GAIA AND HOMOSAPIENS

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Breaking News

Iran | Ahmadinejad urges Ban to probe 9/11 attacks
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, asking him to launch an investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, news reports said on Monday
France 24 / AFP - April 12, 2012
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US | The 'Obama doctrine': kill, don't detain
George Bush left a big problem in the shape of Guantánamo. The solution? Don't capture bad guys, assassinate by drone.
The Guardian - By Asim Qureshi - April 11, 2010
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US | Zazi, Al Qaeda pals planned rush-hour attack on Grand Central, Times Square subway stations
Chilling new details about the foiled Al Qaeda plot to blow up the city's busiest subways have emerged as a fourth suspect was quietly arrested in Pakistan, the Daily News has learned.
The Daily News- By John Marzulli, Staff Reporter - April 12th 2010
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NYC terror probe nabs 4th in Pakistan
Google / AP - By tom Barrett and Tom Hayes - April 12, 2010
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WASHINGTON — A fourth suspect in a disrupted plot to bomb New York City subways has been arrested in Pakistan, law enforcement officials said Monday. The principal suspect in the case, Najibullah Zazi, has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with investigators, key developments that prosecutors hope will help them trace the plot back to its roots in Pakistan, where Zazi and former friends from high school allegedly traveled in 2008 to seek terror training.

US | Your Taxes and War
Tomgram: Jo Comerford - April 11, 2010.
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If you’re an average American taxpayer, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have, since 2001, cost you personally $7,334, according to the “cost of war” counter created by the National Priorities Project (NPP). They have cost all Americans collectively more than $980,000,000,000. As a country, we’ll pass the trillion dollar mark soon. These are staggering figures and, despite the $72.3 billion that Congress has already ponied up for the Afghan War in 2010 ($136.8 billion if you add in Iraq), the administration is about to go back to Congress for more than $35 billion in outside-the-budget supplemental funds to cover the president’s military and civilian Afghan surges. When that passes, as it surely will, the cumulative cost of the Afghan War alone will hit $300 billion, and we’ll be heading for two trillion-dollar wars.

US | Small-City Mayor Takes on the Pentagon -- War Spending Should Be Spent on Americans, Not on Killing Afghans
We don't just have a revenue problem in this country -- we have a values and priorities problem.
April 12, 2010
Apologies - Link lost

Matt Ryan, the mayor of Binghamton, New York, is sick and tired of watching people in local communities “squabble over crumbs,” as he puts it, while so much local money pours into the Pentagon’s coffers and into America’s wars. He’s so sick and tired of it, in fact, that, urged on by local residents, he’s decided to do something about it. He’s planning to be the first mayor in the United States to decorate the façade of City Hall with a large, digital “cost of war” counter, funded entirely by private contributions.

US | More than 53 percent of your tax bill goes to the military
Truthout - By Dave Lindorff - April 13, 2010
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Obama's Bad Gamble on Afghanistan -- 100,000 Soldiers Used as Chips for a Bet the US Can't Win
Alternet - By Bill Moyers Journal - , 2010
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We are losing lives for no purpose. The perpetuation of this unnecessary war exacerbates the problems in the Islamic world. The war in Afghanistan has claimed more than one thousand American lives and in the last two years alone the lives of more than four thousand Afghan civilians. It's costing American taxpayers over three-and-a-half billion dollars every month—a total of some $264 billion so far. But for all that, in the words of one policy analyst quoted by the New York Times this week, "there are no better angels about to descend on Afghanistan."

Yemen not after US 'hit list man'
Al Jazeera - April 11, 2010
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Yemen has said it will not hunt down a US-born religious leader who has reportedly been added to the CIA's list of targets to be killed or captured. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, the Yemeni foreign minister, said on Saturday that his country did not receive any evidence from the US to support allegations that Anwar al-Awlaki is recruiting for al-Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen.

The Vatican - Catholic Church Tries to Quiet Pedophilia Scandal with New Policy, While Atheists Push for Pope's Arrest in the UK
The church drops its defense posture, edits its guidelines to read that church leaders should report clerical sex abuse to civil authorities.
Alternet - By Daniela Perdomo_ April 12, 2010
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Opinion | Commentary | Editorials | Op-Eds

Iraq Vet Speaks Out on WikiLeaks Video: Video Is Shocking But Shouldn't Be Surprising, This Is What They Are Trained to Do
Josh Stieber talks about how the disturbing video shouldn't be seen as a few soldiers behaving badly but as a sign of a broken system where the same 'outrages' will continue.
AlterNet - By Liliana Segura - April 12, 2010 - LINK ^

Josh Stieber was deployed to Iraq in February 2007 as part of the "surge" overseen by George W. Bush. An enthusiastic supporter of the war when he enlisted, Stieber served with Bravo Company 2-16, the same unit now depicted in the chilling video released last week by WikiLeaks.org, which shows American troops massacre 12 Iraqi civilians from an Apache helicopter, including two Reuters employees, photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver, Saeed Chmagh. Also killed was Saleh Mutashar, the father of two young children who were themselves injured on the scene, when their father attempted to pick up the wounded Saeed to take him to the hospital, only to get shot by U.S. troops.

US | Why Working People Are Angry And Why Politicians Should Listen
We must fight the forces of hatred in the Tea Parties by organizing to elect public officials committed to addressing economic suffering.
AlterNet / By Richard Trumka - April 12, 2010
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US | Republican Defenders of Wall Street Beware: The Tea Party Is Coming
The Huffington Post - By Robert creamer - April 13, 2010
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As the Senate vote looms on President Obama's proposal to hold the big Wall Street Banks accountable, Republican members of the Senate are beginning to wake up to a fearful possibility: That the Tea Party's populist pitchforks may be turned against Wall Street and Republican Senators who defend the big banks.

US | Miners' Blood on Sarah Palin's Hands
The Washington Post - By Sally Kohn - April 13, 2010
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If Sarah Palin were president, there would be more dead miners in America. At a time when Palin, the Tea Partiers and other ultra-conservatives are calling for the destruction of government comes a sad reminder of just how much government is needed and just how out of touch -- and irresponsible -- their anti-government tirades are.

US | The Republicans are like frat boys in Animal House
Reckless, anarchic and strident, the American right is living in a parallel world where fear and rage drive out the facts
The Guardian / UK - By Gary Younge_ April 11, 2010
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In the classic teen movie Animal House there comes a moment when the ne'er-do-well students of the Delta fraternity finally realise their pranks have gone too far. Faced with expulsion from university, the most violent, antisocial drunkard of the group, Bluto Blutarsky (John Belushi), gives one last rousing, rambling speech to his crestfallen comrades. "Nothing is over until we decide it is," he yells. "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!"

The other students look on confused. Bluto leads a charge but nobody follows. However, they soon fall in line after the fraternity's leader, the far more respectable, presentable, all-round-cad, Otter (Tim Matheson), backs Bluto's call to arms against the university authorities. "Bluto's right," he says. "Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards … I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."

The Republican party, in particular, and American conservatism in general, have taken to operating in a similar manner to the Delta fraternity – increasingly reckless, anarchic and strident. Faced with defeat they respond with desperation. Only where the Deltas were motivated by ribaldry, conservatives are driven by rage.

US / Israel | Why Does the U.S. Let Israel Get Away With Having a Nuclear Arsenal?
AlterNet - By Ira Chernus - April 12, 2010
The Obama administration says it wants to reduce nuclear weapons, yet it goes along with Israel's evasions, blocking the path to a nuclear-free Middle East.
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Quotes

Leonard, Raymond, New Hampshire, United States - April 11, 2010

"Poland will be fine. It has crossed the bridge of honest future. Confronting Russians over the Soviet crimes, admitting its deep jewish past and honoring the memory of the victims of the holocaust, integrating with the rest of europe and remaking its country in democratic tradition of the USA. A good example for other countries, expecially in the middle east, on a blueprint for success."

International / Bi-National Issues

UN | Genocide trial of Karadzic resumes at UN war crimes tribunal
UN News Centre - April 13. 2010
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The genocide trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžic resumed today at a United Nations war crimes tribunal with the start of the prosecution’s case after judges rejected the defendant’s appeal for another delay to the hearing.

UN agrees to host two more rounds of climate change talks before summit in Mexico
UN News Centre - April 12, 2010
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The Vatican | Pope Ratzinger and the Bushes: Two Peas In a Pedophile Protection Pod
Center for Legitimate Government - By Lori Price - April 12, 2010
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A Newsday article from 2005 details the dirtbags, including Neil Bush, who served on Pope Ratzinger's 'ecumenical foundation' -- all protected from on 'High.' Also in 2005, Pope Rat asked US President [sic] George W. Bush to 'declare the pontiff immune from liability' in a lawsuit that accused him of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian in Texas. In September 2005, the U.S. asserted that the lawsuit should be dismissed, as the Pope enjoys immunity as head of state of the Holy See.

The Vatican | Vatican Scrambles To Save Image
The Slatest / AP - By Nicole Winfield - April 14, 2010
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As the child-abuse allegations against the Catholic Church continue to build, with hundreds of victims speaking out, the Vatican has drastically altered its response. At first, officials and cardinals accused pro-abortion, pro-gay-marriage, and other groups of plotting attacks against the pope and the church. More recently, the complaints of an anti-Catholic campaign have been replaced by new promises. "The Vatican has gone into full-fledged damage control mode in the priest sex abuse scandal ahead of the pope's first foreign trip since it erupted," the Associated Press reported. "Officials are promising surprising new initiatives. The pope's personal secretary is speaking out. And bishops around the world are being told to report abuse cases to the police." Some of the new initiatives being considered, according to Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi, include a "deepening of the measures of prevention and response" to abuse and more papal meetings with victims. Victims in Malta, where the pope is due for a visit this coming weekend, are asking for a papal audience and apology, though it is unclear whether their request will be granted.

The Vatican / UK | Richard Dawkins calls for arrest of Pope Benedict XVI
Times Online - By Marc Home - April 11, 2010 - LINK ^

RICHARD DAWKINS, the atheist campaigner, is planning a legal ambush to have the Pope arrested during his state visit to Britain “for crimes against humanity”. Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the atheist author, have asked human rights lawyers to produce a case for charging Pope Benedict XVI over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic church.

Europe | Video - European pension systems struggle to keep afloat
As Europe's population ages, its budget deficits grow. Pension reform is a major concern for European leaders. It's the struggle to ensure retirement security for future generations in the face of ballooning debt.
France 24 - April 14, 2010
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United States Government

"In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress." -- John Adams

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." -- Mark Twain

Congress | Two Disgraceful Failures -How Congress and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission are botching their only chance to reform Wall Street.
Before it's too late, we need to try to salvage the investigations of the financial meltdown and overhaul the proposed financial reform bills.
Slate - By Eliot Spitzer - April 13, 2010
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The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission has so far been a waste. Some momentary theater has been provided by the witnesses who have tried to excuse, explain, or occasionally admit their role in the cataclysm of the past two years. While this has ginned up some additional public outrage, it hasn't deepened our knowledge about what critical players knew or did. There is a simple reason for this: The commission has not issued a single subpoena. Any investigator will tell you that you must get the documentary evidence before you examine the witnesses. The evidence is waiting to be seized from the Fed, AIG, Goldman Sachs, and on down the line. Yet not one subpoena.

Massachusetts Court Rejects Health Insurers' Bid to Raise Premiums
The Christian Science Monitor - By Will Buchanan - April 13, 2010
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Boston - A Massachusetts court Monday ruled against health insurance providers seeking to raise their premiums 8 to 32 percent in a closely watched case.

Massachusetts enacted a universal healthcare plan in 2006 that includes politically controversial measures such as the individual mandate requiring all adults to purchase insurance. With opponents of the national healthcare legislation passed weeks ago promising legal action, the Massachusetts case was seen a foretaste of what could lie ahead. In this instance, the court affirmed that, for now at least, the state has the authority to oversee the industry.

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Topical News

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Activism at the Ground Level

"The strength of a democracy is, as in nature, in the roots, not in the flamboyant leaves that wither and die after two seasons or so in public office." -- John Davidson Miller

Do something! News about the latest progressive activism initiatives and ways you can get involved.

Take action | Keep the Internet open
Color of Change - Current
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Big telecom and cable companies want to fundamentally change the way the Internet works, so they can make millions by acting as a gatekeeper over what you see and do online.

Our communities rely on the Internet to speak without a corporate filter, and to be able to organize and hold public officials and corporations accountable. But if these companies succeed, a few major corporations would control which voices are heard most easily, and it would be much harder for grassroots groups, individuals, and small businesses to compete with large corporations and well-funded special interests.

Please join Color of Change in calling on the FCC to keep the Internet open and democratic.

Take action | After 50 years, it's time to protect the Arctic Refuge for good
Alaska Wilderness League - current
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Take action | Don't allow corporate take over of public lands for clearcutting!
Alaska Wilderness League - current
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Arts & Culture

Musicians mix Coldplay and Taylor Swift together - Enjoy
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Music Video | "Democracy Is Coming to the USA" - Leonard Cohen
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Constitutional snd Legal Issues

US | Oklahoma tea parties and lawmakers envision militia
Washington / AP - By Sean Murphy and Tim Talley - April 12, 2010
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Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty. Tea party movement leaders say they've discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force. They say the unit would not resemble militia groups that have been raided for allegedly plotting attacks on law enforcement officers.

US | Anti-Government Extremists: Oath Keepers - On the Rise and on the March
Truthout - By Evan Thomas and Eve Conant - April 13, 2010
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Oath Keepers are "a particularly worrisome example of the 'patriot' revival," according to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate speech and extremist organizations. "Patriot" groups described by the SPLC as outfits "that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose 'one-world government' on liberty-loving Americans" are "roaring back" after years out of the limelight, according to Potok. Notorious in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the patriot groups seemed to fade away under the shadow of 9/11, but hard times and the nation's first African-American president seem to have brought about a revival from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 (127 of them militias) in 2009, according to the SPLC.

Corruption and Criminality in the Corpocracy

In Africa, Land Grabs Continue as Elites Resist Regulation
Paris - A year after the purchases of vast swathes of farm land in Africa first drew public attention, transactions remain as opaque as ever.
Inter Press Service - By Hilaire Avril - April 13, 2010
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Private companies are resisting a global code of conduct that would ensure transparency and local elites continue to benefit from deals that encourage corruption and increase food insecurity.

The hunger riots witnessed in parts of the developing world in the past two years were the most visible and direct effect of sky-rocketing food prices. Simultaneously, international investors started purchasing agricultural land in some of the most fertile regions of the world, particularly Africa. Often described by recipient governments as "agricultural investments", many such ventures were decried by sections of African and western civil society as "land grabs". Some of these million-dollar projects have pitted host countries and corporations against local subsistence farmers.

South Korean firm Daewoo’s announcement that it had leased some 1.3 million hectares of land in Madagascar in November 2008 sparked furious opposition, contributing to riots which toppled the government.

Economy and Finance

"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." -- Winston Churchill

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan (1986)

Bloomberg Economic News
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Bloomberg Current Worldwide Financial News
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Media and Journalism

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." -- Mark Twain

Politcal Issues

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." -- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Real clear Politics Daily Rundown
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Science and Technology

Bloomberg Index of Current Science News
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Social Issues

Commentary | Mind Blowing American Wealth Disparity: The Bottom 50% Have Comparatively Nothing
Slternet - Posted by grantlawrence - April 10, 2010
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This is America. The economic figures from 2007 show the great wealth inequality. What does that mean to Americans? The collapse of a middle class and the impoverishment of future generations.

The figures below show the top 10% controlling nearly 70% of wealth. The bottom 50% of US citizens control just a little over 2% of the wealth. Unfortunately the wealth disparities have gotten worse since 2007. It is unbelievable that Americans continue to accept the permanent stratification of society into the few haves and the vast majority of have nots. But socialism and economic justice are dirty words because Americans have been brainwashed into a sheeplike stupidity by their economic overlords.

"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

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