May 2007
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May 28th, 2007
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr met his top lieutenants on Sunday to discuss a new direction
for his movement after his return to public life following a mysterious seven-month disappearance.
Blackwater's security consulting division holds at least $109 million worth of State Department contracts in Iraq.
...the new proposals would give officers an automatic right to stop and question anyone
in the UK about suspected terrorism.
The opposition has no legal status and is unable to field presidential candidates.
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May 23rd, 2007
Definitely worth reading!
Pro-Torture Republican Mitt Romney Wants to Double
Guantanamo
Mitt Romney Loves Gulag - youtube video
...and receives thunderous applause for saying so
"The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government."
Nine US warships carrying 17,000 personnel have entered the Gulf in a show of force off Iran's coast.
...the mayor could declare "public safety act zones"...police would be encouraged to aggressively stop
and frisk individuals in those zones to search for weapons and drugs.
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May 14th, 2007
Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq?s declared oil production over the past four years
is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling.
...the Iraqi government is about to push through a law giving Western oil companies the right
to exploit the country's massive oil reserves.
...without note in the U.S. media...144 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition
calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal.
Post-Oil Man
Some People Think he's an Idiot... - youtube video
One man prepares for the oil crash
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May 7th, 2007
Sarkozy has pledged to boost the economy by creating jobs, liberalise employment laws, be tough
on crime and control immigration.
The surprise explanation behind the U.S. government's sensational but false warnings about mysterious
Canadian spy coins is the harmless poppy quarter, the world's first colourized coin...the mint produced nearly
30 million such quarters in 2004 commemorating Canada's 117,000 war dead.
Around 200 armed men have forcibly halted dozens of cars and smashed their cassette
players in northwestern Pakistan in a bid to impose Taliban-style values.
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May 5th, 2007
Bush's Praetorian Guard
Jeremy Scahill on Blackwater - youtube video
Somebody should really be keeping an eye on these guys...
Many demonstrators carried Turkish flags and posters of Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder
who insisted on a separation of religion and state.
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May 4th, 2007
I'm usually not one for personal attacks, but I can't resist this time. Over the last few days, diplomats and dignitaries
from Iraq, its neighbours, and "coalition" countries have been meeting at a summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
At these meetings there have been high-level talks between officials from the US and some of its so-called enemies
like Syria and Iran. In an effort to build on this positive development, a dinner had been scheduled where the
seating arrangement put Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucherh Mottaki across the table from US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. This was a great opportunity for some informal talk between the two diplomats. These sort of
casual meetings are tremendously productive undertakings in the practice of diplomacy. However, Mottaki would
have none of it. He walked out of the dinner because he said that "Islamic Standards" were not met. What was he
talking about? Apparently he had a problem with the violin player at the dinner. Reports indicate that the musician
in question wore (Gasp!) a revealing red dress.
If this story is true, it is a sign of gross immaturity on the part of Mottaki. The US has threatened Iran repeatedly.
Until recently, there has been almost no diplomatic effort to resolve issues between the two countries. The potential
dinner with Rice could have been tremendously helpful, but it was abandoned because Mottaki couldn't handle
being in the presence of a woman dressed in something less than an abaya and a hijab. It seems that any display of
feminine beauty makes Mottaki uncomfortable.
I should note that somehow, the lady in the red dress didn't violate the Islamic Standards of others in attendance.
Egyptians, Iraqis, and other Iranians stayed, and even made song requests of the violinist. I suppose that for a man
as important Mottaki, maintaining a high standard of misogyny is more important than doing your job.
Republican Presidential Candidates Sam Brownback, Tim Tancredo, and Mike Huckabee don't.
There are many Americans who think that one of these guys might be a good keeper of the nuclear arsenal.
Yikes.
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May 1st, 2007
Arctic sea ice has declined at an average rate of about 7.8 per cent a decade between 1953 and 2006.
May Day in Venezuela
State oil company PDVSA will control at least 60% of the projects, which have been ceded by ConocoPhillips,
Chevron, Exxon Mobil, BP, Statoil and Total.
Chavez, who plans to create an alternative lending bank run by South American nations
and funded in part with his OPEC nation's high oil revenue, said on Monday Venezuela no longer
needed the institutions dominated by U.S. "imperialism."
The Wombat
Wisdom from a furry friend
Wisdom About Sharing the Earth - youtube video
More Religious Insanity
Utah Republican Don Larsen has submitted a formal resolution to oppose the devil's plan to destroy the country.
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