritual asphyxiation. Trapped in an overflowing cesspool of its own making, the nation’s élan vital desperately needs freedom and an infusion of spiritual oxygen. Sans significant change, its odds for survival equal those of an under-sized fish carelessly tossed ashore by a heartless angler.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 28 (IPS) – Nearly two months since U.N. troops began launching heavy attacks that they say are aimed against gang members in poor neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, roadblocks and barbed wire remain in place and the atmosphere is grim.
“Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that a mandate requiring every American to purchase health insurance was the only way to achieve universal health care but she rejected the notion of punitive measures to force individuals into the health care system,” reports News for clueless Yahoos.
Certainly not an earth shattering headline, but disturbing nonetheless. The lack of love between George Bush and the United Nations is an old “dog-bites-man” story. Having put haters like John Bolton at the helm of the U.S. delegation, Bush’s in your face “go fuck yourself” hostility to all things UN is no secret. 
The bodies keep piling up, but not just in Iraq. Police in a Maryland town killed an Iraq war vet. This news bite from the Washington, DC metro region:
Rev. Don Wildmon and his grotesquely misnamed American “Family” Association are once again attempting to 
The American football hero may be gone but details of his mysterious
death in Afghanistan just won't go away. Most recently, as reported by
Time Magazine, "Nine officers, including up to four generals, should be
held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the friendly fire
death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan."
We all dream of peace. But what have we sacrificed to make peace a reality? Some American men and women have risked everything to help end the Iraq War. And right now they need our help.
In a matter of a few minutes Anne Feeney phoned me from an airport in Houston. Al Grierson's "Lonely Deadhead Box-Car" was playing on Random on my iPod. After our conversation, I went to check my email. Jim Page was singing "Anna Mae." I had an email from Jim. I have pasted it below. As I read it Utah sang "All Used Up." As I responded to Jim's Email Arlo Guthrie sang "Hobo's Lullaby."
An intriguing part of the Washington political dynamic is that the more the Democrats think they might win an upcoming election, the more timid they become – fearful that they will give the powerful right-wing media machine some issue that will destroy their victory dreams. 
About 40 people showed up at today's rally in Langford and marched up the highway to view the damage. Two dozen or so were inspired to scramble over the fresh-cut trees and stand in front of the yarders and excavators that were working. All four machines had to be shut down for the day. The handful of police on the scene made no arrests and issued no warnings.