 
..
|
MISCELLANY NEWS:
[Current
News: on Front Page.]
20080603
 Brazil
-  Satellite
-  Photographs
-  Global
- Climate
-  Gases
-  Food
-  Animals
-  Farming
-  Illegal
-  Business
- "New
satellite photos show Amazon deforestation exploding."
... "New satellite photographs show that the destruction of Brazil's fragile
Amazon rainforest has exploded this year, fueling fears that the government's
efforts to stop deforestation have been fruitless." ... "Brazil's DETER
real-time monitoring system found that more than 430 square miles of forest,
an area a bit smaller than the city of Los Angeles, vanished in the month
of April, while about 2,300 square miles, larger than the state of Delaware,
were destroyed between last August and April." ... "That nine-month total
surpassed the entire acreage in the Amazon that was destroyed over the
previous 12 months, according to DETER data. What's worse, the satellites
couldn't see about half of the forest in April due to cloud cover, suggesting
that actual deforestation likely was much greater." ... "That's raised
red flags among environmentalists, who say that soybean farming, cattle
production and illegal logging are destroying the world's largest rainforest
despite the government's attempts to halt the deforestation." ... "Chopping
down and burning the rainforest releases tons of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change.
Brazil is the world's fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, largely
because of deforestation, according to the U.S.-based World Resources Institute."
... "Worse is yet to come, environmentalists said." ... "The Amazon's dry
season, when farmers do most of their burning and clearing, starts this
month." -By Jack
Chang -McClatchyDC.com
20080602
 John
Hagee -  John
McCain -  Joseph
Lieberman - Racist
- Homosexual
- Religious
-  Military
-  Politics
-  Arizona
-  Connecticut
-  New
York -  Indiana
-  History
-  Germany
-  Israel
-  Iraq
-  US
- 2008
Election
"Pastor
Hagee: The Antichrist Is Gay, "Partially Jewish, As Was Adolph Hitler"
(Paging Joe Lieberman!)." ... "On March 16, 2003,
on the eve of the United States' invasion of Iraq, [Republican Televangelist]
Pastor John Hagee took to the pulpit to warn of the coming Antichrist.
In his sermon, "The
Final Dictator," Hagee described the Antichrist as a seductive figure
with "fierce features." He will be "a blasphemer and a homosexual," the
pastor announced. Then, Hagee boomed, "There's a phrase in Scripture used
solely to identify the Jewish people. It suggests that this man [the Antichrist]
is at least going to be partially Jewish, as was Adolph Hitler, as was
Karl Marx."" ... "This "fierce" gay Jew, according to Hagee, would "slaughter
one-third of the Earth's population" and "make Adolph Hitler look like
a choirboy."" ... "Exposed here for the first time, Hagee's comments identifying
the Antichrist as a partly Jewish homosexual arrive in the wake of a furor
the pastor provoked by describing the Holocaust as an act of God. Hagee's
chilling sermon
about the Holocaust prompted [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain to reject the preacher's support,
an unexpected turnabout after McCain spent over a year soliciting his endorsement."
... "Days after McCain's rejection, I reported
that a key McCain ally, [Connecticut Independent Senator] Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
planned to deliver the keynote speech at Hagee's upcoming Christians United
For Israel (CUFI) summit. As the story exploded
into the mainstream press, pressure mounted on Lieberman to withdraw."
... "[New York Democratic Representative Eliot] Engel is slated to speak
on CUFI's "Middle East Briefing" panel this July. He will be joined on
the panel by Republican [Indiana Representative] Rep. Mike Pence, Weekly
Standard editor and New York Times columnist [and Fox contributor] Bill
Kristol, and Christian right activist Gary Bauer." -By
Max
Blumenthal -HuffingtonPost.com
 LISTEN
to McCAIN endorser John HAGEE claim the Antichrist will be a Jewish homosexual.
WATCH
McCAIN endorser John HAGEE relate a story of how Florida Jews "mysteriously"
voted for Republican George W Bush and subsequently explain, "And I believe
it is because that this nation is doing what God intended us to do from
the day that Christopher Columbus discovered this nation."
20080601
Politics
-  Networking
-  Entertainment
"Every
Thursday Night, Liberal Politics and Pints." ...
"Mr. [Justin] Krebs was one of the founders of the progressive social networking
group called Drinking Liberally that has been meeting at Rudy’s [New York
City, New York's Bar and Grill] every Thursday night for the past five
years." ... "“We knew our friends wanted to talk about politics and the
state of the country, but it felt like that was a taboo thing to do in
a social setting,” Mr. Krebs said. “We wanted to create an environment
where people would be told that politics is not off the table — that in
fact, it’s what we’re here for,” said Mr. Krebs, a founder of The Tank,
a nonprofit space for performance and public-affairs events in Midtown
[New York City]." ... "In the beginning, Mr. Krebs and his partner in starting
the club, Matthew O’Neill, 30, would show up on Thursday, with just the
two of them sharing a pitcher of beer. Since then, online social networking
has helped the group grow into a national organization with 250 chapters
across the country, at least one in each state. " -By
J. Courtney Sullivan -NYTimes
DrinkingLiberally.org
/ STATE/City Locations:AK
- AL - AR
- AZ - CA
- CO - CT
- DE - FL
- GA - HI
- IA - ID
- IL - IN
- KS - KY
- LA - MA
- MD - ME
- MI - MN
- MO - MS
- MT - NC
-
ND -
NE
- NH - NJ
- NM - NV
- NY - OH
- OK - OR
- PA - RI
- SC-
SD
- TN - TX
- UT - VA
- VT - WA
- WI - WV
- WY, also:DC,
Australia:
Melbourne
- Canada:
Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia - Japan:
Osaka - New
Zealand: Wellington
20080530
 Barack
Obama - John
McCain -  Accounting
-  People
-  Families
- US
- Iraq
- Military
-  Book
-  MT
- Arizona
-  Wisconsin
- 2008
Election
"Obama
slams McCain on Iraq facts." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama isn't expected to
speak until 7:45 pm ET at a rally in Great Falls, MT [Montana]. But his
campaign has released excerpts of his remarks, which go right after [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's "pre-surge
levels" misstatement yesterday. They also invoke Scott McClellan's
new book." ... "[Barack Obama:] "There are honest differences about how
to move forward in Iraq, just like there were honest differences about
whether or not we should go to war," Obama is supposed to say. "John McCain
was for the invasion of Iraq; I opposed it. John McCain wants to continue
George
Bush’s war in Iraq indefinitely; I want to end it. So there’s going
to be a clear choice for the American people this November."" ... ""But
that’s not what John McCain’s been talking about the last few days. He’s
been proposing a joint trip to Iraq that’s nothing more than a political
stunt. He’s even been using it to raise a few dollars for his campaign.
But it seems like [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain’s a lot more interested
in my travel plans than the facts, because yesterday – in his continued
effort to put the best light on a failed policy – he stood up in Wisconsin
and said, 'We have drawn down to pre-surge levels' in Iraq."" ... ""That’s
not true, and anyone running for commander-in-chief should know better.
As the saying goes, you’re entitled to your own view, but not your own
facts. We’ve got around 150,000 troops in Iraq -- 20,000 more than we had
before the surge. We have plans to get down to around 140,000 later this
summer -- that’s still more troops than we had in Iraq before the surge.
And today, Sen. McCain refused to correct his mistake. Just like George
Bush, when he was presented with the truth, he just dug in and refused
to admit his mistake. His campaign said it amounts to 'nitpicking.'"" ...
""Well, I don’t think tens of thousands of American troops amounts to nitpicking.
Tell that to the young men and women who are serving bravely and brilliantly
under our flag. Tell that to the families who have seen their loved ones
fight tour after tour after tour of duty in a war that should’ve never
been authorized and never been waged."" ... ""It’s time for a debate that’s
based on the truth, and I can’t think of anything more important than how
many Americans are in harm’s way. It’s time for a debate that’s based on
how we’re going to end this war -- not a debate that’s based on raising
a few dollars for John McCain’s campaign."" ... ""The American people have
had enough spin. Just this week, we were reminded by President Bush’s own
former spokesman of how it was deception -- not straight talk -- that misled
the American people into war. It’s time to cut through the tough talk so
that we can be straight with the American people about a war that’s cost
us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars without making
us safer. It’s time to end the political game-playing so that we can finally
end this war. That’s what I’ll do in this campaign. And that’s what I’ll
do when I’m President of the United States."" -From
Mark Murray and Athena Jones -MSNBC
20080529
John
McCain - 2008
Election - Wisconsin
- Arizona
- US
- Iraq
- Military
-  Terrorism
"McCain
Declares Mosul "Quiet" On Same Day As Three Suicide Attacks (Video)."
... "Speaking about Iraq at a townhall event on Thursday evening in Greensdale,
Wisconsin, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona
Senator] Sen. John McCain declared, "I can tell you that it is succeeding.
I can look you in the eye and tell you it's succeeding. We have drawn down
to pre-surge levels. Basra, Mosul and now Sadr city are quiet and it's
long and it's hard and it's tough and there will be setbacks..."" ... "McCain
was wrong on two points. First, U.S. [United States] forces have not returned
to pre-surge levels. Before the surge, there were 130,000
troops in Iraq; even if the scheduled troop reductions are carried
out as planned, there will still be 140,000
troops in Iraq in August." ... "Moreover, McCain's claim that Mosul
[Iraq] is "quiet" was disproved earlier today in grim fashion. Three suicide
bombings -- two in Mosul and another in a surrounding town -- left 30 Iraqis
dead and more than two dozen injured, according to press_reports.
" -By Nico
Pitney -HuffingtonPost.com
20080528
 Scott
McClellan - Book
- Noteworthy
- US
- Iraq
- Corporate
-  Media
- Military
-  Government
- Politics
- Marketing
-  Television
- History
-  Gore
- Obama
- McCain
-  Russert
-  Cheney
"Scott
McClellan on the "liberal media"." ... "In a minimally
rational world, this extraordinary passage, from the new book by Scott
McClellan, would forever slay the single most ludicrous myth in our political
culture: The "Liberal Media":"
"If
anything, the national press corps was probably too deferential to the
[Republican President Bush] White House and to the administration in
regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years
in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq."
"The
collapse of the administration's rationales for war, which became apparent
months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. .
. . In this case, the "liberal media" didn't live up to its reputation.
If it had, the country would have been better served."
"Just
consider how remarkable that is. [Republican President] George Bush's own
Press Secretary criticizes the American media for being "too deferential"
to the Government. He lays the blame for Bush's ability to propagandize
the nation on the media's uncritical dissemination of the Republican administration's
falsehoods. And most notably of all, McClellan actually uses cynical scare
quotes when invoking the phrase which, in conventional political discourse,
is deemed the most unassailable truth of all: The Liberal Media." ... "How
much longer can this preposterous myth be sustained when even the White
House Spokesman not only mocks the phrase but derides the media for being
"too deferential" to the right-wing Government "in regard to the most important
decision facing the nation during [his] years in Washington"? If one were
to set about with the goal of debunking the "Liberal Media" myth -- as
Eric
Alterman specifically did four years ago and other
media critics have more generally done before that -- one couldn't
dream up evidence more conclusive than McClellan's admissions." ... "Blindingly
conclusive evidence which would -- for any rational person -- forever negate
the "Liberal Media" myth has been piling up for years. The extraordinary
(though woefully incomplete) 2004 mea
culpa from The New York Times acknowledged that not just
Judy Miller, but the paper as a whole, re-printed pro-war government claims
that were "allowed to stand unchallenged." The Washington Post's
own media critic, Howard Kurtz, documented
that anti-war views were systematically buried at that paper. The NYTrecently
exposed that network and cable news shows for years continuously allowed
Pentagon-controlled operatives to masquerade as "independent analysts"
spouting the pro-government line with virtually no challenge. And the media's
pathological fixation on the Clinton sex scandals -- which led to his impeachment
-- stood in stark contrast to the widespread indifference among the citizenry."
... "Beyond all that, are there any reporters left who deny that the campaign-covering
media in 2000 was gushingly
enamored of [Republican] George Bush and oozing
with contempt for [Democratic] Al Gore? Identically, their intense
affection for [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain
is something they openly proclaim; as they
shamelessly acknowledge, they're his "base." And while some journalists
undoubtedly harbor admiration for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate] Barack Obama, the non-stop coverage of one anti-Obama narrative
after the next -- Jeremiah Wright, lapel pins, patriotism "questions,"
"Bittergate," "problems" with Jewish and white voters -- simply has no
parallel in any coverage of McCain." ... "Beyond that objective evidence,
just look at the claims which "Liberal Media" complainers make to support
their grievance. As examples of "liberal" journalists, they'll cite people
like Chris Matthews -- who voted
for [Republican] George Bush, and did
more than anyone to prop up his image as our Great War Leader and demonize
Bush critics. One of the leading examples of a biased "liberal" journalist
is therefore someone who actually went on television in late 2005 and said
this:"
"I
like [Bush]. Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real
whack-jobs, maybe on the left -- I mean -- like him personally."
"Or
they'll point to "liberal" Tim Russert -- Tim Russert -- about whom
[Republican Vice President] Cheney press aide Cathy Martin said:
"I suggested we put the vice president on 'Meet the Press,' which was a
tactic we often used. It's our best format, as it allows us to control
the message." That's the same "liberal" Tim Russert who confessed that
he operates by the defining
law of the Government propagandist: "When I talk to senior government
officials on the phone, it's my own policy -- our conversations are confidential.
If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission.""
... "Or look at the recent "controversy" reported
by the Associated Press over whether NBC News' reputation as an objective
news outlet is being tainted by virtue of the "liberal" commentators MSNBC
features. Nobody questioned whether CNN's objectivity was imperiled by
featuring the likes of [right-wing commentators] Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs,
nor, for that matter, did anyone raise these questions about NBC when,
for years, MSNBC shows were hosted by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Joe
Scarborough and Michael Savage." ... "But a single unapologetic Bush critic
appears on the TV -- Keith Olbermann -- and this rarest of occurrence suddenly
leads to controversy over whether the "respectability" of television news
can survive while allowing a single "liberal" voice to be heard."
-By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
20080527
John
McCain -  Rick
Renzi -  Jon
Kyl - Money
- Politics
- Federal
-  Investigation
- Phoenix
- Arizona
-  Real
Estate - Land
- Legislation
-  Nevada
"FBI
interviews Arizona staffers." ... "Federal agents
interviewed staffers for likely [2008 Election] Republican presidential
nominee [and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain (Ariz. [Arizona]) as part
of their corruption case against [Arizona Republican
Representative] Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.[Republican-Arizona])."
... "[United States] U.S. Attorney for the District
of Arizona Diane J. Humetewa and fellow prosecutors disclosed the interviews
with aides for McCain and fellow Arizona Republican [Senator] Sen. Jon
Kyl in a written response to Renzi’s attorneys, who asked for the contents
of the interview to help prepare for Renzi’s upcoming trial, which is scheduled
for October [2008]." ... "The aides
were interviewed about land exchanges, according to an April letter from
Humetewa filed with the U.S. District Court of Arizona late last week."
... "A federal land swap critical to developing a $3 billion copper mine
southeast of Phoenix [Arizona] is at the heart of the case against Renzi,
who is facing 35 public corruption charges, including conspiracy, money-laundering,
extortion and insurance fraud." ... "Renzi is alleged to have told executives
for Resolution Copper Mining that he would not support a land deal the
mining company was interested in unless they bought his former business
partner’s property as part of the deal, according to the [February] Feb.
22 federal indictment." ... "Under the deal, 5,000 acres of non-federal
land owned by Resolution Copper were to be exchanged for 3,025 acres of
federal land. The federal land sits on a large copper deposit, and the
exchange would have allowed mining on land for the first time since a 1954
executive order by [Republican] then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower." ...
"Renzi allegedly wanted land owned by a business partner who owed Renzi
money to be included in the deal. If the land had been included, prosecutors
charge, it would have allowed the business partner to pay a debt to Renzi."
... "Resolution Copper refused to cooperate, but another company, Preserved
Petrified Forest Land Investors LLC [Limited Liability Company] of Las
Vegas [Nevada], agreed to buy the land. Prosecutors allege this netted
Renzi more than $700,000." ... "Renzi twice introduced a land swap bill,
in 2005 and 2006, before taking his name off of the measure after the FBI
[Federal Bureau of Investigation] raided his family business in April 2007.
[Arizona Democratic Representiave] Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.[Democratic-Arizona])
then introduced the legislation on [August] Aug. 1, 2007, along with Arizona
[Republican Representatives] Reps. Jeff Flake and John Shadegg, both Republicans,
and Democrat[ic Representative] Harry Mitchell (D[Democratic])." ... "Sens.
McCain and Kyl introduced companion legislation in the Senate, most recently
in July 2007. " (1, 2)
-By Susan Crabtree -TheHill.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
