mousemusings...multimedia, music, progressive politics, video, web design and general rants
Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia.
~Kurt Vonnegut
Thursday, February 27, 2003

Song from another Star


Newly uploaded today! A new video Song from another Star written, filmed and edited by Craig.. You'll need QuickTime to view it, or you can listen to the mp3 by going here.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


All Out In The Open

Spend A Day At The American Enterprise Institute and read more about them here. Now, take the leap and consider PNAC, their statement of principles, their (pdf. file) plan, some would say , for world domination and consider that this plan was written in 1992, when George H.W. Bush was president, anticipating re-election.
Now that you have some background go read Liberal Oasis excellent summary It’s Not A Conspiracy If It’s All Out In The Open.

Now that we're beginning to understand the history, perhaps it's time to consider the threat:
The Euro Effect: The Real Reason for the War in Iraq
This lengthy essay will discuss the macroeconomics of the 'petro-dollar' and the unpublicized but real threat to U.S. economic hegemony from the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Remembering Mister Rogers


"Of course, I get angry. Of course, I get sad. I have a full range of emotions. I also have a whole smorgasbord of ways of dealing with my feelings. That is what we should give children. Give them ... ways to express their rage without hurting themselves or somebody else. That's what the world needs."
Fred Rogers
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


U.S. Diplomat Resigns, Protesting 'Our Fervent Pursuit of War'


"Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been America's most potent weapon of both offense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson," John Brady Kiesling
his resignation letter
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Peperless Voting Machines Under Fire


Putting faith in systems that create no records outside cyberspace could lead to election fraud of unprecedented proportions -- and undermine democracy itself, paper trail proponents say.
For an excellent overview of potential abuses and dangers and for further reference bookmark this collection of links! compiled by Seeing the Forest
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Wars of domestic destruction

by Bill Berkowitz
Bush's homeland initiatives rolled out under cover of 'war against terrorism'
"Once the deficit reaches outrageous proportions there will no longer be any impetus within Congress to spend on anything other than military spending, which is currently eating up more than one billion dollars a day."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


41st Ann Arbor Film Festival Schedule

March 11 - 16, 2003
Michigan Theater

Films with political/social themes in the main theater:

TUE 8pm
The Boy Who Rushed documentary, 52m. The story of a sister searching
for her brother, gone missing in the 1991 Croatian war.

WED 7pm
Teatro Roots documentary, 9m About the LA Latino theater group, El
Teatro Campesino.

WED 9:30pm
August: A Moment Before The Eruption documentary, 71.5m. Tel Aviv Arab
Israeli filmmmaker Avi Mograbi's personal view of the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict.

THU 9:30
An Injury To One experimental documentary, 53m. Michigan filmmaker
Travis Wilkerson's film about the long forgotten murder of union organized
Frank Little, in Butte, Montana becomes a diagram for how corporations
control people, towns, and the enviroment, showing how we got where we are
today.

THU 11pm
A String Of Pearls documentary, 57m. Black filmmmaker Camille Billops'
film, made over the course of ten years, examines the effects of violence
on four generations of the men of her family in LA.

FRI 7pm
In Order Not To Be Here experimental documentary, 33.5m. Filmmaker
Deborah Stratman examines surveillance, privacy, and the fear behind
contemporary urban design.
Nutria documentary, 13.5m. Serious and humorous look at an invasive,
non-native species that is devouring Louisiana.

FRI 9:30
The New Patriots documentary, 18m. Robert Richter's film of decorated
veterans and an ex-instructor of SOA exposing the brutality and hypocrisy
of the US gov.

FRI 11pm
Devouring Buddha experimental documentary, 15.5m. Follows the ghost of
a Cambodian girl as she returns to the prison where she and her family
were murdered by the Khermer Rouge.

SAT 7pm
Downpour Resurfacing experimental documentary, 28m. Frances Nkara's
film of Robert Hall's struggle to recover from childhood abuse. A powerful
and affecting film, intimate without being overly emotional.

SAT 9:30pm
Faces In The Landscape experimental documentary, 11.5m. Contrasts
urban and rural spaces, exposing urban sprawl, and its effect on our
mental states.
A Change Of Faith experimental, 6.5m. LA filmmaker Angel Vasquez'
subtle, nuanced piece about the state of war and terrorism in the US
today.

Full Main Theater Schedule

Full Screening Room Schedule
including:
SAT 3pm
Documentary: The Weather Underground
Sam Green (San Francisco CA), 92:30, 2002.
The late 1960s and 70s were a time a civil unrest in America that saw the birth of the Weather Underground, a group of several hundred young men and women who tried to violently over throw the American government. The film chronicles the group as they battled police, bombed the US capital, broke Timothy Leary out of jail, and, for nearly a decade, evaded the FBI in one of the largest manhunts in US history. Fresh insights on the events and players combine with compelling archival film to produce a gripping account of the time and its aftermath, both personal and political.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, February 26, 2003

The Credibility Gap



found via Testify
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Ari Gets Laughed Out of the White House Press Briefing

See the video (scroll to last two minutes of video)
Read the transcript
Now you can laugh too!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, February 25, 2003

"Is it unpatriotic to suppress dissent?"


Bob's Links and Rants has a poll up in answer to Tom Tomorrow's question Go take it, you might feel brighter.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


55 charged in raids on drug paraphernalia


Agents targeting Internet retailers
Organizations advocating the legalization of marijuana accused Ashcroft of grandstanding. ''At a time when the rest of the country is worried about terrorism, this attorney general is going after people who sell pipes,'' said Keith Stroup, the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. ''Surely he has something better to do with his time.''
The government was obtaining court orders to shut down 11 Internet sites that peddle the paraphernalia, with visitors to those websites redirected to a DEA site that cites the law against sale of such items.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


DNA


democracy nears annihilation
dissent not allowed
digital neural acceptance
demonize native arabs
debase national assets
destroy north america
degradingly nominalise ahimsa

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Bush Faces Increasingly Poor Image Overseas

Bush's blunt manner and frequent references to religion appear especially grating to European ears, these analysts and officials say. But much of it is rooted in substantive questions about the role of U.S. power in the world and whether Bush is properly using it in his battle with Hussein.
This week, the administration plans to begin a coordinated effort to draw attention to what one official called "the plight of the Iraqi people, with a focus on human rights and freedom and Saddam's brutality."
More on the Bush credibility problem by Paul Krugman here and another by P.M. Carpenter here
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Gergan Says: Bush May Be Religious Fanatic.


David Gergen is the about last person Washington looks to for outlandish, strident judgments about the political scene. Especially about the dim son of his old boss and great pal, George H. W. Bush.
But now, appearing on CNBC, Mr. Conventional Wisdom Gergen had described Dubya, with obvious shock and dismay, as a "radical" right-winger who may well be operating under fanatic religious delusions of grandeur.

GERGEN: One of the interesting questions that I don't think anybody knows the answer to is whether, to--to--to some extent, he believes that--that providence intervened in his life at an earlier stage and whether, somehow, providence is now on the side of America and that he somehow may be an instrument of providence that--par--part of what he's on [...] is a mission that has so--some sort of theological roots.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Artistic housewife feared she would be arrested


Lynn was told by a Kent police officer to remove the breast of the snow woman or face possible disorderly conduct charges ``He said that I should cut off her breasts, but I said no woman wants that,'' Lynn, 35, said.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, February 24, 2003



Aldous Huxley: The Ultimate Revolution, March 20, 1962
Wow! What a treat!
Thanks to The HIVE
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Computer Made from DNA and Enzymes


Israeli scientists have devised a computer that can perform 330 trillion operations per second, more than 100,000 times the speed of the fastest PC. The secret: It runs on DNA.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


FindLaw Fixation


Government Hits $6.4 Trillion Debt Limit

U. of Mich. Filings Flood Supreme Court

Men Get Their Turn for Nude War Protest

Faith-based initiatives quietly lunge forward

Differences Emerge As Dems Target Bush
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |




A Marijuana Crusader Defends His Healing Mission

by Ed Rosenthal
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, February 23, 2003

Wilderness


Anyone who has walked through a clean and quiet forest and slept alone in silence can thank Aldo Leopold, who went on to help found the Wilderness Society, the Gila Wilderness and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness inside the Gila National Forest , the starting point for the modern wilderness conservation movement that has carved out pieces of quiet throughout the nation.

The idea of wilderness has always been a part of the human psyche. To the ancients, the untamed landscape held terror,and for the eons that followed, wilderness was a place to be feared or conquered.

It was in New Mexico 79 years ago that the idea of wilderness took a dramatic turn -- it became a place to be treasured and preserved.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Citizen Moon

What is "News World Communications?" It's the same company that owns media outlets around the world, including the conservative Washington Times, which has become the alternative in D.C. to the Washington Post -- one of the country's most-distinguished papers, usually considered above reproach in its integrity, even if conservatives think otherwise. The Times - and now, UPI -- is owned by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Korean leader of the cultish Unification Church, otherwise known as "Moonies." Moon considers himself the Messiah, the successor to Jesus Christ.
" In May 2000, the media arm of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church bought itself electronic fingers. News World Communications, Moon's media company, purchased United Press International (UPI), a once venerable news wire service. UPI, which provided news for media worldwide, could offer a legitimizing platform for Moon's dogma -- if the new owners can revive the decrepit agency.

MediaChannel affiliates report on the sorry state of UPI (which once had 200 bureaus worldwide) and investigate Moon's growing empire. A virulently anticommunist, self-proclaimed messiah, Reverend Moon is also a prosperous businessman who can subsidize publications around the world. From The Washington Times to newspapers in Japan, Egypt and Latin America, Moon has made skillful media manipulation a key strategy in winning adherents to his vision of god and politics. As top Moon executive Bo Hi Pak declared in a 1991 documentary, "That is what the Third World War is all about -- the war of ideology."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, February 22, 2003

When U.S. Foreign Policy Meets Biblical Prophecy

Academics do need to pay more attention to the role of religious belief in American public life, not only in the past, but also today. Without close attention to the prophetic scenario embraced by millions of American citizens, the current political climate in the United States cannot be fully understood.

Leaders have always invoked God's blessing on their wars, and, in this respect, the Bush administration is simply carrying on a familiar tradition. But when our born-again president describes the nation's foreign-policy objective in theological terms as a global struggle against "evildoers," and when, in his recent State of the Union address, he casts Saddam Hussein as a demonic, quasi-supernatural figure who could unleash "a day of horror like none we have ever known," he is not only playing upon our still-raw memories of 9/11. He is also invoking a powerful and ancient apocalyptic vocabulary that for millions of prophecy believers conveys a specific and thrilling message of an approaching end -- not just of Saddam, but of human history as we know it. more
I should kick Mike Golby's butt for linking to this, but more for his image and caption. I'm going to have nightmares.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, February 21, 2003

Fallout


In the past few weeks, administration officials have made not-so-veiled threats that the United States might use nuclear weapons against Iraq

During the Gulf war--despite possessing overwhelming conventional power--military planners considered using nuclear weapons to incinerate Iraqi stockpiles of biological weapons; they eventually settled on high explosives. Indeed, the Gulf war experience convinced many hawkish military thinkers that tactical nuclear weapons had become obsolete. Under the Clinton administration, the preemptive use of nuclear weapons was not official policy. Yet some analysts remained attached to a few niche roles for battlefield nuclear bombs.

The Bush administration seems oblivious to the irony in using nuclear weapons to fight a war against nuclear proliferation. Certainly, the nuclear taboo is not a panacea--Kim Jong Il and Saddam care little about international norms--but it is still valuable. By needlessly claiming that we need nuclear weapons to fill military holes, we confirm all the worst international stereotypes about a trigger-happy Bush administration, undermine our argument that others should forego them, and weaken our coalitions. We weaken our coalitions by undermining global regimes, such as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, that our allies strongly support.
via abuddhas memes
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


The Bush Tax



I think Cowboy Kahlil found this near his ranch. At least there's truth in this advertising.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Take Action Links


Thanks to Bob, and his links and rants, I've added some TAKE ACTION links at the top of my page from The Friends Committee on National Legislation,
The interface is simple, easy to access, and provides information, along with different options for contacting your representatives. Similar to MoveOn and TrueMajority but on a much wider scale.
Exceptional Resource! USE IT OFTEN!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


The Lysistrata Project Worldwide Theatre Event for Peace



On Monday, March 3rd, 2003, the first-ever world-wide theatrical event for peace will happen in a city near you. Don't miss this unique opportunity to stand up for peace in your community, and provide a humorous entree into a healthy dialogue about current affairs. Attend or help plan a reading of Lysistrata.

Lysistrata, a comedy by Greek dramatist Aristophanes (c. 447 - c. 385 b.c.e.), tells the story of a group of women from opposing states who unite to end the Peloponnesian War.

After matronly stormtroopers take over the building where public funds are kept, the women rise to end the war by withholding sex from their mates -- Until, desperate for intimacy, the men finally agree to lay down their swords and see their way to achieving diplomatic peace.


Check for an event in your city There are four in my immediate area. If you can't find one close to you, or want to organise your own, check here.

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, February 20, 2003

Virtual March on Washington Headquarters



Click image to march!
MoveOn.org
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Self Government


Remember civics and history class, where we learned about our constitution and our government, and how America is about democracy and "the people" and self-government? The fundamental concept underlying our country is that we are self-governed

America was the first country with true self government. Until then the underlying concept of western government was that government's powers existed because of God's authority. This was the "divine right of kings" -- you did what you were told because the king ruled with authority granted by God. According to St. Paul, "For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."

Our "Founding Fathers" broke away from those essentially theocratic beliefs to form the United States. Their Declaration of Independence states that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." Our Constitution begins with the words, "We the People of the United States". Our country's fundamental founding concept is that our government derives its authority from the consent of the governed - WE THE PEOPLE make the decisions. read it all! Seeing the Forest
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Jack Lessenberry on Robert Byrd's speech


What kind of country?
"What may someday rank as one of the greatest speeches in the U.S. Senate was made last week by the longest-serving member in that body, old Robert Byrd of West Virginia. It was a speech that deserves some attention, and which was shamefully ignored by the media, which was devoting itself to the nonsense spewed by the fearmongers of the present administration."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


US plan for new nuclear arsenal

Secret talks may lead to breaking treaties
"The Bush administration is planning a secret meeting in August to discuss the construction of a new generation of nuclear weapons, including "mini-nukes", "bunker-busters" and neutron bombs designed to destroy chemical or biological agents, according to a leaked Pentagon document."
The Los Alamos Study Group says The Study Group deserves no credit for unearthing this document. We didn’t dig it up, and it was not given to us with the idea that we would publish it. Quite the contrary. We have come to believe, however, that it is our responsibility to make it availability in its entirety, to do so rapidly (e.g. before any war in Iraq) -- and to do so from a position outside Washington, DC in order to enhance the vitality and diversity of debate about U.S. nuclear weapons."
Here is a summary of some of the important parts of the planning process. These meetings show, in a degree that is rare in publicly-available documents, the bold sweep of nuclear weapons planning in the Bush Administration. "Said Study Group director Mello, “These plans deserve outrage -- first in the United States, and throughout the world. It may or may not be obvious that if allowed to proceed further -- especially in the present jingoistic atmosphere now prevailing in Washington -- the process outlined here will be quite hard to stop.
An html copy of the full leaked strategy

How can something like this even be considered?? We know how, we HAVE to stop it!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Inboxer Rebellion

I've been wondering why there seemed to be a sudden interest in Dr.W. David Hager again recently. My logs are filled with Hager searches. It seems that an email is circulating and causing concerned women to question his motives and actions. It's too bad the interest is peaking at this late date because he has already been appointed.
The following link to the Urban Legends pages about
Hager the Horrible validates the concerns.
different for an urban legends page, eh?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Bush talking more about religion


Messiah complex? or just a general lack of "appreciation for the vast pluralism of religion in this nation," ?
"Yet lately, Bush has gone beyond his usual broad remarks on the power of faith in general to use language and ideas specific to Christianity."
""This president is using general references and, beyond that, terminology and vocabulary that come straight out of a very particular religious tradition, which is evangelical Christianity," said the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, a Louisiana pastor and executive director of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, an umbrella interfaith group."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Bert the Turtle Revisited


I'm a little behind the past couple days. This may be already widely seen but it's worth watching over and over! Bert the Turtle in Duct and Cover
found via Craig's booknotes
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, February 17, 2003

Sex Under the Bush

Under the covers, beneath the phallus of wartalk, is a simmering, yet chilling, hoarding of the anima.

Visible with the appointments of Dr W. David Hager and repressive tax-supported programs like Rev Sun Myung Moon's Free Teens USA and the new house bill which includes up to $300 million per year for experiments promoting marriage, extends a $50 million program promoting abstinence from sex until marriage,and bans any discussion of contraception, it is clear another part of our culture is becoming as unbalanced as the budget.

Enjoyment, education and equality of sex is being ejaculated from the empire of Bush and Dick as quickly as condom information was changed on the CDC pages.

Safe, informed, satisfying sex, vanishing under the auspice of the abstinence adminstration, is hidden from our tender eyes just as the breast of the Spirit of Justice, was hidden by 'just another john' ashcroft as he was seduced by the whore of fascism.

I'm only a woman, what do I know?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Inhumane Weapons

It was an amazing show of people-power yesterday. Beautiful, really. I fear it isn't enough. Bush and cronies are blinded by aggression. There are new toys to play with and they are by-damned going to play with them. He's in his room now, clutching his toys, covering his ears and saying, "I can't hear you!"

Pentagon could debut new weapons in Iraq
How many of these are considered Inhumane Weapons?
"Once you're engaged and you have a capability that's almost ready, you'll try it," said Clark Murdock, a former Air Force strategic planner now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "All kinds of things have been invented, particularly in the (classified) world, that will be used. If you use it and it works and no one knows, why talk about it?"
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


US plan to use illegal weapons

Calmatives
Donald Rumsfeld, revealed earlier this month that American forces are planning to use "non-lethal" biochemical weapons such as anti-riot gases and crowd control agents if they invade Iraq.
.."such weapons are illegal under the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention and the 1928 Geneva Protocol, which ban the use of chemical agents against people in wartime"
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, February 16, 2003

The Cadence of Courage

The Whole World is Watching
by Cleveland Rep Dennis Kucinich
This can't be linked to often enough. We are on the march!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Greatest anti-war poem

Searching through some inspirational peace poetry, mfinley finds it, where it has been for decades.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, February 14, 2003

vonnegutted


.." a record of Kurt Vonnegut reading selections from his novel Cat's Cradle in the Swarthmore College library, including his quaint rasp spinging the 53rd Calypso of Bokonon:

oh a sleeping drunkard up in central park
a lion hunter in the jungle dark
and a chinese dentist and a british queen
all fit together in the same machine
nice nice very nice
nice nice very nice
nice nice very nice
so many different people in the same device.

I wondered if he was talking about the Internet. Bokonon seems to be addressing the global brain, of which the web is the most recent, most tangible manifestation. "

...When I saw surrendering Iraquis, I thought "these are my brothers." He recited a phrase that used to be as textbooked as "live free or die":

when some American soldiers had hit a Spanish passenger cruiser during the Spanish American war, they were cheering its feiery descent in the water. The caption of the vessel said "Don't cheer lads, those people are dying."

At the same time, the Army was one of the great highs of my life. Dark trucks moving in on a flashing front - hearing the sounds of war in the distance - steel helmet clangs against rifle - young, in with his trainee buddies - if only my wedding night had been that exciting.
more
Written in 1995 as if it were tomorrow
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Cannot find Weapons of Mass Destruction

Please try the following:
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


CIA 'sabotaged inspections and hid weapons details'

Telling it Like it is, Finally!

"Led by Senator Carl Levin, the Democrats accused the CIA of making an assessment that the inspections were unlikely to be a success and then ensuring they would not be. They have accused the CIA director of lying about what information on the suspected location of weapons of mass destruction had been passed on."

"Senator Levin, from Michigan, responded by saying the CIA director had not been telling the truth. Citing a number of classified letters he had obtained from the agency, he said it was clear the CIA had not shared information with the inspectors about a "large number of sites of significant value".

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Democrats support U of M admissions policy

More than 100 House Democrats filed briefs Thursday with the Supreme Court in support of the University of Michigan's affirmative action admissions policy.

Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., a graduate of Michigan's law school, criticized President Bush for opposing the policy. "I believe we must continue to work toward greater inclusiveness in higher education and reject the backward-looking policies of the Bush administration that would deny our nation's compelling interest in ensuring diversity," he said.


.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |




Valentines Day History
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, February 13, 2003

Red Alert ! Red Alert!


Cowboy Kahlil's assessment of the rumored red alert has also been on my mind for days now. We've already seen such escalation every time it behooves 'them' to invoke fear. Why not now, just in time for international protests? I have to agree with him, my own government invokes more fear in me than OBL or Hussein. A red alert is just another crayola in the box of lies.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Group To File Lawsuit Challenging War



Plaintiffs To Say War Requires Congressional Approval

President Bush does not have the authority to launch a military invasion of Iraq without a congressional declaration of war, according to a lawsuit expected to be filed in federal court in Boston on Thursday.

Six members of Congress, three U.S. servicemen and the parents of other U.S. military personnel said on Wednesday they would file the lawsuit that claims any U.S. invasion of Iraq without congressional authority would be unconstitutional.


The plaintiffs, led by U.S. Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, claim that the congressional declaration on Iraq last October did not specifically declare war and unlawfully gave Bush the right to make that decision, attorney John Bonifaz said.

The plaintiffs also plan to file a motion for a preliminary injunction, which will seek an immediate hearing on their request that Bush be barred from declaring war without a congressional decision.

found by Mad Kane
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Bert the Turtle


Duck and Cover
Oh..it isn't called duck tape?
via Military.com
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences

by US Senator Robert Byrd from his Senate Floor Speech, Wednesday Feb 12.
"To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time."

if you need a lift, go read the whole text at Common Dreams. It was the best way to begin my day.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Who's Behind the Attack on Liberal Professors?


A must read! pointed to by Lisa
Incredibly well researched and well written.
I won't waste time, just go read!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |




Ashcroft seeks new autopsy authority

I'm dizzy. It's never going to stop!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


American Blogger in Baghdad

Bob a fellow Ann Arbor blogger found this MidEastLog. A guy who is part of the Iraq Peace Team blogging under the name of Sarin, he's committed to providing us with information for as long as it takes. An intro to his blog, which was started the first of this year:

This is a weblog of my everyday experiences as an American in Iraq and Palestine as a subtext.

I'm a 27 year old American and these are my experiences in Iraq and the Palestinian territories during this time of crisis. This is my fourth trip to the region, having been through Lebanon, Syria and having spent four months living in the West Bank and Gaza.

I will be posting whenever it is possible for me to do so, daily if possible, however my postings may be sporadic due the difficult nature of communications out of Iraq.


Thanks Bob!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Greenspan Shoots Blanks


neither the Democrats nor the Federal Reserve's concerns can be heard in the trenches.
Greenspan expressed worry about the rising tide of national debt to gross domestic product, which grew in 2002 for the first time since 1996 and is on track to rise to 68% from 60% by 2008. Greenspan called such a debt increase sobering, given the demographic pressures
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Neal Pollack translates


"Osama bin Laden was back. I knew it! I knew he'd return! Al-Jazeera had obtained an audiotape. Well, actually Colin Powell had obtained it, but he'd loaned it to Al Jazeera, which I thought was strange. The Secretary of State's ways are mysterious, and should not be questioned."
more
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Why Does Powell Stay?

It's a question I've been asking myself a lot lately, because I, too, looked upon Powell as the only rational voice. I'm not sure I'm ready to believe LiberalOasis assessment, but I'm not far behind. If their assessment isn't correct, then the WHY just got louder. How can he sleep at night?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


RuminateThis: TELLING IT LIKE IT IS - OLD EUROPEAN STYLE


I can't echo Lisa loud enough!
" Whodda thunk it? Freedom loving Americans, now under the thumb of a repressive Bush regime, are looking for the world to get us out of this mess."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Bush is in Material Breach of the Constitution


Bush's War on the Soul of America

It is also important to point out that much of what is contained in Patriot II is not aimed at effectively defending the United States against terrorists, but at curtailing the freedoms of the American people. In fact, Bush has all but ignored Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, choosing instead to pathologically focus on Saddam Hussein.

In a direct violation of the Tenth Amendment, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people," Ashcroft and the FBI will also be able to terminate state laws prohibiting local police from gathering information about people and organizations. These laws were enacted in reaction to past abuses by so-called police "Red Squads" that later were reorganized to keep track of civil rights and anti-war groups.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Sex and Peace Poetry Contest

1st Place- Aria Williamson

Suppose

all the politicians were laid end to end
repeatedly
and each Senator learned tantra before war
the Kama Sutra was used to break filibusters
and honey dust covered the Floor

Tipper & Al would lead slow dances
executing kisses before each roll call
Good Vibrations would cater the Bushes
serving dildoes and rockets and balls

In this world without war without end
in this world full of feathers and lust
in a future with satin-covered gavels
the Al Qaeda boys would go bust.
read other winners
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Laugh of the day!


indeed

I needed one.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Rubber Soul Newsletter 2/11/03



New! Rubber Soul Newsletter 2/11/03

regardless of how you live your life or what kind of creepy music you love
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |




Hey! Don't I know you?



posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, February 10, 2003

Ann Arbor Peace Rally Oct 26 2002

Here is another video from the

Oct 26 2002 Peace Rally

It's a 9 minute quick-time movie, about 11MB, edited into a great overview of the speakers, crowd energy, peaceful day, and features Chris Buhalis song, 'Talkin Sounds Just like Joe McCarthy Blues'. Enjoy! and get inspired to organize more of the same, wherever you may be!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Sunday, February 09, 2003



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www.aapeace.org

Bob's Links and Rants
Good coverage and info about the Ann Arbor Area Committee for Peace..a new (to me) blog
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Ann Arbor Peace Rally Feb 8 2003 .mov


Ann Arbor Peace Rally Feb 8 2003 Video

A quick video of today's Ann Arbor Peace Parade in Quick-Time format. About 2.8 MB so it may take a little while to download. be patient.
How many people? It was a great turnout! 18F and single-digit windchill, passionate, dedicated people. How many thousand? You decide.
If you need quick-time you can download it here:



Filmed by Craig
I carried the tripod, does that count?

Largest Human Peace Sign
Ann Arbor Michigan Feb 8


for larger image click here
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Allin Photography

More Photos
Tons of photos in a nice display!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Thousands rally against war

Thousands rally against war
Ann Arbor News Story
"The peace parade, as it was called, was co-sponsored by U-M Anti-War Action! and the Ann Arbor Area Committee for Peace. Such disparate groups as Geezers for Peace, Circle of Crones and the Metro Detroit Young Communist League were among the endorsers, as well as several local pastors.
Organizers said peaceful alternatives to a war with Iraq include cooperating with the United Nations to find a non-military solution and ratifying international agreements to curtail the funding of terrorism."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Peace Parade Aerial Photos

Peace Parade Aerial Photos
These may not be here for long because of file size so take a look and save to your hard drive now!

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Peace Parade, Ann Arbor, 2003 Feb 08

More Pictures of Peace Parade
More keep coming in!
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, February 08, 2003

Educate Yourselves!

Justice Dept. Drafts Sweeping Expansion of Anti-Terrorism Act
This proposed law, he added, “would radically expand law enforcement and intelligence gathering authorities, reduce or eliminate judicial oversight over surveillance, authorize secret arrests, create a DNA database based on unchecked executive ‘suspicion,’ create new death penalties, and even seek to take American citizenship away from persons who belong to or support disfavored political groups.
Link to the 12MB 120 page .pdf draft here.
via Buzzflash

Update:IncuBLOGula has been so kind as to provide an HTML version of the document here
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


A national state of confusion

Our media is failing us. My parents grew up trusting the government. They trusted that the media would alert them to any misdeeds. The government and the press were not one-in-the-same. It's a tough realization for them.
The only lies we were concerned with when Clinton was in office were related to where his dick may have been. Some of us really didn't care.
This Salon article touches on they way our culture has changed rapidly and how we are fed information and how it is digested. For anyone not wanting to go to Salon, lest they be bombarded with *premium content, it's changed. You are able to get a 'day pass' by watching a quick ad. Somehow information has got to be kept free and available. Thank you Salon.


A national state of confusion
article excerpts:

The Bush propaganda machine has convinced Americans that Saddam and the no-longer-mentioned Osama are the same person -- and the polls prove it.


"To the best of your knowledge, how many of the September 11 hijackers were Iraqi citizens?"

Of those surveyed, only 17 percent knew the correct answer: that none of the hijackers were Iraqi. Forty-four percent of Americans believe that most or some of the hijackers were Iraqi; another 6 percent believe that one of the hijackers was a citizen of that most notorious node in the axis of evil. That leaves 33 percent who did not know enough to offer an answer.

"Conditioning has rendered Americans hyper-responsive to emotional and sensory dynamics triggered by the news media, and relatively uninterested in intellectual content. Nobody understands this better than Rupert Murdoch, who has created an empire out of punchy anti-intellectualism. And few understand better how to use it to their advantage than the Bush White House. George W. Bush is, after all, the anti-intellectual's president."

"That the administration and the military of a nation -- even a great democratic nation -- should attempt to use disinformation to manufacture consent for an agenda should come as no surprise, even if it does disappoint and anger. That such an indubitable historical revisionism of 9/11 could occur can be seen as nothing less than a complete and profound failure of the media to protect the American people from virulent propaganda."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Friday, February 07, 2003

We decided not to run it

Lisa of RuminateThis: asks WHY??

Defazio, Paul, Introduce Bill to Repeal Bush's Blank Check for War.
The media is not covering this IMPORTANT bi-partisan bill. This goes further than Sheila Jackson Lee's proposal. It would actually repeal the knee-jerk bill passed in October.

We need to demand that it get the attention it deserves.

skippy has some solutions and more info along with a suggestion that we email media outlets and also take the time to thank Rep Paul and Rep DeFazio for taking the initiative and having the courage to introduce this important legislation.
Call the congressional toll-free switchboard at 1-800-839-5276 and urge your congressman to sign onto the bill, H.J. res 20, which would to repeal the use of force resolution.

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Let's teach them well

President Bush consoled the children of Israel's first astronaut by telling them he would finish the job begun by their father - who bombed Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor.
What a leader. His childish rants and encouragement toward hatred make me physically ill. A funeral , an astronaut, a justification for war, and a promise of revenge, in the eyes of a child, grieving for his father..what does this do? Is there no heart in this slimeball at all?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Mail Rice

At your own risk or out of a sense of outrage. This makes me want to go mail ten more, (in a bubble envelope, clearly marked, of course) via Rittenhouse
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Collective Loses Hope, Patients

State Law Provides No Shelter From DEA Beyond their own mortality, WAMM members worry whether their collective will survive. It exists to dispense marijuana to the sick and dying, which California law allows it to do. Federal law, however, does not, and the Drug Enforcement Administration considers what WAMM does no different from dealing heroin or cocaine.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Thursday, February 06, 2003

Compressing video question

Question..I'm having a problem compressing video for the web. I'm sure it's because I need a better media cleaner, or else I just can't figure out the right settings in Premiere (windows platform) to get a decent file size and good video. Any suggestions for someone with very limited financial resources?
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


On Lisa Rein's Radar

Yes! Lisa Rein has been gathering some excellent stuff in the past few days, including a soon-to-be uploaded mp3 of the KFOG interview with Ed Rosenthal.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Voting Machines - Vote Tampering in the 21st Century

If we didn't wonder before....
"Do you know if your FTP site has ever had a security breach?" Lancaster: "I'm trying to think, for a security breach, I think it got shut down by someone. Recently someone shut it down." Harris: "Would you know if someone came to your ftp, or replaced files at your ftp?" Lancaster: "Well, we have recently just discontinued what's considered anonymous access, so people could before, yes, but now we use a different means." Harris: "It was available during the 2002 election?" Lancaster: "I think so."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Michigan's flourishing peace movement

groundswell of opposition
Karen Dolan of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, which organizes the Cities for Peace project, confirmed that Michigan is definitely the home of a burgeoning peace movement. “Some of the resolutions like the ones in Ann Arbor and Detroit passed early on, and this must have just caught the attention of other Michigan folks. It’s the kind of campaign that’s really word of mouth.”
There is such a groundswell of opposition that there needs to be some way in which it can be forced into the consciousness of the congressmen,”
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Confronting the Empire

Noam Chomsky Speech
World Social Forum - Porto Alegre, Brazil

We are meeting at a moment of world history that is in many ways unique – a moment that is ominous, but also full of hope.

The most powerful state in history has proclaimed, loud and clear, that it intends to rule the world by force, the dimension in which it reigns supreme....
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


System Integrity Flaw Discovered At Diebold Election Systems

Voting System Integrity Flaw
Yesterday, technicians and programmers for Diebold Election Systems, the company that supplied every single voting machine for the surprising 2002 results in the state of Georgia, the company that is preparing to convert the state of Maryland to its no-paper-trail computerized voting, admitted to a file-sharing system that amounts to a colossal security flaw.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Wednesday, February 05, 2003

Dreamland Theater


Feb 8 &9 8:00 pm
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


The GOP's man on the Moon

Unification Church leader and self-proclaimed Messiah builds legacy with support from the Bush administration. By Bill Berkowitz.
"A revivified Rev. Sun Myung Moon is planting the seeds of his political legacy -- and he's getting help from his friends in the Bush Administration. "
For more info on Moon after reading this article, scroll down a couple posts. I found this at Moonie World after I wrote the post below but it sure is timely. I hope there are a lot of inquiries into where the faith based monies go. Does Bush *owe* Moon??
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Urge Congress to remove medical marijuana "gag"

"I feel like I made the biggest mistake in my life," said juror
Marney Craig, a 58-year-old Novato property manager. "We convicted
a man who is not a criminal."

The New York Times issued a scathing editorial today, charging that
"the Bush administration's war on medical marijuana is not only
misguided but mean-spirited" and calling for a change in federal law. Please go here to read the editorial and other news coverage.
More importantly, please use the Web page to fax a
pre-written letter to your members of Congress.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Moon Rising behind the Bush



A few oddities floating around in my head lately, foremost of which; What is Bush trying to accomplish? Does he really have a Messiah Complex? Why does it seem that he and his policies are influenced so by Sun Myung Moon?
I am reminded of a movie I saw in the mid -late 70's, Late Great Planet Earth A Hal Lindsey/Orson Welles psuedo-science documentary from a fundamentalistic view of the book of Revelations. I think I can recall imagery of Bush (poppy) and Moon in the film. It was a popular film in Texas where I happened to live at the time. Did Bush see this movie and decide he had a role to fulfill, or is he just simply a power-hungry-money-grabbing Texas oilman's son, his father's puppet?

I find the social engineering skills being implemented fascinating. The face of our culture has changed with amazing zest, due in no small part to tactics like these..
An audio file describing speech tactics: click on this link to listen: George W Bush and 1984: You decide. The tactics described in the file resemble closely the contents of the Mind Control Tool Box.

Calling your attention to: Report Of The Subcommittee On International Organizations October 31, 1978 Investigation Of Korean-American Relations "To achieve his theocracy, Moon has mapped out strategies for gaining control and influence over economic, political, cultural, academic, media, and religious institutions. The efforts of the Moon Organization are to be concentrated on key nations."
some of the more outrageous comments include:
---Unification Church members are to regard Korea with great reverence and look forward to the day when the Korean language will be spoken throughout the world.
---Members are to maintain a view to establishing a "unified civilization" of the whole world, to be centered in Korea and "corresponding to that of the Roman Empire."
---God was helping Moon to set up a final battle involving the United States, Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan.
---Moon's plans are to manipulate seven nations at least, to get hold of the whole world: the United States, England, France, Germany, Russia, and maybe Korea and Japan. "On God's side, Korea, Japan, America, England, France, Germany, and Italy, are the nations I count on in order to gain the whole world," Moon stated.
This leads to the question: George W. Bush In Rev. Moon's Pocket?
Here is a list of Moon/Unification Church front organizations and
a more recent, well researched article entitled Why is TV news ignoring the relationship between Moon and the Bush family?
These questions beg answers. The Moon organization controls more media than we are aware of. World domination is their goal.
I will post something of my brief experience with the moonies at a later date. Meanwhile Zed has recently started a blog; Moonie World. In it he quotes from Moon : "If you misuse your love organ, you destroy your life, your nation, your world." He added that most divorces can be blamed on women who don’t understand that their love organs belong to their husbands, not themselves."
Whew..gotta say, I was only 15 when I was involved with the moonies.
If you want to go straight to Moon's archived talks you can find them here : Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Sermons, and Talks
thanks to mw for motivating me and pointing to links.

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |




The ReachM High - Cowboy Kahlil didn't ride off without us, but he did move his campfire. Remember to update your links.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Rice For Peace - No War On Iraq

A new updated version of the Rice Protest. Note that regular envelopes don't work well and padded envelopes or boxes are preferred.
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Monday, February 03, 2003

The farthest thunder that I heard

The farthest thunder that I heard
Was nearer than the sky,
And rumbles still, through torrid noons
Have lain their missles by,
The lightning that preceded it
Struck no one but myself,
But I would not exchange the bolt
For all the rest of life.
Indebtedness to oxygen
The chemist may reply
But not the obligation
To electricity.
It founds the homes and decks the days,
And every clamor bright
Is but the gleam concomitant
Of that waylaying light
The thought is quiet as a flake, --
A crash without a sound;
How life's reverberation
Its explanation found!
~Emily Dickinson
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Bush's Messiah Complex

"He's the " most recklessly religious President we've seen," says Annie Laurie Gaylor, editor of Freethought Today, the publication of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, in Madison, Wisconsin. "He's on a religious mission, and you can't divorce religion from his militarism. He believes in fighting righteous war."

Chip Berlet, senior analyst for Political Research Associates in Somerville, Massachusetts, is an expert on rightwing religious groups. "Bush is very much into the apocalyptic and messianic thinking of militant Christian evangelicals," he says. "He seems to buy into the worldview that there is a giant struggle between good and evil culminating in a final confrontation. People with that kind of a worldview often take risks that are inappropriate and scary because they see it as carrying out God's will."
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |

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Saturday, February 01, 2003

When I peruse the Conquered Fame

When I peruse the conquered fame of heroes and the
victories of mighty generals, I do not envy the
generals,
Nor the president in his Presidency, nor the rich in his
great house,
But when I hear of the brotherhood of lovers, how it was
with them,
Howw together through life, through dangers, odium, un-
changing, long and long,
Through youth and through middle and old age, how
unfaltering, how affectionate and faithful they
were,
Then I am pensive -- I hastily walk away filled with the
bitterest envy.
~Walt Whitman
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Anthem

The wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free
Ring the bells that can still ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

~Leonard Cohen
posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Nasa shuttle lost on re-entry

Shuttle Columbia, carrying the first Israeli astronaut and six Americans,apparently disintegrated this morning en route to a landing at Cape Canaveral. Debris was seen falling to earth over north Texas.

posted by Cyndy | link |   | |


Invading Iraq not a new idea for Bush clique

4 years before 9/11, plan was set in reality, Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, and a small band of conservative ideologues had begun making the case for an American invasion of Iraq as early as 1997 - nearly four years before the Sept. 11 attacks and three years before President Bush took office.
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