Global
Washington D.C. – Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi has been playing hard ball with Bush administration officials during his eight day trip to Washington D.C.
According to senior associates of the Iraqi official, who have accompanied him to meetings with Bush administration officials, Mr. Chalabi has been threatening his friends in the Bush administration that if they do not support his candidacy to become the next prime minister of Iraq that there will be no way to contain Iran. He has told them in no uncertain terms that he is the only one who can make the Iranians behave.
According to senior associates of the Iraqi official, who have accompanied him to meetings with Bush administration officials, Mr. Chalabi has been threatening his friends in the Bush administration that if they do not support his candidacy to become the next prime minister of Iraq that there will be no way to contain Iran. He has told them in no uncertain terms that he is the only one who can make the Iranians behave.
Dear Freepress:
Break out those jack-boots and polish to a highly reflective shine. Break out that old brown shirt and wash, starch, and iron razor sharp creases. Black pants are not optional. Hair will be short and neatly trimmed. Faces will shine cleanly like the morning sun. Black leather belts and buttons will be polished. Goose-step practice will commence sharply at 8:00 a.m..
America is shackled no, chained to the Bush administration and exactly how are 'we the people' to undo this growing cancer? Congress protects the war criminals, the media protects the war criminals, and 'we the people' are simply ass-out!
The great American experiment in democracy is sadly over. Resistance is futile. We are so fucking doomed.
peace,
Citizen X
Murray, Utah
Break out those jack-boots and polish to a highly reflective shine. Break out that old brown shirt and wash, starch, and iron razor sharp creases. Black pants are not optional. Hair will be short and neatly trimmed. Faces will shine cleanly like the morning sun. Black leather belts and buttons will be polished. Goose-step practice will commence sharply at 8:00 a.m..
America is shackled no, chained to the Bush administration and exactly how are 'we the people' to undo this growing cancer? Congress protects the war criminals, the media protects the war criminals, and 'we the people' are simply ass-out!
The great American experiment in democracy is sadly over. Resistance is futile. We are so fucking doomed.
peace,
Citizen X
Murray, Utah
With nary a peep from the mainstream media, the US Supreme Court has
stabbed yet another partisan knife into the American electoral system.
This time the court has let stand Florida's infamous 137-year-old ban on voting rights for ex-felons. It was this same Jim Crow ban that the GOP used to disenfranchise thousands of Floridians in 2000, providing the margin by which George W. Bush took the presidency. The ruling continues to take the vote from millions of African-Americans and non-violent offenders----and, in practice, others who have broken no laws at all. It is highly likely to strengthen the lock of the Republican party and its future candidates on the US presidency.
In Florida 2000, Republican Governor Jeb Bush used the ban as a pretext for disenfranchising tens of thousands of mostly black voters who committed no crime at all, but whose names allegedly resembled those who did. In the lead-up to his brother's test at the polls, Bush hired a Republican computer firm to compile a dubious list which Bush then used to deprive perhaps 120,000 Floridians, perhaps more, of their right to vote.
This time the court has let stand Florida's infamous 137-year-old ban on voting rights for ex-felons. It was this same Jim Crow ban that the GOP used to disenfranchise thousands of Floridians in 2000, providing the margin by which George W. Bush took the presidency. The ruling continues to take the vote from millions of African-Americans and non-violent offenders----and, in practice, others who have broken no laws at all. It is highly likely to strengthen the lock of the Republican party and its future candidates on the US presidency.
In Florida 2000, Republican Governor Jeb Bush used the ban as a pretext for disenfranchising tens of thousands of mostly black voters who committed no crime at all, but whose names allegedly resembled those who did. In the lead-up to his brother's test at the polls, Bush hired a Republican computer firm to compile a dubious list which Bush then used to deprive perhaps 120,000 Floridians, perhaps more, of their right to vote.
John Bonifaz is seriously considering running for election next year as Massachusetts Secretary of State, or more properly, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A victory for him would be a victory of national importance for election reform and voting rights.
John's Voters' Bill of Rights includes "a guarantee of open and transparent elections with verified voting, paper trails, and access to the source codes for, and random audits of, electronic voting machines [and]…a guarantee that we the people, through our government, will control our voting machines — not private companies."
John is apparently not planning to model his service on that of Katherine Harris or Ken Blackwell.
But John Bonifaz is also not your typical liberal candidate. He is one of the nation's leading experts on voting rights. Further provisions in his Bill of Rights reflect that background. They include:
--election day registration;
--early voting;
--ensured absentee voting;
--publicly financed elections and campaign spending limits;
--instant run-off voting;
--cross endorsement voting (fusion voting);
John's Voters' Bill of Rights includes "a guarantee of open and transparent elections with verified voting, paper trails, and access to the source codes for, and random audits of, electronic voting machines [and]…a guarantee that we the people, through our government, will control our voting machines — not private companies."
John is apparently not planning to model his service on that of Katherine Harris or Ken Blackwell.
But John Bonifaz is also not your typical liberal candidate. He is one of the nation's leading experts on voting rights. Further provisions in his Bill of Rights reflect that background. They include:
--election day registration;
--early voting;
--ensured absentee voting;
--publicly financed elections and campaign spending limits;
--instant run-off voting;
--cross endorsement voting (fusion voting);
Two modes of government are doing battle in America today. The issue of secrecy in government has never been more important. Few Americans realize how radically the Bush Administration changed our systems and processes in order to deny the average American citizen access to information about what the government is doing in our name!
The leaks about secret prisons being run by the CIA around the world has produced near hysteria in Bush Republican circles. Republicans seem to be spinning the controversy into a scandal about leaks. The actual scandal focus should be almost exclusively focused on secret prisons.
The leaks about secret prisons being run by the CIA around the world has produced near hysteria in Bush Republican circles. Republicans seem to be spinning the controversy into a scandal about leaks. The actual scandal focus should be almost exclusively focused on secret prisons.
Freep Heroes
The selfless good Samaritans who helped others in the wake of the hurricane
The numerous, often nameless and faceless Americans, who, unlike the Bush administration, rushed to the aid of those trapped on roofs and left to die. There's a battle going on for the soul of America. This is the side we support.
The Free Press Salutes
The Columbus Dispatch
We hate to say it, but we really wish we would have written the series on mortgage rip-offs. The Dispatch reporting was thorough and exemplary. Moreover, in this day and age when the media is often reluctant to take on companies that might advertise with them, the Dispatch cited specific businesses that are destroying communities through unscrupulous practices and destroying the American Dream.
Enemies of the People
The Bush administration and its federal agencies
The selfless good Samaritans who helped others in the wake of the hurricane
The numerous, often nameless and faceless Americans, who, unlike the Bush administration, rushed to the aid of those trapped on roofs and left to die. There's a battle going on for the soul of America. This is the side we support.
The Free Press Salutes
The Columbus Dispatch
We hate to say it, but we really wish we would have written the series on mortgage rip-offs. The Dispatch reporting was thorough and exemplary. Moreover, in this day and age when the media is often reluctant to take on companies that might advertise with them, the Dispatch cited specific businesses that are destroying communities through unscrupulous practices and destroying the American Dream.
Enemies of the People
The Bush administration and its federal agencies
The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. Established in 1994 as a non-profit, grassroots civil rights organization, CAIR is dedicated to presenting an Islamic perspective on issues of importance to the American public. In offering that perspective, CAIR seeks to empower the Muslim community in America through political and social activism
The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and is assisted by 28 regional offices in the United States and Canada – including CAIR-Ohio, based in Columbus.
CAIR provides an Islamic voice by:Promoting Civil Rights: CAIR counsels, mediates and advocates on behalf of Muslims who have experienced religious discrimination or hate crimes.
Government Affairs: CAIR helps elected officials understand policay issues related to Islam and Muslims.
Communications: CAIR works with local and national news media to ensure an accurate image of Islam and Muslims is presented to the American public.
The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and is assisted by 28 regional offices in the United States and Canada – including CAIR-Ohio, based in Columbus.
CAIR provides an Islamic voice by:
Under Ohio law, possession of up to four ounces of marijuana is considered a ticketable offense, punishable by no more than a $150 fine. That was way too lenient for Cincinnati mayoral candidate David Pepper, and back in June he briefly floated a proposal to make it a misdemeanor offense punishable by a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. While that proposal went over like a lead balloon, and Pepper soon backed away from it, the issue continues to play out in Cincinnati pre-election politics.
At a question and answer session with students at the Seven Hills Upper School last Friday, which was covered by the Cincinnati Enquirer, one of the students asked Pepper about his now abandoned proposal. "We have become the place in the entire region where drugs are dealt," Pepper said, pointing to Vine Street in the city's majority black Over-the-Rhine neighborhood as the area's worst "open air drug market." In most drug arrests in Over-the-Rhine, he added, neither the buyer nor the seller are from the neighborhood.
At a question and answer session with students at the Seven Hills Upper School last Friday, which was covered by the Cincinnati Enquirer, one of the students asked Pepper about his now abandoned proposal. "We have become the place in the entire region where drugs are dealt," Pepper said, pointing to Vine Street in the city's majority black Over-the-Rhine neighborhood as the area's worst "open air drug market." In most drug arrests in Over-the-Rhine, he added, neither the buyer nor the seller are from the neighborhood.
Many people think of turkeys as little more than a holiday centerpiece, but turkeys are social, playful birds who enjoy the company of others. Anyone who spends time with them on farm sanctuaries quickly learns that turkeys are as varied in personality as dogs and cats.
When not forced to live on factory farms, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dustbaths, preening themselves, and roosting high in trees.
Turkey Factory Farms
Every year in the United States over 270 million turkeys are killed for their flesh. More than 45 million of these turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving alone, and over 20 million are killed for Christmas. Almost all of them spend their entire lives on factory farms and have almost no federal legal protection from cruelty.
When not forced to live on factory farms, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dustbaths, preening themselves, and roosting high in trees.
Turkey Factory Farms
Every year in the United States over 270 million turkeys are killed for their flesh. More than 45 million of these turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving alone, and over 20 million are killed for Christmas. Almost all of them spend their entire lives on factory farms and have almost no federal legal protection from cruelty.
Much like the Greek and Roman city-states that passed into the dustbins of history, the high-maintenance petroleum-based suburbs, home of the SUV with names like Pathfinder, Explorer, and Land Rover, will fade into mythology, according to the new award-winning documentary, The End of Suburbia. The title, The End of Suburbia, is a bit of a misnomer. What director Gregory Greene predicts the end of is the suburban nonsustainable bedroom developments at the core of sprawlburbia.
Historically cheap energy in the form of fossil fuel represents the largest "misallocation" of resources in world history, the film argues. The documentary does an excellent job of distinguishing between various forms of sub-urbanization – a trend since factories in cities grew out of the industrial revolution following the Civil War.