Action Point with Cynthia Black 02-17-2008 The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• PERSONAL SECURITY: Christian Right's Emerging Deadly Worldview: Kill Muslims to Purify the Earth: You know, I was once skeptical of claims that the religious right posed a threat to average Americans. I grew up in the age of “Jesus Freaks” who were more irritating than troublesome. Once online access gave me “eyes-on” access to their thinking, I knew I was wrong. Today's “Jesus Freaks” want to kill, and they have the government to do it. So here is yet another chilling but sad update on how the “least of these” is trying to actually obliterate “the rest of them”:

  Walid Shoebat, Kamal Saleem and Zachariah Anani are the three stooges of the Christian right. These self-described former Muslim terrorists are regularly trotted out -- a few days ago they were at the Air Force Academy -- to spew racist filth about Islam on behalf of groups such as Focus on the Family. It is a clever tactic. Curly, Larry and Mo, who all say they are born-again Christians, engage in hate speech and assure us it comes from personal experience.

• RESOURCE (FRAMING): Students Are Like Plants, Not Widgets: Rockridge Institute's excellent advice for presenting Democratic policy on education issues.

• POLITICS: NATIONAL: CAMPAIGN 2008: Less Jobs More Wars: is an interesting new video and campaign from Brave New Films that you can use to frame the McCain war rhetoric in the context of it's likely losses-- American economic security.
  

AND Democracy For America has taken on an interesting wrinkle in elections for Democrats this year: super-delegates. As you know by now, super-delegates were designed by the Democratic party to alter the popular vote would it not turn out the candidate the party elite had intended may not get elected, as happened at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention. DFA has some suggestions with Let The Voters Decide on what to do about that:

Thirty-seven states and U.S. territories have already voted and we don't have a clear nominee. Senators Clinton and Obama are in a delegate race to the nomination. There are a lot of ways that delegates get assigned to a specific candidate, but almost all of the allocated delegates are directly tied and bound by the actual votes in each primary or caucus - all of them that is, except super-delegates.

• DIRTY TRICKS: Americans United Urges IRS To Investigate Two Religious Right Groups For Biased Voter Guides:

  The Internal Revenue Service should investigate two prominent tax-exempt Religious Right groups that produced biased voter guides for the presidential election, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

  In complaints filed today with the IRS, Americans United charged that voter guides produced by the American Family Association and WallBuilders are clearly designed to promote Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

  The guides, posted on the groups’ Web sites, list the Republican candidates and their alleged stands on a range of issues, such as support for a human life amendment, “traditional marriage,” “business freedom” and “moral education” and opposition to “gay pride.” Only Huckabee is assigned a “yes” stance on all of the issues.

  AND: 3 US workers face investigation over Obama e-mail:

  Three federal employees are being investigated for unlawful political activities after they allegedly sent an e-mail falsely accusing Barack Obama of being a "radical Muslim," the Globe has learned.

• ENVIRONMENT: Does carbon trading really work?: Larry Lohmann, editor of Carbon Trading: A Critical Conversation on Climate Change, critiques cap-and-trade.

• NATIONAL SECURITY (IRAN): In 2007 I committed to preventing an unnecessary strike on Iran and formed a small ad-hoc group, Strike Prevention Task Force, through which to do my part. This video “The Folly of Attacking Iran” also found on one of my favorite resources, Iran Nuclear Watch, is a must-see!

• SPEAKING OF TORTURE: Lieberman Endorses Waterboarding Since 'It's Not Like Using Hot Coals' on People:

  Yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) "reluctantly acknowledged" that he doesn't believe waterboarding is torture. According to the Connecticut Post, Lieberman downplayed the severity of the waterboarding because it doesn't inflict permanent physical damage...

• THE ANDREW MYERS FILE (or How I Learned to Stop Caring About Overt Government Insecurity Interfering With My Right to Privacy): Bush orders Clampdown on Flights to US:

  The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel, including allowing armed guards on all flights from Europe to America by US airlines. The demand to put armed air marshals on to the flights is part of a travel clampdown by the Bush regime that officials in Brussels described as "blackmail" and "troublesome", and could see west Europeans and Britons required to have US visas if their governments balk at Washington's requirements. According to a US document being circulated for signature in European capitals, EU states would also need to supply personal data on all air passengers overflying but not landing in the US in order to gain or retain visa-free travel to America, senior EU officials said.

  (Hat-tip -- Citizens For Legitimate Government)

• No Comment: I have a personal commitment to aiding those with environmentally induced toxic responses, sometimes called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, et al. This You Tube link came to me from an online resource seeking support via email to British government authorities to help the victim in this case receive protection. Please, do what you can.

Scalia Thinks Torture is Constitutional

There are so many indignations that pass the scrutiny of Americans daily: atrocities in Darfur, the acidification and demise of oceans and the creationist Huckabee's bid for the most important job in the world-- that one more should not surprise me, but this one, from this man, stands out among the others.

Scalia says courts shouldn't prohibit torture: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia rejected the notion that US courts have any control over the actions of American troops at Guantanamo Bay, argued that torture of terror detainees is not banned under the US Constitution and insisted that the high court has no obligation to act as a moral beacon for other nations."

Just remember when you consider petulantly that you will not vote this November, that somewhere a Republican who will dreams of his candidate appointing Scalia clones to the remaining two SCOTU seats.

Action Point with Cynthia Black 12-30-2007: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• HEALTH ALERT: CDC Works to Track Down 44 Passengers Who Flew With TB-Infected Woman: Six degrees of separation: do you know any one of these people?

• SPEECHLESS: Insurer won't pay for colonoscopy anesthetic: Having had one of these nasty tests myself I can assure not using anesthetic should only be visited upon anyone MAKING THIS DAMN STUPID DECISION!!!

• Campaign Issue 2008: Iowa Saturated by Political Ads:

  One week before Iowa kicks off the presidential nomination contest, the campaigns are spending three times as much money flooding the airwaves and the Internet as candidates did in 2004, hoping to sway the huge number of undecided voters after months of on-the-ground appeals. And: Latest Polls Show Democrats in Dead Heat in Iowa: Similar to polls released last week, the latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll shows the Democratic contest between Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois to be neck-and-neck in New Hampshire, but in Iowa they are in a locked into a three-way tie with former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

• Fun, Snarky, Weird & Cool: Hello, Your Plants are Calling!: I kid you not:

  Botanicalls allows plants to place phone calls for human help. When a plant on the Botanicalls network needs water, it can call a person and ask for exactly what it needs. When people phone the plants, the plants orient callers to their habits and characteristics.

• ENVIRONMENT: EPA Prepares to Provide Documents on California Greenhouse Gas Decision:

  The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday signaled it is prepared to comply with a congressional request for all documents — including communications with the White House — concerning its decision to block California from imposing limits on greenhouse gases.

• MUST READ: The Path to a National Popular Vote: another excellent piece from David Sirota:

  Right now, many are frustrated about Iowa and New Hampshire voters having such oversized influence in Americas presidential elections. In a few months, as the general election campaign unfolds, we will be similarly frustrated about Ohio and Florida. Who arbitrarily gave this handful of states the disproportionate power to determine our national political path?

• "I Just Want to Tear Out My Hair" UPDATES: The Torture Tape Cover-Up: How High Does It Go? and SIEGELMAN PURGE:

  On January 10, we are asking friends and supporters of Gov. Siegelman to flex their muscles and focus the House and Senate's attention on the outrageous events that have occurred in the Political Prosecution of Gov. Siegelman;

• INTERNATIONAL: Police abandoned security posts before Bhutto assassination:

  Police abandoned their security posts shortly before Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination Thursday, according to a journalist present at the time, and unanswerable questions remain about the cause of her death, because an autopsy was never performed.

• Blogs I Like: ATHEIST REVOLUTION: No comment.

• Speaking Of Torture: Psychologist: Gitmo detainee to be released is 'broken into pieces': "

  In some very restrictive regimes, and Guantánamo Bay will fall into that category, the environments are actually designed to break people down," said Ogloff. "There's no long term goal of rehabilitating people or having them return to the community. So the issues that the individual faces is, in fact, being broken into pieces and having to really be put back together."

Action Point with Cynthia Black 11-18-2007: The Reference Shelf

Today's article and item links:

• From the Mukasey Fle: Bush Ushers in Mukasey, Defends Gonzales: Now watch this guy — very carefully.

• The Guliani File: News Corp And Fox News Have A Long, Chummy Relationship With Rudy Giuliani and Pat Roberston Conquers the Martians: "Robertson's proclamation of support for Rudy Giuliani was another classic moment of nonsensical silliness by another of America's holy blowhards.”
  

• The "President John Edwards" File: John Edwards: 'We Need Paper Ballots' and speaking of Election Integrity: Ballot Petition Fraud Occuring in Support of California's Republican Electoral College Initiative?

• Big Baby on Board: Bush to take aim at judicial confirmation process: Bush whines: '...too many Beltway insiders “interpret ‘advise and consent’ to mean ‘search and destroy.’ While you read just remember these phrases: “Activist judges” and “Litmus test”.

• I Think I'm Going to Scream Now: The Hollywood Prayer Network: From their “About Us” page: THPN is a non-denominational Christian prayer ministry for the purpose of praying for the people, the projects and the powerful influence of the Entertainment Industry. HPN believes that by mobilizing global prayer we can be a part of God's miraculous work of changing the spiritual climate of Hollywood, from the inside out. Will you join us in praying for Hollywood?

• MUST READ: Election '08 Meets The Great Education Myth: another excellent piece from David Sirota:

“Regular readers know my frustration with what I previously deemed The Great Education Myth in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle. This myth, omniscient in our media and political debate, states that America's problem with stagnating wages, job loss and benefits cuts is a problem of education. If only workers were better educated, the myth goes, their economic problems would be over.”

• ENVIRONMENT: Governors Join in Creating Regional Pacts on Climate Change: “Frustrated with the slow progress of legislation in Washington on energy and global warming, the nation’s governors have created regional agreements to cap greenhouse gases and are engaged in a concerted lobbying effort to prod Congress to act.”

• Update to The Andrew Meyers File (aka police over-reactions in a post 911 World): No comment.
  

“A Victoria man who filmed Robert Dziekanski's dying moments at Vancouver International Airport last month says the Polish immigrant was surrendering himself to police when officers shocked him with a Taser.

On Tuesday, Paul Pritchard said police piled on to the 40-year-old after he fell to the ground, and one officer dug his knee into the back of Dziekanski's neck until he went limp.

"On the video you will see some things that I didn't talk about before because I didn't see them until I reviewed the tape," Mr. Pritchard said in an interview Tuesday. "It's really brutal."

• Speaking of Torture: U.S. Army reiterates waterboarding ban: “With Congress' approval of a new attorney general who refused to describe waterboarding as torture, the U.S. Army has sent out a message to its leaders repeating that the interrogation technique is prohibited in the military.” Which is why of course, we have Blackwater!

• This is Bad (No, Really Bad) File: Saudi Arabia to Punish Survivor of Gang Rape with 200 Lashes and Prison Term: (From Alternet) “Yes, you read that right. A woman who was raped by six armed men is being punished by our BFF Wahhabists in Saudi Arabia. Huzzah for our awesome ally!”

“The 19-year-old Shiite woman was originally sentenced to receive 90 lashes for "being in the car of an unrelated male at the time of the rape," but after the woman had the unmitigated temerity of not unquestioningly submitting to being tortured as punishment for "getting herself raped," judges on Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council more than doubled her punishment for "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media."

• INCOMING: Secrecy provision buried in appropriations bill: Read it and weep.

• Weird: Lasers, Helmet Cams Ordered for U.S. Convoy Guards “The State Department plans to equip its motorcade security details in Iraq with lasers to "dazzle" suspect motorists and helmet cameras to record it all.”

• The Good News File: American students seek true view of Middle East "It's funny how it's different. It's just not a scary place at all," said University of Illinois student Anne Shivers, whose worried older brother offered her $400 not to come to Cairo. "I've explained it to my parents but they still don't believe me," she added.

• Arts and Leisure: A HuffPost Project: Posterizing the Modern GOP: These are so good my computer now sports one as background...
  

"Silverstein, who as co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners was behind the famous "Got Milk?" ad campaign and the Budweiser frogs, had such a grasp of what makes for effective communication in radio, movies, TV, and online, that I thought he might have some ideas on how to help the Democrats, who continue to struggle with framing an election where they are holding all the cards. He did... The result is three powerful posters that simply but graphically capture the lunacy of the modern GOP.”