JustGetThere

Monday, March 31. 2008

Silenced is Golden

in Scuplture

Defined tags for this entry: absolutearts, american, art, blindfold, chains, citizen, iraq, iraqi, man, scuplture, silenced

"'Silenced' was a piece done during George Bush's steady push to gain support to go to war against Iraq. It bothered me to no end that after all the national and even larger international protest our government stubbornly disregarded it all."

A stunning sculpture piece by Matthew J. Zimny-Bauer; "Silenced" evokes the feeling of helplessness that many felt, as they watched the Bush administration's unrelenting push toward war.

When I look at this sculpture, I can't help but feeling that I've seen this image flashed across television screens all across the nation. Whether American or Iraqi, the powers behind this war would rather we all be the living version of this sculpture - but looking at it makes me all the more determined to rip off the blindfold.

See the whole photo and read more of Matthew's description of the piece ~ via Absolutearts

Economic Analysis

in Economics

Defined tags for this entry: Economics

I am not usually a fan of posting full articles with little or no commentary, but today that is what I am going to do. Sadly, I am not enough of a subject matter expert to talk intelligently about the intricacies of the economic decline in the United States. This article, however, outlines the cause and effect nature of the problem(s) and what may likely result.

Korea: Mutually assured destruction

in Geopolitics

Defined tags for this entry: Geopolitics

There are few places in the world not touched by the ideological – and often physical – war between Communism and Capitalism. Today though, very few examples of that war are left for the new generation to see. The primary exception to that is the cold war between North and South Korea.

The peace between North and South Korea has been shaky at best over the years, with upsets such as the North Korean nuclear-weapon programme threatening to break the peace. The administration of South Korean president Lee Myung Bak (elected last December) made it clear they would not be as tollerant as the pervious administration.

The current mounting crisis began in result of South Kroean military leadership threatening a pre-emptive strike on North Korean nuclear weapon sites. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea retaliated, threatening "everything will be in ashes, not just a sea of fire, if our advanced pre-emptive strike once begins."

A cresendo of conflict has stradily built across the world, and once again the United States finds itself overextended and unable to respond to a real threat to National Security. Rather, we have focused our forces at jumping at shadows and searching a haystack which may – or may not – have a needle burried within.

Read more here...
And here...

A gentle answer turns away wrath

in Experiences

Defined tags for this entry: Experiences

The GOP Senate convention took place this weekend as delegates from all over the greater Austin area came together for a fun filled afternoon of argument, debate and demagoguery. Packed parking lot, a late start, no break for lunch, and a five hour debate over the rules and proceedings, for a first timer the convention was a crash course in just how smoothly completely partisan politics can be.

The delegates were a mixed bag, with almost every flavour of “Republican” in attendance, and each group with their own agenda. The Old Hat Republicans were there to ensure the party’s power and future, with little regard to what future it was. The fringe extremists were there to publicly denounce John McCain as a “member of the New World Order.” And of course, there were middle class and moderates who fail to fit into other classes and are more often than not overlooked, not because of a lack of participation, but due to not causing or perpetuating disturbances. This year, however was something a little different. A large number of Ron Paul supporters were in attendance for the purpose of “retaking the party” through something akin to a Jeffersonian Revolution, however even amongst these ranks there were divides.

Candidate hopefuls were also in attendance, vying for support through witticisms and track record rhetoric. As they spoke, you could hear whisperers around you discussing the finer points of the speaker’s lies about what they had – or had not – done, said, or supported.

Each agenda had different thoughts on legislature that should be sent up. Unfortunately, many of the Ron Paul supporters in attendance were not taken seriously. The reason? They sought to change the party, change it’s platform, what it stood for and its very essence this year. As one delegate put it, “they have no concept of give and take – politics isn’t a win-lose game, it’s about getting what you can done and minimizing the damage of what you don’t want.” Many complained they were rude, knit picky, paranoid and, most frequently, unrealistic. On the other side of the coin, there were some who came to watch, learn and voice an opinion on the legislature already on the floor. They didn’t make unreasonable demands or call names, they followed the rules, made suggestions in a orderly, professional manner. And they got their changes made.

“You know, at this level, I agreed with most of what the party stood for,” said traditionally Libritarian voter turned Republican for Ron Paul. “If congressional and presidential candidates actually believed these issues they claim they stand for by representing the Republican Party, I would vote Republican way more often.” This was his first convention, and he came away from it with what he said was “a better understanding of why it’s so hard to get things accomplished.”

While radical change is only hope for the Republican Party, it cannot and will not happen over night, or even in a year. It’s commendable that activists go to their conventions and seek to better the party through it. But if an activist is to promote change, s/he must do it with a level voice and a rational argument, not by force of numbers or the loudest argument. This is a lesson we should take to heart now, lest additional damage is done to the reputation and thus the ability to effect change of Republican Party activists.

(All quotes by individuals wishing to remain anonymous.)

Friday, March 28. 2008

Spy-in-the-sky drone sets sights on Miami

in Surveillance

Defined tags for this entry: surveillance, technology

Tom Brown
Reuters
March 26, 2008

Robot spy drones to the rescue! The Surveillance Industrial Complex in the US is eroding civil liberties. Are we to actually believe that this increasingly Orwellian society is really any safer?

MIAMI (Reuters) - Miami police could soon be the first in the United States to use cutting-edge, spy-in-the-sky technology to beef up their fight against crime.

A small pilotless drone manufactured by Honeywell International, capable of hovering and "staring" using electro-optic or infrared sensors, is expected to make its debut soon in the skies over the Florida Everglades.

If use of the drone wins Federal Aviation Administration approval after tests, the Miami-Dade Police Department will start flying the 14-pound (6.3 kg) drone over urban areas with an eye toward full-fledged employment in crime fighting.

"Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes," said police department spokesman Juan Villalba.

"We intend to use this to benefit us in carrying out our mission," he added, saying the wingless Honeywell aircraft, which fits into a backpack and is capable of vertical takeoff
and landing, seems ideally suited for use by SWAT teams in
hostage situations or dealing with "barricaded subjects."

Miami-Dade police are not alone, however.

Taking their lead from the U.S. military, which has used drones in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, law enforcement agencies across the country have voiced a growing interest in using drones for domestic crime-fighting missions.

Read Full Article ~

Financial adviser arrested and forced to give DNA sample after spraying neighbour with garden hose

in Civil Liberties

Defined tags for this entry: civil liberties

Charlotte Gill
www.dailymail.co.uk
March 21st, 2008

"Entirely too much energy of our state police force is spent controlling honest citizens, simply because it is something they can succeed in doing."- Robert W. Burke

A man was given a police caution for spraying a neighbour with his garden hose in a row over gardening.

Bob Cornwall was questioned for three hours and had his fingerprints and a DNA sample taken after he squirted water at John Tait.

The 42-year-old financial adviser was washing his car with his five-year-old son Reece when Mr Tait complained that he had dumped some branches in his garden.

Mr Cornwall said: "He was angry, red-faced and shouting. I told him initially to go away and stop shouting but then he started calling me names in front of my son so I flicked the hose at him.

"Because I was cleaning my car the setting was only on a light spray so he was hardly drenched.

"I thought that was the end of it all. Within a couple of hours two officers turned up at my door and asked me to make an appointment for what I thought was going to be a chat."

Read Full Article ~

Your 'digital shadow' now exceeds data you create

in Technology

Defined tags for this entry: privacy, technology

Tony Waltham
bangkokpost.com
March 26, 2008

DIGITAL UNIVERSE SURVEY

With all the cyber-crime and security risks that exist in the current digital information explosion, it’s crucial that improved strategies for proper implementation of security systems adequately protect our personal data.
For the first time, the amount of digital information generated by others about the average person on a daily basis has surpassed the volume of information that individuals actively create themselves.

A white paper entitled "The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe," based on a survey by International Data Corporation which was sponsored by EMC Corporation, examines how society and the digital universe interact with one another. It finds that your "digital shadow," including web "footprints", surveillance video and records in databases now exceeds the volume of personal digital information people keep.

The IDC report addresses how individuals actively participate in contributing to the digital universe - leaving a digital footprint as Internet and social network users, email use, through the use of mobile phones, digital cameras and credit cards.

It refers to the information created about individuals as their "digital shadow" - highlighting the fast-growing passive contributions that individuals make to the digital universe - but discovered that only about half of a person's digital footprint was related to their individual actions such as taking pictures, sending emails, or digital voice calls.

Read Full Article ~

Psychedelics in psychology

in Drug War

Defined tags for this entry: Drug War

Prior to its scheduling in 1984, MDMA, or Ecstasy, was primarily used by professionals in the mental health industry. Since then, MDMA has been Schedule I, declared to have no medical value, despite years of use as a therapeutic tool by psychologists and psychiatrists.

In 2001, Dr. Mithoefer was approved by the DEA to begin experimentation into MDMA as a treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and in 2004 the project was fully approved. The results, while premature, appear exciting for proponents of psychedelic research, Read more here... Read here for the Dr. Mithoefer’s Protocol.

Peace to Kosovo...?

in World War

Defined tags for this entry: peace, world war

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Balkans region of Eastern Europe has seen its share of turmoil. Since 1999, the United States has been involved in the Kosovo Defense Campaign, along with several other multinational and UN forces. US forces became involved after the Račak killings in which 40 Kosovo Albanians were massacred, presumably by Serbian police.

In February, 2008, Kosovo parliament, headed by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci declared independence from Serbia, being recognized by The UK, France, Germany, the United States, and more recently South Korea.

What does that mean for the National Guard soldiers of Task Force Falcon who are still deployed in Kosovo?

Read more here:

BBC Report
Korean News report
Task Force Falcon

Thursday, March 27. 2008

Lord Rothschild Supports McCain With A Fundraising Feast

in Politics

Defined tags for this entry: Politics

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post

LONDON -- Sen. John McCain took a break from meetings with high-level government officials in Europe and the Middle East this afternoon for a good, old-fashioned $1,000 to $2,300 presidential fundraiser in the heart of downtown London. An invitation sent out by the campaign says the luncheon will be held at Spencer House, St. James’s Place, “by kind permission of Lord Rothschild OM GBE and the Hon Nathaniel Rothschild.”

McCain spent more than two hours in the stately, 18th-century stone palace that once served as a home to the Spencers, of Diana fame. Located at the end of a private cul-de-sac, the house now serves part time as an exclusive locale for such functions. (Its website calls it "an elegant backdrop for civil weddings, wedding receptions, musical evenings, lectures and press presentations.")

Guests arrived in -- what else -- drizzling, cold rain under umbrellas for the luncheon event, which featured fish on a bed of spinach, duck salad and an ice cream flambe with raspberry sauce, according to one of the guests.

"It was great food," said Cathy Manganelli, of New York, who was there with her husband, Ray Manganelli, and their 16-year-old son, Chris.

Aides refused to talk about the fundraiser, or to say how much money was raised, and McCain dashed through the rain away from reporters after emerging. One guest said there were about 100 people at the luncheon. If they all gave the maximum, the event would have raised about $230,000 for the campaign.

Manganelli said McCain opened the fundraiser by talking about the souring U.S. economy, but the discussion soon shifted to foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, where McCain spent much of the last week. He discussed Iraq, Iran, North Korea and global warming, according to Ray Manganelli.

The Arizona senator has said repeatedly that his trip abroad this week is not a campaign event. Rather, he insists, it is a fact-finding mission typical of those he has long conducted as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. The trip is being paid for by the U.S. government.

They gave him person of the year??

in Geopolitics

Defined tags for this entry: Geopolitics

There is a sense of nostalgia in the air as President Bush agreed to meet with the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin next week to discus a Nato and Russian strategy in regards to the US missile defense system. Many will remember saber rattling by Putin and Russia late last year in response to the US announcement of intent to build a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic to "knock out incoming ballistic missiles potentially coming from North Korea and Iran."

But what less of you may remember was President Putin dissolving the Russian government months before the parliamentary and presidential elections in Russia. “’…we must all think about how to structure the government so that it better suits the pre-election period and prepares the country for what will happen after the parliamentary and presidential elections.’” This event, requested by the former Prime Minister and executed by Putin, caused significant political turmoil in Russia due to its close proximety to both the presidential and parlimentary elections in Russia.

2007 marked Putin’s second and final term as president under the Russian constitution, and the former president made it clear he intended to honor the constitutional requirements. Six month later, Vladimir Putin is Prime Minister of Russia, having technically made good on his world to honor the constituional requirements. Many wonder, however, if power has truly changed changed hands. President Medvedev was elected by a landslide (70% of the popular vote) in early March, but through his disassembly of the government before the election Putin has “[set] up a system of check and balances that would weaken his successor,” a move some believe was engineer to "[create] the strongest such center, with himself as its head."

Time Magazine gave Vladamir Putin their venerable title “Person of the Year” for 2007, calling him Russia's new "Tsar." But is Putin’s political maneuvering in the best interests of Russia or the rest of the world?

Vladamir Putin began his career as a KGB agent in East Germany during the Cold War. His taskings were threefold: to develop intelligence related to the US Army’s Green Berets, to recruit young potential from a technical university, and to collect on the actions of the East Germany government. After distancing himself from the KGB, Putin went from a cab driver in Linengrad to chief aid of to the Mayor of Linengrad seemingly overnight. From there, Putin’s career spiraled upwards to the highest executive power (More Information). But is there a darker side to his ascent to power? Since his first term as president, Putin’s appointees have "four in five officials worked forthe KGB, or continue to work for one or more of its successor organization."

There is no denying Putin’s popularity amongst the people of Russia. He has raised wages and brought wealth to Russia through oil during his administration. However, Boris Nemtsov, Russia’s champion of democracy believes Putin has "stamp his authority on the country," and independent legislator Vladimir Ryzhkov believes Russia, under Putin, " 'losing the battle for democracy.'"

I once heard a military officer express nostalgia for the good old days of the Cold War, preparing and engaging in force on force warfare, and today, the US military has nearly abandoned the concept in favour of urban and counter insurgency warfare. Where does this leave the US in the event of something unforeseen? Also, in light of the political and foreign policy debacles of the United States throughout the Cold War, what lessons can we embrace as Russia’s new “Tsar” rises?

Wednesday, March 26. 2008

I Was Kidnapped by the CIA

in War on Terror

Defined tags for this entry: war on terror

By Peter Bergen

Mother Jones
March/April 2008 Issue

The CIA sends captured terrorist suspects to other countries for interrogation; the term for this practice is “extraordinary rendition.” Suspects are sent to Egypt, Uzbekistan, Jordan or other Middle Eastern countries that allow torture. Therefore, the prisoners can be coerced into giving up information they wouldn't provide otherwise. Torture used to elicit intelligence is counterproductive, as detainees will practically confess to anything when subjected to atrocious pain. This practice is immoral and illegal and could also lead to our own soldiers being tortured in return. As American citizens, we must never justify the inhumane treatment of others for the sake of our security.

Inside the CIA's extraordinary rendition program and the bungled abduction of would-be terrorists.

For hours, the words come pouring out of Abu Omar as he describes his years of torture at the hands of Egypt's security services. Spreading his arms in a crucifixion position, he demonstrates how he was tied to a metal door as shocks were administered to his nipples and genitals. His legs tremble as he describes how he was twice raped. He mentions, almost casually, the hearing loss in his left ear from the beatings, and how he still wakes up at night screaming, takes tranquilizers, finds it hard to concentrate, and has unspecified "problems with my wife at home." He is, in short, a broken man.

There is nothing particularly unusual about Abu Omar's story. Torture is a standard investigative technique of Egypt's intelligence services and police, as the State Department and human rights organizations have documented myriad times over the years. What is somewhat unusual is that Abu Omar ended up inside Egypt's torture chambers courtesy of the United States, via an "extraordinary rendition"—in this case, a spectacular daylight kidnapping by the Central Intelligence Agency on the streets of Milan, Italy.

First introduced during the Clinton administration, extraordinary renditions—in which suspected terrorists are turned over to countries known to use torture, usually for the purpose of extracting information from them—have been one of the cia's most controversial tools in the war on terror. According to legal experts, the practice has no justification in United States law and flagrantly violates the Convention Against Torture, an international treaty that Congress ratified in 1994. Nonetheless, Congress and the American courts have essentially ignored the practice, and the Bush administration has insisted that it has never knowingly sent anyone to a place where he will be tortured.

Read Full Article ~ Mother Jones.com

Supreme Court rules Bush exceeded his powers

in Civil Liberties

Defined tags for this entry: Civil Liberties

By David G. Savage

Los Angeles Times
March 26, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court rebuffed President Bush on Tuesday for exceeding his powers under the law, ruling he does not have the "unilateral authority" to force state officials to comply with an international treaty.

The Constitution gives the president the power "to execute the laws, not make them," said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Unless Congress passes a law to enforce a treaty, the president usually cannot do it on his own, he said.

The 6-3 decision was a rare defeat for Bush in the courts, and it came in an unusual case that combined international law, foreign treaties and the fate of foreign nationals condemned to die in Texas, California and several other states.

In a surprise move three years ago, Bush intervened on the side of the Mexican government and said Texas prosecutors should reopen the cases of Jose Medellin, a Houston murderer, and several others serving death sentences. Bush cited the Vienna Convention, which obliges signing countries to notify each other when one of their citizens is arrested and charged with a serious crime. Mexico said American prosecutors failed repeatedly to give notice when Mexican natives were charged with capital crimes.

In rejecting Bush's order Tuesday, the high court, led by its conservatives, took the opportunity to make a strong statement on the limits of presidential power.

Roberts cited the "first principles" of America's Constitution. "The president's authority to act, as with the exercise of any governmental power, must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself," Roberts said. "[G]iven the absence of congressional legislation . . . the non-self- executing treaties at issue here did not expressly or impliedly vest the president with the unilateral authority to make them self-executing.

"It should not be surprising," Roberts added, "that our Constitution does not contemplate vesting such power in the Executive alone."

The decision upholds Texas prosecutors and judges who refused to reopen the cases of the Mexican nationals on death row there. By implication, it also blocks a challenge on behalf of several dozen Mexican natives who are serving death sentences in California.

The three dissenters, led by Justice Stephen G. Breyer, took the view that treaties are part of American law once they are ratified by the Senate.

At the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino said the decision was a defeat, but on a narrow issue. "We're disappointed with the decision, but we're going to accept it, and we're going to be reviewing it in regards to the impacts that it may have," she said.

Since 2001, Bush has claimed the power to run the war on terrorism without interference from Congress or the courts. He and his White House lawyers have said his powers as commander in chief of the armed forces allow him to act unilaterally to protect the nation's security.

Citing this authority, he ordered the military to imprison "enemy combatants" without charges or hearings, and he told the National Security Agency to intercept international phone calls from suspected terrorists without seeking judicial warrants. He also has claimed the power to order harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists without oversight from Congress or the courts.

Civil libertarians have gone to court repeatedly to challenge Bush's actions, but they have won few clear victories.

Read Full Article ~ Los Angeles Times

'Second Thoughts about Fluoride,' Reports Scientific American

in Health

Defined tags for this entry: health

Reuters
Wed Jan 2, 2008

Sodium Fluoride is a byproduct of aluminum, it’s an insidious poison and is highly toxic. Nevertheless, it is being used in many toothpastes and currently in the water supplies of US and Canada. It was used in the Nazi camps when it was put in the inmates' water supplies to suppress their urge to resist their captors and make them submissive. Stalin also used sodium fluoride in his camps for the same purposes. It causes neurological damage and lowers your IQ, is harmful to your kidneys, can lead to hypothyroidism, and brittling of the bones and teeth. In addition, fluoride toxicity causes gastrointestinal and cardiovascular complications. Mounting evidence indicates that water fluoridation is dangerous and we must call for an end of it.

NEW YORK -- "Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland," reports Scientific American editors (January 2008). "Scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift," writes author Dan Fagin.

"Fluoride, the most consumed drug in the USA, is deliberately added to 2/3 of public water supplies theoretically to reduce tooth decay, but with no scientifically-valid evidence proving safety or effectiveness," says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.

Fagin, award-wining environmental reporter and Director of New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, writes, "There is no universally accepted optimal level for daily intake of fluoride." Some researchers even wonder whether the 1 mg/L added into drinking water is too much, reports Fagin.

Read Full Article

Cigarette Company Paid for Lung Cancer Study

in Health

Defined tags for this entry: Health

By GARDINER HARRIS
March 26, 2008

In October 2006, Dr. Claudia Henschke of Weill Cornell Medical College jolted the cancer world with a study saying that 80 percent of lung cancer deaths could be prevented through widespread use of CT scans.

Small print at the end of the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, noted that it had been financed in part by a little-known charity called the Foundation for Lung Cancer: Early Detection, Prevention & Treatment. A review of tax records by The New York Times shows that the foundation was underwritten almost entirely by $3.6 million in grants from the parent company of the Liggett Group, maker of Liggett Select, Eve, Grand Prix, Quest and Pyramid cigarette brands.

The foundation got four grants from the Vector Group, Liggett’s parent, from 2000 to 2003.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen, editor in chief of the medical journal, said he was surprised. “In the seven years that I’ve been here, we have never knowingly published anything supported by” a cigarette maker, Dr. Drazen said.

An increasing number of universities do not accept grants from cigarette makers, and a growing awareness of the influence that companies can have over research outcomes, even when donations are at arm’s length, has led nearly all medical journals and associations to demand that researchers accurately disclose financing sources.

Dr. Henschke was the foundation president, and her longtime collaborator, Dr. David Yankelevitz, was its secretary-treasurer. Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of Weill Cornell, and Arthur J. Mahon, vice chairman of the college board of overseers, were directors.

Vector issued a press release on Dec. 4, 2000, saying that it intended to give $2.4 million to Weill Cornell to finance Dr. Henschke’s research. Articles in Business Week and USA Today mentioned the gift. No mention was made of the foundation, begun so hastily that its 2000 tax return stated “not yet organized.”

Paul Caminiti, a Vector spokesman, confirmed that the company donated $3.6 million to the foundation over three years. The company “had no control or influence over the research,” he said.

Prominent cancer researchers and journal editors, told of the foundation by The Times, said they were stunned to learn of Dr. Henschke’s association with Liggett. Cigarette makers are so reviled among cancer advocates and researchers that any association with the industry can taint researchers and bar their work from being published.

“If you’re using blood money, you need to tell people you’re using blood money,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. The society gave Dr. Henschke more than $100,000 in grants from 2004 to 2007, money it would not have provided had it known of Liggett’s grants, Dr. Brawley said.

Read Full Article ~ NY Times