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This Episode’s Executive Producers: Adam Burkepile, Marcus Couch, Michael Knight
Associate Executive Producers: Philip Evans, David Dolson Listen to show by clicking ► Direct link to show. |
Friday morning February 26th, 60 representatives from the Secular Coalition of America met with White House staff to discuss three issues of concern to it’s members which consists of non-religious Americans. Those three issues included protecting children from religiously motivated neglect and abuse, ending proselytizing in the military and working to ensure that various faith based initiatives don’t cause religious discrimination to individuals in need.
While that agenda seems fairly benign and something most individuals regardless of faith or lack thereof would agree with, that didn’t stop the right wing smear machine from spreading fear and lies about the meeting. Apparently the idea that non-religious Americans should be treated with the same respect all other citizens expect from our government is enough to cause right wing hysteria. Sean Hannity of Fox News was found to have made at least 4 factual errors in his quick statement about the meeting falsely claiming that this meeting in some way meant that the nonreligious were getting special treatment from the Obama adminstration. Sean’s statement was nowhere near as inflammatory as what occurred in the right wing blogosphere, which basically labeled the groups participating in the Coalition as hate groups. For perspective on this issue, it is important to realize that one of the groups runs a summer camp and another one is the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
Let’s be serious for a moment: Barack Obama will not bomb Iran. This is not because he is a liberal, or because he is a peacenik, or because he doesn’t have the guts to try and “save his presidency” in this time-honored manner, as Daniel Pipes has urged and Sarah Palin said she would like him to do.
The president will not bomb Iran’s nuclear installations for precisely the same reasons that George W. Bush did not bomb Iran’s nuclear installations: Because we don’t know exactly where they all are, because we don’t know whether such a raid could stop the Iranian nuclear program for more than a few months, and because Iran’s threatened response — against Israelis and U.S. troops, via Iranian allies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon — isn’t one we want to cope with at this moment. Nor do we want the higher oil prices that would instantly follow. No American president doing a sober calculation would start a war of choice now, while U.S. troops are actively engaged on two other fronts, and no American president could expect public support for more than a nanosecond.
But even if Obama does not bomb Iran, that doesn’t mean that no one else will. […] The defining moment of his presidency may well come at 2 a.m. some day when he picks up the phone and is told that the Israeli prime minister is on the line: Israel has just carried out a raid on Iranian nuclear sites. What then? […] Although they keep all options on the table, they have so far concluded that bombing raids aren’t worth the consequences.
At some point, that calculation could change. Because Americans often assume that everyone else perceives the world the way we do, it is worth repeating the obvious here: Many Israelis regard the Iranian nuclear program as a matter of life and death.
A few weeks ago, Frontline premiered a documentary called “Digital Nation”. In one segment, the vice-principle of Intermediate School 339, Bronx, NY, Dan Ackerman, demonstrates how he “remotely monitors” the students’ laptops for “inappropriate use”. (his demonstration begins at 4:36)
He says “They don’t even realize we are watching,” “I always like to mess with them and take a picture,” and “9 times out of 10, THEY DUCK OUT OF THE WAY.”
He says the students “use it like it’s a mirror” and he watches. He says 6th and 7th graders have their cameras activated. It looks like the same software used by the Pennsylvania school that is being investigated for covertly spying on students through their webcams.
The shocking thing about this is that the privacy concerns were not even mentioned in the Frontline documentary!
This is beyond belief. The PBS documentary treats this as though it’s acceptable behavior. What is wrong with these people?
A new film is gaining traction among tea-party followers for suggesting that the collapse of the US financial system has roots dating back 40 years to the Summer of Love.
“Generation Zero,” a film set to premiere in March, examines what producer David Bossie says is a “historic perspective on a generational change” that led to the September 2008 bank collapse.
Bossie says generational narcissism, as represented by the 1969 Woodstock Festival, is responsible for the excessive spending, mortgage crisis, and recklessness on Wall Street.
“The people who were at Woodstock turned into the yuppies of the ’80s and the junk bond traders of the ’90s and the Wall Street executives of the 2000s,” he says. “They went from Woodstock to driving a Jaguar.”
Santiago, Chile (CNN) — A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, killing at least 147 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.
Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph — the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel.
A large wave killed three people and 10 were missing on the island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles (643 km) off the coast of Chile, said Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza.
On mainland Chile, the task of trying to save survivors and recover the dead was fully under way. Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like rumpled paper. Mangled cars were strewn on several highways, many of the vehicles coming to rest on their roofs.
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Now that is just mean.
Just open up the dictionary (or use Dictionary.com) and you’ll understand:
Terrorist: a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.
Terrorism: the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
OK, so we know what’s a terrorist. Now let’s see what’s a politician and what they do:
Politician: a person who holds a political office.
Law: any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation.
Taxes: a burdensome charge, obligation, duty, or demand.
CLIMATE scientists yesterday stunned Britons suffering the coldest winter for 30 years by claiming last month was the hottest January the world has ever seen. The remarkable claim, based on global satellite data, follows Arctic temperatures that brought snow, ice and travel chaos to millions in the UK.
At the height of the big freeze, the entire country was blanketed in snow. But Australian weather expert Professor Neville Nicholls, of Monash University in Melbourne, said yesterday: “January, according to satellite data, was the hottest January we’ve ever seen.
“Last November was the hottest November we’ve ever seen. November-January as a whole is the hottest November-January the world has seen.” Veteran climatologist Professor Nicholls was speaking at an online climate change briefing, added: “It’s not warming the same everywhere but it is really quite challenging to find places that haven’t warmed in the past 50 years.”
His extraordinary claims came after the World Meteorological Organisation revealed 2000 to 2009 was the hottest decade since records began in 1850. But UK forecaster Jonathan Powell, of Positive Weather Solutions, said: “If it is the case and it is borne out that January was the hottest on record, it is still no marker towards climate change.
“It’s all part of a cyclical issue and nothing should be read too deeply into that.
“It’s been the coldest for 30 years in Britain but we predicted that and climate change always tends t o throw up anomalies. It’s all in line with predictions and I won’t be sold on climate change at all. The data is either faulty or manufactured to make it look like it shouldn’t.”
Cripes! My head hurts.
I already wear glasses for watching TV. Now I have to wear this s#1t on top my own glasses to get 3D? There’s no effing way I’m doing that! And another thing, because of the head splitting headache (and subsequent nightmare that night where I dreamt I had a headache) after watching Avatar in 3D, I’m pretty much done with 3D movies. Maybe because Avatar was so bad it sent me over the edge.
So, does this mean Bush was Luke, Cheney was Chewie and Condie Rice was Leia? Not sure I can watch those movies again in the same light…
Was Darth Vader Saddam Hussein’s ultimate hero?
The answer may be lurking in the Tate Modern in London. Chicago-based artist Michael Rakowitz’s exhibition “The worst condition is to pass under a sword which is not one’s own” explores the surprising parallels between Saddam’s regime and western science fiction through a series of hand-drawn cartoons and sculptural installations.
You may have heard that when US troops stormed one of Saddam’s palaces they stumbled across lurid posters by fantasy artist Rowena Morrill. But did you know that she’s a close friend of Boris Vallejo, the artist who drew the iconic poster for The Empire Strikes Back depicting Darth Vader with two lightsabres crossed over his head?
Does the poster’s image sound familiar? It is remarkably similar to Saddam’s Hands of Victory monument commemorating Iraq’s victory over Iran. The arch in central Baghdad consists of two bronze casts of Saddam’s forearms holding two 43-metre-long crossed steel swords melted down from the weapons of slain Iraqis; the helmets of vanquished Iranians litter the base of the hands.
The U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday released a ruling in favor of a group of zombies who say they were wrongfully arrested while protesting consumerism during the 2006 Aquatennial. The ruling reanimates the group’s federal lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and its police, seeking damages of at least $50,000 for each person arrested.
A three-judge panel of the court ruled 2-1 that police lacked probable cause to arrest the group — seven people wearing white powder, fake blood and black around their eyes and shuffling around like zombies — for disorderly conduct. Police do not have immunity from claims against them for making the arrest, the court ruled.
The appeals court did side with the city on two other points — affirming the lower court’s dismissal of the zombies’ claims of false imprisonment and First Amendment retaliation.
Zombies 1 – Cops 0
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
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