Now Doctors Want to Drug Grade Schoolers With Statins

 

NaturalNews) The obesity epidemic in America is now so out of control that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has decided it would be a good idea to start giving statin drugs to children as young as eight years old, according to their latest published policy outlined in a clinical report entitled "Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood." The report is authored by Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, Frank R. Greer, MD and the AAP Committee on Nutrition. Not surprisingly, an article by Lindsey Tanner of The Associated Press points out that Daniels has worked as a consultant to Abbott Laboratories and Merck (on matters unrelated to their cholesterol drugs). One can only imagine the new visions of dollar signs that the pharmaceutical companies must have dancing in their heads.

MORE HERE:   http://www.naturalnews.com/023692.html

 

 

Michael Collins
Washington, DC (See Part 1)

The July 25, 2008 House Committee on the Judiciary hearings focused on the Kucinich resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush. In his resolution, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) argues that Bush knew that the Iraqis had no weapons of mass destruction, yet claimed that they did in order to justify the March 2003 invasion. The "fraudulent misrepresentations," as they're referred to in the resolution, cost lives, compromised national security, and represented a clear abuse of constitutional power. The evidence supporting these claims is highly persuasive.

Congressional witnesses review their critique of the president. Representatives Kucinich (D-OH), Hinchey (D-NY), Miller (D-NC), and Jones (R-NC) Image: M. Collins cc

For the most part, the witness statements from House members and the panel of invited witnesses contain specific justifications for impeachment. The Kucinich resolution for impeachment, H. Res 1345, offers a concentrated body of evidence substantiating the charges and demonstrates the main charge in the resolution: the president knew that he was misrepresenting the facts about Iraq at the time he was doing it.

In the resolution, Rep. Kucinich lists corrections for each of the false assertions made by the president to justify the Iraq invasion. In addition, the resolution provides excerpted evidence and sources to support each correction of the president's fabricated rationale.

The statements in single quotes in the Kucinich resolution text below are from the president's justifications for war. From the resolution:

1. Iraq was not 'continuing to possess and develop a significant chemical and biological weapons capability.'
2. Iraq was not 'actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability.'
3. Iraq was not 'continuing to threaten the national security interests of the United States.'
4. Iraq did not have the 'willingness to attack, the United States.'
5. Iraq had no connection with the attacks of 9/11 or with al-Qaida's role in 9/11.
6. Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction to transfer to anyone.
7. Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and therefore had no capability of launching a surprise attack against the United States or its Armed Forces or to provide them to international terrorists who would do so.
8. There was not a real risk of an 'extreme magnitude of harm that would result to the United States and its citizens from such an attack' because Iraq had no capability of attacking the United States.
9. The aforementioned evidence did not 'justify the use of force by the United States to defend itself' because Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction, or have the intention or capability of using the nonexistent WMDs against the United States.
10. Since there was no threat posed by Iraq to the United States, the enactment clause of the Senate Joint Resolution 45 was predicated on misstatements to Congress. H. Res. 1345 (alternate link)

The facts from that time don't come close to justifying the use of force. As demonstrated in the resolution, the president's case for war was based on "fraudulent representations made to Congress," the military, and the citizens of the United States.

 

 

Direct from the hearing

Michael Collins
Washington, DC Part 1 (Also see Part 2)

Today's hearing on the abuse of presidential powers before the House Committee on the Judiciary turned into a devastating political ambush by Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), committee Democrats, and the extraordinary panel of witnesses.. At least 12 Democratic Committee members were present plus the Chairman while only four Republicans bothered to show up.

Belying their casual appearance in the committee chambers, the Democrats presented a well coordinated, hard hitting case against President George W. Bush. This led to a double climax in the form of surgically erudite testimony by conservative legal scholar Bruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official, and former Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's stunning summary statement. The best the Republicans could offer was inappropriate humor by Rep. Dan Lungren (D-CA) and a request to clear the chambers when the audience cheered Mr. Bugliosi's remarks.

The hearing resulted from the non stop campaign for the impeachment of President George W. Bush by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). That effort received an overwhelming endorsement last week with the votes of a 238 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 229 Democrats and 9 Republicans voted to refer the single count impeachment bill to the House or Representatives Committee on the Judiciary chaired by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).

The Kucinich Resolution - H.R. 1345 outlines the case for the impeachment of President Bush. Specifically, as president, Bush:

"Deceived Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to fraudulently obtain support for an authorization for the use of force against Iraq and used that fraudulently obtained authorization, and then acting in his capacity under Article II, Section II of the Constitution as Commander in Chief, to commit US troops to combat in Iraq."

There was speculation prior to the hearing that the Republicans might scuttle the entire process due to House rules that prevent disparaging comments about the president. Apparently they failed to read the entirety of House Practice, Sec. 25 which lists a number of negative comments that House members have used in the past and makes clear that they're available in the present.

"Few Issues More Important"

Chairman Conyers opened the hearing by noting that there are "few issues more important" than the actions of Congress to curtail the abuse of presidential powers. As a member of the House committee that heard the Nixon Impeachment case, he speaks with a certain authority. He listed the various abuses of presidential power by Bush laying out the case that his fellow Democrats would elaborate. The senior member of the committee, Republican Lamar Smith (R-TX) responded that he'd seen a lot from this committee but today's hearing was like "hosting an anger management class."

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), a strong advocate for the hearings, responded by pointing out that given the evidence of high crimes, this isn't a Democratic or Republican issue, it's an American issue. The Democrats continued the theme of gravity with Cong. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) referring to Bush as "the worst president our country has ever suffered"

Cong. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) returned to what would lead to the most devastating and startling charges of the hearing - the basis for the invasion of Iraq and the disregard for civil liberties through the torture of foreigners and the domestic assault on privacy. Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) responded that the hearing was nothing but "a do-over that amuses our terrorist friends."

"If lying about casual sex" is an impeachment issue, "then certainly lying to the American people about invading Iraq" is, responded Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), another strong supporter of impeachment, continued the hard hitting attack....

MUCH MORE HERE:  "IMPORTANT"  http://www.opednews.com/articles/Michael-Collins---Bush-Acc-by-Michael-Collins-080725-613.html

July 21, 2008 at 07:25:48

COINTELPRO Comes to My Town: My First-Hand Experience With Government Spies

by Dave Zirin     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

Finally, at long last, I have something in common with Muhammad Ali.
No, I'm not the heavyweight champion of the world, and haven't been named spokesperson for Raid bug spray. Like "the Greatest" - not to mention far too many others -- I have been a target of state police surveillance for activities -- in my case against the death penalty -- that were legal, non-violent, and, so we assumed, constitutionally protected. In classified reports compiled by the Maryland State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, I am "Dave Z." This nickname was given by an undercover agent known to us as "Lucy." She sat in our meetings of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, smiling and engaged, taking copious notes about actions deemed threatening by the Governor of Maryland, Robert Ehrlich. Our seditious crimes, as Lucy reported, involved such acts as planning to set up a table at the local farmer's market and writing up a petition. Adding a dash of farce to this outrage, she was monitoring us in the liberal enclave of Takoma Park, Maryland, a place known more for vegans than violence, more for tie-dying than terrorism.

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act and the ACLU, we now know that "Lucy" was only one part of a vast, insidious project. The Maryland State Police's Department of Homeland Security devoted near 300 hours and thousands of taxpayer dollars from 2005 and 2006 to harassing people whose only crime was dissenting on the question of the war in Iraq and Maryland's use of death row.

My dear friend Mike Stark, a board member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty is at times referred to in "Lucy's" report as a "socialist" and an "anarchist." One can only assume this is the pathetic time honored tradition of reducing people to simple caricatures, all the better to garner Homeland Security grant money.

Veteran peace activist in Baltimore, Max Obuszewski, who initiated the suit, was as well consistently shadowed as he walked down the streets. His "primary crime" (their lingo) was entered into the homeland security database as "terrorism - anti govern(ment)." His "secondary crime" was listed as "terrorism -- anti-war protesters." The database is known as the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or
HIDTA. Yes, a respected peace organizer of many decades standing is checked as a terrorist, his actions listed as criminal, for doing nothing more than exercising his rights. It boggles the mind.

Former police superintendent Tim Hutchins defended these totalitarian practices by saying, "You do what you think is best to protect the general populace of the state." (The article mentioned that Hutchins is now a federal defense contractor. I guess The Global War on Terror is just the gift that keeps on giving for the Hutchins family.)

But "protect the general populace" from what? The surveillance continued even after it was determined that we were planning nothing more dangerous that carrying clipboards in a public place. Hutchins and the Ehrlich administration have undertaken an ugly violation of our civil rights, manipulating fears of terrorism to stamp out dissent.

This is COINTELPRO pure and simple. Like the infamous counter-intelligence program whose heyday many assume was a relic the 1950s and 1960s, it's an effort to harass the innocent and breed paranoia, all for daring to question power.

MORE HERE:  http://www.opednews.com/articles/COINTELPRO-Comes-to-My-Tow-by-Dave-Zirin-080721-130.html

 

Obama's Huge Coup on Iraq: McCain Was Asking for It

By Patrick Cockburn, CounterPunch. Posted July 23, 2008.

Barack Obama has paid his first visit to Iraq, just as the Iraqi government explicitly matched the Democratic presidential candidate's 16-month timetable for the removal of American combat troops.

Senator Obama met Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, in Baghdad yesterday during his visit, which had become overshadowed by a row over the proposed pullout. Mr. Obama did not raise his plan for withdrawal of US forces, the government said. But Mr. Maliki's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said his government was "hoping that in 2010 combat troops will withdraw from Iraq." This time frame is similar to Mr Obama's.

The White House was clearly dismayed and embarrassed by an interview given by Mr. Maliki to the German news magazine Der Spiegel in which he appeared to express agreement with Mr. Obama's withdrawal plans. Mr. Dabbagh later said in a statement distributed by the American military that Mr. Maliki's words had been "misunderstood and mistranslated".
Der Spiegel stood by its version of what Mr. Maliki said and said the translator for the interview was provided by Mr. Maliki's own office and not by the magazine. In reality, Mr. Maliki did say Mr. Obama's 16-month plan "could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq".

MORE HERE:   http://www.alternet.org/election08/92436/

 

News You Might Have Missed: Court Confirms President's Dictatorial Powers

By Andy Worthington, Andy Worthington's Blog. Posted July 22, 2008.

 

Wake up, America! On July 15, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled by 5 votes to 4 in the case of Al-Marri v. Pucciarelli that the President can arrest U.S. citizens and legal residents inside the United States and imprison them indefinitely, without charge or trial, based solely on his assertion that they are "enemy combatants." Have a little think about it, and you'll see that the Fourth Circuit judges have just endorsed dictatorial powers.

In the words of Judge William B. Traxler, whose swing vote confirmed the court's otherwise divided ruling, "the Constitution generally affords all persons detained by the government the right to be charged and tried in a criminal proceeding for suspected wrongdoing, and it prohibits the government from subjecting individuals arrested inside the United States to military detention unless they fall within certain narrow exceptions … The detention of enemy combatants during military hostilities, however, is such an exception. If properly designated an enemy combatant pursuant to legal authority of the President, such persons may be detained without charge or criminal proceedings for the duration of the relevant hostilities."

MORE HERE:  http://www.alternet.org/rights/92329/

 

 

 

On GRITtv, Jane Mayer and Michael Ratner look at John Ashcroft's recent testimony before congress and whether the architects of the war on terror have anything to fear. Will they be held accountable for their policies? The torture debates continue.

More at GRITtv.

 

 

Support the Kucinich Impeachment Hearing on Friday

Tell your Representatives to support impeachment by cosponsoring H. Res. 1345:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/142

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has led the fight for impeachment since April 2007, when he courageously introduced 3 Articles of Impeachment (H.Res. 333/799) against Vice President Cheney. On June 10, Kucinich introduced 3 5 Articles of Impeachment (H.Res. 1258) against President Bush.

When Speaker Pelosi refused to allow hearings on any of the 38 Articles, Kucinich returned to the floor of Congress to introduce one more Article of Impeachment against President Bush (H.Res. 1345).

Thanks to massive pressure from Democrats.com and our pro-impeachment allies, Speaker Pelosi finally allowed Chairman Conyers to hold a hearing this Friday. Kucinich will get a few minutes to argue for impeachment along with Rep. Robert Wexler, former Rep. Liz Holtzman, and former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson. Kucinich made a video to thank us for our efforts.

H.Res. 1345 focuses on Bush's ultimate crime - invading Iraq on the basis of lies. The evidence is overwhelming that George Bush and other top officials manufactured those lies to "sell" an invasion whose real purpose was to gain control of Iraq's oil and establish military bases in the heart of the Middle East - the agenda of the Project for a New American Century that Bush and McCain fully embraced.

When Kucinich testifies on Friday, he will naturally face hostile questions from rightwing Republicans who impeached President Clinton. But Kucinich will also face hostile questions from key Democrats who oppose impeachment.

Some of these Democrats supported the invasion of Iraq: Howard Berman (CA28), Rick Boucher (VA09), Adam Schiff (CA29), Brad Sherman (CA27), and Anthony Weiner (NY09).

But most of these Democrats oppose impeachment because they are cowering in fear of a counterattack from the White House and FOX News: John Conyers (MI14), Artur Davis (AL07), Bill Delahunt (MA10), Zoe Lofgren (CA16), Jerry Nadler (NY08), Linda Sanchez (CA39), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL20), Bobby Scott (VA03), Betty Sutton (OH13), and Mel Watt (NC12).

Only a few Judiciary Democrats understand that the Founding Fathers gave Congress the power of impeachment as the only way to stop a President from defying the Constitution and becoming a dictator, as Bush has done: Robert Wexler (FL19), Tammy Baldwin (WI02), Steve Cohen (TN09), Keith Ellison (MN05), Luis Gutierrez (IL04), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX18), Hank Johnson (GA04), and Maxine Waters (CA35).

If anti-impeachment Democrats get their way, Friday's 2-hour hearing will be the only "impeachment" hearing for this entire Congress - and then Bush will try to pardon himself and everyone else before leaving office next January, just as his father pardoned six Iran-contra criminals.

So it is crucial for all of us - now over 500,000! - to tell our Representatives today to support impeachment by cosponsoring Kucinich's H. Res. 1345:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/142

And if you can do more, please make free calls to every Judiciary Democrat who opposes impeachment through CauseCaller:
http://www.causecaller.com/causes.php?c=House_Judiciary_Democrats_Impeachment
Simply enter your phone number and click the "Start Calling" button. (Click "Call me back if I accidentally hang up" in case you hang up by mistake.) In a few seconds, your phone will "magically" ring and CauseCaller will say the name of the first Representative on the list. Listen carefully for the name of each Member so you can repeat the name to the receptionist - or just say "The Representative." Don't hang up between calls - let the receptionists hang up and CauseCaller will dial the next Representative.

If you want to do even more, call your favorite radio or TV talk shows and tell them how important Friday's hearings will be, and how strongly you support impeachment for whichever reasons are most important to you. Prepare your thoughts in advance so you sound informed and determined.

And if you're near Washington DC, join Veterans for Peace to lobby Congress on Thursday and hold a pro-impeachment rally on Friday:
http://www.democrats.com/node/17211

Lots more details and actions here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34943

Dear friends,

 

The sub-prime mortgage crisis is forcing families to make heart-wrenching choices: pay the mortgage or buy needed medication? Fall behind on the mortgage or put food on the table?

We can do something for struggling families. The U.S. House is considering landmark housing stimulus legislation that includes two key components:

• A national housing trust fund that will make more resources available for affordable housing construction and renovation.
• Neighborhood stabilization funding that will aid in the rehabilitation and create affordable housing out of vacant properties in communities across the country - protecting the investments of homeowners and affordable housing developers and ensuring that local tax bases remain strong.

The House of Representatives is making a decision on this legislation soon! Urge your Representative to support a housing bill that includes both a national housing trust fund and neighborhood stabilization funding.

We need to make sure this important bill passes Congress and gets to the President's desk. Now is the time to send a message to your Representative expressing your support for this vital housing bill, which will address the devastating effects of the foreclosure crisis that threaten the investments of homeowners in neighborhoods nationwide.

Click here to send a strong message to your Representative today. This is a chance to have a real impact on the national housing crisis.

 

John McCain's Disaster Economics

By Frank Rich, The New York Times. Posted July 22, 2008.

John McCain's Disaster Economics

By Frank Rich, The New York Times

The best thing to happen to John McCain was for the three network anchors to leave him in the dust this week while they chase Barack Obama on his global Lollapalooza tour. Were voters forced to actually focus on Mr. McCain's response to our spiraling economic crisis at home, the prospect of his ascension to the Oval Office could set off a panic that would make the IndyMac Bank bust in Pasadena look as merry as the Rose Bowl.

"In a time of war," Mr. McCain said last week, "the commander in chief doesn't get a learning curve." Fair enough, but he imparted this wisdom in a speech that was almost a year behind Mr. Obama in recognizing Afghanistan as the central front in the war against Al Qaeda. Given that it took the deadliest Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul since 9/11 to get Mr. McCain's attention, you have to wonder if even General Custer's learning curve was faster than his.

GO HERE:  http://www.alternet.org/election08/92282/

Editor's Note: Writer Steve Benen has graciously compiled a comprehensive tally of John McCain's flip-flops on issues ranging from national security to energy. The following is Benen's list of 61 clear 180-degree switches by McCain on the biggest issues of the day.

National Security Policy

1. McCain thought Bush's warrantless wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

2. McCain insisted that everyone, even "terrible killers," "the worst kind of scum of humanity," and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, "deserve to have some adjudication of their cases," even if that means "releasing some of them." McCain now believes the opposite.

3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."

4. In February, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

5. McCain favored closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.

6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with Predators, McCain criticized him for it. He's since come to the opposite conclusion.

Foreign Policy

7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it.

8. McCain supported moving "toward normalization of relations" with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

9. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

11. McCain is both for and against a "rogue state rollback" as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty's behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.

Military Policy

14. McCain recently claimed that he was the "greatest critic" of Rumsfeld's failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as "a mission accomplished." In March 2004, he said, "I'm confident we're on the right course." In December 2005, he said, "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course."

15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good idea and a bad idea.

16. McCain said before the war in Iraq, "We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was "probably going to be long and hard and tough."

17. McCain has repeatedly said it's a dangerous mistake to tell the "enemy" when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.

GO HERE:  http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/

Election 2008: If voters got a fair presentation of John McCain's economic plan, the idea of him winning the White House would cause mass panic.

McCain Opposes Contraception -- Pass It On

Katha Pollitt, TheNation.com

Reproductive Justice and Gender: He's voted against contraception for more than 20 years, and yet doesn't even care or know enough to explain why.

GO HERE:   http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/92281/

 

On the premiere of Meet the Bloggers, Liliana Segura discussed whether Karl Rove should be sent to jail. She said, "The very people who are supposed to be supporting the law are instead protecting the Bush administration."

For more, check out Liliana's post. Meet the Bloggers airs Fridays at 1PM ET.

And you can pressure the House Judiciary Committee to Send Rove to Jail.

The Wedding Crashers: U.S. Jets Have Bombed Five Ceremonies in Afghanistan

By Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. Posted July 15, 2008.

 

It was a tribal affair. Against a picture-perfect sunset, before a beige-colored cross and an altar made of the very Texas limestone that was also used to build her family's "ranch," veil-less in an Oscar de la Renta gown, the 26 year-old bride said her vows. More than 200 members of her extended family and friends were on hand, as well as the 14 women in her "house party," who were dressed "in seven different styles of knee-length dresses in seven different colors that match[ed] the palette of… wildflowers -- blues, greens, lavenders and pinky reds." Afterwards, in a white tent set in a grove of trees and illuminated by strings of lights, the father of the bride, George W. Bush, danced with his daughter to the strains of "You Are So Beautiful." The media was kept at arm's length and the vows were private, but undoubtedly they included the phrase "till death do us part."

That was early May of this year. Less than two months later, halfway across the world, another tribal affair was underway. The age of the bride involved is unknown to us, as is her name. No reporters were clamoring to get to her section of the mountainous backcountry of Afghanistan near the Pakistani border. We know almost nothing about her circumstances, except that she was on her way to a nearby village, evidently early in the morning, among a party 70-90 strong, mostly women, "escorting the bride to meet her groom as local tradition dictates."

MORE HERE:  http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/91457/

Chomsky: Bush & Cheney Always Saw Iraq as a Sweetheart Oil Deal

By Noam Chomsky, Khaleej Times Online. Posted July 12, 2008.

 

The deal just taking shape between Iraq's Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq -- questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that the population has little if any role in determining the future of its country.

Negotiations are under way for Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP -- the original partners decades ago in the Iraq Petroleum Company, now joined by Chevron and other smaller oil companies -- to renew the oil concession they lost to nationalization during the years when the oil producers took over their own resources. The no-bid contracts, apparently written by the oil corporations with the help of U.S. officials, prevailed over offers from more than 40 other companies, including companies in China, India and Russia.

MORE HERE:   http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/91123/

Worries About War Crimes Heat up in the White House

By Frank Rich, The New York Times. Posted July 14, 2008.

 

 

We know what a criminal White House looks like from "The Final Days," Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's classic account of Richard Nixon's unraveling. The cauldron of lies, paranoia and illegal surveillance boiled over, until it was finally every man for himself as desperate courtiers scrambled to save their reputations and, in a few patriotic instances, their country.

"The Final Days" was published in 1976, two years after Nixon abdicated in disgrace. With the Bush presidency, no journalist (or turncoat White House memoirist) is waiting for the corpse to be carted away. The latest and perhaps most chilling example arrives this week from Jane Mayer of The New Yorker, long a relentless journalist on the war-on-terror torture beat. Her book "The Dark Side" connects the dots of her own past reporting and that of her top-tier colleagues (including James Risen and Scott Shane of The New York Times) to portray a White House that, like its prototype, savaged its enemies within almost as ferociously as it did the Constitution.

Some of "The Dark Side" seems right out of "The Final Days," minus Nixon's operatic boozing and weeping. We learn, for instance, that in 2004 two conservative Republican Justice Department officials had become "so paranoid" that "they actually thought they might be in physical danger." The fear of being wiretapped by their own peers drove them to speak in code.

The men were John Ashcroft's deputy attorney general, James Comey, and an assistant attorney general, Jack Goldsmith. Their sin was to challenge the White House's don, Dick Cheney, and his consigliere, his chief of staff David Addington, when they circumvented the Geneva Conventions to make torture the covert law of the land. Mr. Comey and Mr. Goldsmith failed to stop the "torture memos" and are long gone from the White House. But Vice President Cheney and Mr. Addington remain enabled by a president, attorney general (Michael Mukasey) and C.I.A. director (Michael Hayden) who won't shut the door firmly on torture even now.

Nixon parallels take us only so far, however. "The Dark Side" is scarier than "The Final Days" because these final days aren't over yet and because the stakes are much higher. Watergate was all about a paranoid president's narcissistic determination to cling to power at any cost. In Ms. Mayer's portrayal of the Bush White House, the president is a secondary, even passive, figure, and the motives invoked by Mr. Cheney to restore Nixon-style executive powers are theoretically selfless. Possessed by the ticking-bomb scenarios of television's "24," all they want to do is protect America from further terrorist strikes.

So what if they cut corners, the administration's last defenders argue. While prissy lawyers insist on habeas corpus and court-issued wiretap warrants, the rest of us are being kept safe by the Cheney posse.

But are we safe? As Al Qaeda and the Taliban surge this summer, that single question is even more urgent than the moral and legal issues attending torture.

On those larger issues, the evidence is in, merely awaiting adjudication. Mr. Bush's 2005 proclamation that "we do not torture" was long ago revealed as a lie. Antonio Taguba, the retired major general who investigated detainee abuse for the Army, concluded that "there is no longer any doubt" that "war crimes were committed." Ms. Mayer uncovered another damning verdict: Red Cross investigators flatly told the C.I.A. last year that America was practicing torture and vulnerable to war-crimes charges.

Top Bush hands are starting to get sweaty about where they left their fingerprints. Scapegoating the rotten apples at the bottom of the military's barrel may not be a slam-dunk escape route from accountability anymore.

MORE HERE:  http://www.alternet.org/rights/91340/

Dear Eyes Wide Open members in the US, Military exercises, missile tests -- the drumbeat of war with Iran grows louder by the day, driving the oil price even higher. Rumors swirl of an Israeli attack before Inauguration Day, or an "October surprise" from hardliners in the Bush administration. We hear reports of special ops teams already in place and at work.[1] But what better way is there to unite Iran behind its most hawkish leaders than threatening to attack? This saber-rattling is bad for the US, the region and the world, especially when the diplomatic alternatives are showing promise.[2] Instead of showing leadership in this election year, our politicians are discussing blockades and bombings -- we've got to speak up, before it's too late. Our best shot at shifting the US debate on Iran could be to team up with the new Jewish-led, pro-peace lobby J Street, who are sending an open letter to Members of Congress and Congressional candidates urging them to say "no" to pre-emptive military action against Iran, and "yes" to tough, smart diplomacy. Click here now to go to their action page and add your name: http://www.avaaz.org/en/jstreet_letter_on_iran/4.php?cl=109139885

 

 

Dear Activist,

Scene opens. The Senate floor. A surprise visitor walks in to thunderous applause.

Sen. Edward Kennedy returned to the Senate chamber for the first time since surgery for a malignant brain tumor to cast a vote on a "Keep Medicare Fair" bill. A vote along party lines had stalled the bill a few weeks back. This time it passed with a huge bipartisan majority.

Amazing, right? It's almost got the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster

And like any great movie, it's got a final cliffhanger: President George W. Bush is threatening to veto this critical legislation!

In honor of Senator Kennedy's dramatic return, tell President Bush to Keep Medicare Fair for millions of Americans by signing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008!

The legislation that the Senate passed today would:

• Ensure that Medicare patients continue to have access to care ;
• Improve prevention coverage and services;
• Improve low-income protections ; and
• Provide improved coverage for mental health services.

As you read this, President Bush is likely hearing from the same folks that worked against Medicare recipients and doctors in the Medicare program during the Keep Medicare Fair campaign. That's why he must hear from ALL OF US immediately!

Click here to tell President Bush to Keep Medicare Fair by signing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 into law.

Once you have sent your urgent message to President Bush, please help us get more messages in to the White House by forwarding this email to your friends and family.

Thank you in advance for your help. I know that together we can Keep Medicare Fair!

Having repeatedly demonstrated their cowardice in every possible
respect, is it any surprise that approval ratings for Congress are
now less that 10% for the first time ever? And the epitome of that
cowardice is their craven dereliction of duty in not holding
immediate impeachment hearings for the many war crimes and crimes
against the American people of the Cheney/Bush administration.

Again, Dennis Kucinich has thrown down the gauntlet, today
introducing another article of impeachment, this time wrapping up in
one singular package the greatest crime of all, intentionally lying
the American people into attacking Iraq. While former White House
operatives continue to laugh off congressional subpoenas like the sad
joke they have become, Congress is still afraid that people will not
vote for them if they stand up for our principles.

They need to hear we will not vote for them UNLESS they start
standing up for our principles.

Impeachment Hearings Now Action Page:
http://www.shirleygolub.com/petitions/pnum863.php

This action page is being done by Shirley Golub, the first person in
20 years with the courage to challenge Nancy Pelosi in her own
Democraticprimary. And while she did not win the first time, she got
11% with hardly any news coverage whatsover, and has already helped
to inspire other primary challengers out there even now.

Yes, Shirley Golub is still out there speaking out and organizing.
And we want to encourage her to continue to do so in every way. We
got the word that Shirley still has some of those cute orange "On The
Table" tote bags. And Shirley will send you one for any donation of
any amount.

"On The Table" Tote Bags:
http://www.shirleygolub.com/donations_tote.php

So if you would like a memento of the her ground-breaking campaign,
plus a great conversation piece, why don't you pick one up while they
are still available. And then when people ask you who Shirley Golub
is, you can tell them.

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.shirleygolub.com/in.htm