public marks

PUBLIC MARKS from mikepower with tags usa & fromDel

May 2006

All of Us Participate in a New Iraq

Last Friday I was at the University of Texas, Austin, giving a presentation on Iraq. After dumping an hour's worth of horrible "real news" about Iraq, I was asked the question I have by now learnt to expect: "Is there anything good happening there at all

April 2006

Sex tourism thriving in Bible Belt

Atlanta, the buckle of the U.S. Bible Belt, where the world's busiest passenger airport provides a cheaper, more convenient and safer underage sex destination for men seeking girls as young as 10.

March 2006

USA: Legalize the 'Illegals'

There is no immigration crisis — other than the one created by a small but vocal stripe of opportunist politicians, media demagogues and freelance xenophobes.

The White House That Cried Wolf

Faced with the unappetizing reality of Iraq, Bush and Rove are relying on that grand old reliable strategy—attack the media. It doesn’t play as well as it used to. Everyone who wants an alternative reality is already watching Fox News.

DenverPost.com Keep tax information private

Christmas came early this year for would-be identity thieves in the form of a proposal by the Internal Revenue Service to allow tax-return preparation firms to sell hitherto-secret tax information to marketing companies.

Keystone Komputers - New York Times

It may sound incredible to anyone who's ever used the Internet, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation has struggled unsuccessfully for 10 years to come up with a workable computer system.

FBI Keeps Watch on Activists - Los Angeles Times

The FBI, while waging a highly publicized war against terrorism, has spent resources gathering information on antiwar and environmental protesters and on activists who feed vegetarian meals to the homeless, the agency's internal memos show.

Bush decided to invade Iraq before diplomcy failed

US President George W. Bush made clear to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in January 2003 that he was determined to invade Iraq without a UN resolution and even if UN arms inspectors failed to find weapons of mass destruction in the country

Punishing Pain - New York Times

Wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis patient Richard Paey is serving 25 years in a Florida prison for "trafficking" a half gramme of OxyContin, even though the prosecutor concedes that Paey never sold any of his medications. In prison, he now receives mor

Armed Cheney to Guard Ports

“If anyone tries any funny business at one of our nation’s ports, they’re going to have to answer to this!” he declared, brandishing his shotgun for the benefit of reporters.

Who loves ya baby?

Profound pessimism about the Iraq war has pushed George Bush's popularity to an all-time low of 34%

February 2006

A Coverup Under Two Presidents: The Unsolved Mystery of the Oklahoma City Bombing

Long before the Iraq war, long before 9/11, the U.S. government had already mastered the art of fluffing its intelligence on a looming threat, botching the response and then working furiously to cover its mistakes.

The New Yorker: The Memo by Jane Mayer

How an internal effort to ban the abuse and torture of detainees was thwarted.

US troops taught Iraqi gestures

The US military has funded a computer game to teach its troops how to use and decipher Iraqi body language.

Educators face blowback for protesting Iraq war

Just over three years ago, as the nation readied for war with Iraq, elementary school teacher Deb Mayer stood in front of her class and uttered the word that would get her blacklisted from her profession - 'Peace'

village voice > news > Mondo Washington by James Ridgeway

since 9-11, in one test after another, news organizations using undercover teams have easily broken through the FAA security apparatus, rendering the entire business unworkable.

The Blog | Michelle Pilecki: The Huffington Post

Arms-control treaties, nuclear proliferation, weapons of mass destruction -- in dealing with these issues, does the State Department need career professionals who know what they're talking about? Apparently not

Teen saves life of woman who saved his life

A teenager recently got the chance to thank the woman who saved his life - by saving hers. The 17-year-old successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on the choking woman in the restaurant where he was washing dishes.

Winston-Salem Journal | Fatal motorcycle accidents are epidemic in troops returning from war zones

More US troops have died in off-duty motorcycle accidents since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, than have been killed in combat in Afghanistan over that same time, according to safety records.

Bush defended (see below) Letter to the Editor: Judge Bush on his results

George W. Bush has an undergraduate degree from Yale University, a graduate degree from Harvard, was two-term governor of our second-largest state and a two-term President of the United States. Mr Bush qualified to pilot a modern jet fighter...