Protesters interrupt Pelosi speech

MichaelMoore.com : Protesters interrupt Pelosi speech

August 25th, 2008 9:13 pm
Protesters interrupt Pelosi speech

By Colleen O Connor / Denver Post

A major CodePINK for Peace action disrupted the Unconventional Women symposium Monday morning, delaying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's talk with former U.S. Ambassador Swanee Hunt at the Buell Theater.

When Pelosi sat down on stage, CodePINK protestors who had infiltrated the sold-out auditorium unfurled anti-war banners reading "IMPEACH!" and "STOP THE WAR" and shouted at Pelosi.

"Nancy, you lied to my face," one yelled. "Do your job!" said another.

Some peace activists say Pelosi, one of the most powerful women in American politics, sold out on the issue of the war in Iraq.

Many of the women, most wearing the trademark hot-pink hats of the peace group, were escorted from the auditorium.

Those left in the audience continued their verbal assault. Toby Blome, who traveled from San Francisco for convention protests, screamed "stop the torture," as security escorted her from the theater, her arm bent behind her back.

The initiative lasted about 5 minutes and may have backfired. Many women in the audience "shushed" the protestors; a group of Girl Scouts in the front row looked to be on the verge of tears.

But the outburst did allow Pelosi to divert from the scheduled discussion about health care and how women might balance their family, political and professional ambitions.

After one women shouted "Stop our sons from dying," Pelosi responded: "If you want to stop the war, elect Barack Obama."

Michael Phelps: A Killer at large?

Michael Phelps: A killer at large? | Olympics blog | Los Angeles Times

probe »
Michael Phelps: A killer at large?
2:49 AM, August 22, 2008

Michael Phelps poses for McDonald's. BEIJING -- Michael Phelps' endorsements of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal and McDonald's has attracted criticism from the Children's International Obesity Foundation.

In a statement Friday, the foundation said: "As a role model and Olympic hero to America's children, Michael Phelps -- and all athletes and celebrities -- are asked to reconsider any connection to substances suspected as agents of obesity, including sugary cereals, soft drinks and other foods with refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.''

The statement referred to the documentary, "Killer at Large,'' about the causes of obesity in children, which will be released in November in New York.

One of its producers, Bryan Young, said in the statement: "Michael Phelps' endorsement will undoubtedly influence more children to nag their parents for products that endanger their health so that they can go home, consume these products and gain weight instead of becoming gold medalists. This is unconscionable and we hope that Michael Phelps reconsiders his endorsement contracts.''

Whatever happened to being on the cover of the Wheaties box?

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: Michael Phelps inside a McDonald's on the Olympic Green. Credit: McDonald's

Michael Phelps Flakes Out with Paid Endorsement of Sugary Frosted Flakes Cereal

Olympian Michael Phelps Flakes Out with Paid Endorsement of Frosted Flakes Cereal - alt.health | Google Groups

NaturalNews.com
Originally published August 20 2008

Olympian Michael Phelps Flakes Out with Paid Endorsement of Frosted
Flakes Cereal
by Mike Adams

(NaturalNews) Super-Olympian Michael Phelps, who famously follows a
horrendous junk food diet, has now signed a lucrative deal to promote
Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes. In doing so, he will
leverage his celebrity status to push sugary, processed foods onto a
generation of children who already suffer from unprecedented rates of
obesity and diabetes. Processed sugar, as you know, promotes both
diseases and causes nutritional deficiencies at the same time.

The deal has earned Phelps harsh criticism from some doctors, such as
nutritionist Rebecca Solomon of Mount Sanai Medical Center. In a Daily
News article posted this morning, Solomon said, "I would not consider
Frosted Flakes the food of an Olympian."

That's the understatement of the day. I would consider Frosted Flakes
to be the food of a generation of obese, diabetic, ADHD kids who need
real role models they can follow, not sellout junk food promoters who
trade fame for unethical profits.

Does Phelps have the right to promote Frosted Flakes? He has the legal
right, sure, but given his considerable notoriety, he has the moral
obligation to more carefully consider the consequences of his
endorsements. Still, to expect a junk-food-eating 23-year-old to
understand nutrition and ethics may be asking a bit too much, but it's
not exactly rocket science to understand that processed sugar promotes
obesity.

Michael "Sellout" Phelps
In my view, by endorsing Frosted Flakes cereal, Michael Phelps has
gone from a Super Olympian to a Super Sellout. He has now proven
himself no different than anybody else who pushes unhealthy substances
to American kids, other than the fact he can swim really fast. Why
couldn't Phelps have sought out a superfood company to endorse
instead? Or at least a healthy food product? (Answer: Because cereal
companies operate on much higher markups and have a lot more money to
burn on celebrity endorsements.)

Alchemists say you can't turn lead into gold, but with this Kellogg's
deal, Phelps has done something even more amazing: He's turned gold
into fool's gold, because sugared-up corn flakes is not the breakfast
of champions; it's the breakfast of fools.

Continuing the destructive alchemy, Phelps has also transformed
himself from a likeable champion to a corporate-sponsored jerk who
puts his own profits ahead of the welfare of his millions of fans.
While his fans get fat, Phelps gets rich. But money can't buy back the
lost opportunity to have a positive influence on our nation's youth.

There may be a day when Phelps realizes his error in judgment. When
his swimming career is over, if he's still eating and promoting junk
foods, he will join his many fans in experiencing the onset of
diabetes and obesity, and he'll come to realize that processed,
genetically-modified sugar is simply not the breakfast of champions.
It is the breakfast of an over-fed, under-nourished, sugared-up
generation of fat kids who are being put on dangerous medications to
treat diseases caused by poor nutritional habits. Way to go, Phelps!

I find it fascinating that the Olympics Committee has nothing to say
about all this. They have such strict rules about athletes' behavior
during the event. If you insult your fellow athletes, you can be
stripped of your medals. But if you insult the intelligence of your
fans, that's considered business as usual, apparently.

None of this, by the way, takes away from the fact that Phelps really
did earn eight gold medals. He is a fantastic swimmer, but he's a
lousy role model. And that's sad, because he could have been a true
champion on a whole new level by promoting healthful foods, green
products and socially-responsible organizations.

Swimmer Dara Torres, by comparison, is powered by superfoods
(LivingFuel) and healthy habits. She's an astonishing 41 years old and
still earned two silver medals. In my view, Dana is the far greater
champion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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NBC Olympics sucks !!!

NBC's "Live" Olympics Fraud
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Posted August 9, 2008 | 12:14 PM (EST)
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NBC means "Never Broadcast Currently." Having practiced in June by delaying the telecast of Roger Federer's Wimbledon semi-final for six hours (nine on the West Coast), NBC now is embargoing many of the most important events and running around the world, trying to prevent anyone from posting any video on the Internet.

As much as I enjoyed the victory of the Brazilian soccer team over North Korea this morning, not to mention the exciting Poland vs. Estonia badminton match that is presently on in HD, I would much rather have seen Michael Phelps break the worlds record in the men's 400 meters individual medley.

NBC knows this and that is why they won't let me see it. They want to hold it for their prime time show. Undoubtedly for the end of their prime time show, at which time I plan to be asleep.

This is ridiculous in 2008. It is now 8 a.m. and I know the result. Much of the fun of watching sports is not knowing the result. They are going to show the race in 15 hours.

But NBC is not catering to sports fans. It is catering to the ignorant sheep who are used to having "reality' cut up and organized by the likes of Mark Burnett. As Jay Leno demonstrated last night in his Jaywalking episode (link coming) , they don't know the score in more ways than one. But they buy stuff. It's the Olympics as a soap opera.

This "plausibly live" coverage, as annoying as it has been for years, is hopelessly anachronistic in 2008, when even NBC is offering thousands of hours of video on the web and seemingly dozens of TV networks. In fact, the Phelps story (and I just used Phelps because he was the one when I started writing: he already has been eclipsed by the loss of the top US men's beach volleyball team to Latvia, also delayed, although I did not check for it on the web) is the lead on the NBCOlympics.com site, there just is no video and, of course, no drama.
Story continues below
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Why can't NBC broadcast the most important events live on one of one of its subsidiary networks or even on its web site? Then I could choose: USA at 5 a.m. or NBC at 11 p.m.

They could do it complete with commercials targeted at the audience: think Bud instead of Olay.

But that would be outside the box. The current thinking is more from the school that blacks out home NFL games if there is not a sell out. Think Mad Men.

The days when you could avoid the results until the delayed broadcast are long gone. I learned of Phelps record on Drudge while checking up on the latest Edwards scandal news. (I had to check Drudge because I suspect that the proprietor of this site is asleep, but I digress) As the games go on, the top results will be on the Yahoo front page and just about everywhere else, including the little screen in the elevator I take up to my office.

I understand that NBC has bribed the Chinese into having several key events in the morning, so they will be live in New York. But, it is safe to say that many key events will not be live, and in any event, NBC's idea of "live" means a three hour delay in California. I think NBC is pretty much alone in tape delaying major sports for time zones. Thank God they don't have much to show.

I plan on voting with my eyeballs and watching Manny vs. Los Gigantes instead.

Update: Chris Chase on Yahoo emphasizes the insane three hour delay of even putatively live events for the West Coast, an indignity on which NBC is a past master.

I did enjoy hearing the score of the China-USA basketball game on NPR while driving home to view it.

Contrary to some of the comments, sports are almost universally broadcast live on the West Coast. TNT has some transgressions, but three hour delays are almost always from NBC. I guess the execs in Burbank get private feeds.
Olympics
NBC
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- + RonaldRayGunz See Profile I'm a Fan of RonaldRayGunz I'm a fan of this user

NBC is a joke...from "news" to sports.

What else do you expect from the Olblabermann network?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:51 PM on 08/21/2008
- + kyvette68 See Profile I'm a Fan of kyvette68 I'm a fan of this user

Thank you for expressing what I have been feeling for over a week. I'm luck because my cable provider carries CBC from Canada so I have caught more events and in real time than I would have waiting on NBC. The coverage by NBC has been horrible and the time delay especially on the west coast has been painful. Do they not realise that people have jobs and don't want to stay up till midnight waiting to watch an event?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:17 AM on 08/18/2008
- + BigMike75 See Profile I'm a Fan of BigMike75 I'm a fan of this user

I'm down here in Toronto for the summer, and the CBC network is showing all the major events in real time. Then again their a goverment owned network, and not a coporate hack machine like NBC.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:15 PM on 08/17/2008
- + Oceanea See Profile I'm a Fan of Oceanea I'm a fan of this user

Im glad someone apoke out about this because I had to send NBC a letter this morning stating the same thing. They showed the basket ball qualifying game in full yet the men 100 meter finals this morning was not even covered. The race was less than a minute. NBC is just doing the olypics for the ratings and the money it will bring in they are not true to the game.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:50 PM on 08/16/2008
- + ianrthorpe See Profile I'm a Fan of ianrthorpe I'm a fan of this user

Pre-recorded "live" broadcsts
Lip synching singers
gold medals made of lead
television extras bussed in to boost the crowds.

None of that would happen in a western democracy would it?

Western phoniness is without equal, accept no far eastern imitations.

http://greenteeth.blog.co.uk/2008/08/13/if-it-s-good-enough-for-madonna-it-s-goo-4583636
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:02 PM on 08/16/2008
- + MinYee See Profile I'm a Fan of MinYee I'm a fan of this user

If you live where you can pick up Canadian cable, you can watch in real time.
We've got Vancouver's CBUT here in western Washington / Puget Sound.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:47 PM on 08/14/2008
- + luziannagirl See Profile I'm a Fan of luziannagirl I'm a fan of this user

NPR just reported that stunning broadcast shots of Olympic fireworks over the Bejing night sky were in actuality, computer-generated animation in footage provided by the Chinese.

Well, that little technicality apparently was not made clear to the viewing audience at the time, by gushing MSM "reporters".

Fake live shots. Fake fireworks. What's next? Fake athletes?

Oh, yeah, lest I forget, we've had fake athletes for years, courtesy the pervasive use of performance-enhancing drugs. It's now to the point that conscientious parents are quietly discouraging their children from serious pursuit of high school competitive sports, for fear they'll be pressured into using behavior-altering, body-ravaging, life-shortening anabolic steroids. Yeah. It's reached the high school level, y'all.

I lost interest in Olympics years ago, sometime after the golden-shoe guy was accused of cheating. Blew off the Olympics to watch the special effects-loaded , intelligently-written, action-packed, stunt-rich kick-ass sci-fi TV series thriller, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles " .

At least "Terminator" makes no claims to be anything other than pretend.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:07 AM on 08/12/2008
- + TRYKER See Profile I'm a Fan of TRYKER I'm a fan of this user

I dream of that day when tax deductions for advertising are LIMITED. So that every damn second of every day isn't loaded with sales pitches for more waste and indulgence than anyone should ever afford.

Think of all the $$$$ spent on pharmaceuticals, full pagers in every mag every day/week/month that WE PAY FOR with our horrendous charges for medical care.
The advertisers get to dictate when we see the Olympics, they dictate everything we see on TV...its really getting way overdone.
You'd think they'd want to leave viewers with a positive feeling about their products, but how can they expect that when they butcher it all in their names?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:41 PM on 08/11/2008
- + myvoice08 See Profile I'm a Fan of myvoice08 I'm a fan of this user

Actually, NBC lobbied the IOC (not the Chinese) to have "several key events in the morning, so they will be live in New York". The host country does not have such authority. It was the decision of the International Olympic Committee.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:24 PM on 08/11/2008
- + luziannagirl See Profile I'm a Fan of luziannagirl I'm a fan of this user

So it's NOT live!

One more instance of the virtual world trumping the real world, fakery trump. It's all the more reason to question the veracity, validity, and ultimately, the relevance of pretty much all one sees on commercial tee vee.

All the saccharin personal backstories, color commentary, and fancy hi-tech framing of the event coverage was something to be endured, anyhow. If I never again hear that "swoosh" sound accompanying screen changes, it will be too soon.

Instead of watching the "live" Olympics, I'll take this opportunity to actually engage in some real world sportswomanship; re-stocking tackle boxes and organizing hunting equipment.

No great loss.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:57 PM on 08/11/2008
- + Schallvain See Profile I'm a Fan of Schallvain I'm a fan of this user

I absolutely agree. It is unbelievable that they are as beholdened as they are to their advertisers. This schedule is purely an issue of money. They promise their advertisers that they will get prime time with the main events.

My other issue, which has been brought up in other comments, is the disrespect and condescension that the commentators have for other countries. Some of the comments are borderline racial at many times, and I not a person who is typically sensitive to such things. I have been disgusted by NBC and they, as a company, should be ashamed of the poor product that they have produced.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:11 PM on 08/11/2008
- + clemenj98 See Profile I'm a Fan of clemenj98 I'm a fan of this user

I don't really care about the Olympics, but i had it on, "Live" last night at 10:30. When i got up at 3:30 am to feed my son again, the exact same race was on and the little "Live" logo was still on. I haven't been all that sleep deprived, but it did make me wonder if i was a little delerious.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:18 PM on 08/11/2008
- + devilyousay See Profile I'm a Fan of devilyousay I'm a fan of this user

I get the pleasure of watching both CBC and NBC and, not surprisingly, NBC is behind the CBC on major stories and can't compete on the China and human interest stories. I'm seeing what you want to see, before you.

I have to also say that Jim Lampley is an annoying and ignorant announcer. When the Latvians won at Beach volleyball, his comment of " what next, Siberia or antarctica?" was just plain stupid and demeaning to the efforts of the Latvians.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:58 PM on 08/11/2008
- + jpcline004 See Profile I'm a Fan of jpcline004 I'm a fan of this user

I can see how it would be annoying to live on the West Coast and have a delay, but some people are so spoiled. The modern Olympics have been going on for over 100 years. In the past everyone had to wait for the next day's newspaper to find out who won, or wait for the highlight reel on the local news. The games are exactly 12 hours away from NYC, which means a bunch of events actually HAVE been live since they are held in the morning aka primetime US tv time. The relay was on at 11:30 last night, hardly prime time viewing. Now if they saved the result to show it at 8pm tonight, you would have something to complain about.

Oh and you gotta love the irony of a Drudge Report reader calling people "ignorant sheep who are used to having "reality' cut up and organized by the likes of Mark Burnett." I know this is shocking to you, but most people in this country actually have jobs where they can't just sit around and watch TV all day or surf the internet waiting for instant updates on the scores. Not everyone can be a blogger journalist.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:58 AM on 08/11/2008
- + Stephen Kaus - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Stephen Kaus I'm a fan of this user

See Stephen Kaus's Profile

I have a job. This was Saturday.

Also, part of the point is that it is 2008. In 1960, I was happy to see Muhammad Ali win on tape delay.

Here in California, the relay was at 11:30 because NBC chose not to show it live at 8:30.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:28 PM on 08/14/2008
- + PioneerKing See Profile I'm a Fan of PioneerKing I'm a fan of this user

NBC has blown it. this is going to be one of the least watched Olympics.
Also, NBC's commentators are lame and; NBC's promotion of China is not fooling anyone.
Americans know that China did not meet it's commitments and continues to violate human rights.
NBC really stands fro nothing but crap, which is exactly what their Olympic coverage has turned out to be.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:21 AM on 08/11/2008
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John McCain and Karl Rove started the conflict between Georgia and Russia

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The White House Forged Iraq Letter

Ron Suskind: The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?

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The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?
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What just happened? Evidence. A secret that has been judiciously kept for five years just spilled out. All of what follows is new, never reported in any way:

The Iraq Intelligence Chief, Tahir Jalil Habbush -- a man still carrying a $1 million reward for capture, the Jack of Diamonds in Bush's famous deck of wanted men -- has been America's secret source on Iraq. Starting in January of 2003, with Blair and Bush watching, his secret reports began to flow to officials on both sides of the Atlantic, saying that there were no WMD and that Hussein was acting so odd because of fear that the Iranians would find out he was a toothless tiger. The U.S. deep-sixed the intelligence report in February, "resettled" Habbush to a safe house in Jordan during the invasion and then paid him $5 million in what could only be considered hush money.

In the fall of 2003, after the world learned there were no WMD -- as Habbush had foretold -- the White House ordered the CIA to carry out a deception. The mission: create a handwritten letter, dated July, 2001, from Habbush to Saddam saying that Atta trained in Iraq before the attacks and the Saddam was buying yellow cake for Niger with help from a "small team from the al Qaeda organization."

The mission was carried out, the letter was created, popped up in Baghdad, and roiled the global newcycles in December, 2003 (conning even venerable journalists like Tom Brokaw). The mission is a statutory violation of the charter of the CIA, and amendments added in 1991, prohibiting the CIA from conducting disinformation campaigns on U.S. soil.

So, here we go again: the administration is in full attack mode, calling me names, George Tenet is claiming he doesn't remember any such thing -- just like he couldn't remember "slam dunk" -- and reporters are scratching their heads. Everything in my book is on the record, with many sources. And so, we watch and wait....

McCain's nuclear plan: Doable, but risky

MichaelMoore.com : McCain's nuclear plan: Doable, but risky

August 7th, 2008 3:10 pm
McCain's nuclear plan: Doable, but risky

Experts agree that a big investment in nuclear energy would help wean the U.S. off oil but the move would be expensive - not to mention the safety controversy it will drum up.

By Steve Hargreaves / CNN Money

NEW YORK -- John McCain's call for a big push into nuclear power can certainly be met - if the country is willing to pay more for power and tolerate the safety risks.

Earlier this week McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, said he wants to build 45 more nuclear power plants to make the country more energy independent. That would add significantly to the nation's current fleet of 104 active plants, which produce about 20% of the nation's power.

The advantages to nuclear power are primarily two-fold: It doesn't emit greenhouse gases, and it is a reliable form of electricity produced from uranium - a fairly abundant domestic resource.

McCain and others have been touting nuclear energy as a possible replacement for foreign oil, if and when the country shifted to electric cars.

The utility industry is behind the construction of more nuclear plants.

"We have been saying for years that we have to not only preserve our current fleet [of nuclear plants], but enlarge it significantly," said Jim Owen, a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute.

Obstacles to nuclear power

But the utility industry has not brought a new nuclear plant online since 1984.

Regulatory hurdles and public opposition to nuclear plants following the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979 are often cited for the freeze in new plants. Yet what almost everyone cites as the main obstacle now is cost: Nuclear power is just plain expensive.

It costs between $6 billion to $8 billion to build a new nuclear reactor, according to Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute. That's about four times the cost of building a new similar-sized coal plant.

If McCain wants 45 new plants, he'll have to provide the utility industry with some incentives to take on this huge up front expense.

These could come in the form of low-interest loans, laws restricting greenhouse gases (which would make coal more expensive) or the construction of a long-promised facility to handle the waste.

"The cost of building them is immense," said Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at ARC Financial, a Calgary-based private equity firm. "The commitment has got to be long term."

While the costs to build a nuclear plant are high, fueling it with uranium is relatively cheap.

Over the long term, nuclear power is thought to be competitive with other forms of power generation.

The total costs to produce nuclear and wind are expected to run about 7 cents per kilowatt hour in 2015, according to projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal and natural gas, are thought to cost just a penny less, mostly due to the rising price of fossil fuels.

And, as the Edison Institute's Owen points out, in a world facing greenhouse gas restrictions and using ever more power, "the cost of whatever we are going to do is going to be big."

The safety controversy

If the cost issue is overcome, there is still the safety issue.

"Nuclear is [not] all that clean," the environmental group Greenpeace writes on its Web site. "You still have to mine the uranium used in the reactors - and mining is a dirty, polluting process. And you have to store the nuclear waste somewhere - waste that can be around for centuries, sitting in a storage facility somewhere, susceptible to leaks."

The government has long planned to build a long-term waste storage facility at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. But people that live nearby are unsurprisingly opposed to the idea, and construction has been held up for years.

In the meantime, radioactive waste is stored on-site at nuclear plants. The Nuclear Energy Institute's Kerekes says the total amount is small - all the waste produced from decades of nuclear power would fill up a football field to the depth of 20 feet.

And Kerekes said he is confident that construction at Yucca Mountain - which by congressional decree couldn't handle much more than the current waste but, Kerekes said, could be expanded to take several times that amount - will begin in the next four years.

But with Nevada Democrat Harry Reid currently running the show in the Senate, Kerekes' confidence may be a bit misplaced.

"The proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump is never going to open," said Reid in a statement on his Web site.

"I have successfully fought against the proposal to store nuclear waste in Nevada for over two decades because it threatened the health and safety of Nevadans and people across our nation."

Some also question nuclear plants' vulnerability, especially in an age fraught with terrorist concerns.

To illustrate this point, the Web site of environmental group Greenpeace begins its discussion on nuclear power with a photo of two reactors painted with a red bull's-eye.

It's true that nuclear technology has gotten much safer since the days of Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disaster, and the government says security has greatly improved since Sept. 11.

But statistics from security tests done in the 1990s, the most recently available, are not reassuring.

Of the 81 security tests done between 1991 and August 2001, nearly half turned up lapses that could lead to core damage and probable radioactive release, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Kerekes said those tests were designed to turn up failures, and they are now corrected.

Still, it may not be reassuring to communities where these plants get built.

"Everyone's OK with it, until they find out one's going in their backyard," said Tertzakian.

Ron Suskind: The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?

Ron Suskind: The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?

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What just happened? Evidence. A secret that has been judiciously kept for five years just spilled out. All of what follows is new, never reported in any way:

The Iraq Intelligence Chief, Tahir Jalil Habbush -- a man still carrying a $1 million reward for capture, the Jack of Diamonds in Bush's famous deck of wanted men -- has been America's secret source on Iraq. Starting in January of 2003, with Blair and Bush watching, his secret reports began to flow to officials on both sides of the Atlantic, saying that there were no WMD and that Hussein was acting so odd because of fear that the Iranians would find out he was a toothless tiger. The U.S. deep-sixed the intelligence report in February, "resettled" Habbush to a safe house in Jordan during the invasion and then paid him $5 million in what could only be considered hush money.

In the fall of 2003, after the world learned there were no WMD -- as Habbush had foretold -- the White House ordered the CIA to carry out a deception. The mission: create a handwritten letter, dated July, 2001, from Habbush to Saddam saying that Atta trained in Iraq before the attacks and the Saddam was buying yellow cake for Niger with help from a "small team from the al Qaeda organization."

The mission was carried out, the letter was created, popped up in Baghdad, and roiled the global newcycles in December, 2003 (conning even venerable journalists like Tom Brokaw). The mission is a statutory violation of the charter of the CIA, and amendments added in 1991, prohibiting the CIA from conducting disinformation campaigns on U.S. soil.

So, here we go again: the administration is in full attack mode, calling me names, George Tenet is claiming he doesn't remember any such thing -- just like he couldn't remember "slam dunk" -- and reporters are scratching their heads. Everything in my book is on the record, with many sources. And so, we watch and wait....

John Conyers wants DEA to stop busting California medical marijuana users

John Conyers wants DEA to stop busting California medical marijuana users - Boing Boing

Boing Boing - A directory of wonderful things
John Conyers wants DEA to stop busting California medical marijuana users
Posted by Mark Frauenfelder, May 29, 2008 3:39 PM | permalink
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Slate posted a letter from John Conyers Jr., chairman of the House judiciary committee, to the DEA's acting administrator Michele Leonhart about the agency's "dramatically intensified … frequency of paramilitary-style enforcement raids" on legal cannabis users and dispensaries.

Conyers asked for an accounting of the agency's costs for these measures against "individuals who suffer from severe or chronic illness" and for its rationale for threatening landlords of licensed dispensaries with "arrest and forfeiture of their property." Meanwhile, the California State Legislature is considering a measure that would allow state and local law enforcement agencies to refuse cooperation with the DEA.

'Send Rove to Jail' Coalition Prevails: House Judiciary Committee Votes to Hold Karl Rove in Contempt

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
'Send Rove to Jail' Coalition Prevails: House Judiciary Committee Votes to Hold Karl Rove in Contempt

WASHINGTON - One day after a coalition of citizens' groups delivered a petition with 127,000 names to the House Judiciary Committee asking members to find Karl Rove in contempt of Congress, by a 20-14 vote this morning, the committee did just that.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the Judiciary Committee for standing up for American democracy and the rule of law by recommending to the House that it find Rove in contempt," said Robert Greenwald, president of Brave New Films, the organization that launched the campaign.

The coalition, which also includes CREDO Mobile, People For the American Way, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, The Nation, Campaign for America's Future, and Progress Now, is now preparing to take its effort to the full House.

Three boxes of petitions were hand delivered to Congresswoman and House Judiciary Committee member Linda Sanchez (D-CA) yesterday afternoon, who received them in person. "I think it's ridiculous that Karl Rove thinks that he doesn't have to follow the law," said Congresswoman Sanchez. "And nobody in this country should be above the law." This morning, Congresswoman Sanchez was among the sizable majority of committee members who voted to recommend to the full House of Representatives that Rove be found in contempt for willfully ignoring a Congressional subpoena.

Should the House pass a contempt resolution, which it can do by a simple majority vote, then the Sergeant-at-Arms for the chamber would be ordered to arrest Karl Rove and bring him to the floor of the House to answer to the charges and to be issued punishment. The case would then be referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who would in turn refer it to a grand jury. If convicted, Rove could face between one month and one year in jail.

SOS Part II ...from Cindy Sheehan

MichaelMoore.com : SOS Part II ...from Cindy Sheehan

Monday, August 4th, 2008
SOS Part II ...from Cindy Sheehan

SF DEPARTMENT OF ELECTIONS HANKY-PANKY?

We just got an official report from the Department of Elections here in San Francisco.

They "randomly" sampled 531 of the 10,856 signatures that we turned in.

They are "challenging" 231 and "allowing" 300. That means, after posting a 22% failure rate when we turned in our signatures in "lieu" of a filing fee (which Independents have to get anyway, there is no "filing fee" allowed, in lieu of anything), we have posted an INCREDIBLY hard to believe 43.5% failure rate and we need 2,116 more valid signatures by Friday at 5:00 PM.

We can do it but we need help.

Please forward this around so people can help us, or donate so we can pay professionals (signature gatherers/lawyers) to help get the voice of the people on the ballot.

Thanks!
Cindy

CindyforCongress.org, Facebook, MySpace

Anti-war protesters target Bush in Maine

MichaelMoore.com : Anti-war protesters target Bush in Maine

August 4th, 2008 4:27 pm
Anti-war protesters target Bush in Maine

By David Sharp / Associated Press

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — The scene played out Saturday for what could be the last time: a sitting president visited Walker's Point, tourists held out hope of getting a glimpse of the president, and a group of noisy protesters paraded through the heart of town.

President Bush kept a low profile as 50 to 60 anti-war demonstrators marched to a police checkpoint less than a half-mile from his parents' seaside home. The group chanted "Hands off Iran!" and "Jail to the Chief!" as tourists in this seaside community paused to gawk.

Within sight of Walker's Point, peace activist Laurie Dobson called for a moment of silence "for all the people this man has killed in his two terms in office." Then Carlos Arredondo spoke of the loss of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo, who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 25, 2004.

Then the group turned away.

For his part, Bush was making preparations for a wedding. A white tent was set up on the Walker's Point property for the reception for two White House staffers, one of them a distant Bush cousin. Offshore, a Coast Guard cutter and several smaller patrol boats stood watch.

The number of demonstrators who set out on the 2-mile march under overcast skies was far fewer than the 1,700 who gathered last summer when Bush met with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The noisy march was organized by the Kennebunks Peace Department and coincided with a series of "Hands Off Iran" demonstrations over the weekend.

Heading up the parade was a "Hands Off Iran" banner and a giant dove made from white bed sheets that was held aloft by demonstrators. Arredondo drove a pickup truck with a coffin in the back. Behind the truck, in a trailer, were empty boots, crutches and a walker in a nod to wounded veterans.

Some motorists honked their horns in support, but others honked their horns in frustration as the group made its way down Ocean Avenue past stores and inns.

Mike McKinley, a Texan who was in town for the wedding, said the family should be able to enjoy the day without the interference of protesters. "They should be able to enjoy their privacy and enjoy the celebration," he said as the protesters marched nearby.

Others, like Harold Beelte and Britta Hildebrand, visiting from Germany, enjoyed the opportunity to see U.S.-style democracy in action.

"You can call it a bonus," said Beelte as the two stopped their bikes to snap a photo of the demonstrators making their way down Ocean Avenue.

While in Kennebunkport, Bush usually goes fishing with his father but the weather wasn't cooperating over the weekend. He did get in at least one mountain bike ride, though.

There's talk that this could be Bush's last visit before he leaves office in January. But a White House spokeswoman said she wasn't certain.

Some Kennebunkport residents will he happy to see the circus-style atmosphere surrounding presidential visits come to an end. But most people don't mind. The former president, George H.W. Bush, and his wife Barbara, are well liked and freely go about their business.

Their three-story, stone-and-shingle home overlooking the ocean at Walker's Point has been in the family since the turn of the century.

Dawn Patten, who runs Patten's Berry Farm, behind the Cape Arundel Golf Club, said she's happy to see the younger Bush visiting his parents.

She didn't have kind words for the protesters, though.

"It's outrageous. He comes to town for two or three days and people harass him while he's here. I don't think it's right," Patten said.

Robert Fischer, owner of Mabel's Lobster Claw Restaurant, which was along the parade route, said he supports both the president and people's right to gather.

"I'm glad that they can protest. I don't expect everyone to agree on every issue. Luckily, in this country, everyone has the right to protest," said Fischer, who serves up an occasional coffee-flavored ice cream cone to the former President Bush.