Tag Archives: Breaking News

Why Wikileaks is not the Enemy

By David P Shirk Over the news there has been much debate on the legal and moral ramifications caused by the whistleblowers and the companies like wiki-leaks that disseminated the information from them. Yet just like most things political, the idea behind it is overlooked. The nay-sayers on the issue who believe that wikileakes should be prosecuted as a terrorist organization, and that people like Bradley Manning should be held for treason (or at the very least for breaking his confidentiality agreement), do so on the grounds that it is necessary to maintain national security. Those like Holder typically acknowledge the fact that not only does the government lie and spin stories to obtain a certain response, but then take advantage of the ensuing actions. These lies and spin stories are kept secret from the American people on the grounds that it would damage our national security. Yet do lies and spin stories make a nation secure? I would think 9-11 proved the answer is no. I would think that making our entire nation appear to be made of lying cheaters would also indicate no. So why do they do it? In a nation where it is believed that the government only acts within the interest of the people paints the real picture though. For the most part, Americans elect their leaders using the best knowledge they have to decide what policy is best for our country. So if the truth is buried out of sight from the eye of the people, how on earth can they make an intelligent vote? They can’t. All they can do is act on the knowledge they are given or is available. This makes it very clear that the government either believes that Americans are to stupid to handle the truth, or that they will maintain their power and control over the people at all costs. In the first case we are looked at as nothing amore than fools, and in the second, as nothing more than subjects under their guidance. Either way it is not conducive to the ideals of liberty, freedom, or prosperity. Quite the opposite in fact. If government is indeed elected by the people, then keeping them in the dark as to the reality of any policy the government takes only ensures that two types of people will get elected. Those who seek to control others, and those whose ignorance appeals to the people. Both depend on a dependency of the people on the government to keep them informed as to the actions the government takes. When the government is not truthful or honest with its people, then the cycle can only continue. So it is of no surprise at all that wikileaks and other whistleblowers are being hounded by the government. Take Manning for example. He saw something that he knew damn well was not right. He knew that those in charge would not do anything about it as they were the ones enacting the evils. So he appealed to the only audience he thought would do the right thing – the American people. Surely the killing of unarmed children and civilians would set them into a frenzy to do something. Yet nothing did, and how sick is that? People judge Manning as a traitor and wikileaks as a terrorist organization because that’s what the news and government tells them to think. This is not only the height of the abuse of power, but a clear picture as to why the American people need to wise up. It is also most disturbing that they would make such charges against people who try to do the right thing, while at the same time, ignoring the blatant fact that those who they trust with their security and defense are killing, lying, torturing, and manipulating not only foreign markets but their governments as well. Then they dare call Manning a traitor and wikileaks the terrorists! People often criticize the Nazi’s for allowing Hitler into power and commit atrocities and spreading propaganda – sure would be nice if they held their own government as responsible for such things as oppose to supporting it. http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=3800 added by: shanklinmike

Elephants on drunken rampage kill three people

Binge-drinking elephants, drunk on local hooch, have killed three people and destroyed 60 homes in a four-day rampage in east India. Yesterday they were reported by local officials to be sleeping off hangovers as shocked communities tried to clear the wreckage left by the 70-strong herd in remote villages on the borders of the states of Orissa and West Bengal. With a local festival approaching, villagers had stockpiled the fermented-rice based drink which is stored in earthenware vessels and, according to Bijay Kumar Panda, a local administrator, the elephants found and drank it. They then staggered through the surrounding area and began “to fall asleep hither and thither, throwing life completely haywire”. According to the Pioneer newspaper, the “jumbos” are known “for their love of local country-made brews” which they “gulp down and make merry at the expense of the villagers”. Elephant experts say such incidents are becoming more common. With pristine forest increasingly rare, especially in the area where this latest incident occurred, Indian elephants no longer avoid contact with humans, said Dr Amirtharaj Williams, Asian rhino and elephant programme co-ordinator for the World Wildlife Fund. “These herds are effectively semi-urbanised. There are elephants who are getting a taste for food that humans prepare because it is tastier, stronger-smelling and often more nutritious and that includes rice- or molasses-based drinks. Some go looking for it.” Around 400 people are killed each year by elephants in India and nearly a million hectares of farmland damaged. Around 100 elephants are killed by villagers each year. India's booming population and economic growth have placed the historic grazing lands of elephants under enormous pressure. To avoid exhausting fodder in one area, the herds migrate. Attempts to create safe corridors for the animals' travel have foundered on bureaucratic sloth and lack of enforcement. In September seven elephants were killed by a speeding goods train. Latest estimates put India's elephant population at around 21,000 – the largest in Asia. About half of these are found in north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. added by: device80

Jon Stewart Rips McCain on His Resistance to Repeal of DADT; Paints Him as Crazy Japanese Soldier Fighting WWII Years After 1945

Liberal comedian Jon Stewart once again lampooned Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over his continued opposition to repealing the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy, saying the senator is quite behind the times with his stand. “Well you're really going down with the ship, huh,” he ripped navy veteran McCain's remarks. “McCain's like one of them Japanese soldiers living on Okinawa in 1949, still fighting because he doesn't realize the war ended a long time ago,” Stewart quipped. “And for some reason, even though he's been alone for years and years on this island, he doesn't like gay people.” Stewart opened his Thursday show with an eight-minute segment covering the DADT debate, in the wake of a published study by the military showing that the majority of servicemen polled don't mind serving with gay comrades. He trumpeted soundbites from multiple figures who support a repeal of DADT – including remarks from Sen. Joe Liebermann (I-Conn.), a usual target of Stewart's mockery.

Natalie Portman Talks Black Swan

Playing the prima ballerina in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan required Natalie Portman to go through a little bit of torture.

Continued here:
Natalie Portman Talks Black Swan

Miley Cyrus Nude Photos NOT Really Her?

Yesterday the internet was buzzing with photos that were alleged to be a naked Miley Cyrus. Today we are hearing they are really a London 19-year-old. PHOTOS http://www.bittenandbound.com/2010/12/03/miley-cyrus-nude-photos-not-really-her/ added by: missmissea

McCain presses for accountability in WikiLeaks breach

Really?? What about the accountability of the former president and his staff?? What about the accountability of the US and the thousands they have killed over a bullshit war?? What about the accountability of our government and the LACK OF SUPPORT FOR IT'S PEOPLE AND THE MONEY THEY KEEP WASTING??? They already bailed out the banks, when are they going to bail out the PEOPLE THAT PAY THEIR SALARIES??? More and more I find our country lacking moral judgement and the balls to question, accuse and attack others, but not take responsibility of it's actions!! When is someone going to? or are we (people who protest) so called “terrorist”/ “traitors” for not accepting the bullshit that's going on in this country??? ************************************************************** and by the way, here's the news article… =D http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/02/mccain.wikileaks/ Washington (CNN) — A senior Republican senator pressed Pentagon leadership Thursday as to why nobody — other than a very junior soldier — has been held responsible for the leak of thousands of secret national security documents to WikiLeaks. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, called the WikiLeaks episode “an incredible breach of national security.” In a tense exchange, McCain asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates whether the Pentagon has identified or punished anyone else. “Have you held anyone responsible?” McCain asked. “Not yet,” replied Gates, who earlier said the criminal investigation limits the Defense Department's ability to conduct an independent investigation. So far a single low-ranking U.S. soldier, Pfc. Bradley Manning, is the only person charged and held in custody in connection with the leaks. Later McCain grilled other Pentagon officials, who were testifying with Gates before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the ban on gays and lesbians serving opening in the military. McCain appeared obviously frustrated. “It's been since July,” McCain said with a dismissive wave of his hand, referring to the first WikiLeaks release of Defense Department documents. “Can't you carry out an investigation at the same time that the criminal investigation is going on?” McCain asked Joint Chiefs Chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen. “Yes, sir, in certain kinds of incidents that's certainly possible,” Mullen answered. “At least, maybe, to hold someone responsible for this besides a private first class,” McCain said. Mullen said everything necessary must be done to prevent another breach of secure documents, stopping short of directly endorsing McCain's call for punitive action against WikiLeaks organizers such as travel bans, asset freezes and other sanctions. “In my world, when I've got men and women in harm's way and they are now exposed because of this, I think we as a country should do all we can to make sure it can't happen again,” Mullen said. The political frustration was bipartisan. Following a closed-door hearing of the Senate's intelligence committee on WikiLeaks' latest release, the group's outgoing chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said that not enough is being done to protect critical government information. “This qualifies as espionage,” the California Democrat said as she left the hearing. “[The release] incapacitates this nation to carry out business… This is far beyond free speech.” On Thursday, Sens. John Ensign (R-Nevada), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) proposed legislation to make it easier for federal authorities to go after WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, and others behind leaks of confidential U.S. documents. “What Wikileaks has done amounts to espionage in a most serious form,” said Lieberman. “It's probably the most terrible act and greatest act of espionage against the United States in our history.” Meanwhile, the U.S. government also continued its verbal assault on Assange. “He could be considered a political actor. I think he's an anarchist, but he's not a journalist,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said at his daily briefing. “Mr. Assange obviously has a particular political objective behind his activities and I think that, among other things, disqualifies him from the possibility of being considered a journalist.” Wikileaks often is referred to as a “whistle-blower” organization but the State Department spokesman shot that down, too. “He's not a journalist, he's not a whistle-blower,” Crowley said. “He is a political actor; he has a political agenda.” more at the link… added by: KSirys

Brazilian model Isabela Soncini Photos

Brazilian model Isabela Soncini height 5#39; 7.5″ bust 33″ waist 23″ hips 34″ dress size 4 shoes 9 hair color Lt. Brown eyes Brown

See original here:
Brazilian model Isabela Soncini Photos

CBS News Poll: Most Oppose GOP Tax Plan

Republicans have argued that the midterm elections have given them a mandate on what they are calling one of the most important issues facing America, the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. “The American people want us to stop all the looming tax hikes and to cut spending, and that should be the priority of the remaining days that we have in this Congress,” incoming House Speaker Rep. John Boehner said Thursday. Boehner added that a House vote Thursday to extend the cuts for all but the highest-earning Americans amounted to “chicken crap.” According to a new CBS News poll, however, Boehner is off-base in his claim that Americans “want us to stop all the looming tax hikes.” The poll finds that 53 percent of Americans want the Bush-era tax cuts extended only for households earning less than $250,000 per year. That roughly matches the proposal put forth by the White House, which wants to extend the cuts only for incomes less than $250,000 for families and $200,000 for individuals. Just 26 percent of Americans say they support extending the cuts for all Americans, even those earning above the $250,000 level, which is the GOP proposal. Another 14 percent of Americans say the cuts should expire for all Americans. The Treasury Department says the cost of making the cuts permanent for everyone is $3.7 trillion over a decade. The White House plan which would not extend the cuts on high earners would cost an estimated $3 trillion over ten years. (By point of contrast, the controversial deficit commission proposal released this week would save about $4 trillion in that time.) Seventy percent of Democrats want to extend the cuts only on incomes below $250,000, according to the CBS News poll. Forty-seven percent of independents and 41 percent of Republicans agree. Only ten percent of Democrats and one in four independents back the GOP proposal to extend the tax cuts for all. Even among Republicans, support for extending all the cuts is less than half at 46 percent. The Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire for all Americans by the end of the year, and lawmakers are working feverishly to reach compromise on the issue during the lame duck session. The Democrat-led House voted Thursday to extend them for those below then $200,000/$250,000 threshold, but the bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes it needs to break a GOP filibuster in the Senate. Following the House vote, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California released a statement saying Democrats “just don't get it.” “Clearly, Congressional Democrats learned nothing from the lessons of November 2nd,” he said. “The American people had a clear choice between those that want to cut taxes for all Americans and those that want to raise them and they chose decisively. Instead of living up to the mandate set by the American people, Congressional Democrats have defied the will of the American people.” President Obama dispatched Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, to oversee negotiations on finding common ground on the issue earlier this week following a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that “[t]he talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature.” Republicans have suggested they are unwilling to compromise on the issue, and most political observers expect Democrats to agree to extend all the cuts temporarily. In exchange, Republicans could give ground on other Democratic priorities, such as ratification of the START arms treaty with Russia or an extension of unemployment benefits, which expired on Tuesday. added by: TimALoftis

Lifetime Achievement in Greasy Creepitude

You may know him as that guy from Fargo , or that guy from Minority Report , or that guy from this movie (seen here in the center). THE BIG LEBOWSKI SATURDAY 9pm ET/6pm PT

Follow this link:
Lifetime Achievement in Greasy Creepitude

Civil Union Law A Welcome Change for LGBT Locals In Glenview

Until a few days ago, Denise White was fighting two battles. White, who has breast cancer and raises her four daughters with a same-sex partner in Glenview, worried about the guardianship of her daughters should she pass away. Although White and her partner raise White's daughters jointly, her partner did not have the same rights to guardianship—or to make decisions regarding medical treatment— as a legally married couple. That was before the Dec. 1 passage of the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act by state lawmakers, explained Barbara Schon-Lundberg, a local LGBT rights activist. The bill—which passed 61-52 in the House of Representatives Tuesday and 32-24 in the state Senate Wednesday—now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn's signature. The act is a step in the right direction, Schon-Lundberd said. The purpose of the law, which grants extended rights to both homosexual and heterosexual couples joined in civil unions, is to certify and register these unions and “provide persons entering into a civil union with the obligations, responsibilities, protections and benefits afforded or recognized by the law of Illinois to spouses,” according to the law's text. Schon-Lundberg is president of the PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois. PFLAG, which stands for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, has 26 members in Glenview, said Schon-Lundberg, who also lives in the village. “It's something we've been waiting for,” she added. “We want marriage equality, but this is a good step.” Schon-Lundberg has been involved in PFLAG for the past nine years, after she became active in the organization to support her gay brother. She has been editor of the organization's newsletter, Open Doors, and said she doesn't get much opposition to her work from village residents. Her job is to advocate for and protect people like White and her partner, she said. “…There's still a lot of work to be done [to legalize gay marriage] and it will take time, but the tide is turning. There is growing support all the time.” added by: TimALoftis