Saturday, April 30, 2005

Bush decides.

That individual said, flatly, "I don't second guess myself." So once he's decided, there's little chance of talking sense to him. Like the spoiled brat he is, he's not gonna listen.


New U.S. intelligence director takes over daily Bush briefings despite advice against it
By KATHERINE SHRADER Associated Press Writer
(AP) - WASHINGTON-

For the first time, new national intelligence director John Negroponte stepped into the Oval Office this week to present President George W. Bush with his classified daily intelligence briefing.
The Wednesday morning session came as the administration is rethinking the way the government handles intelligence information following a series of reports critical of the way spy agencies collect and share information.
It also underscored that the White House is not immediately heeding the advice of a presidential commission on intelligence, which recommended last month that someone other than Negroponte brief the president each day.
The briefing, previously conducted by the CIA director, is coveted because of the time and potential influence the briefer has with the president. Yet it also requires significant preparation on issues, such as the potential for a North Korean nuclear test or the latest al-Qaida threat.
As a result, the presidential commission said in the report last month that the director of national intelligence, or DNI, should not "prepare, deliver or even attend every briefing."
"For if the DNI is consumed by current intelligence, the long-term needs of the intelligence community will suffer," the commissioners wrote in a letter to Bush that accompanied their report.
But Bush had said in February when he chose Negroponte to be intelligence chief that he would handle the briefing. It's not clear whether Negroponte alone presented the information this week or shared the task with other intelligence officials.
In the past, the briefing has been a matter of presidential preference.
A former senior intelligence official said Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, had his briefings delivered by a senior analyst. President Bill Clinton generally got his briefings in writing and would send them back with notes in the margins.
In 2001, then-CIA Director George Tenet went to the first couple of briefings when Bush took office, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy which surrounds the briefing. Bush liked the interchange with the Tenet and let it be known that he wanted the director or his deputy present as often as possible for the President's Daily Brief, or PDB in Washington-speak.
"It takes a lot of time, but the president is the most important customer and if he wants you there and values your input ... you want to comply with his wishes," the official said.
Laurence Silberman, the Republican and senior appellate judge who co-chaired the commission, said at a recent American Bar Association breakfast that Bush was surprised to learn that when he asked a question, "There is an enormous amount of effort that goes into answering that question."
Porter Goss, the current CIA director, seems to agree. Goss, who delivered the reports after taking the post in September, told an audience in California last month that he spends five hours a day preparing for the briefing.
"I'm a little amazed at the workload," Goss said.

A great deal of what is said to Bush is wasted breathe. If he'd listened, he'd have been more than a C student at Yale. But no. Wasn't then, isn't now, won't be in the future. There's a lesson in there....Never elect a C student to the Presidency.
Wrap.

Lordy!!!

This guy just cracks me up! I don't know how he survives. Here he goes:

1. Slammed my finger in my car door

2. Drop kicked a cantaloupe

3. Decapitated several gummie bears

4. Poked my dad in the eye

5. Pee-pee tortured a spider that was in the urinal

6. Crashed a going away party for a coworker that I didn’t know

7. Ate all of the sushi at the going away party

8. Had to pull 3 fuses to get my car alarm to turn off

9. Ate a bowl of Life cereal for lunch

10. Put the milk in the cupboard


He can be found at: http://10thingsididtoday.blogspot.com (maybe the "10" is spelled out. Not sure.) Enjoy!
Wrap..

The Gentleman.

The guy who backed into the side of my car phoned about an hour ago. Said he'd done an accident report, called his insurance company, and wanted to reassure me that either his or his company's insurance would definitely see to it that my car is repaired. He even read me the statement he'd given them about how the accident occured. Absolutely accurate. A very considerate, honest and ethical man. A gentleman in all the best senses of the word.

So see? The good people in this world do indeed make up, I believe, the majority.
Wrap.

Nightmare time.

Genetic Mingling Mixes Human, Animal Cells
By PAUL ELIAS, AP Biotechnology WriterFri Apr 29, 8:44 PM ET
On a farm about six miles outside this gambling town, Jason Chamberlain looks over a flock of about 50 smelly sheep, many of them possessing partially human livers, hearts, brains and other organs.
The University of Nevada-Reno researcher talks matter-of-factly about his plans to euthanize one of the pregnant sheep in a nearby lab. He can't wait to examine the effects of the human cells he had injected into the fetus' brain about two months ago.
"It's mice on a large scale," Chamberlain says with a shrug.
As strange as his work may sound, it falls firmly within the new ethics guidelines the influential National Academies issued this past week for stem cell research.
In fact, the Academies' report endorses research that co-mingles human and animal tissue as vital to ensuring that experimental drugs and new tissue replacement therapies are safe for people.
Doctors have transplanted pig valves into human hearts for years, and scientists have injected human cells into lab animals for even longer.
But the biological co-mingling of animal and human is now evolving into even more exotic and unsettling mixes of species, evoking the Greek myth of the monstrous chimera, which was part lion, part goat and part serpent.
In the past two years, scientists have created pigs with human blood, fused rabbit eggs with human DNA and injected human stem cells to make paralyzed mice walk.
Particularly worrisome to some scientists are the nightmare scenarios that could arise from the mixing of brain cells: What if a human mind somehow got trapped inside a sheep's head?
The "idea that human neuronal cells might participate in 'higher order' brain functions in a nonhuman animal, however unlikely that may be, raises concerns that need to be considered," the academies report warned.
In January, an informal ethics committee at Stanford University endorsed a proposal to create mice with brains nearly completely made of human brain cells. Stem cell scientist Irving Weissman said his experiment could provide unparalleled insight into how the human brain develops and how degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson's progress.
Stanford law professor Hank Greely, who chaired the ethics committee, said the board was satisfied that the size and shape of the mouse brain would prevent the human cells from creating any traits of humanity. Just in case, Greely said, the committee recommended closely monitoring the mice's behavior and immediately killing any that display human-like behavior.
The Academies' report recommends that each institution involved in stem cell research create a formal, standing committee to specifically oversee the work, including experiments that mix human and animal cells.
Weissman, who has already created mice with 1 percent human brain cells, said he has no immediate plans to make mostly human mouse brains, but wanted to get ethical clearance in any case. A formal Stanford committee that oversees research at the university would also need to authorize the experiment.
Few human-animal hybrids are as advanced as the sheep created by another stem cell scientist, Esmail Zanjani, and his team at the University of Nevada-Reno. They want to one day turn sheep into living factories for human organs and tissues and along the way create cutting-edge lab animals to more effectively test experimental drugs.
Zanjani is most optimistic about the sheep that grow partially human livers after human stem cells are injected into them while they are still in the womb. Most of the adult sheep in his experiment contain about 10 percent human liver cells, though a few have as much as 40 percent, Zanjani said.
Because the human liver regenerates, the research raises the possibility of transplanting partial organs into people whose livers are failing.
Zanjani must first ensure no animal diseases would be passed on to patients. He also must find an efficient way to completely separate the human and sheep cells, a tough task because the human cells aren't clumped together but are rather spread throughout the sheep's liver.
Zanjani and other stem cell scientists defend their research and insist they aren't creating monsters — or anything remotely human.
"We haven't seen them act as anything but sheep," Zanjani said.
Zanjani's goals are many years from being realized.
He's also had trouble raising funds, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the university over allegations made by another researcher that the school mishandled its research sheep. Zanjani declined to comment on that matter, and university officials have stood by their practices.
Allegations about the proper treatment of lab animals may take on strange new meanings as scientists work their way up the evolutionary chart. First, human stem cells were injected into bacteria, then mice and now sheep. Such research blurs biological divisions between species that couldn't until now be breached.
Drawing ethical boundaries that no research appears to have crossed yet, the Academies recommend a prohibition on mixing human stem cells with embryos from monkeys and other primates. But even that policy recommendation isn't tough enough for some researchers.
"The boundary is going to push further into larger animals," New York Medical College professor Stuart Newman said. "That's just asking for trouble."
Newman and anti-biotechnology activist Jeremy Rifkin have been tracking this issue for the last decade and were behind a rather creative assault on both interspecies mixing and the government's policy of patenting individual human genes and other living matter.
Years ago, the two applied for a patent for what they called a "humanzee," a hypothetical — but very possible — creation that was half human and chimp.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office finally denied their application this year, ruling that the proposed invention was too human: Constitutional prohibitions against slavery prevents the patenting of people.
Newman and Rifkin were delighted, since they never intended to create the creature and instead wanted to use their application to protest what they see as science and commerce turning people into commodities.
And that's a point, Newman warns, that stem scientists are edging closer to every day: "Once you are on the slope, you tend to move down it."

All I can say is that they'd damned well better watch their steps.
Wrap.

Los Alamos speaks...

http://lanl-the-real-story.blogspot.com ... Here is the blog, with mostly anonymous comments, from the folks at "lanl". That is, the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory who are doing their level best to get rid of their Director. Following is the header on the blog, and who, finally, is paying attention to their blog:
LANL Director George P. Nanos shut down the entire laboratory in July, 2004, citing "egregious" security and safety violations. The results of the shutdown include a cost to the taxpayer of approximately $850 million, an exodus of highly talented staff members, and the loss of untold millions of dollars of funding from customers who have taken their business elsewhere. This blog provides an uncensored LANL forum. See the link named "Posting Guidelines" below for posting instructions.

Saturday, April 30, 2005
LANL Blog in the news
From Anonymous:
Doug:Thought you might like to see this:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/national/01alamos.html?pagewanted=1&oref=login

May 1, 2005
At Los Alamos, Blogging Their DiscontentBy WILLIAM J. BROAD
blog rebellion among scientists and engineers at Los Alamos, the federal government's premier nuclear weapons laboratory, is threatening to end the tenure of its director, G. Peter Nanos.

Yep. William J Broad of the NY Times has had his attention caught. This is good. But not half as good as reading the blog itself. The brilliant people who work there have a tendency to not mince their words...nor conceal their feelings. They're very upset.

This is an important facility, to say the least. For the nation's sake, I hope the powers that be are listening to them.
Wrap...

Friday, April 29, 2005

Rush, who knows all...

There's nothing quite like opening your mouth and putting your foot in it when you don't know what you're talking about. That's Limbaugh, all right. Today and every day.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAPRIL 28, 20054:26 PM
CONTACT: Interfaith Alliance Don Parker, 202.639.6370, ext. 111

Limbaugh's Religious Hate Talk Blasphemes Religion, Interfaith Alliance President Says

WASHINGTON -- April 28 -- Today, in response to Rush Limbaugh's statement that "the religious left in this country hates and despises the God of Christianity and Catholicism," the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, released the followingstatement:
"All people of faith in the most religiously diverse nation on earth should be insulted by the uninformed religious pronouncements of a vitriolic radio host," said Rev. Dr. C Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance. "Mr. Limbaugh has repeatedly demonstrated his ignorance and insensitivity to the religious communities in this nation.
"Mr. Limbaugh demeans the very spirit of Christianity as well as the faithful Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Baha'i, and other religious communities. Unfortunately Mr. Limbaugh's words echo the recent misuse of religion by politicians. We remain gravely concerned about the continuing manipulation of religion for partisan political purposes. The fusion of partisan politics and religion arrogantly blasphemes religion and aggressively threatens the vitality of democracy.
"The Interfaith Alliance remains committed to the healing role of religion in America and stands with all people of faith and good will who remain dedicated to common values that enhance our lives together."
According to Media Matters, on the April 27 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show, Mr. Limbaugh said:
LIMBAUGH: "I would submit to you that people on the left are religious, too. Their God is just different. The left has a different God. There's a religious left in this country. "And, the religious left in this country hates and despises the God of Christianity and Catholicism and whatever else. They despise it because they fear it, because it's a threat, because that God has moral absolutes. That God has right and wrong, that God doesn't deal in nuance, that God doesn't deal in gray area, that God says, 'This is right and that is wrong.'"

A credit to the GOP, Rush is.

Wrap...

Go ahead.Hang yourself.

There's nothing quite like opening your mouth and putting your foot in it when you don't know what you're talking about. That's Limbaugh, all right. Today and every day.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAPRIL 28, 20054:26 PM
CONTACT: Interfaith Alliance Don Parker, 202.639.6370, ext. 111

Limbaugh's Religious Hate Talk Blasphemes Religion, Interfaith Alliance President Says

WASHINGTON -- April 28 -- Today, in response to Rush Limbaugh's statement that "the religious left in this country hates and despises the God of Christianity and Catholicism," the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, released the followingstatement:
"All people of faith in the most religiously diverse nation on earth should be insulted by the uninformed religious pronouncements of a vitriolic radio host," said Rev. Dr. C Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance. "Mr. Limbaugh has repeatedly demonstrated his ignorance and insensitivity to the religious communities in this nation.
"Mr. Limbaugh demeans the very spirit of Christianity as well as the faithful Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Baha'i, and other religious communities. Unfortunately Mr. Limbaugh's words echo the recent misuse of religion by politicians. We remain gravely concerned about the continuing manipulation of religion for partisan political purposes. The fusion of partisan politics and religion arrogantly blasphemes religion and aggressively threatens the vitality of democracy.
"The Interfaith Alliance remains committed to the healing role of religion in America and stands with all people of faith and good will who remain dedicated to common values that enhance our lives together."
According to Media Matters, on the April 27 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show, Mr. Limbaugh said:
LIMBAUGH: "I would submit to you that people on the left are religious, too. Their God is just different. The left has a different God. There's a religious left in this country. "And, the religious left in this country hates and despises the God of Christianity and Catholicism and whatever else. They despise it because they fear it, because it's a threat, because that God has moral absolutes. That God has right and wrong, that God doesn't deal in nuance, that God doesn't deal in gray area, that God says, 'This is right and that is wrong.'"

Hah. Look who's talking! Such a moral and ethical mortal..a credit to the GOP!
Wrap.

Insult to injury...

One of the writers, JJ, emailed:

YET ANOTHER QUOTE: (I just looked at the tape to verify it)

Bush says to the press as he ends his press conference: "Thank you for all your answers, and God bless our country. Goodnight."

I guess when you're that stupid, maybe press questions (at least those not set up beforehand)
do seem like answers.

Tom Blair writes in San Diego Magazine:

:Anne Rice, queen of the vampire thrillers, has given birth to her first book since moving her base to a new home in La Jolla. CHIRST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT is due in November from Knopf.

Whoa! Quite the jump from Lestat, the vampire, to Christ.... I just wonder what kind of Christ she has going in that book. The lady has imagination to spare. This is gonna be interesting.

So this morn, I drive into the one-way driveway at the hotel, when a guy backs out of a parking space on my left and right into me. Between trying to exchange info and calming him down, I like to never got on the patio to enjoy that wonderous first cup of black coffee which B and JJ had ready. B was outside the minute that guy's rental car nailed mine, and had his license # written down. Did that after he checked the damage to left front fender and driver's door. Hell, half the hotel staff had either seen or heard about it before I even hit the lobby on the way to the patio.

One of the worse parts, for the guy, had to be that he was at the hotel for a small conference, and of course they were just off the patio too. He did manage to get the door open so I could get out of the car, with me pushing from inside and he pulling from outside.

Only the second time I've been involved in an accident in my entire life, and in neither one was I at fault....and glad of it! But to have one before I even got near my first cup of coffee this morn was a bit much. Sheesh!
Wrap...

My skin tone or else!

MEDIA – WITH PRESS, WHITE HOUSE NOT COLOR BLIND:

Breaking with standard practice, the Secret Service has requested racial information on journalists and guests scheduled to attend a reception for White House correspondents tomorrow with President Bush. The Washington Post reports that White House reporters were offended that "after furnishing the customary information – name, date of birth and Social Security number – they were also asked for the race of each person expected to attend the small reception scheduled before the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner." Such policy "has not been applied universally," and anecdotal evidence "suggests the Secret Service is more frequently asking for racial information from journalists." Just last month, for example, "the Orange County Register reported that Cheney's staff requested race and gender information before the vice president would meet with the newspaper's editorial board."
Wrap...

Running scared???

What the hell is this?!!!

MEDIA – WITH PRESS, WHITE HOUSE NOT COLOR BLIND:

Breaking with standard practice, the Secret Service has requested racial information on journalists and guests scheduled to attend a reception for White House correspondents tomorrow with President Bush. The Washington Post reports that White House reporters were offended that "after furnishing the customary information – name, date of birth and Social Security number – they were also asked for the race of each person expected to attend the small reception scheduled before the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner." Such policy "has not been applied universally," and anecdotal evidence "suggests the Secret Service is more frequently asking for racial information from journalists." Just last month, for example, "the Orange County Register reported that Cheney's staff requested race and gender information before the vice president would meet with the newspaper's editorial board."
Wrap...

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Counting the Cost...

We are entering the third year of the war in Iraq.

Increasingly, many Americans believe that the war is over. They think that relatively few civilians and soldiers have died. They think that U.S. interests and Iraqi interests are best served by the continued occupation of Iraq.

This is not the reality. We now know that over 100,000 Iraqi citizens have died since the beginning of the war. Over 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died. Countless others have been wounded and maimed. And, although the pictures are not shown on TV, large numbers of Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers continue to die.

Let’s tell the truth about the war and continuing occupation in Iraq.
MAY 15:
COUNTING THE COST
STOPPING THE WAR
On May 15, in protest of the rising death toll and the on-going occupation, wear a number representing one of the over 100,000 Iraqi citizens, U.S. soldiers, coalition soldiers, and other international civilians who have died in Iraq. Join one of the local actions being planned in Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and other locations. Organize an event of your own, such as candlelight vigil at a local war memorial or a demonstration in your town square. Or, simply spend the day wearing your number and talking to your neighbors about it.
SIGN UP NOW and we will send you your number to wear on May 15. We will ask you to donate $10 to cover the costs of packaging and shipping, and to make sure that everyone who wants to can participate, even if they can’t pay. The remainder of your donation will help fund humanitarian aid in Iraq and continued anti-war work.
Together we can show that the cost of this war is too high. Together we can convince our communities that NOW is the time for a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops, the establishment of a transitional force not dominated by U.S. interests, and a commitment on the part of the U.S. to provide financial assistance for rebuilding Iraq.

Check the links on the left for detailed information about the death toll in Iraq, a list of local actions already being planned, and ideas to help you and your group plan an action of your own.

Don’t forget to tell a friend who can join us.
Our organizational and fiscal sponsor is:
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Project Description Buy a Number Become an Area OrganizationFind a Group in Your Area Make a Contribution The Johns Hopkins StudyGet Program Ideas Join our E-Mail club Sponsors Links Contact UsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.









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Friends Betrayed....

Now that these three writers have generously given permission to post their email conversation, I will. From my position, it's a given that you don't kick your oldest and best friends in the teeth for not agreeing with your disastrous ideology. But that's what BushCo did. So here is an important conversation that began with just one word. May I present Leif, Ed, and Barb:

Leif:
Years ago my professional reason for being (in French it is something like "raison detre," but try as I have, I cannot pronounce it properly, so I don't use it) was creative thinking and creative problem solving laced through the K-12 curriculum. I spoke about it from the platform, I wrote about it, and I demonstrated it in K-12 classrooms. But the public wasn't so much interested in whether the next generation could think as it was in whether the next generation could read pap before their Hungarian age-mates could. So, being that "public" in "public schools" means ownership, we went with early pap-reading.

Ed:
For whatever it is worth, the very useful phrase raison d'etre ("reason for existence") is pronounced--if you will buy my half-assed explanation--"raise on deytra." Most people today, of course, avoid French like the plague--fearful of being dubbed a Francophile, (which is just below Pedophile as I understand it)--which is why I try to use it often. I love to see the necks get redder.

Leif:
Many thanks. I will practice the pronunciation, and use it ruthlessly, because I also want to tweak the morons. I have another reason for that. I'm a section short of finishing Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers, a very different history of about 1740-1790 than we get in our history books. One of the conclusions is making clear that we wouldn't have made it had it not been for the dreaded French. They saved our collective behind, with troops, certainly, but most critically, with cash when it was most needed, for example when we defaulted on Spain's loan. I had heard about that, but Roberts made the instances so human that what I took into the read became part of the story rather than chapters in history books. We may never be able to repay France for its contribution.

Ed:
I really do hate it when large groups of people decide to hate some other group (or nation)--and who then try by every possible means, subtle and unsubtle, to shove everyone else into conformity, into accepting their "party line." The current villification of the French people, and of anything "French," is just another prime example of the booboisie (Mencken's word, of course) in action. This trend is marked, of course, by a collective boycott of French wines and products, by "American fries," by a refusal to travel to France, by making fun of any use of the French language, of any reference to the art or culture of that country, and--perhaps especially--by depicting anyone who expresses any admiration for anything French in the most vile terms one can call upon (in their minds)--"queers," pansies, debauched liberals, cowards, dupes, and so on. (That is an issue Kerry--he and Teresa both being known as Francophiles for years--should have taken head-on in his campaign, but which he ducked and swerved to avoid like the plague. I'll bet now, in retrospect, he wishes he had been more forthright on that issue, as well as others.)

I say all this, by the way, despite the fact that my wife and I were often treated very shabbily by a lot of the French merchants on our visits to that country. We were treated wonderfully, however, by many others that we met. It is certainly true that a lot of the French who, through their business activities have to deal with tourists on a daily basis, have come over many years to despise Americans (and other "rich" tourists). Travellers, like ourselves, can, indeed, catch the brunt of that. There is a history to these resentments, however, that we ought to be big enough, and sophisticated enough, to understand.

In WW II, we were not bombed, economically devastated, and humiliated, as the French were, by having jack-booted Nazis running around like schoolyard bullies shoving us around and looting our country. At the end of that war, the French had a lot of rebuilding to do--but the American business class was already booming, and we, of course, were the "arrogant winners" who singlehandedly won the war, and saved their bacon. We were all over Europe and France in the next ten years reminding them of how great and rich and wonderful we were. Our language was making inroads on theirs, horrifying the traditionalists (and "dumbing down" their culture as our "awesome" language so often dumbs down our own). And we were spending money over there for years like there was no bottom to the well. It's not that we weren't generous: quite the opposite--but think of the effect on them, struggling to rebuild and going without a lot of their pre-war niceties and even essentials, when we would casually throw down on the table as a "luncheon tip" an amount equal to a half a week's French wages (for the typical French working man). That is not how to win friends and "affection."

At the same time we didn't hesitate to "plunder" the country of the things we could see were valuable--often at cut-rate prices because they so desperately needed the money. And, of course, we (especially the "nouveaux riche" Americans who had no background in how to handle themselves) took pains to carefully explain to all the poor Froggies how much better everything we had back in the states was than the awful, second-rate crap they had to deal with.

And, of course, we deplored everything that was different from what we had very recently become used to at home. Almost everything French, let's face it, was "cheap, dirty and tawdry." And let's not even mention their sculpture, art, books and movies. ("I tell you Gertrude, I couldn't take the kids anywhere with all those filthy statues and pictures just everywhere! All they think about, those people, is sex!" )

Yes, there is a long history of deplorable conduct on both sides that intelligent Americans and French citizens have to recognize, deal with, and overcome to appreciate the best that each society has to offer to the other.

A good place to start is with the long history of friendship between our countries that dates back to our very inception as a nation (as you, and Cokie, so correctly point out, Leif). It's also easy to depict an entire people as a nation of cowards because they had to surrender in WW II to a force that completely overwhelmed and outgunned them in every way. That is like depicting the surviving Americans who finally surrendered at Bataan (finally outgunned and overwhelmed by superior Japanese forces) as cowards--when, indeed, as we know, exactly the opposite was true. The fact that the French defenses collapsed so quickly was not a measure of French courage or cowardice (as so many Americans believe today): it was a measure of the total bankruptcy of the entrenched military and political thinking of the bureacracy that dominated that pre-War country and who, by the stupidity of their decisions, undermined any chance the common French soldier had of defending against the German war juggernaut that rolled over and around them.

One last personal note: when Aaron Bank, my former commanding officer in Special Forces, was a young US army officer in the OSS, he jumped behind the lines into occupied France in 1944 as part of a three-man Jedburgh team--and the other two members were both Frenchmen trained in England for the mission. For months Bank and his team, and the forces they armed and raised, fought behind the lines as part of the French resistance, carrying out a variety of covert espionage and then other open assaults on the German forces. During that time, Bank knew that to be caught meant torture of the most vicious kind (as only the Gestapo could do such things) and almost certain death--and he also knew that his daily life and security was in French hands. Any French person he had contact with could have been the instrument of his capture--but no one ever gave him up. (Interestingly, he was in his late 90s before he first learned the real identity of one of his chief guerrilla leaders in those days--so tight was the security they all worked under.)

In 1944, Aaron Bank was in French hands, and he was in good hands, and he formed some friendships there that lasted his entire life. I really think it is time we grew up as a people--really grew up--and it is more than time for us to look around and recognize who our real friends are--or could be, if we used some common sense--in a troubled world.

Barb:
Beautifully put, Ed. Unfortunately, too many Americans are politically unsophisticated, see everything as black or white/my way or the highway, and are put off by all things foreign. Would like to take all those people and sprinkle them around the world in a situation that would make them totally dependent on the locals. Might make our country grow up a bit. Maybe.

They've all traveled a lot, these three. I haven't, but I know where our Statue of Liberty came from, and I know that during the Revolutionary War, LaFayette was boots on the ground when it counted. Not only that, I'll defend our French Bakeries and those pastrys that nobody else can match for pure ecstacy in the mouth.

Take care of our libraries and, as Barb said, maybe some of our idiots can learn some history.
Wrap.

Lousy news...

Don't like this one damned bit. Not everybody can afford to go out and buy those $25 and up books...which is a major reason libraries exist in the first place. Do we want people to be able to continue educating themselves in this country or not? Apparently not. Sheesh!

The Threat to Libraries

Many library systems are severely challenged, too, by continuing cuts in funding. The Dallas Morning News reports: "From coast to coast, budget strains and tax pressures are forcing cities to make hard choices about how to spend limited money, and libraries, much to many residents' dismay, are taking the hit."

Figures from the ALA says budget cuts nationwide over the last 18 months have totaled over $110 million, comprising "as much as 50 percent in some states." ALA president Carol Brey-Casiano says, "We have seen in the last several years more reductions in library budgets than any other time in our history"--even as demand for services rises. Libraries were visited more than twice as much in 2002 as they were in 1990.Dallas News


Thanks to BushCo's damned tax cut first, and their damned war second.
Wrap.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Waiting game...

Have a post I'm working on, but can't post it just yet. If all goes well, it will be the next one up. This weather is gonna drive me nuts. Absolutely unpredictable. Last weather report said there'd be rain today. No. Perfect San Diego weather. The nice thing is, that's usually the way it turns out, month after month. Pleases me no end. So until I next post, I'll leave you with this tidbit from Independent Clearing House:

"The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history. With a country so rich in natural resources, talent and labour power the system can afford to distribute just enough wealth to just enough people to limit discontent to a troublesome minority. It is a country so powerful, so big, so pleasing to so many of its' citizens that it can afford to give freedom of dissent to the small number who are not pleased. There is no system of control with more openings, apertures, flexibilities, rewards for the chosen.

There is none that disperses its' control more complexly through the voting system, the work situation, the church, the family, the school, the mass media - none more successful in mollifying opposition with reforms, isolating people from one another, creating patriotic loyalty.":

Howard Zinn, from 'A People's History of the United States,' first published 1981

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Geez....

This doc is quite a guy. Right now, I'm really feeling for him:

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Emotionally drained...
Was oncall again last night. Wasn't too bad a night, but my junior and I both felt really emotionally drained. So did the nurses. Mainly because of that one patient, young middle-aged male who tried to kill himself after losing his job (and other personal issues). Drank rat poison, weedkiller, paint stripper, hydrochloric acid and sleeping pills. Kept seizing, and was just drooling like crazy (effects from the weedkiller). He was intubated before he was flown to us.
The thing that did us in was his suicide note he left for his wife. I suppose he didn't expect to be found until after he was dead. And I felt like I was reading a personal letter to his spouse (which I was, but we had to document everything). And it just tore into our hearts and minds, reading about how torn and guilty he felt, how much he loved his family but felt like there was no way out but this.

He's young. In many ways I'm praying that we can save him. But somewhere deep inside, we were thinking too that it may be best that he died, because when someone decides to ingest corrosive chemicals like that, it just burns and scars the esophagus and gut so badly that even if they survive, everything else needs to be surgically taken out, and they live a life of misery (sometimes on IV nutrition lifelong). But, we do all we can. And pray for the best.

Have seen patients threaten suicide (usually to get attention) by taking some things. But some things people should never take just to seek attention (obviously, people should never attempt suicide just for attention. That's beyond stupid). Acetaminophen is one, coz if they come in too late for us to help them, it's a slow ugly death and it gives them plenty of time to regret and cry. Chemicals are another; they can cause irreparable GI damage. Burns a hole in the gut.
Days like this, I wish family or loved ones were near. Then again, it's often hard to explain to someone outside of medicine what we feel. So sometimes it's better to just be alone until one gets out of the dumps.
wrap.

Oh Yeah?

In an interview with USA Today, White House political advisor Karl Rove said he expects House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to keep his job: "He's going to continue to be an effective and strong leader."
Link

To which I say, Says who? This guy seems to think he's infallible. My dad would say that "he's got too big for his britches" and he'd be right. Time he got knocked down to size. Sooner the better.
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Soon...

This book's rights have just been sold to a publisher. It will be on bookshelves some time before 18 months have passed. Can only watch for it:

Former war correspondent who has written for the NYT and others and author of Rembrandts in the Attic David Kline's THE HUMAN ELEMENT: Blogs and the Transformation of Business, blending a "big picture" view of the transformative impact of blogging on corporate America with a practical guide for using blogs to competitive advantage in every functional unit of the enterprise, to John Mahaney at Crown Business, at auction, by James Levine of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world). jlevine@levinegreenberg.com

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SLOW...


Gallup: 50% of Americans Now Say Bush Deliberately Misled Them on WMDs : Half of all Americans, exactly 50%, now say the Bush administration deliberately misled Americans about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, the Gallup Organization reported this morning. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000894970

Is that 50% living in caves, or what? Where do they get their information? Do they not have access to newspapers, TV, radio? I know! The "Used Car Salesman" tells them all they need to know. Or maybe they do have a radio, but listen only to the great bloviator, Rush. Or maybe they just don't give a damn about what's going on outside their houses. It's a puzzle to me.
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Used Car Salesman speaks...

I guarantee this will turn your stomach. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/042605B.shtml
It sure did a job on mine.
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Why Fundie Christians AIN'T!!!

Have long wondered why the Fundie Christians...of which mess Bush is a strong member...are such nutcases that every other religion shies away from them. www.bop.com put up that explanation, and it makes perfect sense. These people are dangerous and the GOP uses them like a weapon. Very effectively.

The Gospel of John tells Christians that "because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." This concept, and the entire notion of martyrdom, is tricky for nonbelievers to fully grasp. What do Christians do when representatives of their faith, a faith forged in opposition to this world and its powers, acquire overwhelming political might? Unless they are deeply spiritual, they will continue to look for oppressors, for enemies, for the earthly forces that supposedly "hate" and oppose them.

This is why we continue to see fundamentalist Christians, their hands on all the levers of government, vilify liberals and secularists as if these hapless minorities were brutal occupying forces. This dynamic informs and motivates the battles of the Religious Right. Democrats and liberals fail to understand it at their own peril.

The concept of the Trinity means for believers that God Himself took human form, came to Earth, suffered terrible tortures, and died for us. It also means - simultaneously - that God sent his only beloved Son and watch him suffer and die as a result of our sinful natures. Despite that, He'lll forgive us if we only ask. To return such generosity with hostility or indifference seems for believers to be a particularly harsh kind of ingratitude.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you," Jesus tells his followers in John. And who populates this "world", in today's politics? For Red-Staters, carefully schooled by the Conservative/Religious elite, it's now the Other - the liberal, the secular humanist, the Eastern elite, the New York Times reporter, Dan Rather, the Muslim 'raghead', Michael Moore, the activist judge. All these figures, some of them fictional, populate that hostile terrain that must be created in order to replicate the way of sorrows - the "Via Dolorosa" - that Jesus Himself walked.

This all misses the point, of course. Those oppressors, those haters, the ones who condemn and torture and execute - they're not the Other at all. They're us. But that's deliberately forgotten when politics and religion mix. The Gospel of John was written when Christianity was a despised sect, and its democratically-organized followers were hunted by an oppressive government. The Gospel of Jerry (Fallwell) has been created to secure and keep earthly power - a state that early Christians would consider sinful.

In other words, Jesus created the miracle of the loaves of bread, supernaturally multiplied to feed the starving crowds. Falwell and the Republicans, on the other hand, are saying "let them eat cake." Is there a new Democratic message there, somewhere?
I struggle with all of this, and am still looking for the right response, the right tone. The best I can come up with is, first, to respect the followers and condemn the leaders. The followers are, like so many of us, just people who are looking for something - for meaning, for a purpose, for an answer. They can be reached with the Democratic message, I'm sure of it - but not if it's delivered with the slightest hint of condescension. I keep reminding myself that these were the Kennedy voters, and before that the Roosevelt voters. The other Christian message - of sacrifice, of idealism, of service to the poor - could still touch them.

John again: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own." That's partially where the resistance to Ivy League degrees and other achievements comes from. It might help if Democrats hammered away at the theme that rich and powerful preachers, along with rich and powerful politicians, are "of the world" and are "its own." Let's not be afraid of saying "that rich preacher doesn't speak for you, or for God." We should look for - and promote - sympathetic ministers, evangelicals, and lay Christians like Jim Wallis, Anne Lamott, and even Willie Nelson. Their work is important.

Lastly, it's worth remembering that many Christians know the verse from John that reads "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Expressions of contempt for fundamentalist ministers, if they appear elitist or too personal, look like attacks on God. There's no need to fall into that trap.

Religious belief shouldn't be a prerequisite for the political life, but where it exists it shouldn't be limited to one side of the aisle. When Democrats truly feel it, they should use it. Even when they don't, they should be know its terrain. "Be of good cheer," it is written in John. "I have overcome the world." All Democrats have to overcome are James Dobson and Tom Delay.

Piece of cake.Permalink
by RJ Eskow Apr 25 , 7:51 PM Comments (5) , Trackback (0)

Perhaps we should all feel sympathy for a group of people so incredibly misguided. It's very sad when people have lost the ability to think for themselves, to examine what they're being told. But then, the religious sects will always be with us. Remember Jim Jones and the suicides in Africa? The people who committed suicide so they'd be transported up to the tail of Haley's Comet? All the hell they needed was an evil s.o.b. who could talk a good game...a silver-tongued devil, so to speak. Don't believe those Fundies are even aware of the idea of "hidden motives" of their foul leaders. "Sheeple" really does apply to them.
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Tell it my way...or no way!

Where the hell are we living? Russia? China? This report from American Progress gives a very good example of how BushCo intends to rule the public mind. And damned if they aren't doing it. Just put the right people on the boards, and they'll see to it that opposing opinions to their propaganda is eliminated. That's freedom of the press? Do they give a damn about freedom? Not hardly.

MEDIA
The Privatization of PBS

According to people within the Public Broadcasting Service, the supposedly politically independent PBS "is being forced to toe a more conservative line in its programming" by its oversight agency, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is being stacked with right-wing appointees. Over the past few years, President Bush has attempted to flood the CPB board with partisan political operatives. The result, according to a senior FCC official, is that today CPB "is engaged in a systematic effort not just to sanitize the truth, but to impose a right-wing agenda on PBS. It's almost like a right-wing coup. It appears to be orchestrated."

STACKED BOARD: Created in the 1960s, CPB was purposefully designed as an independent body in order to provide a buffer between the independent public broadcast networks and the partisan government. In fact, Congress funds CPB two years in advance to "shield it from momentary bursts of partisan anger" and keep PBS safe from the muck of daily politics. That was then. Now, the chairman of the CPB board is Kenneth Tomlinson, a close friend of uber-strategist Karl Rove and an individual who has contributed thousands to Republicans over the past decade. President Bush also nominated Gay Hart Gaines and Cheryl Halpern, individuals who have given more than $816,000 to conservative causes over the past 14 years, to the CPB Board of Directors. Interestingly enough, Gaines was a key fundraiser for Newt Gingrich back when the House speaker campaigned to "zero out" CPB funding and privatize PBS.

A CORPORATION IN HIS OWN IMAGE: In recent months, at least three senior CPB officials – all of whom had left-leaning associations – have departed or been dismissed, making the effects of the stacked deck even more apparent. Last week, CPB's board decided not to renew the contract of its chief executive, Kathleen Cox, choosing instead to replace her with Kenneth Ferree. Before becoming the chief executive of CPB, Ferree was at the Federal Communications Commission, where he "played a significant role in the failed effort to loosen rules" for giant media conglomerates to consolidate their empires. (It was backlash from the American public that defeated his efforts.) Now Ferree is at CPB, but not because of his love for public broadcasting. In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, Ferree admitted to not watching much PBS, not even its flagship show, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, which he called "slow." In Ferree's own words, "I don't always want to sit down and read Shakespeare, and Lehrer is akin to Shakespeare. Sometimes I really just want a People magazine."

THE LYNN CHENEY SHOW: In addition to stacking the board of CPB, the administration hired Michael Pack, a producer with close ties to the Bush administration. How close? In 2002, Pack greeted outgoing PBS President Pat Mitchell at Vice President Cheney's house with an "inappropriate" proposal for a children's series featuring the vice president's wife, Lynn Cheney.

DESPERATELY SEEKING CENSORSHIP: The Public Broadcasting Act prohibits CPB from interfering with public TV's programming, but someone may need to remind its Board of Directors. During her confirmation hearings, new board member Cheryl Halpern advocated a policy of "aggressive" censorship and suggested CPB should be allowed to penalize and "remove physically" broadcasts it decides are unbalanced. In fact, media watchdog groups accused the Bush administration of using a "litmus test" to select board members; the White House reportedly sunk the candidacy of a nominee who stated CPB should intervene in programming only in "extraordinary circumstances." And now the current board is starting to do the job for which it was apparently hired, tightening its grasp over programming content. Earlier this year, for the first time in its history, the CPB insisted on tying any new PBS funding to "an agreement that would commit the network to strict 'objectivity and balance'" in its programs. But its supposed quest for "objectivity and balance" is decidedly subjective. On its website, the CPB claims it'll listen to the opinions of public officials and keep them under wraps: "These opinions may be expressed in … private conversations with CPB board members and other officials."

TILTING AT "LIBERAL" WINDMILLS: CPB's own research shows that there is already "objectivity and balance" within PBS. According to two different national polls and a series of focus group sessions, the American public thinks there is no real bias in PBS. The group Fairness and Accurate Reporting claims CPB has it wrong – public broadcasting isn't designed to balance a right/left tilt: "If anything, PBS (and public broadcasting in general) is theoretically designed to balance the voices that dominate the commercial media." The national media watchdog group continues on to point out, "As the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act proposed, public broadcasting should have 'instructional, educational and cultural purposes' and should address 'the needs of unserved and underserved audiences, particularly children and minorities.'"

So how do you like them apples? Nevermind the law. Nevermind the Constitution.
Wrap..

Monday, April 25, 2005

And so it goes...

...in the on-going Mayoral mess in San Diego!


Voice of San Diego News Alert: April 25
Murphy Resigns
San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy announced his resignation Monday morning effective July 15, paving the way for a mayoral election to be tacked on to this November’s anticipated special election.
Murphy, a former Superior Court judge first elected San Diego’s 33rd mayor in 2000, succumbed to mounting pressures brought about by a $1.37-billion pension deficit and pending federal and local investigations into City Hall. Further worsening the situation, he won last November’s election with only 34 percent of the vote and amid challenges to the victory’s legitimacy.
“What the city needs is a fresh start,” Murphy told reporters.


Immediately, Councilwoman, Donna Frye, said she was now running. Gonna be a hellava battle between now and the Nov 8th special election. One small problem: the Mayoral election, in which Frye was a write-in candidate. She got 5,000 more votes than Murphy, but that many voters didn't fill in the blasted bubble too, when they wrote her in. The decision on whether or not those votes should be counted is still in the court system. Fun! What if the court says those votes should be counted? Would Murphy lose office instantly and Frye move into that chair? Heaven only knows what that monkey wrench thrown into the works would do!

Ain't life grand?
Wrap...

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Pacific Hwy bridge #2..

So S went down today to do more photos of the bridge demolition. There he talked to one of the construction guys who is part of the demo crew. And the guy told him that his dad was one of the guys who built the bridge 52 years ago...and he died two days ago.

I asked if his dad knew the bridge was coming down. Yeah, he did. Hope his son told him it was still as sturdy as the day it was built....in spite of what the city said. And sturdy it is. Half of it is still over half the highway, even after all they'd done. Now they're cleaning up debris. Then they'll tackle the other side...next weekend.
Wrap.

Another party heard from...

In case you missed this in either the NY Times or Drudge, here is the opening:

April 25, 2005
A Boldface Name Invites Others to Blog With Her
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
LOS ANGELES, April 23 -

Get ready for the next level in the blogosphere.

Arianna Huffington, the columnist and onetime candidate for governor of California, is about to move blogging from the realm of the anonymous individual to the realm of the celebrity collective.

She has lined up more than 250 of what she calls "the most creative minds" in the country to write a group blog that will range over topics from politics and entertainment to sports and religion. It is essentially a nonstop virtual talk show that will be part of a Web site that will also serve up breaking news around the clock. It is to be introduced May 9.

Having prominent people join the blogosphere, Ms. Huffington said in an interview, "is an affirmation of its success and will only enrich and strengthen its impact on the national conversation."
Among those signed up to contribute are Walter Cronkite, David Mamet, Nora Ephron, Warren Beatty, James Fallows, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Maggie Gyllenhaal, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Diane Keaton, Norman Mailer and Mortimer B. Zuckerman.

"This gives me a chance to sound off with a few words or a long editorial," said Mr. Cronkite, 88, the longtime "CBS Evening News" anchorman. "It's a medium that is new and interesting, and I thought I'd have some fun."

Hah! This should prove to be both fun and interesting indeed. Go to Drudge.com and read the rest.
Wrap.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

What came before...

http://bouphonia.blogspot.com says:

"The fact that Bush's tawdry, heartless counterfeits of family and community and spirituality appeal to so many Americans isn't necessarily proof that they're stupid. More likely, it's proof that they're so starved for these things - and for the sense of belonging they engender - that they'll swallow anything. Because just as starving explorers used to eat strips of leather and splinters of wood while straggling through some wasteland, starving hearts will swallow lies."

I believe the man has a point. S went down on Pacific Hwy today to do some photos of the dismantling of a bridge. Made for sadness. The bridge had been built in 1945 with obvious care. The builders intended for that bridge to last. They'd done a beautiful construction job.

Men passing stopped to watch a bit and comment, "That bridge looks mighty solid to me."

They were responding to the city's comment that it was getting unstable.

The bridge turned out to be anything but unstable. They've had two of those huge machines that bite chunks out of concrete working on it all day, and until now they've managed to chunk out a small part of the middle. They'll be working all night.

S thinks of the men who designed it, built it, were proud of their work, and constructed it to last for a whole lot longer than just to this time. And now it will be gone.

As are so many many buildings, homes, yards, that were part of our memories, our heritage, that Bush uses to pretend those things are still with us. ... knowing full well he intends any vestige of them to be gone, thus to be replaced.

How can you replace a redwood forest?
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Given' 'em hell....

"I don't know who said it, but I thought it was most apt for the moment: 'Too many Christians, not enough lions.'"

Only one guy would have thrown that remark in at the end, and that's Morialefaka, one of my favorite bloggers. For an anthropologist, he has one wicked tongue. He is, of course, speaking of BushCo, et al.

This morn he has such a list of BushCo outrages on his blog as to boggle the mind. And there he is, living right in the red center of one very red state. No matter. Nothing is gonna stop him from speaking his mind. More, when he's so disgusted he can't talk politics for the moment, he writes wonderful short-short stories instead.
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Um...Spirits?...

Weird thing this morning. C and I drove off to have breakfast on Marie's patio. Parked. C went in to secure a table while I remained in the car long enough to sort the morning papers out. LA Times was done. The San Diego Union-Tribune, however, has a mass of blow-in ads most mornings and this morning was no different. I just gather them up and throw them in the trash next to the building on my way in.

I took out a handful--about half an inch thick--and laid them up on the dashboard. While getting the different sections of the paper in order, two more advertising pages--slick paper--slid out and fell on the passenger's side floor. I finished getting the Times and U-T squared away, leaned over, picked up the ads on the floor, reached for the stack on the dashboard.

Man, they were gone! Disappeared. Looked all over inside the car. How they went, where they went, I have not a clue. Doors were closed, windows were closed.

Tell you what...those suckers reappear and I'm gonna have a flippin' fit!
Wrap.

Keep A Sharp Eye on This One....

Below is a perfect illustration of the Bush Admin's penchant for secrecy and underhanded dealings. Edmonds continues to try to do what she can to safeguard the country but the harder she tries, the more BushCo thwarts her, punishes her, tries to derail her. They're all kinds of upset...she's not "loyal" enough to help cover their asses. Read it and weep.


The Silencing of Sibel Edmonds By James Ridgeway The Village Voice
Thursday 21 April 2005

Court won't let public hear what FBI whistleblower has to say.

Washington, DC - The unsettling story of whistleblower Sibel Edmonds took another twist on Thursday, as the government continued its seemingly endless machinations to shut her up. The US Court of Appeals here denied pleas to open the former FBI translator's First Amendment case to the public, a day after taking the extraordinary step of ordering a secret hearing.

Edmonds was hired after 9-11 to help the woefully staffed FBI's translation department with documents and wiretaps in such languages as Farsi and Turkish. She soon cried foul, saying the agency's was far from acceptable and perhaps even dangerous to national security. She was fired in 2002.

Ever since, the government has been trying to silence her, even classifying an interview she did with 60 Minutes.

Oral arguments in her suit against the federal government were scheduled for this morning, but yesterday the clerk of the appeals court unexpectedly and suddenly announced the hearing would be closed. Only attorneys and Edmonds were allowed in.

No one thought the three-judge appeals court panel would be especially sympathetic to the Edmonds case. It consists of Douglas Ginsburg, who was once nominated for the US Supreme Court by President Reagan. He withdrew after it was revealed he had smoked pot as a college student; he later joined the appeals court. Another member, David Sentelle, was chair of the three-judge panel that appointed Ken Starr to be the special prosecutor investigating Clinton. Karen LeCraft Henderson was appointed a federal judge during the Reagan period, then put on the appeals court by the elder President Bush.

In making a plea to open the Edmonds hearing, the ACLU noted appellate arguments normally are accessible to the public.

Taking her protests to Congress, she won support from the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who exchanged letters with the Justice Department’s Inspector General's office, which said it was making an investigation. In the midst of all this, then attorney general John Ashcroft stepped in and threw down a gag order by invoking the arcane states secrets privilege, under which the government can classify whatever materials it wishes in the interests of national security. Last year, the Edmonds case was dismissed by a federal district court judge. The government had never even bothered to file an answer to her complaint.

The case that was argued this morning concerned a complaint by Edmonds that the government was denying her First Amendment rights. Only after she was fired did Edmonds go to the Congress. She is saying she played by the rules and was squashed by the government without cause or explanation. And when she went outside the official channel to reveal what was going on within the bureau, the government responded by classifying her previous attempts to speak out, including press accounts written before the classification came down. One of them was a 60 Minutes segment.

"The federal government is routinely retaliating against government employees who uncover weaknesses in our ability to prevent terrorist attacks or protect public safety," said Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU. "From firing whistleblowers to using special privileges to cover up mistakes, the government is taking extreme steps to shield itself from political embarrassment while gambling with our safety."


If it were possible, and they're working on it, the methodology they're using against Edmonds, would be in force against all of us.
Wrap....

Heads Up!

I've just discovered that Blogger has changed settings on Comments. Suggest anyone using Blogger try to comment on own blog, and if you don't like what you're seeing, go change the comment settings back the way you had them. Sheesh!
Wrap..

Friday, April 22, 2005

Oh, Lord....

I cannot imagine the results from this:

White House to Enforce Abortion-Fetus Law
Fri Apr 22, 6:39 PM ET

White House - AP
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Friday that it would enforce a nearly 3-year-old federal law that requires doctors to attempt to keep alive a fetus that survives an abortion.

In making the announcement, the Department of Health and Human Services Department said it was an attempt to educate the public about the little-known law. Officials said they didn't know how often a fetus survives an abortion and would not say whether there have been any complaints about a lack of enforcement.
"As a matter of law and policy, the (department) will investigate all circumstances where individuals and entities are reported to be withholding medical care from an infant born alive in potential violation of federal statutes for which we are responsible," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said in a statement.
"We will also take proactive steps to educate state officials, health care providers, hospitals and child protection agencies about their obligation to born-alive infants under federal law," Leavitt said.

The Born-Alive Infant Protection Act of 2002 amends the legal definitions of "person," "human being," "child" and "individual" to include any fetus that survives an abortion procedure.
Those who meet the definition of "individual" are entitled to certain protections under federal law. In particular, hospitals can't refuse to treat them.

HHS spokesman Kevin Keane said the department's action was not politically motivated. He said Leavitt had been asked about the issue at his confirmation hearing.
The National Right to Life Committee welcomed the department's move.
"The 2002 law and today's actions by the agency were both badly needed, because there are those in our society who have convinced themselves that some newborn infants — particularly those born alive during abortions, or with handicaps — are not really legal persons," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the group.

A spokesman for NARAL Pro-Choice America said the group had no comment and that it did not oppose the 2002 legislation because it did not impede on a woman's right to have an abortion.

Wrap....

By the Secret Service?!!!...

Man, what I'd give to have been around when these two events occured! Especially the first one. Talk about getting the hell shocked out of you! In the first, it's the bad guy. In the second, it's Kutcher.

SignOnSanDiego.com News Metro -- Man arrested for driving off in taxi*

Kutcher gets 'Punk'd' by senator, Secret Service The San Diego Union-Tribune*

Now I ask you, is this the way those very very serious guys in the dark suits, sunglasses and expressionless faces usually portrayed? I don't think so.... (still laughing)
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Choo-Choo #2

In an earlier post, I mentioned the increased number of train wrecks...and lo and behold, here's what I've just read in today's LA Times!



By Dan Weikel, Times Staff Writer

Alarmed about a surge in train accidents across California, state officials unveiled an ambitious plan Thursday to improve railroad safety and fill a void, they say, in federal enforcement of industry regulations.Meeting in San Francisco, the California Public Utilities Commission endorsed the plan and its 21 recommendations that affect a wide range of rail operations, such as grade crossings and tank cars that carry hazardous materials.

The action also is part of an effort by the commission to regain some of the regulatory power it lost to the federal government after a disastrous rail accident in 1991 that poisoned almost 40 miles of the Sacramento River near Dunsmuir. After the crash, the commission issued new rules designed to prevent similar accidents, but court rulings overturned the regulations, saying it was a federal responsibility.
"We have to be really aggressive in this area," commission Chairman Michael Peevey said in an interview."The whole thing is designed to elevate the safety discussion and the heat to get a better record here."

Commission members said they were concerned about a dramatic increase in train accidents in California since 1997.Excluding rail-crossing incidents, the number of crashes has risen from 105 in 1997 to 172 in 2004.If the trends continue, the commission projects 228 train accidents in California this year, more than double the number of 1997 crashes.In their decision, commissioners noted 10 serious accidents — six involving Union Pacific trains — that occurred mostly in Southern California during the last three years. They included a June 2003 crash in which 37 Union Pacific freight cars rolled unchecked for 33 miles from Montclair to Commerce before derailing.

The new plan calls for a process to cite railroads for rule violations and for more safety inspections by the commission of track, equipment and train operations.The agency also wants broader accident investigations that recommend safety improvements, collision warning devices for trains, and better communication with the Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates the nation's passenger and freight railroads.Commissioners said their action was necessary because the federal agency had failed to adequately address the situation in California. They also said the railroads, in particular Union Pacific, had not provided the commission with satisfactory explanations for the latest rash of accidents.

John Bromley, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the railroad supported "all efforts to improve rail safety, like inspections and better grade crossings."But Bromley said Union Pacific wanted to avoid a proliferation of state regulations across the nation that could conflict with federal laws and complicate transcontinental rail operations.Regulating the nation's railroads has been primarily a role of the federal government — a responsibility that has been upheld in court.



Problems such as these are a direct result of the Republicans thirst for deregulation of all things.
Always looking out to protect the rich, whether individuals or corporate.
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Duct tape...

This is damned outrageous! Is there any entity, human, organization or agency that this lousy stinking dishonest, administration doesn't want to silence by intimidation or force or whatever means they can get their hands on? Slap the equivalent of duct tape over all mouths? Just look at this supreme bullshit:

Air Marshal Sues Homeland Security Chief
By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press WriterThu Apr 21,10:23 PM ET
A federal air marshal on Thursday sued Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to block government rules that prevent him from speaking out about possible security lapses.
The federal complaint, filed in Riverside by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, claims the rules infringe on Frank Terreri's free speech rights.
Terreri, 38, objects to policies he believes threaten aviation security, lawyers said. Among his concerns are visible flight check-in procedures and a formal dress code that could compromise marshals' undercover status, and news stories approved by federal administrators about training and tactics.
Restrictions imposed in August 2002 prohibit airline security agents from criticizing other Federal Air Marshal Service employees, speaking publicly and releasing information about the agency, the lawsuit said.
David Adams, an air marshal spokesman, said officials had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on any pending cases.
Terreri was unavailable for comment because of the rules, his attorneys said.
Terreri, a Southern California resident based at an Irvine field office, was taken off flight duty last October after he allegedly complained to colleagues in an e-mail that a People magazine story about an air marshal posed a safety risk because it discussed operational details.
The discipline also followed strong criticism about agency policies by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, whose air marshal unit is headed by Terreri.
The organization has called for the resignation of air marshal service director Thomas Quinn, who is also named in Terreri's suit.
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.



Homeland Security's idiot decisions and short-sighted rules become more a joke as time goes by. The problem is that with things like the above, they're also becoming a danger to the nation in their own way.

What do you think, Sam?
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Support who?....

Looks to me as though BushCo continues to save it's support for anybody rich enough, rather than the troops. Consider first:

HISTORIC RECRUITMENT SHORTFALLS: The numbers tell the disturbing tale. The Army in February failed to fill its monthly quota of volunteers sent to boot camp for the first time in five years. The Marine Corps recently missed its monthly recruitment goal for the first time in ten years. The National Guard missed its annual recruitment goal for the first time in eleven years. (Both the Army and the National Guard missed their recruitment goals again in March, by an even greater margin than in February.) The share of females in Army recruiting classes is steadily declining. And "the number of foreign nationals enlisting in the US military is dropping, even though service now provides a fast track to American citizenship," the Associated Press reported this week.

Could this be part of the problem?

UNPROTECTED TROOPS: Shockingly, a "third of the 35,000 Humvees and other trucks in Iraq" still "rely on sheet metal as a last-minute solution" to thwart insurgent attacks. And until yesterday, the war supplemental bill didn't include one red cent for armored Humvees and trucks. In an eleventh hour push, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was able to crowbar roughly $200 million into the Iraq package for armor costs. Too bad the Army and Marine Corps say they need at least $750 million to finish the job.

Yeah...I'd say so. You'll notice who is supporting our troops...and it ain't BushCo.
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Once upon a time...

...there was another war, whose soldiers stood for us. We need to stand for them and all who have come after. Do take a moment for this:

http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/PASSINGOFGENERATION.HTML

Use sound if you have it.
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Thursday, April 21, 2005

No surprise...

...that Colin Powell, former SecState doesn't much like the idea of John Bolton being our Ambassador to the UN. Would hate to think how long Bolton would have lasted had he served under Powell when Powell was a General in the Army. Ten seconds maybe? Ouch!

Why is it that so many Republican congressional members continue to say things that offend the maximum number of people? Like Santorum (R-PA)...who's announced that the minimum wage for waiters and waitresses should be just the smallest amount more, because they get tips. Wonder if he knows that in some states that wage is $2.30 an hour? And does he know that tips have to be reported and are taxed? That in some states they don't report tips because the restaurants or bars or whatever simply assume that whatever the amount of the bill is, the customer has tipped that amount whether they have or not, and the employees are then taxed based on that amount? And that in most restaurants the waiters and waitresses also tip the bus boys/girls and sometimes the cooks as well out of whatever amount of tips they've earned that shift? Santorum should have read "Nickled and Dimed" before he opened his big mouth.

There are fools and damned fools and he's the latter.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2005

So, there...

http://morialekafa.blogspot.com/ is his URL.

Just read, in the NY Times online, the article about Condi meeting Putin in Moscow. Had a pic with the article (on the front page). The pic is shot from behind Condi and has Putin facing her across his desk. If ever I've seen Putin's former KGB face, this is it. I'd give much to know just what he's thinking, I kid you not. Expressionless, he is. The eyes are what give him away. Talk about intense. I'd give odds the NSA (National Security Agency) has even every breath either of them took secured in their computer files. To say nothing of the tiniest inflection in their voices. And the pauses between words. Hell, they've got any of us, worldwide, any time they want to bother...automatically. The NSA analysts then decide just who or what needs looking into. They're the greatest scanners in the world. That, I must say, is one hell of an outfit this nation has operating. Whoa!
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Morialefaka....

There are few blogs I enjoy more than this guy's...Morialefaka. When he pitches a fit, he really pitches a good one. The man does not, in any way, shape or form, appreciate BushCo and their doings. Here's how he started out today:

"Where do people get their ridiculous ideas? For example, Chafee's excuse for voting for Bolton (unless he changes his mind) is that the President is entitled to name anyone he wants for various positions. If that is so, why is the Senate involved at all? Why can't the President just announce who he wants and that is that? Because that would give him dictatorial powers. What if he decided he wanted Falwell or Robertson to take over civil rights? Or Attila the Hun to be Secretary of State? Clearly the idea that the President ought to be able to have whoever he wants is utter nonsense. Chafee is just a wimp. But as of today Condi Rice is reported to have used the same argument. How pathetic. Bolton is an absolutely stupid unreasonable appointment and should by all means be resisted. Of course Bolton is Cheney's choice, and as Cheney is really the President what can poor old Dubya do?"

Hah! And that's just the start! Before he's finished, he nails DeLay as well. Just a delight, this guy!
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Plain truth...

Seems as though more and more of the major media are giving a thumbs-down when it comes to John Bolton. More, they're not shy about saying why he's a bad choice. I'm not too sure, however that I want to see Bolton as Ambassador to France! I like France. They gifted us with the Statue of Liberty.

Bolton Should Step Aside
The Los Angeles Times Editorial
Wednesday 20 April 2005

President Bush's nomination of John Bolton to become United Nations ambassador began as an embarrassment and is ending as a disgrace. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was right to delay a scheduled vote and resist being railroaded by the administration into approving him.

Bolton's infantile crack that it would make no difference if the U.N. lost its top 10 floors already testified to his unfitness to serve as the United States' diplomat to the world. It may have been Bush's right to appoint someone provocative yet capable. But the revelations that have emerged over the past weeks in the Senate call into question Bolton's basic ability to do the job.

On issue after issue, whether North Korea or Iraq, Bolton has wielded a wrecking ball. It might be possible to wave off one allegation of the misuse of intelligence - infighting always takes place in the government bureaucracy - but Bolton appears to have willfully and systematically suppressed and misused classified information, including bullying civil service officials who dared to challenge his apocalyptic assessments of North Korean, Iraqi and Cuban weapons programs. Former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin apparently had to intervene to protect a Latin American analyst from Bolton's wrath; Carl W. Ford Jr., the State Department's former assistant secretary of intelligence and research - the only government bureau to get it right on Iraq - describes him as a "serial abuser." And Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is rightly inquiring about Bolton's unusual request to look at National Security Administration intercepts and why he asked for the identities of analysts. Why indeed?

The best case that can be made for Bolton is that he's no worse than other neoconservative officials in the Pentagon who manipulated intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. But Bolton also appears to have a mean streak, a pattern of arrogant recklessness that bodes ill for this assignment. If there is anyone in the U.S. government who needs to be infinitely patient, it's the ambassador at the U.N., who must constantly engage representatives of dozens of nations - diplomats Bolton would no doubt find infinitely annoying. Not only does he lack the temperament for the job, it's hard to imagine why he'd want it.

Bolton surely can't want the job now, with the world on notice that even the Republican Senate has its misgivings about his nomination. Bush may find it hard to back down, so Bolton should do him and his country a favor and step aside. Maybe there is a consolation prize the White House could offer him. How about ambassador to France?

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Make notes...

These new books will be out sometime within the next 18 months, so if you see a title you'd like,
make a note. With 50,000 books coming out every year, I sure do!

From Publishers Weekly:
Former Fulbright scholar on Persian dialects, professor at Tehran University, and director of the American Institute of Iranian Studies, Colin MacKinnon's MORNING SPY, EVENING SPY, a novel on CIA anti-terrorist activities, to Diane Reverand at St. Martin's, for publication in spring 2006, in a two-book deal, by Philip Spitzer at Philip Spitzer Literary Agency (world).

LA police officer and investigator in the anti-gang unit Will Beall's LA REX and THE LION HUNTER, two novels set in South Central LA, that present a look at the life of the police and criminal cultures of this volatile city within a city, to Julie Grau at Riverhead, in a pre-empt, by Marc Gerald at The Agency Group (world). Film rights are with Shari Smiley at CAA.marcgerald@theagencygroup.com

Author of Gil's All Fright Diner A. Lee Martinez's IN THE COMPANY OF OGRES, a humorous fantasy novel about an army officer who has the annoying habit of returning from the dead, so he's assigned to lead the army's worst unit where his unique talents just might come in handy, and A NAMELESS WITCH, about a pair of star-crossed lovers: A white knight who is dedicated to the eradication of all evil and a witch with no name who is a cannibal with an overwhelming desire to nibble on his flesh, to Paul Stevens at Tor, in a nice deal (world).Paul.Stevens@tor.com

Raelynn Hillhouse's second novel, currently untitled, a modern day spy thriller about for profit, private intelligence companies and their involvement in America's war on terror, to Eric Raab at Forge, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (NA).

Sharon Weinberger's HAFNIUM DREAMS: Fringe Science and National (In)Security, the "somewhat bizarre" story of how the US government got behind the development of an "isomer weapon," a futuristic device that would supposedly rival the power of a nuclear bomb, even though it was completely baseless -- just one illustrative example of how the government has been increasingly backing initiatives based on bad science, to Carl Bromley at Nation Books, in a nice deal, by Michelle Tessler at Michelle Tessler Agency (NA).michelle@tessleragency.com

Wrap.

Point of Order!!!

Here's a partial from AP...sounds good to me. Bolton would be a horror at the UN.

At least one Democratic senator, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., said he will ask for a closed session so the committee can hear from intelligence officials about information Bolton requested relating to National Security Agency communications.
According to a spokesman for Dodd, Bolton asked for and received the identities of 10 U.S. officials involved in such secret NSA intercepts during the past four years.
"It's not clear what purpose Mr. Bolton was using this information for," said Dodd spokesman Marvin Fast. "The senator is concerned because it's his understanding that this information is rarely requested, and he wants to ensure that it was for official purposes only."
Democrats also want more information about Bolton's dealings with a woman employee during his time at the Justice Department in the late 1980s. The two clashed over the woman's request for extended maternity leave.
There were repeated questions by senators at his confirmation hearing last week concerning what Bolton may have done to punish or pressure underlings who crossed him. A senior colleague called him a "serial abuser."
Bolton Said He 'Lost Confidence' in Analysts
Bolton denied he did anything improper, but said he had "lost confidence" in two intelligence analysts who disagreed with him. Bolton also acknowledged that he had asked a U.S. spy agency for details of the secretly recorded communications of other U.S. officials.
Additional stories and details surfaced after the hearing, including that John McLaughlin, then the CIA's No. 2 official, intervened in 2002 to save the job of a Latin America analyst whom Bolton wanted transferred. The case of another analyst who had tangled with Bolton also emerged after the hearing. In that instance, Bolton allegedly accused the State Department officer of insubordination.
On Monday, The Washington Post reported anonymous allegations that Bolton often blocked former Secretary of State Colin Powell from receiving sensitive information for ideological or other reasons.

The rest of the article is at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/041905W.shtml

Heard part of that debate on radio, and Barbara Boxer and John Kerry w

Point of Order!

Here's a partial from AP...sounds good to me. Bolton would be a horror at the UN.

At least one Democratic senator, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., said he will ask for a closed session so the committee can hear from intelligence officials about information Bolton requested relating to National Security Agency communications.
According to a spokesman for Dodd, Bolton asked for and received the identities of 10 U.S. officials involved in such secret NSA intercepts during the past four years.
"It's not clear what purpose Mr. Bolton was using this information for," said Dodd spokesman Marvin Fast. "The senator is concerned because it's his understanding that this information is rarely requested, and he wants to ensure that it was for official purposes only."
Democrats also want more information about Bolton's dealings with a woman employee during his time at the Justice Department in the late 1980s. The two clashed over the woman's request for extended maternity leave.
There were repeated questions by senators at his confirmation hearing last week concerning what Bolton may have done to punish or pressure underlings who crossed him. A senior colleague called him a "serial abuser."
Bolton Said He 'Lost Confidence' in Analysts
Bolton denied he did anything improper, but said he had "lost confidence" in two intelligence analysts who disagreed with him. Bolton also acknowledged that he had asked a U.S. spy agency for details of the secretly recorded communications of other U.S. officials.
Additional stories and details surfaced after the hearing, including that John McLaughlin, then the CIA's No. 2 official, intervened in 2002 to save the job of a Latin America analyst whom Bolton wanted transferred. The case of another analyst who had tangled with Bolton also emerged after the hearing. In that instance, Bolton allegedly accused the State Department officer of insubordination.
On Monday, The Washington Post reported anonymous allegations that Bolton often blocked former Secretary of State Colin Powell from receiving sensitive information for ideological or other reasons.

The rest of the article is at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/041905W.shtml

Heard part of that debate on radio, and Barbara Boxer and John Kerry were both shouting, "Point of Order" to keep the Repubs from ramming it through.
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Putting his foot down!

As many of you may know, San Diego is having a hell of time since messing around with the Pension (underfunding it) to the point everybody--Feds, City Atty, et al--are raising the devil and Wall Street as well, and our Mayor, Dick Murphy has been annointed one of the three worst mayors in the nation by Time Magazine, things are not going well. So Murphy is taking steps. Just rec'd this email:

"On Mark Larson's (radio) show today:Show guest was Dick Murphy, who announced he's cancelled his subscription to Time magazine."

By damn, that's a constructive step! (About died laughing!)
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Monday, April 18, 2005

Write well...

...the publishers are putting together teams of people to do nothing but read blogs...looking for you bloggers whose blogs might make a publishable book with some editing. Now before you get nervous, just remember that only about one in 20,000 submissions get turned into a book. Today, USA Today did an article on the blogs to books picked so far....and that includes Colby Buzzell, I'm happy to say. So here's the article:

"Publishers put bloggers between the coversBy Carol Memmott, USA TODAY

Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that bloggers — people who post personal stories and fiction on their Internet Web logs — would turn up their noses at the brick-and-mortar world of book publishing. After being fired for writing about her Capitol Hill sex life, blogger Jessica Cutler was offered a book deal with Hyperion.

By Todd Plitt, USA TODAY

So much for conventional wisdom. From Washington tell-alls to people on the front lines of Iraq, bloggers are jumping on the publishing bandwagon in a trend that industry insiders say benefits both writers and publishers."Anything that helps someone who is writing come to the attention of the public is going to help them on their road to being published," says Robert Miller, president of Hyperion, which in June will release The Washingtonienne, a novel by Jessica Cutler.

She's the woman who a year ago, on her short-lived blog, gained notoriety in Washington, D.C., for dishing about her sexual escapades on Capitol Hill. For publishers, Miller says, such notoriety provides a head start in attracting attention. "The hardest thing for publishers is getting any one book noticed, out of the 50,000-plus books published every year."

Another Washington blogger, Ana Marie Cox, the cheeky thirtysomething behind Wonkette (wonkette.com), also is writing a novel, Dog Days, due in October. It's a roman à clef set between the Democratic and Republican national conventions.Her publisher is Riverhead Books, where associate editor Megan Lynch says a big benefit of blogging is that it allows writers "to really hone a voice, and that's something that, to me as an editor, is very important to find."

While Cutler and Cox are turning toward narrative fiction, others are sticking with the blog form or developing traditional memoirs on blog topics:

•Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq by the pseudonymous Riverbend, a twentysomething Iraqi (in stores). The book contains a year's worth of blog entries (riverbendblog.blogspot.com) about living in war-torn Baghdad.

•Anonymous Lawyer (tentative title) by Jeremy Blachman (fall 2006). The Harvard Law student's fictional blog (anonymouslawyer.blogspot.com) is the basis for a novel in blog form about life inside a law firm where a senior partner commits an indiscretion that gets blown out of proportion.

•I'm Not the New Me: A Memoir by Wendy McClure (April 26). The book covers the same territory as McClure's Web site (Poundy.com): her struggles with weight and body image.

•My War by Colby Buzzell (fall). In the memoir, the U.S. Army soldier, whose blog entries (cbftw.blogspot.com) depict the Iraq war from the G.I. point of view, will expand on his front-line reports.

•Straight Up & Dirty: A Memoir by Stephanie Klein (April 2006). Klein's book, like her Sex and the City-like blog (stephanieklein.blogs.com), will recount her life as a divorcée in New York.
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Gonna guess, but I think one of the things that will be keying those publishers into giving a hard look at a particular blog would be the mentions of that blog on many other blogs. That would sure as hell cause me to take a look.
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