Since when is killing oneself (and no one else) an act of war?

One of the big news stories over the weekend was the suicide of three prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. They hung themselves using bedsheets and clothing. [Read story.]

Navy Rear Adm. Harry Harris reportedly described the suicides as an "act of asymetric warfare".

Excuse me?

They killed themselves. They did not kill anyone else in the act. How is that an act of war?

If they had set off a suicide bomb in a crowded part of the prison, that could be considered an act of war. But that isn't what happened. They didn't take any unwitting participants with them.

They have been held at Gitmo for years without charge and without legal recourse. I don't know if they are guilty or innocent of terrorist ties, but international law dictates that they are entitled to their day in court so we can all find out.

But Bush doesn't care.

These detainees are presumed guilty and subjected to unimaginably harsh treatment.

It's no wonder that some of them kill themselves to escape this living hell.

Theirs was clearly an act of desperation.

They're not the ones committing the acts of war.

Zarqawi is dead. So now what?

Now there are conflicting reports about how Zarqawi died. An Iraqi eyewitness is suggesting that American troops found him alive and then beat him to death. [Read story.]

An autopsy is now being done on Zarqawi's body, and the results might be announced as early as tomorrow. I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering if the Bush administration will censor the autopsy results.

But, in any case, he's dead. He is out of the picture, and he won't be able to abduct and behead any more people, at least not personally. That is very good. But I must ask: Now what?

Zarqawi is only a small part of the terrorism problem. Osama is still on the loose. And some believe that Zarqawi's "martyrdom" will give rise to renewed terrorist activity against Americans and our allies in Iraq and beyond.

The attacks will continue as long as George W. Bush continues to ignore the true roots of terrorism and hide behind the propaganda that they attack us because they "hate our freedom."

The attacks will continue as long as Bush keeps swaggering and smirking and taunting them with "Bring 'em on."

Zarqawi is dead, but I don't feel any safer. Neither should you.

Proof that Bush is not making progress in his "war on terror"

George W. Bush keeps telling us that he's making progress in the war on terror.

The facts, however, tell us a very different story.

A friend (hi, PG) just told me about the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base online.

Go to the chart module and look up the number of international and domestic terror incidents from 2000 through 2006.

Of all the terrorists incidents over the past six years:

• only 7% happened in 2000, before George W. Bush was elected;

• 10% happened in 2001;

• 16% in 2002;

• 11% in 2003;

• 16% in 2004;

• 29% in 2005;

• and 11% happened already in 2006, and we're not even halfway through the year!

Way to go, George.

Michael Berg on Zarqawi's death: Revenge begetting revenge begetting revenge

In May of 2004, Philadelphia native Nicholas Berg became the first American civilian contractor to be abducted and beheaded in Iraq by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his thugs. The experience turned Michael Berg, Nick's dad, into a very busy peace activist and critic of the Bush administration's war policies.

While it's likely that many (indeed, perhaps most) parents in that kind of situation might instinctively react with bitterness and a thirst for revenge, Mike Berg seems to be more highly evolved than that.

Yesterday, just a few hours after the news of Zarqawi's death hit the airwaves, I received a message from Mike which provides a good example of why I've come to admire him so much after meeting him almost two years ago at a local rally for social justice.

Here is an excerpt from Michael Berg's note (which he requested be shared):
-----
I was awakened at 4:30 AM with the news of Zarqawi's death. I have said to over a dozen reporters so far today, that every human death diminishes me. I have said that Zarqawi's death is a triumph for revenge, for revenge is what killed Nick. I have said that Zarqawi's death will inflame the Iraqi resistance and perpetuate the endless cycle of revenge begetting revenge begetting revenge. I have said that the cycle must end, and that it ends with me. I take no joy in Zarqawi's death.
-----

Wow.

Imagine how much healthier and happier the world would be if more people shared this man's attitude.

Al Gore on SNL

Presumably as part of his tour to promote his new global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore recently appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

He was surprisingly hilarious. [Download the video clip. It's definitely worth seeing.]

This isn't the stiff Al Gore of the 2000 presidential campaign. Without the party strategists telling him how to act, he's actually very personable, likeable, and funny!

I saw this same new side of Gore in the movie. The SNL gig kinda reinforces this new image.

I suppose I just wish we'd had this Al Gore in the leadup to the 2000 presidential election.

Good news: Marriage amendment defeated in the Senate

This morning, the Senate defeated the Federal Marriage Amendment by a 49-48 cloture vote. [Read story.]

The bad news: 49 senators voted in favor of discrimination.

The good news: They failed to get the 60 votes needed to end the debate and move to a vote on the actual amendment.

Anyway, now that this vote is behind us, maybe they will stop wasting our tax dollars on ridiculous non-issues like this one and move on to something important.

[See how your senators voted.]

Bush vs. the facts on gay marriage

This week, the Senate is wasting our tax dollars debating whether to enact a Constitutional Amendment outlawing gay marriage and other spousal benefits for same-sex couples. George W. Bush has really been pushing for this.

In short, the Republicans want to write discrimination into the Constitution, so that gay and lesbian Americans would officially be designated as second-class citizens.

Fortunately, not everyone wants this, and the measure is not expected to pass. Meanwhile, the Center for American Progress has taken the trouble to do some fact checking.

Click here for their reality check on Dubya's June 5th remarks on the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment.

Army manual to skip Geneva Convention rule

Remember how the Bushies kept telling us that the torture at Abu Ghraib was just a few isolated instances caused by "a few bad apples"?

Well, now it's more than a few bad apples. It's the whole orchard. Apparently it's now official policy.

According to a piece in Sunday's Los Angeles Times, they are rewriting the Army Field Manual to deliberately exclude the parts about the Geneva Conventions and how you're not supposed to torture people.

The sky's the limit, folks. Torture is now U.S. military policy. God bless America. Wouldn't Jesus be proud?

Ummm, so does this mean that they'll free Lynndie England?

Everyone must see "An Inconvenient Truth"

"An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore's new film about global warming, came to Philadelphia this weekend. So, of course, I saw it.

My first thought as I watched the film: Wow, this global warming thing is even worse than I thought.

My second thought: Everyone must see this. Everyone in the world, but especially everyone here in the U.S.

If you haven't seen it yet, please see it immediately. And take all your friends and family members with you, especially those who have been listening to (and believing) the right-wing naysayers. Also take anyone who drives a vehicle that gets less than 25 miles per gallon. No, make it 30.

Click here to go to the film's official website and view the impressive trailer, check for show times, etc.

If this groundbreaking film is not yet scheduled to come to your town, please visit your local theater managers and urge them to show this film.

Global warming is about the future of this planet. The relatively near-term future, actually. This is urgent, folks.

It is not a Democratic issue nor a Republican issue. It should not be a political issue at all.

It's a family values issue. It's a human rights issue. It's a life-and-death issue.

Senator Frist's twisted priorities

In a recent appearance on Fox News, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) discussed what he believes are America's most pressing priorities: flag burning and gay marriage.

Excuse me?!

Sure, burning the American flag is in very poor taste. Sure, a very vocal minority believe that their religion prohibits homosexuals from acting on their God-given sexual orientation. But are these really the two greatest concerns affecting the everyday lives of the American people? Or is this a smokescreen designed to distract us from the real issues?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that today, almost five years after the attacks of 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still beyond our reach? That the greatest power in the world cannot find and capture a 6'5" Arab on dialysis hiding within a fairly limited geographical area?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that today, almost five years after the attacks of 9/11, they're still not screening much of the cargo on planes, trucks, trains, and ships?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that more than 2,400 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, in a war of aggression based entirely on lies?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that the Bush administration talks about human rights even as it plays with semantics and signing statements to reserve for itself the "right" to torture?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that in the past few years we went from a record surplus to a record deficit?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that the middle class is shrinking and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing wider?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that they’ve been giving tax breaks to billionaires while cutting back on the needs of the poor, the sick, and the elderly?

Is it meant to distract us from the cuts in education programs even as the U.S. holds an embarrassing ninth place among industrialized nations in its percentage of the population that holds at least a high school diploma?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that the chairman of Exxon received a $400 million retirement package while we're paying more than $3 for a gallon of gas?

Is it meant to distract us from all the domestic emergency response issues that still haunt the Bush administration almost a year after Hurricane Katrina?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that senior administration officials outed a covert CIA agent in order to punish her husband, who publicly criticized their phony justifications for war?

Is it meant to distract us from the fact that the Bush administration boasts about spreading freedom across the globe even as our own Constitutional rights are being systematically dismantled?

According to Senator Frist, these things aren't so important. We have far greater concerns than these. We must worry about the possibility that someone might set a piece of cloth on fire. And we must worry about what consenting adults are doing in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

According to Senator Frist, we must legislate discrimination and intolerance.

According to Senator Frist, nothing else really matters.

Revenge of the Dixie Chicks

It wasn't too long ago that the Dixie Chicks were blacklisted for criticizing George W. Bush during a concert. (Remember the First Amendment?)

But, ahhhhh, sweet revenge!

The Dixie Chicks are back, with an ass-kicking new album. And America is waking up.

Put those two things together, and you have the Dixie Chicks' new album debuting at #1 on the Billboard charts this week. At the same time, they become the first female group to have three albums debut in the top slot. Not the Bangles, not the Go-Gos. Only the Dixie Chicks. Wow.

This is a very good sign, socio-politically speaking.

You go, girls!

Bobby Kennedy Jr., Rolling Stone, and the fair voting crisis

I have long been a fan of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s environmental activism.

Now he's taking on the issue of fair elections, with an article in Rolling Stone. [Read it.]

Will his article make a difference in the upcoming mid-term elections? I doubt it, unfortunately. But we have to appreciate every effort to get the word out.

Ever since the 2000 election fiasco, we've been reading about how voting machines are so easily rigged. But I don't get the feeling that anyone in power is really doing anything about it.

The exit polls never produced hugely different results from the "official" count until these machines -- with no paper trail or other recount provisions -- came into common use. Coincidence?

We know how easy it is to flip votes cast on those machines, especially in so-called "blue states".

And we know that the head of the Diebold voting machine company promised to deliver the crucial state of Ohio to the Bush camp in the 2004 election.

But crying foul seems somewhat futile, since the Democrats in Washington lack the power and the cojones to fix this problem.

In the meantime, however, I want to point out that the Republicans shouldn't feel secure in their control of the voting apparati. You see, all it takes is one disgruntled software engineer on the other side of the fence to foil the plan.

So let's just play fair. If not for the sake of democracy, then do it because you just never know....

YOYOs vs. WITTs

According to a recent piece by Jared Bernstein at TomPaine.com, American politics boils down to the "you're-on-your-own" (YOYO) camp vs. the "we're in this together" (WITT) camp.

That is probably an over-simplification, but it's a valid one nonetheless.

Acronymic doubles-entendres aside, Bernstein does a good job of summarizing the dichotomy, the YOYO conservative state of denial, and why it's time for the WITTs -- i.e., a charged-up and well-messaged Democratic party -- to take over. [Read it.]

Is it not ironic that the YOYO Republicans keep touting themselves as Christians, even though the selfless and compassionate Jesus was clearly a WITT?

And do we have a strong enough leader to push the WITT movement forward?

Ultimately, a society is like a chain: only as strong as its weakest link.

Supporting the troops but not the war crimes

I've gotten a lot of hate mail in response to my article calling for Americans to support our troops. Most were written in light of the recent revelations of a massacre of civilians in Haditha.

To those folks, I offer the following:

I do not support or condone war crimes. When war crimes happen, the perpetrators should be held accountable and brought to justice, as far up the chain of command as necessary.

However, war crimes are committed by a relative few. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are not torturing detainees. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are not deliberately killing civilians in cold blood. Most U.S. troops in Iraq are scared young kids who are just trying to get through their tour of duty and go home. In the meantime, they follow orders.

These young men and women are under unimaginable stress, many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They are repeatedly stretched to the limits of sanity. Sometimes they snap. (Note: This is not an excuse.) The leadership can make all the difference.

Do not condemn all soldiers for the criminal actions of the few.

Will Enron employees see true justice?

Last Thursday, former Enron CEOs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were convicted of fraud and conspiracy. Sentencing is scheduled for September 11, interestingly enough. [Read story.]

I hope they spend the rest of their lives behind bars for the way they cheated so many of their employees out of their pensions and life savings.

Furthermore, I would like to see the employees receive full financial retribution.

They deserve nothing less.

But, sadly, I don't think it will happen.

In memory of our fallen troops - in good wars and bad

The Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., celebrated on the last Monday in May, is a day set aside to honor the military men and women who have died in service to this country. I can think of no worthier reason for a holiday.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in the American Revolution, who gave their lives to fight against the oppression of King George III, and who paved the way for this great experiment known as Democracy.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought for America in the War of 1812. Whether for the noble cause of defending American sovereignty against British invaders or the not-so-noble cause of American expansionism and conquering of the native peoples of this land, our American troops fought and died because they believed they were spreading freedom and democracy across this land.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought for America in the Mexican-American war. Though born of the concept of Manifest Destiny and perhaps seen by some as an opportunistic power/land grab, our American troops again rose to the call of duty. They fought and died because they believed in spreading the ideals on which this country was founded.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in the American Civil War. They fought this complex and bloody war to defend the Union and the social, political, and economic values for which it stands.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in the Spanish-American War. They gave their lives to free Cuba from brutal oppression by its Spanish occupiers.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in World War I. While President Wilson had tried to remain neutral in the war's early stages, German U-boat attacks on American merchant ships made our participation inevitable. Our troops bravely stood up to protect our nation's interests.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in World War II. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor threw this nation into the largest and deadliest war so far in history. Our American troops bravely fought with the Allies against the Axis Powers that were brutalizing much of Europe.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in the Korean War. Though often called the "forgotten war", we must not forget those who fought and died to keep South Korea free.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in the Vietnam War. They are perhaps our most under-appreciated war heroes, but we must remember that they did not choose to fight that war. They were the pawns of the Johnson and Nixon administrations, and administrations before them. The soldiers were just doing their job, and we must honor them for serving our nation, for good or for bad.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought in Operation Desert Storm. Under a United Nations mandate, our brave soldiers led an international coalition to liberate Kuwait.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought, and are still fighting, in Afghanistan, in Operation Enduring Freedom. These brave men and women are fighting and dying to avenge the attacks on America on 9/11. They remain there resolutely fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda even though vital resources were long since diverted to Iraq.

On this Memorial Day, I honor the brave troops who fought, and are still fighting, in Iraq, in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were sent there under false pretenses, with inadequate supplies, to fight a war not of necessity but of choice -- George W. Bush's choice. The troops had no choice. And we still await the answer to a long-standing question: What is this noble cause for which our soldiers are dying in Iraq?

Perhaps some day humankind will awaken to the realization that war and aggression are not the most effective way to resolve disputes, and we will appoint leaders who understand that true freedom can only be won through respect for the human rights of all.

In the meantime, whether you think a war is just or unjust, our soldiers must not take the blame for the follies of our leaders.

Regardless of the war they happen to be fighting, our troops deserve our full support. They were there when called to duty. They are America's truest heroes.

Did U.S. marines kill up to 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians?

Are we looking at another massacre of innocent civilians by U.S. troops?

According to an article in yesterday's Baltimore Sun, photographs taken by a Marine intelligence team "have convinced investigators that a Marine unit killed up to 24 unarmed Iraqis, some of them 'execution style', in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha after a roadside bomb killed one American last November."

According to the photos, the victims included several women and six children.

[Read story.]

This is horrible.

It is also a very complex issue.

On one hand, the Geneva Conventions forbid this kind of thing. Heck, a soldier's own conscience should forbid the cold-blooded killing of innocent children.

On the other hand, these Marines are in a living hell, and I'm sure that sometimes the stress and the fear get in the way of good judgment. It's not an excuse, but a possible explanation. And situations like this are where the quality of the leadership can really make a difference between life and death.

An investigation is ongoing. Hopefully it will be a very thorough investigation, all the way up the chain of command. And hopefully everyone responsible will be brought to justice, all the way up the chain of command.

First female conscientious objector sentenced for refusing deployment to Afghanistan

Earlier this week, Army National Guard Specialist Katherine Jashinski received a bad conduct discharge and was sentenced to 120 days confinement for "refusal to obey a legal order." [Read story.]

Specialist Jashinski refused deployment to Afghanistan on moral grounds, and was hoping to obtain conscientious objector status, but was denied. These days, the military needs all the bodies it can get, since they can't find new recruits.

How can you win a war when you force your soldiers to fight against their will?

Impending U.S. police state?

To say that we're headed for a police state sounds a bit over-the-top. However, there is no question that our human rights and civil liberties have been rapidly eroding under the Bush administration.

According to a piece by Allan Uthman titled Top 10 Signs of the Impending U.S. Police State, "[f]rom secret detention centers to warrantless wiretapping, Bush and Co. give free rein to their totalitarian impulses." [Read the article.]

This nation must change its course soon. With the upcoming elections in November, we have a chance. We cannot afford to blow it this time.

We must make a difference now, while we still have the power to do so.

Santorum starts the "swift boating" of Bob Casey

Here in Pennsylvania, Rick ("Man on Dog") Santorum has begun his desperate attempt to defend his senate seat against Bob Casey, his Democratic challenger in this year's election.

Basically, Santorum is inventing allegations that Casey campaign folks are spying on him -- at a home where he does not actually spend any time. [Read story.]

The really scary part is that this sort of thing works. The sheep will go to the polls in November remembering that Casey trespassed on Santorum's property (whether true or not).

Unfortunately, the credible denials don't stick as well in the public's mind.

Karl Rove himself couldn't have done a better job.

George W. Bush's war on democracy

George W. Bush's "war on terror" has been an easy excuse to wage a war on democracy. The White House works hard at keeping the American people in fear, so that they'll be willing (even eager) to accept his gradual distruction of the Constitution and his elevation of the Presidency to a position that stands above the law. It's for our own good, they tell is. It's to stop the terrorists who want to destroy our freedom.

Who needs terrorists when Bush is doing a fine job of destroying our freedom all by himself (with help from Rove, Gonzales, and the rest of that motley crew)?

There are some particularly good articles on the Web this week that elaborate on this issue. Read them and take them seriously:

• Rowan Wolf: A Slow Motion Coup

• Robert Parry: Bush's Garroting of Democracy

• Jim Hightower: Inside Donnie Rumsfeld's Orwellian Pentagon

In closing, I must once again quote that great Philadelphia patriot Ben Franklin, who is surely spinning in his grave as you read this. He wrote, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Trust Ben Franklin.

Amnesty: The "war on terror" is provoking more terror

In a press conference yesterday marking the launch of Amnesty International's 2006 annual report on the state of human rights around the world, Amnesty's Secretary General Irene Kahn highlighted how tactics used by the Bush administration and other world leaders in the so-called "war on terror" have actually served to provoke terrorism, rather than reduce it.

This is not a matter of opinion, folks. The facts speak for themselves. As Ms. Khan pointed out, "The number of attacks by armed groups has been going up according to research, and empirical evidence."

[Read more about Amnesty's annual report launch, and the major issues covered.]

[Browse Amnesty's 2006 annual report.]

Amnesty's annual report released today

This morning, Amnesty International, the human rights organization for which I serve as Philadelphia Area Coordinator, released its annual report on the state of human rights around the world.

Last year's report contained some heavy criticism of the Bush administration's conduct in the "war on terror", citing torture, unlawful detentions, etc. The Bush administration reacted by calling Amnesty's carefully researched findings "absurd", and saying that they do not take Amnesty's reports seriously. (Never mind the fact that they quoted our reports on Saddam Hussein's human rights abuses to justify their attack on Iraq. They take us seriously when our reports suit their agenda.)

Will they once again resort to their shoot-the-messenger tactics? Will they react to this year's report by again trying to discredit us?

Check out this year's report and assess the issues for yourself.

Writing discrimination into the Constitution

Shame on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who last week voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage. [Read story.] The amendment will now be sent to the full Senate floor, where a vote is scheduled for June 5.

These politicians want the government in your bedroom, but not in the boardroom. They want corporations to be able to pollute our air, endanger our health, and gouge our wallets with impunity. They'd rather focus on legislating what consenting adults can and cannot due in the privacy of their own bedrooms. They'd rather write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution.

Some of them say that allowing gays to marry would destroy the institution of marriage. However, if they feel that their own heterosexual marriages would be at risk if the lesbian couple down the street were allowed the same legal benefits, I think they'd be far better off by seeking some marriage counseling for themselves.

We heterosexuals have done a good enough job of destroying marriages on our own.

So what are they really afraid of?

Violence rages in Iraq as new cabinet meets

Iraq's new national unity government had its first meeting today. [Read story.]

Over here, Bush praised the new government, even though some key vacancies have yet to be filled.

Over there, bombs were exploding outside as the cabinet met.

I hope that the new government manages to improve the situation over there, especially for all the innocent civilians who have been suffering so horribly since Bush attacked them in his unnecessary war of aggression. Time will tell.

International efforts in Darfur facing collapse

Bad news from Darfur: According to a piece in yesterday's New York Times, the already horrific situation there is getting even worse, and international relief efforts are on the verge of collapse. [Read story.]

The U.S. government is wasting billions of dollars on a needless war of choice in Iraq. Imagine what might be possible if those wasted resources were instead directed to Darfur, where maybe they could actually do some good.

New York Times reporter had warning of 9/11 attacks (not that anything would have happened differently)

Yesterday's big news was the revelation that New York Times reporter Judith Miller (of Plamegate fame) had been privy to a leak in 2001 that al-Qaeda was planning a major attack in the U.S. For various reasons, the story was never published. [Read the details.]

My first reaction was that this story, if Miller had followed up on it and had gotten it published, might have prevented the 9/11 attacks.

But no. On second thought, I don't think so.

After all, George W. Bush had ample warning that bin Laden was determined to strike in US. But he did nothing. It wasn't worth interrupting his vacation.

Even as the World Trade Center was under attack, Bush did nothing. He read "My Pet Goat" with a bunch of children as we were under attack. He had his priorities. Or, more likely, he had no idea what to do in a national emergency.

This is your so-called leader.

This is how your hard-earned tax dollars are spent.

This is the administration that was reelected based on its claims that only Bush and Cheney could save us from the terrorists, even though the American people should have known better by then.

This is what happens in a culture of fear.

And it reinforces FDR's message that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Jon Stewart on domestic spying

The only good thing about the Bush administration is that it provides an endless supply of material for the comedians to run with.

Jon Stewart is one of the best at taking advantage of these opportunities.

Stewart was up to par when he recently let loose on the NSA's newly uncovered practice of collecting our phone records.

This is a must-see. [Download the video clip.]

Al Gore's global warming film comes out next week!

An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's new documentary about global warming, will hit theaters next week. I'm hoping it will wake some people up, because people need to understand the likely consequences of unimpeded carbon emissions.

You cannot keep driving your Hummer, or running your factory at its current under-regulated level of pollution emissions, without creating a really nasty predicament for your grandchildren.

Do you love your grandchildren (whether or not they've been born yet)?

If not, then read no further. You've got bigger issues to worry about.

But, if you care, then go see An Inconvenient Truth next week, or soon thereafter.

In the meantime, here is your homework:

[Read a Grist magazine interview with Al Gore about the film.]

[Check out the film's official website.]

CIA is monitoring the calls of media reporters

Farewell to freedom of the press. While most of the mainstream media have been asleep (or wearing corporate muzzles) for the past four years or so, this will seal the status quo:

ABC news is reporting that the CIA is monitoring the calls of various media, supposedly to identify "anonymous" sources in leak cases.

[Read story.]

Is nothing sacred anymore? (Rhetorical question, of course.)

Ben Franklin, that great patriot and newspaper publisher, would be mortified.