Weekend Plus News May 26-28, 2007

Some of these links are reports I wish I'd linked to earlier.  And I will look for more news in the as the holiday weekend progresses.

BBC:   Iran 'uncovers US spy networks'
Well, that's what they say anyway.  Like TV News, they don't have to tell their followers much.  Just believe them. 

NYT: Magazine Shoots Steriods into Andy Roddick's arms
I looked at other pictures of Mr. Roddick after reading this article and they definitely took his already well formed arms and made them look like he takes steriods.  It's a kind of bloated like a balloon look.   Th picure actually wasn't flattering to Mr. Roddick, but was more useful to the magazine's supplement advertisers as readers strive to get "fit".  But is it really anything new for a fitness magazine?  I'm sure the other complaints are nothing new to celebrity magazines, and TMZ is quite disgustingly into buying any embarassing picture from the sleaziest photographers. 

WP: Altruism Sparks "Feel Good" Brain Response
Article does not report what brain centers are affected when your nation's vote is stolen letting in imperialistic mega-egos that cause massive inequality to develop in the nation and start wars to grab resources in other nations saddling the people with massive debt and killing many of their sons and daughters.  I'd be willing to bet that shuts down a lot of the feel good portions of the brain.  

LAT: Texas part time legislature explodes in discord

Greg Palast:  How Karl Rove Has Already Stolen the 2008 Election 
Hat tip again to Oneforall at A Christmas Story.  

WP: Unflattering Books of Hillary Cause Hardly a Ripple

NYT: Big Labels Desperate as CD Sales Plunge  

BBC:  Pro Whaling Countries promise conciliation at coming IWC meeting .  (As long a they are allowed to have whaling under auspices of "aboriginal subsistence permits".  I kid you not. As aboriginal hunts become more commercial, Japan wants to pretend some of her people are in the subsistence class too.  The new mantra is that it will be "controlled" whaling.   

WP: Did Founding Fathers Really Mean to Deny DC Voting Rights? 
If you are Republican then the answer is yes.  It's like the Civil Rights Movement never even happened. 

NY Times: Elite Colleges Open New Door to Low-Income Youths

LA Times: John Edwards' populism is a risky bet
Edwards really bugs the neocon controlled mainstream news.  OMG!  Someone for the regular folks!  We have to destroy this candidate.  He might take our expensive 2nd homes away! 

WP: Another Top Bush Aide Makes an Exit
Wait, wait, wait.  Read this article.  This lady runs a huge program to identify people who can be fooled into voting Republican, but she's paid with taxpayer money.  What is wrong with this picture?  Oh yeah.  That has to be illegal, right? 

NYT:  A Cordial Opposition of Protests in Delaware
Please note in reading that earlier threatening and abusive pro-war demonstrators couldn't stomach the climate when the weather turned cold.

LA Times: Immigration judges lack apt backgrounds
You were wondering what would be wrong in Justice hiring immigration judges based on politics?  Well, now you know. This might be related to the inefficiency in checking out immigration applicants as noted in WP report below which can affect national security. 

WP: Immigration Agency Mired In Inefficiency

 AP: Mo. man burns books as act of protest

Blogs:  President Bush signs directive giving himself dictatorial powers in case of national emergency .  Mainstream news hasn't a clue about this.  I guess because it wasn't leaked to them by Karl Rove or Dick Cheney.  Awakening's blog (linked above) is where I first saw this and it has links to more.

WP:  Patients to be Used for Medical Experiments Without Consent  

WP: White House Considers Next Steps in Iraq

NYT: Militants Widen Reach as Terror Seeps Out of Iraq

WP: Veterans' Lifelong Mission To Keep Memories Alive

WP: Rolling Thunder Marks 20 Years of Supporting Troops

Neocons, Showing Big Time Fear Over Hillary Clinton, Have started their bashing early

More Clinton Bashing from neocons in books

LAT: They've Got Our Alligator and They Might Not Even Let Us See Him
There is minor speculation that it isn't Reggie, but most important is the patritian manor in which city and zoo officials are treating an animal that is a favorite of most Angelenos as something to dispose of. Details and new pictrures of "Reggie" at the Times article

BBC: Two Timing Shuttle Pilot Reassigned to Navy
My daughter has a friend in the Navy he'd better stay away from.

WP: I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.
Great Commentary by Andrew Bacevich.
Excerpt:
Money buys access and influence. Money greases the process that will yield us a new president in 2008. When it comes to Iraq, money ensures that the concerns of big business, big oil, bellicose evangelicals and Middle East allies gain a hearing. By comparison, the lives of U.S. soldiers figure as an afterthought.

Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a soldier's life: I've been handed the check. It's roughly what the Yankees will pay Roger Clemens per inning once he starts pitching next month.

Notice how Bacevich, even in his grief was hounded by the STFU crew inspired and sometimes even paid by the GOP and other neocon groups

NYT: Graft Mars the Recruitment of Mexican Guest Workers

Greenpeace: Pirate fishing ships head for the scrap heap
Illegal fishing boats that were helping to deplete fisheries have been taken out of commission due apparently to the organization's documentation of their activities and other actions

Nazis Launched Invasion of Homeland by "Coons"
Critters have no natural enemies in Europe. The invasion and occupation continues and spreads.

NY Times: White House planning toto cut and run next year
Article indicates that writers believe the news from a "senior administration official" might be a ploy to dimish pressure to reduce troops earlier. More at link.

LA Weelkly: Escaping With His LifeLike the problems with our Police Department, the hospital for the poorest inner city is back in the news for failing to serve their people justly and well. One man must escape the hospital aided by family, and even daughter's school's community outreach coordinator to save his life. Do not believe for a minute this is just an LA problem. We actually probably have more transparency here to expose the people who serve as neocon proxies to govern us.

Officials Say Justice Dept. Based Hires on Politics Before Goodling Tenure
Can we boot Gonzales out the door now?

"BBC: 'Stealth racism' stalks deep South"Good report, but I can't see how nooses in trees should be called "stealth racism" That's pretty much "in your face" stuff to me. Article also shows the kinds of backlash that happens when white racism is so heavy, but who gets punished? (Hint: It's not the white boys.)

Greenpeace: Exxon still funding Climate Change Deniers

WP: U.S. Rejects G-8 Climate Proposal
Why is that not a surprise?

"NYT: Female Shark Reproduced Without Male DNA, Scientists Say
There'll be no living with them now. (Female sharks that is)

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