I, last year, rid my household of a really crappy house-mate ("Good Riddance!"). He apparently didn't bother to file a change of address form with the post office ( a block away)... nor has he asked for his mail - which is now in bags, probably weighing a few pounds - his junk mail, mail from friends/family (he has/had friends? Go Figure!) and loads of mail-order catalogues... Never mind that he has NO Money to buy anything with... why he would sign-up for catalogues... Idiot.
Anyway, my long-time house-mate has been keeping it for him... as it continues to pile up... I was dreading having to call Every catalogue 1-800 number to tell them:

A.) He doesn't live here.,
B.) He doesn't have any money to buy your stuff with.,
C.) Stop sending your glossy, virgin-paper, tree-killing crapalogues here.
and D.) He still doesn't have any money!
(Aaarrgghh!)

Ahem... Anyway, I'm definitely going to make use of the sites below that will help me put an end to the junk mail barrage and a few others. I hope you find some info that helps to alleviate some of the junk in your life, too... While protecting our environment.

Cheers!

Oh, and to you linear time-oriented people: Happy New Year!
L.




Environment: Easy to Be Green
Illustration by John Ueland for Newsweek



From: msnbc.msn.com

Related Stories :
.. Q&A: Energy Exec Calls for Green Power
.. Designing the Future: No Waste or Pollution

By Joan Raymond
Newsweek

Jan. 8, 2007 issue - You don't have to ditch leather or sell your car to help the environment. We've gathered 10 simple tips for living greener in 2007. Hey, it's a lot easier than losing those 15 pounds.

1. Feed the Bees: Pesticides, pollution and habitat destruction are taking a toll on the birds and insects that pollinate about 80 percent of the world's food supply (or about one out of every three bites of food we eat), says Rose Getch of the National Gardening Association. To lend a helping hand, plant a pollinator garden. Yellow, blue and purple flowers will attract bees, while red and orange will attract humming birds. For more information, go to kidsgardening.com.

2. Clean Up Naturally: Household chemicals (see: Clorox, TSP, paint/painting -related prods., etc.) contribute to both in-door and outdoor pollution. This year, use more natural cleaners like the Greening the Cleaning line at imusranchfoods.com. Or make your own using vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. For some great tips on green cleaning, go to eartheasy.com.

3. Ditch Your Junk: Not only is junk mail annoying, it kills trees. Do yourself..and the forests..a favor by getting off the mailing lists of companies you don't support. You can contact the firms yourself, or check out subscription services like greendimes.com or 41pounds.org that promise to lighten your junk-mail load. For more information: thegreenguide.com.

4. Air Your Laundry: Make like Grandma and line-dry your clothes once in a while. It not only saves money, but also decreases your yearly carbon- dioxide emissions. Likewise, run your washer on cold whenever possible..and use it only when it's full.

5. Recycle Your Gadgets: Don't clog landfills with old electronics.(Yuck!) If you're dumping a computer, manufacturers like Dell (dell.com), HP (hp.com) and Apple (apple.com) offer recycling options. Or consider donating. The National Cristina Foundation (cristina.org) will hook up your old PC or Mac with a nonprofit organization. Drop off your old cell phone at your local Staples store as part of a Sierra Club recycling effort (sierraclub.org/cellphones/). To find a drop-off center for rechargeable batteries and cell phones, check out the nonprofit Call2Recycle program at rbrc.org. Take advantage of community resources like hazardous-waste pickup or e-waste recycling events.

6. Cut the Lights: Trade your old incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent ones, says Jenny Powers of the Natural Resources Defense Council. They use about 70 percent less energy than regular bulbs and last 10 times longer. For help in picking the best bulb for your needs, go to energystar.gov. Also, plug all your major electronics into a power strip, suggests eco-lifestyle expert Danny Seo, author of "Simply Green Giving" ($19.95; HarperCollins). Appliances and e-gadgets use electricity even when turned off, but flicking the switch on the power strip when you leave the house effectively unplugs them. Finally, check with your local utility company to see if it offers a "green power" option for its customers. Though that might cost slightly more, it's one way of supporting renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power. The U.S. Department of Energy provides comprehensive "green power" info at eere.energy.gov/green power.
Story continues below ? advertisement

7. Eat Your Veggies: Have a meatless Monday. According to the Cambridge, Mass., environmental-advocacy group the Union of Concerned Scientists, meat production is energy-inefficient, sucking up a lot of natural resources. In fact, it takes about 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef. "You don't have to be a vegetarian..just take a break once or twice a week," says group president Kevin Knobloch. "If everyone tried to do something that simple, it could have a huge environmental effect." And when you're shopping for that food, think local. It's more fuel-efficient (your food didn't have to travel thousands of miles to get to your table), and you're boosting the local economy. Use the search engine at localharvest.org to find farms, markets and other food sources in your area. And, of course, bring a reusable cloth bag to the market so you don't have to take the plastic ones.

8. Save a Tree: According to the folks at stop globalwarming.org, the paper industry is the third largest contributor to global warming. If every U.S. household replaced one toilet-paper roll with a roll made from recycled paper, 424,000 trees would be saved. If every household in the United States bought recycled napkins instead of virgin-fiber napkins, we could save a million trees. If the thought of recycled paper doesn't do it for you, plant a tree. According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, the net cooling effect of one healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. You can go to arborday.org to find out which trees will do well in your ZIP code. If you don't have any room to plant, hundreds of eco-organizations have tree-planting projects. All you have to do is donate money.

9. Turn On the Tap: Instead of spending big bucks on bottled water, drink the stuff that comes from your faucet. The reason? "It takes a lot of oil to make and ship those bottles, and once they're empty, most wind up in landfills or as litter," says Jen Boulden, cofounder of the online environmental community idealbite.com. If you're squeamish (Americans really do have some of the best tap water in the world), buy a water filter. For comparisons, go to waterfiltercomparisons.net.

10. Find an Eco-Date: There was the metrosexual. Then the retrosexual. Now there's the ecosexual. So if one of your goals is to find that special, ecofriendly someone in 2007, check out social-networking communities like Vegan Passions (veganpassions.com), Earth Wise Singles (ewsingles.com), Green Singles (greensingles.com) or Green Passions (green-passions.com). Because two recyclers are better than one.

Unwrapping Christmas...Yippee!

(Cue the theme music to the movie "Jaws"...)

It's back...

...It comes back every "year" (Linear time? Haha!) like hay fever... or that flu thing... or those relatives whom you're glad live so far away that they can only visit once a year (Whew!) ...it's Christmas and, overnight - it seems, anyway, that Satan's...ummm, excuse me... Santa's Helpers have plastered Everything Red and Green with annoying little blinking lights throughout... If Santa and the reindeer (Rudolph included - blinking red nose and all.) exploded, it would look like this.



The holidays start rearing their tinsel-topped heads at the earliest possible moment each year..... this year the warning signs were visible far in advance - beginning on November 1st... or as quickly as Walgreen's could get all of the Halloween left-overs stuffed into a shopping cart marked " 75% Off!".



Fights broke out between the Christmas decorations and the Thanksgiving decorations for shelf-space. Well, okay... not quite, but if they did fight, at least they would have some entertainment value.



Speaking of value...

Here's an article of educational value related to some of the not-so-long held traditional symbols that much of the modern world associates with Christmas, but whose origin is far from Christian. I'd like to say that I feel this provides some semblance of balance...hmm. But actually, no, it's nowhere near as sensory overloading... It is my own litte countermeasure to off-set all the Ho-Ho-Holey Hooey Holidays.

That said, really, I'm no scrooge... I just believe in being thankful daily and in being compassionate and generous the whole year through... Not just 1 or 2 months out of the year (toward those who have less than I do/are in need, especially.)

One more item of note... One of the more sad sights - in the days and weeks following all of the manic tree-choosing or assembling/decorating/oooh-ing and aaah-ing, shopping, party-throwing, gift-giving, duraflame log-burning (FYI - I know... all lit up, with dancing flames, in your fireplace, they're pretty (...Whoa, the colors, dude!) , But, to the innocent civilians outside skating or walking, in the 'fresh air'... those things stink!), etc... It's kinda heartbreaking... seeing the seemingly endless number of unceremoniously discarded and dumped, oh-so-quickly forgotten, (once living) "Christmas" trees...Left out with... as trash... with little, sporadic tendrils of tinsel flickering on some branches in the cold wind.



Just a thought.
To those who, instead, choose live trees and replant them afterwards, Thank You!
Happy Present Moment.
-L.



Unwrapping Christmas
What's underneath the traditions that decorate the day

Patrick Langston, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, December 16, 2006

A world-class scavenger, Christmas has ransacked everything from Druid ceremonies to Norse myths for its glorious, overstuffed sack of traditions and rituals.

Christmas lights? Try old-time Babylonian lighting ceremonies. Held at the winter solstice, they ushered in warmer and shorter days ahead.

Gift-giving? Another rip-off of those pagan party animals, who swapped presents during ancient Rome's Saturnalian shindigs.

As for Santa, well, he's a conglomeration of many folks including third-century St. Nicholas, the Anglo-Saxon god Woden, a 16th-century Moor called Black Pete who kept lists of bad kids (in Holland, he whipped them) and Coca Cola's marketing team. And it was the U.S. Surgeon General's 1964 report on smoking and cancer that apparently led to the demise of Santa's pipe.

Heck, even Christmas Day probably isn't really Christmas Day. Aside from the fact that not one of the four gospels actually mentions him, the fellow who apparently owned the stable where Christ was born was an innkeeper, not a birth registrar, and it's anybody's guess when baby Jesus drew his first breath.

As with many Christmas traditions, Dec. 25 was probably just a handy way to pool a bunch of existing pagan rituals, thereby smoothing the way for Christianity's expansion. (It made the "Conversion" choice - as in "Convert or Die" - easier to swallow when 'their' big holy days happen to be around the same time as yours -L.)

We all love traditions, which help give structure and continuity to our lives. Here's a definitely non-definitive look at some of our favourites.

Candy Canes

No, they weren't invented, as some have suggested, to symbolize Jesus (white for purity, red for blood, upside down "J" for, well, you know). Instead, it seems a canny 17th-century Cologne Cathedral choirmaster realized that candy sticks, curved like shepherds' staffs, would distract fidgety kids attending Nativity enactments. Fast forward to the beginning of the 20th century and candy canes are rotting teeth on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1950s, another churchy fellow, a Catholic priest named Gregory Keller, invented the mass-production machine that turned his brother-in-law's company, Bob's Candies, into the world's leading candy cane manufacturer.

The Yule Log

One angry website auteur condemns Christmas cakes in the shape of yule logs as a remnant of the "vile phallic worship" once endemic among Scandinavians. Well, the Vikings did carve magical runes in the shape of logs during their solstice celebrations, but then yule logs feature prominently in many traditions. The Druids apparently blessed and burned a log -- must have been a big one -- for 12 days during the solstice, keeping a piece to light a new log the following year. Yule logs and cakes, the latter appearing in Victorian times, can still be found in some of the best Christian homes.

Carolling

For major-league carolling, you need look no further than Luke 2:14, where an entire heavenly host proclaims Christ's birth. More earthbound, the Celts went wassailing during the solstice, walking, or more likely stumbling, from house to house where they sang, drank, ate and drank. (Speaking of stumbling and carolling... To the pickled people who put great gusto into destroying (...to call it singing would be a sin) some traditional xmas carols outside my window in The Haight last night...no, this morning(!) Thanks! I'm guessing that the bar tossed you out on your christm-asses.-L.) They also visited orchards, dousing the tree roots with cider to ensure a bumper crop the following year. Somehow, it all wound up entwined and we've been carolling the neighbourhood since at least the Middle Ages, when the earliest Christmas carols emerged. Carols took an official beating during the Reformation, but the 19th century, never averse to a little sentimentality, kicked them back into high gear.


Mistletoe

Popular at least as long ago as ancient Greece, mistletoe is a sure bet for bestowing good luck, extinguishing fires, enhancing fertility, and alleviating gout. Who wouldn't want it hanging in their house, especially since smooching under it ups the chances of marriage in the coming year? Which may explain the kissing-under-the-mistletoe fad that swept 18th century England and Wales, enshrining it as a holiday tradition. Mistletoe etiquette alert: pluck a berry for every kiss, but stop kissing when the berries run out.

Christmas Stockings

Centuries ago, Dutch kiddies, instead of leaving empty wooden shoes to warm by the chimney on Christmas Eve, started stuffing them with hay for Sinter Claes' horse and adding a little something for the man himself. He reciprocated, throwing candies down the chimney to land in their shoes, a tradition that eventually morphed into stockings hung by the chimney with care. In Italy, meanwhile, it was the good witch, La Befana, who filled the kids' shoes, one legend claiming that she was on her way to bring toys to Jesus, got lost, and figured any child would do. (Apparently it's La Befana, maybe ticked at being lost, who started the coal-for-bad-kids tradition). Yet another story has it that three dowry-less maidens hung their stocking to dry by the chimney. Saint Nicholas, taking pity on the young ladies, dropped gold coins into their stockings, making them good marriage prospects and cheering up their penurious nobleman father. Choose the origin you like best.

The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree sprang, it seems, from numerous origins including gifts of evergreen branches at Kalends, the ancient Roman new year; the Tree of Life in Genesis; the intertwining of Christianity and the pagan mythology of sacred trees in eighth-century Germany (St. Boniface apparently used the fir tree to explain the trinity to Germanic pagans); and the decoration of wooden trees for medieval English mystery plays. Certainly, Christmas trees were hugely popular by the 18th century in Germany, and proliferated in Britain thanks to Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for them. They jumped to North America, some say as early as 1710, with either German or Dutch immigrants. Edward H. Johnson, Thomas Edison's assistant, was the first guy to live longer by swapping candles for electric Christmas tree lights.

Poinsettias

Native to Central America, this ubiquitous symbol of Christmas was once prized by the Aztecs for its decorative qualities and the purplish dye they extracted from its leaves. The Aztecs also considered it a symbol of purity while Christian Mexicans used it in Nativity processions, seeing its star-shaped leaves as representing the Star of Bethlehem.

A Good-Bye salute to the (reality-challenged) neocon dream (...with my middle finger.)

I'll admit it... a while ago (B-4 I found like minded friends via the 'net)... I was feeling some Anxiety...
I was concerned that those delusional stupor-villains at the PNAC - The Project for the New American Century - (and their allies at Bush, Inc. and elsewhere.) were going to get away with it... With screwing America ("Constitution, what Constitution?), screwing Americans (and adding insult to injury... getting many of our citizenry to go along willingly - thinking themselves patriotic.) and screwing the rest of the world (Invade and Conquer)... Oh yeah, and worsening and speeding up the onset of environmental disasters.



With such a fate to look forward to... I was. not surprisingly, often cynical... occasionally depressed and regularly incredulous at and arguing with the TV news... I couldn't believe how they would just repeat whatever sound-bites the White House fed them, that no one cared to ask obvious and pertinent questions! What happened to "in-depth reporting"? 1984 and Big Brother were alive and kicking... and scheming... and re-writing... and...

Then came The Decider's decision - with premeditation and fabricated justification and with a perpetual parade of political allies who were willing to use and abuse the (imaginary) big, bad, bomb scare (Ahh, the "mushroom cloud" speech.) - to invade and attack Iraq. They told us and the world that it was "pre-emptive" and necessary to stop Hussein from using "WMD" on us. They lied. Some of us knew it to be a foolish fabrication from the start, but far too many believed the lie and the liars. Those ethically bankrupt buffoons believed that if you told a lie often enough... if you pummeled the populace with the lie... the people would eventually accept it as the Truth. Unfortunately, it was partially true in regards to part of the populace. But, the Bushites went overboard... They took that idea and ran with it and expanded on it... Adding the "if you tell the country everything's fine and under control - even when all evidence screams the exact opposite - the people will believe the lie." modification. But, thanks to the FEMA disaster that followed the Katrina disaster... the American people had had begun to see the Truth, in spite of the lie and the united front of smiling and back-patting.

I, myself, prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt, to believe that people are basically good - at heart - and want to do the right thing. And maybe that's what those who supported these assholes were doing. I can appreciate the intention. It would make me feel better than if it was just that they were duped.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting the turn of events that happened...scandals, elections they couldn't fck up as much (Thanks to the Enlightened electorate questioning/rejecting electronic machines without paper, voting absentee and turning out to vote, period...and more scandals.) ...How things have changed! Wonder of wonders...Bush, himself, FINALLY stopped saying, "...stay the course..." (Maddening, it was.) Hell, the White House spin-man even tried to deny it was ever said/was ever the plan. (Yeah, right. Cue the VCR.) I am and will forever be grateful that the Bushites took deceit to a whole 'nother level. How confident and full of themselves they were to smile at us and say, "Everything's okay." "They aren't as bad as they're being portrayed." (Partially true - sometimes they were worse.) I'm glad that they've refused and still refuse to admit that they are capable of making a mistake, let alone several big ones. ... If "to err is human..." then they must think they aren't human... I know that, over the last few years, I often didn't believe they could be human.



I'm giddy that their massive B.S.ing and the denials and the conceit are all biting them on the asses that they are. Ha! Ha! Ha! Bad neo-cons! Very Bad!

S-a-l-u-t-e!

I may even begin to believe in... Nahh.

Cheers to us... All of us... Everywhere.

Here's an interesting little piece. I don't agree with all it infers - I have an eternal/internal belief that is positive. But, it's a fun read.
Peace.
L.



From: Media Monitors Network

New American Century Set for Disaster Paralleling Third Reich
by Stan Moore
(Monday December 18 2006)

"The New American Century may not even survive to the end of its first decade. It was a bit presumptuous for the neo-cons to believe a New American Century was even possible."

The Bushites thought they had it all figured out. And they thought it would be easy and relatively painless for themselves. Led by a commander-in-chief who was a former combat aviator with the Texas Air National Guard, the U.S. armed forces, with all that combat firepower was going to beat down Saddam Hussein, take Iraq, then move on Iran and Syria, transforming the Middle East into an America-centric oasis of democracy and freedom. The entire oil-producing region of the Persian Gulf and even Central Asia would become controlled by satellites of American hegemony to the benefit of the U.S. economy and to the negating of potential rivals such as China, India, Russia and anyone else who might think they could pose a threat to the New American Century, to be totally dominated by the U.S. with no serious or even potential rivals.

To achieve these lofty goals of democracy and freedom abroad, democracy had to be quietly aborted domestically with election fraud and manipulations needed to put Bush in the White House. From there, it was going to be a cakewalk, like every other magnificent accomplishment President George W. Bush had achieved in his illustrious career in business and government service ...

It was thought to be SO easy that the advice of senior military officials regarding force requirements to take and control Iraq were dismissed by another military genius of the Bush Administration, Donald "Chesty Puller" Rumsfeld, who knew how to win wars in the new century, and that required sending neigh-sayers within the senior military to early retirement in order to enact a program with the best of the remaining "Yes-men" from Tommy Franks down to Peter Pace, with lots of other conspicuously under-performing military "giants" in lead positions along the way. The best performer of the entire military has been General Geoffrey Miller, who did not get personally involved in combat operations but really gave 'em hell in the field of torturing detainees, many of whom were sold into detention for cash rewards.

So, America deposed Saddam Hussein, and with the aid of the Kurdish Peshmurga, actually took Saddam into captivity after a few months and after the sons of Saddam had been killed violently. All these milestones were supposed to result in Iraqi acquiescence to American occupation, but as of December, 2006, the single most desired wish of all Iraqis of all religious sects and cultures is to have a complete withdrawal of all American personnel from their soil. So much for democracy! The will of the people is inconsequential still to the American government and their puppets in the Green Zone.

And it has become clear to anyone free of myopia that there will be no military solution in Iraq for the disaster brought by the Bushites. America cannot win, but could lose catastrophically even in military terms, especially if the Shiites take control of logistics lines foiling an attack on Iran or something similar...

Even adding another few tens of thousands of American troops for a few months will not pacify Iraq, but will result in significantly more American casualties. And the breaking points of the over-stretched American military draws precariously near.

So, what will Bush do? The logical next step from the Bush perspective is to attack Iran. Why? Because Bush cannot see his mistakes -- he believes he is working "God's" will and that God wants American hegemony and control over the world economy and the world's petroleum resources.

So, it appears that the unraveling of the Bush Administration in the last two years of W's presidency may also be the unraveling of the New American Century. The New American Century will not last as long as Hitler's Third Reich, which was supposed to last a millenium, but had maybe ten or twelve strong years before the myopia of that German/Austria commander-in-chief led to disaster and humiliation for a nation and tragedy for the entire world.

Bush' grandfather, Prescott, was a business partner and collaborator with the Third Reich. He was convicted of conspiring with the enemy during wartime. And George W. Bush is leading the powerful U.S. military much as Adolf Hitler led the powerful German military of his time -- to early victory and ultimate disaster.

Bush may very well see the handwriting on the wall. He may feel that if American cannot have the hegemony and strategic control over Persian Gulf oil that no one else will. Maybe he will attempt to wreck the economy of the entire world, destroy the oilfields for a generation or two, and sink the entire ship of modern civilization rather than see prosperity elsewhere but not on native shores. Bush may very well be the apocalyptic president who single-handedly drives America to the rapture where either God will rescue the faithful or they will drown like rats from a sinking ship.

The only thing missing in this sordid scenario is the perspective of the great political writer, Hunter Thompson, who unfortunately died and had his remains fired from a cannon in public celebration and therefore has not been able to witness and document the unraveling of the American civilization he once lived on the edge of.

The New American Century may not even survive to the end of its first decade. It was a bit presumptuous for the neo-cons to believe a New American Century was even possible. These are the same people who sent Republican kids straight out of college to the Green Zone to run the Iraqi stock market and banking system, and who to this day have about six skilled Arabic translators in the entire Green Zone. They are a bit "reality-challenged" and incompetent would be far too kind a word to describe the resulting tragedy and havoc they have wrought.

The Democrats complain a bit now, but only on tactics, not strategy, and they will be unable to resurrect the failed state they were complicit in ruining.

If only Al Gore had not stolen the votes needed to put Ralph Nader in the White House in 2004, we might have stood a chance.


Source:

by courtesy & © 2006 Stan Moore

O.K....

I have a piece "under construction" about Bush Inc., torture and racism...
Heavy stuff.
Important, Yes!
But heavy...

So, after the previous two entries - about Torture Air and Abeer's rapists/murderers' sentencing...

I need something a little on the lighter side... Don't you?

This one's really brief, but funny. And, taaa-daaa!, it's from my personal direct recent experiences...

So...




It was a sublime night in San Francisco...



It had been raining earlier...



I had been waiting impatiently until it was dry enough to get my skate on. (I skate a 87 Caballero - bonite included - so I don't want to get it damp.)



After a while, I decide to make a run to Trader Joe's. Besides, the grab-it-when-you-can SF Muni bus I needed was right there. (Miracle of miracles!)


No, not this bus... but I wanted an interesting Muni photo.

So, I step up to pay my fare... And there's this crazy old man sitting right near the door - in the first seat...


No, not that crazy old man... a different one... one with a walker in front of him. I'd seen him as I skated by an earlier bus stop shelter.


Yeah, something like that

Pertinent side note: I don't dress like most other people. I have my own unique style of dress, one which may change on a moment-to-moment basis. Let me put it this way... When I'm figuring out what to wear on a given morning... my main objective is to not look like I shop at the Gap or Ubercrumbie. On this particular evening, it was cool out.. and a bit damp. I had black bondage pants on, some shirt - not sure which one - and two jackets. The first jacket is one I Love... it looks like something Trinity would wear... made of thin, black latex/pleather, long-sleeved, zips in the front...the top is snug like latex is supposed to be, below the waist is a full length, full skirt - cut open in the front... Over that jacket... my worn in motorcycle leather, with all its patches. It's the perfect combination when it's damp out and there's a chill in the air. Insulating, but not too much, and most important: water-proof... Oh, and it adds a dramatic touch.


I wish! Close enough... but gravity doesn't let me get away with as much as she does.

Back to the story...

So, I get on the bus. I'm putting my money in the contraption by the driver - balancing without holding onto anything - I needed both hands to dig out the money. As the door closes and the bus lumbers onward, in a zig-zagging sort of way... the crazy old man says - innocently enough - "Hello."
Surprised that someone spoke to me... and that I was actually paying attention enough to notice... I respond in kind, "Hello."
Silly me... I thought that would be the beginning, middle and The End of that conversation.
But, No... the old crazy fart had to go on to toss one at me from out in Left Field.

Left Field seats at SBC Park.

Next, he asked me a Really Stupid Question...

WRONG!!

He inquires of me - Matrix latex-wearing, slightly askew me - "Are you wearing a trash bag?"...



First lightning-fast flash though me... right after re-playing the scene over in my head to make sure I heard crazy old man correctly... was a flash of Anger..."What the fcuk did he just say?!"



I was aware that I was at that fraction of a nanosecond moment when you are still in complete control of yourself and you have a brief window of "time" where you can make the conscious choice between choosing A.) Offended, Angry and Getting Your Evil On...



And B.)Pulling all that back. Talking yourself down..."Listen... he's a crazy, old dude...with a walker! His eyesight's probably poor. It's dark out. He's probably never even seen The Matrix! He could have dementia. He could be head injured... so... lighten up. He meant no harm. Besides... there are other people on the bus - who probably never heard the question, but who would notice little, dark, sk8rgrrl me going off on him... Bad form.
So, wratcheted myself down, from that precipice, quickly.
All of this took place in the expanse between his question, it registering with me and my taking a quick breath, and letting it out... microts, as it were.
There should have been a choir of angels singing in the background.
Because, I simply stated, without any animosity, "No, I am not. It's a jacket."




All the aggro was gone...A good thing because once out, it doesn't go back so easily... Whew!

I Should'a listened to my Mother...



Re-reading this... I can laugh at it now... A 'trash bag'... what a comedian!


The End.

Iraq rape soldier given life sentence

Abeer Qassim al-Janabi died at the young age of 14... Well, she didn't so much die as she was brutally gang-raped and murdered by several drunken, hateful, vicious and vile mental midgets who happened to join the Army and went to Iraq - apparently with little to no supervision where they were posted. These soldiers also murdered, in cold blood, her 4 Year Old Sister and her Mother and her Father - witnesses are messy. (?) Messy? They left a mess when they were done... After being brutalized by these pieces of shit, one of them shot her in the face. Then, (like I said...Mental Midgets.) they tried to set her on fire. Then they set her what had been her home on fire. She was found, by neighbors responding to the blaze, with her dress still pulled up above her waist... and burned from the waist up. Her 4 yr. old sister had been murdered, and both her parents' bodied were bullet-riddled. Those guilty tried to blame the deaths on the insurgency. Thankfully, someone came forward with the Truth.

People who do things like this make me want to become... a 'cleaner' of sorts... In case the Justice System or the Military Justice System fails to secure and isolate these soulless, piss-poor excuses for Human Beings... as just a hobby...You know, then someone would go clean up the mess that is them. They are the necrotic tissue on the body of humanity, and they need to be cut out... to prevent any more of the human body becoming contaminated by them, ending up permanently damaged and/or dying.

Abeer had been terrified of these men. She had to pass them daily and it must have been an awful experience. She finally told her mother about the soldiers' unwanted, frightening advances {(A) She was 14 yrs old! and B) As they were Muslim. Under Islam, You don't treat girls or women like that.}.

Imagine for a moment...
You are a child.
Doing what children do... Playing, learning, helping your parents...
An unprovoked war comes to your home.
Your country sustains a massive bombing.
Many thousands of women, men and children are killed and injured.
The bombing finally ends.
You and your family all survived.
Men with automatic weapons show up.
They aren't your countrymen.
They aren't Muslim, like you and all you know are.
They're the ones who were doing the bombing... to find WMD...
No, now it's to "free" you from Saddam's rule, to bring "Democracy" to your country.
They don't speak any Arabic, they don't even try.
They bark orders at you and others in a foreign language... and get angry when you don't understand what they are saying.
They yell. They drink. They laugh. They point their guns at people, then laugh some more.
They all focus on you as you walk by. You wish you didn't have to pass them, but you have no choice. Perhaps they try to touch you. It isn't right. They make you very scared. They know where you live... because they've followed you home before.
What can you do?
They have guns. They won't stop. They won't leave you alone.
You tell your Mother that you fear they will come to for you at night, after they've been drinking. She contacts a relative who says you can stay with them. She says to come the next night. You feel a little better, but still anxious. You cannot wait to get away to where you'll feel safer. You lay in bed, but cannot sleep. You keep picturing them, hearing their taunting, laughing.
Suddenly, there's a loud and heavy banging at the door. Your heart starts pounding. You hear the door forced open. You hear men's voices... It's them! You hear your Father yelling...You cannot breath. You hear your Mother start to cry... You start to cry...You hear them coming toward you, you're frozen in terror... They're coming... and you are 14 years old and you are all alone... with them...

Abeer survived the "Shock and Awe" campaign... but not the Shockingly and Awfully Incompetent Occupation.

She did nothing to these men. They were armed foreigners occupying her home.
Now, instead of any number of things a 14 yr. old girl would be doing, dreaming of, playing with her 4 year old sister, looking forward to...
Instead of that... she's dead. And she was forced to endure what must have been the most unimaginably horrific final hours. Did she hear her family being killed? Can you imagine being 14, being raped... and the last thing you see is a gun barrel pointed at your face?
She's gone. Along with her family.
They were just trying to live their lives.
Now they're all dead. And since Abeer was murdered, relatives are close-lipped. - In their culture, any sexual activity - including rape - a girl outside of marriage brings shame to the entire family. They just wanted to leave it in the past.

Thankfully, someone grew a conscience. Someone said something. And word got out to the press... including Bloggers. Which made it virtually impossible for the military to successfully cover it up, hide the crimes. They tried to "spin" the story, though. At first they said that it was "insurgents". The neighbors knew better. Then they said the victim was a 20 yr. old woman... No, it was a 50 yr. old woman... As if the violent rape and murder of a young woman, or the rape of an older woman is somehow less of a horrible crime than that of a child. Rape is Rape. It is a violent violation of a human being's body. It is a crime. Personally, I feel that, if it can be known for sure that a rape has taken place and who the rapist(s) is(are)... They should be eligible for capital punishment. Dead men don't rape. At the very least, lock them up for the rest of their lives - no possibility of parole. The victim recieved a "life sentence", so too, should the rapist.

Now, the first defendent in the trial of Abeer's rapists/murderers has been sentenced... A Life Sentence... Up to 90 years... Hurrah! Some semblance of Justice... But, he'll be eligible for parole in 20 years. Boooo!
Abeer and her family will still be dead.
These men were given the power over life and death by the Bush Admin... given individual weapons of mass destruction, themselves. Sent to attack another sovereign nation. Trained in combat, but not cultural competence. Apparently, no senior officer was overseeing them, checking in on them. They started thinking that they were "in charge", could do whatever they wanted to a people they had begun to hate... They didn't hate their superiors... Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld... for sending them to Hell... They hated the people whom they were "bringing Democracy to".
What these men actually brought to Iraq was horrible violence and racism.
What they brought to America was enormous shame and increased international contempt.
Maybe it was a plea bargain... But if those unimaginable crimes had happened here, on American soil... I would think they would all recieve the death penalty for their barbarism.
-L.

Staff and agencies
Friday November 17, 2006
From: Guardian Unlimited

A US soldier has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi and kill her and her family.

Specialist James Barker was yesterday told he must serve 20 years before he could be considered for parole.

The 23-year-old - one of four US soldiers accused over the rape and killings - pleaded guilty and agreed to give evidence against the others to avoid the death penalty.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Anderson, the military judge presiding over the case at a military court in Kentucky, told Barker: "This court sentences you to be confined for the length of your natural life, with the eligibility of parole."

The rape of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killings happened in Mahmoudiya, a village around 20 miles south of Baghdad. They are among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq.

Barker told investigators that, on March 12 this year, the soldiers - from the 101st Airborne Division - drank whiskey mixed with an energy drink and played cards as they planned the attack on the girl and her family.

He said that he, former Private Steven Green and another soldier, Sergeant Paul Cortez, had taken turns to rape the girl, and said Mr Green shot her, her parents and her six-year-old sister.

Mr Green, charged in a civilian court with rape and murder, has pleaded not guilty. Sgt Cortez, charged with rape and murder, has deferred entering a plea.

On Wednesday, Barker confessed to the crimes as part of a plea agreement requiring him to give evidence against the other accused. He showed no reaction when his sentence was read out yesterday.

Earlier, he had wept during his closing statement. He accepted responsibility for the rape and killings, saying the violence he had encountered in Iraq left him "angry and mean" towards Iraqis.

"I want the people of Iraq to know that I did not go there to do the terrible things that I did," Barker said. "I do not ask anyone to forgive me today.

"To live there, to survive there, I became angry and mean. I loved my friends, my fellow soldiers and my leaders, but I began to hate everyone else in Iraq."

After Barker's sentencing, military prosecutors declined to comment because three other soldiers have yet to be tried in the case. The sentence, which is subject to review by a higher military authority, could be reduced.

During evidence intended to show the judge that Barker could be rehabilitated, his fellow soldiers described weeks with little support and sleep as they manned checkpoints.

Captain William Fischbach, the lead prosecutor, told the court that such conditions were no excuse for Barker, who led the group of soldiers to the family's house, and said no one deserved to suffer the horrors inflicted on the teenage girl and her family.

"This ... 14-year-old girl never fired bullets or lobbed mortars," Capt Fischbach said as he held photographs of the victims. "Society should not have to bear the risk of the accused among them ever again."

The defendants are accused of burning the girl's body to conceal the crime. Authorities had believed the family had been killed by insurgents until a member of the military unit involved came forward.

Mr Green's involvement has raised questions about the army's recruiting procedures in an increasingly unpopular war that has killed nearly 3,000 US troops.

He entered the army soon after being arrested for underage drinking, and had a record of alcohol and drug abuse.

To make up for a recruitment shortfall, the army has begun accepting a higher number of "category four" candidates who score low on a military aptitude test.

The charges:

Specialist James Barker

Convicted of rape and murder.

Sergeant Paul Cortez

Charged with rape and murder. Deferred entering a plea; trial date yet to be set. Could face death penalty.

Private Jesse Spielman

Charged with rape and murder. Barker did not name Pte Spielman as a participant in the rape and murders, but said he had been at the house when the assault took place and had come knowing what the others intended to do. Pte Spielman is to be brought before a court in December, and could face the death penalty.

Private Bryan Howard

Charged with rape and murder. Barker did not say Pte Howard was a participant in the rape and murders. Prosecutors yesterday said Pte Howard had been left behind at a checkpoint. He is yet to enter a plea, and is not facing the death penalty.

Former private Steven Green

Charged in a civilian court with murder and sexual assault, and has pleaded not guilty. He was discharged from the army before the charges. It is unclear whether the death penalty would apply.

Jeez!
Are there any jobs our country won't "outsource"?
First manufacturing jobs... IT Customer Service jobs...
Now...
Torture...
of (not-proven-guilty-of-anything) detainees.
Some of whom are grabbed because the spelling of their name is the same as a terror suspect's.
Could you imagine the public outrage and outcry... if the CIA's spook squads had lists of people with the name "SMITH", instead of "Ali-something" or "Mohammed"... and they were grabbing whomever had the name George Smith... John Smith... Jane Smith... and shipping them off to Egypt or Africa or wherever... to an unlit concrete cell to be tortured... until they confess... to what?!

As many military experts have declared... One can torture a person to a point where they will say anything... admit to anything... just to get the bamboo slivers removed from underneath their nails... so their "interrogators" will stop "dunking"/drowning them... so they will either take the electrodes off of you or disconnect them from the car battery...

"Oops! Sorry, Mr. Smith. We thought you were someone else. How 'bout this... We'll fly you back home, for free! You don't have to thank us... I'm sure the wife will be glad to find out your not dead... Tell her? No... We're a hush-hush, black ops organization... If we told her we'd have to kill her..."

Here's a very brief piece about the Bush Admin.'s Torture Flights - the brief and violent history of which includes cases of "mistaken identity" - I can hear the dorks in charge now... "... A-L-I... His name's spelled the same way... so he Must be our guy... the evil-doer... the Terrorist! Nah, we don't need to check anything else. What? Where he works? We know where he works... He works for Osama! Or the Taliban! Or Whatever! That's the name on the list... Book his flight, strip him, put a hood on him and 'Hasta la Vista'! He's not our problem anymore and we can check one more name off of our list, and maybe we'll get a promotion... or a Medal!".

It is based upon a recent New York Times article, which follows, in its entirety.
*Please note*
I added the pictures to the articles.
-L.

The UN General Assembly adopted a declaration in 1975 stating that:
"any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is an offence to human dignity and shall be condemned as a denial of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
************************************************************************************


From: cbs5.com

Nov 16, 2006 9:21 pm US/Pacific
San Jose, CA Company Said To Plan Alleged CIA Terror Flights
Robert Lyles


(CBS 5) SAN JOSE You've heard about Abu Ghraib prison, Guantanamo Bay, and a host of other places where torture is alleged to have happened. But you've probably never heard that a company in downtown San Jose is said to have helped the Central Intelligence Agency get prisoners to the alleged torture sites.

The 16th floor of a gleaming tower on West Santa Clara Street is home to the Jeppesen corporation's International Trip and Flight Planning office.

But Charlotte Casey of South Bay Mobilization says they should be called the travel agents of terror.

"I really felt ill, sick to my stomach, that this was happening in San Jose," Casey said.

Casey is responding to an investigation by The New Yorker magazine that said Jeppesen regularly arranges what they call "spook flights" for the CIA.

"Torture Air Ankle Cuffs"

Aboard Boeing 737 business jets were shackled and hooded passengers accused of terrorism, The New Yorker reported in its Oct. 30 issue. They were sometimes stripped nude and chained to the cabin floor, the magazine said.

Casey said the CIA calls it "extraordinary rendition."

"They are basically kidnapped and taken to a third company where they can be tortured," Casey said.

The Englewood, Colo.-based company has offices located around the world and is a business subsidiary of Boeing, according to the Jeppesen Web site.

Boeing allegedly provides the jets. Jeppesen reportedly provides the logistics, flight plans, and even clearances into places like Baghdad and Kabul where the passengers are turned over as prisoners.

"The investigative analysis has shown that there have been over 150 of these kinds of flights in the last few years," Casey said.

In fact, a former Jeppesen employee reportedly told The New Yorker the company's managing director, Bob Overby, admitted to the practice, saying, "We do all the extraordinary rendition flights -- you know, the torture flights. Let's face it, some of these flights end up that way."

In return, American flight crews get kickbacks, resort vacations off the coast of Spain, using tax dollars, The New Yorker uncovered.

"The fact that these horrors are being carried out in our name, with our tax dollars, is completely unacceptable," Casey said.

Jeppesen would not comment Thursday.

The CIA also declined to comment.
***************************************************************************************

From: The New York Times



OUTSOURCING
THE C.I.A'S TRAVEL AGENT
Issue of 2006-10-30
Posted 2006-10-23

On the official Web site of Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, there is a section devoted to a subsidiary called Jeppesen International Trip Planning, based in San Jose, California. The write-up mentions that the division "..offers everything needed for efficient, hassle-free, international flight operations,.. spanning the globe ..from Aachen to Zhengzhou..." The paragraph concludes, "..Jeppesen has done it all..."

Boeing does not mention, either on its Web site or in its annual report, that Jeppesen's clients include the C.I.A., and that among the international trips that the company plans for the agency are secret "extraordinary rendition" flights for terrorism suspects. Most of the planes used in rendition flights are owned and operated by tiny charter airlines that function as C.I.A. front companies, but it is not widely known that the agency has turned to a division of Boeing, the publicly traded blue-chip behemoth, to handle many of the logistical and navigational details for these trips, including flight plans, clearance to fly over other countries, hotel reservations, and ground-crew arrangements.

The Bush Administration has defended the clandestine rendition program, which began during the Clinton years, as an effective method of transporting terrorists to countries where they can be questioned or held. Human-rights activists and others have said the program's primary intent is to send suspects to detention centers where they can be interrogated harshly, and have criticized it as an illegal means of "outsourcing torture"

A former Jeppesen employee, who asked not to be identified, said recently that he had been startled to learn, during an internal corporate meeting, about the company's involvement with the rendition flights. At the meeting, he recalled, Bob Overby, the managing director of Jeppesen International Trip Planning, said, "We do all of the extraordinary rendition flights..you know, the torture flights. Let's face it, some of these flights end up that way." The former employee said that another executive told him, "We do the spook flights." He was told that two of the company's trip planners were specially designated to handle renditions. He was deeply troubled by the rendition program, he said, and eventually quit his job. He recalled Overby saying, "It certainly pays well. They....the C.I.A.....spare no expense. They have absolutely no worry about costs. What they have to get done, they get done."

Overby, who was travelling last week, did not return several phone calls. Mike Pound, the head of corporate communications for Jeppesen, said that he would have no comment, and he added, "Bob Overby will have no comment as well." Tim Neale, the director of media relations for Boeing's corporate office in Chicago, said, "The flight-planning services we provide our customers are confidential, and we do not comment publicly on any work done for any customer without their consent." The C.I.A. had no comment. (*Let me guess... They said, "We can neither confirm nor deny...".-L).



The British journalist Stephen Grey, in a new book, ..Ghost Plane,.. refers to documents obtained by Spanish law-enforcement officials, along with flight logs, which indicate that international flight planners provided essential logistical support for many of the C.I.A's renditions, including that Khaled el-Masri, a German car salesman who was apparently mistaken for an Al Qaeda suspect with a similar name, in January of 2004. (Although documents show that Jeppesen provided this support, Grey's book does not mention the company.) Masri, who is a Muslim, was arrested at the border while crossing from Serbia into Macedonia by bus. He has alleged in court papers that Macedonian authorities turned him over to a C.I.A. rendition team. Then, he said, masked figures stripped him naked, shackled him, and led him onto a Boeing 737 business jet. Flight plans prepared by Jeppesen show that from Skopje, Macedonia, the 737 flew to Baghdad, where it had military clearance to land, and then on to Kabul. On board, Masri has said, he was chained to the floor and injected with sedatives. After landing, he was put in the trunk of a car and driven to a building where he was placed in a dank cell. He spent the next four months there, under interrogation. Masri was released in May, 2004, on the orders of Condoleezza Rice, then the national-security adviser, after she learned that he had mistakenly been identified as a terrorism suspect.

Ben Wizner, an A.C.L.U. attorney who is representing Masri in his lawsuit against the former C.I.A. director George Tenet and private aviation companies, says that if Boeing can be proved to have played a role in Masri's rendition (See: "Kidnapping."-L.) the A.C.L.U. may amend the lawsuit to name the company as a defendant.

The American flight crew fared better than their passenger. Documents show that after the 737 delivered Masri to the Afghan prison it flew to the resort island of Majorca, where, for two nights, crew members stayed at a luxury hotel, at (U.S.) taxpayers' expense.

This Gives A Whole, New, Unpleasant Meaning To: "Don't Have a Cow, Man!"




From: The "Eeeewww!!" Files:

Plan to create human-cow embryos

By Fergus Walsh
BBC News, Medical correspondent



UK scientists have applied for permission to create embryos by fusing human DNA with cow eggs.

Researchers from Newcastle University and Kings College, London, have asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a three-year licence.

The hybrid human-bovine embryos would be used for stem cell research and would not be allowed to develop for more than a few days.

But critics say it is unethical and potentially dangerous.

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris - a member of the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee - said: "If human benefit can be derived by perfecting therapeutic cloning techniques or from research into subsequently-derived stem cells, then it would actually be immoral to prevent it just because of a 'yuck' factor."

Stem cell research is one of the most promising areas of medical science.


You may begin to undermine the whole distinction between humans animals and humans
Calum MacKellar

Why create chimeras?


Stem cells are the body's master cells and five-day-old embryos are packed with them - each with the potential to turn into any tissue in the body.

It is this ability which scientists want to harness to treat diseases such as Parkinson's Disease, strokes and Alzheimer's Disease.

To do that, they say they need to have access to thousands of embryos for research.

Short supply

The problem is that human eggs for research are in short supply and to obtain them women have to undergo surgery.

That is why scientists want to use cows' eggs as a substitute.

They would insert human DNA into a cow's egg which has had its genetic material removed, and then create an embryo by the same technique that produced Dolly the Sheep.

The resulting embryo would be 99.9% human; the only bovine element would be DNA outside the nucleus of the cell.

It would, though, technically be a chimera - a mixing of two distinct species into one.

The aim would be to extract stem cells from the embryo when it is six days old, before destroying it.


The quality and the viability of stem cells would then be checked to see if the technique had worked.

The scientists also plan to examine the way the cells are reprogrammed after fusion to see if there are useful processes they could replicate in the laboratory.

Lead researcher Dr Lyle Armstrong said: "If we can learn from the egg cell how to make embryonic stem cells without having to use an animal egg at all then some day we may be able to cure diseases such as Parkinson's disease, or better still some of the age-related diseases which are creating such a burden on society."

Dr Stephen Minger, from King's College London, said: "The current state of the technology is such that literally hundreds of human ooctyes (eggs) from young women will be required to generate a single human embryonic stem cell line.

"Therefore we consider it more appropriate to use non-human oocytes from livestock as a surrogate.

"We feel that the development of disease-specific human embryonic stem cell lines from individuals suffering from genetic forms of neurodegenerative disorders will stimulate both basic research and the development of new medicines to treat these horrific brain diseases."

'Undermining humanity'

Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, head of developmental genetics, National Institute for Medical Research, said: "This is a very rational step: to learn what you can using animal eggs, which are readily obtainable, before moving on to valuable human eggs when or if this becomes necessary."

What are diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's if they are not undermining human dignity?
Paul Kemp, Munich

But some will argue the end does not justify the means.

Calum MacKellar, from the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, said the research undermined the distinction between animals and humans.

He said: "In the history of humankind, animals and human species have been separated.

"In this kind of procedure, you are mixing at a very intimate level animal eggs and human chromosomes, and you may begin to undermine the whole distinction between humans and animals.

"If that happens, it might also undermine human dignity and human rights."

*************************************************************************
.... Frell! What about animal rights?!
... Oh, that's right, since most of them are incapable of saying, "Hey! Stop! Don't do that! 'Golden Rule', fellas"... in English, anyway... and since they have yet to overpower the homo-sapiens... I guess it's the 'Oh well, let's pick on the weaker, more vulnerable and mute creatures, because we can' philosophy...
Although, I hear that even rabbits scream during some procedures done to them in "tests".

If This Means Brainwashed... I'm a Dirty Girl!

Many Thanks to:Knight Templiferum for this repost:

Thursday, November 09, 2006 - 11:47 AM
You know you've been brain washed, if you....(repost)
I'm sure I can think of a few more to add, but this is long enough for now ;)

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From:

High Priestess
Date: Nov 9 2006 3:43 PM

From Star.

You know you've been brain washed, if you....

... believe that the 5 corporations who own almost all of the media in the U.S. are "liberal".

... believe $300 billion of U.S. tax money, allocated for the war and reconstruction in Iraq is actually going to Iraq .

... are unaware Iraq had 650 million barrels of oil in reserve just before the war in Iraq .

... are unaware at least $8.8 billion is known to be missing in Iraqi oil revenue from the period the U.S. was in control of Iraq .

... are unaware 198 million in Iraqi dollars is missing from the Iraq treasury from the period the U.S. was in control of Iraq .

... are unaware that war is exceptionally profitable for a small number of investors.

... believe Halliburton's no-bid contracts have nothing to do with former CEO, now Vice President Dick Cheney.

... are unaware that the Iraq war is the biggest case of war profiteering in human history.

... believe Saddam Hussein or Iraq had anything to do with 9/11, Al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden.

... believe depleted uranium weapons are not radioactive or deadly weapons of mass destruction (they are 12ess radioactive than nuclear weapons grade uranium and very deadly).


... are unaware stem cell research threatens the pharmaceutical industry by curing and preventing diseases which drug companies profit from by treating with drugs.


... are unaware the pharmaceutical industry is based entirely on treatment and is threatened by cures and prevention.


... are unaware the Food and Drug Administration does NO testing of food or drugs. They only set guidelines and review the testing corporations do of their own products.


... are unaware the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act has been 're- estimated' to cost U.S. taxpayers $1.3 Trillion (not the original $243 billion or the 'adjusted' $400 billion), and only pharmaceutical corporations and HMOs benefit from the increase.


... are unaware the Boston Tea party was a protest against corporate corruption (East India Company).


... are unaware our founding fathers intentionally made sure that corporations had no power over people or our government.


... are unaware corporations have fought aggressively and systematically over the past 200 years to increase their power and influence over our government.


... are unaware U.S. corporations are now protected under the 14th amendment as a legal 'person.'

... are unaware the definition of fascism is: 'The marriage of corporation and state' -- Benito Mussolini.

... are unaware well known U.S. corporate interests attempted a military coup against Franklin Roosevelt in 1933.

... are unaware most corrupt and wasteful government projects are run primarily by corporate contractors.

... are unaware 'less government' means paying corporate contractors three times what we pay government workers to do the same work.

... are unaware American corporations behave very differently in other countries.

... are unaware Enron and others were NOT investigated until they collapsed under the weight of their own greed.

... are unaware Bush's massive tax cuts were invested overseas to build sweat shops, factories and other facilities, where our jobs have been outsourced.

... are unaware outsourcing American jobs weakens labor unions and keeps wages low and corporate profits high .

... are unaware weak enforcement of immigration laws lowers wages in the U.S. and increases corporate profits.

... are unaware 'Free Trade' means 'Slave Wages' to poor people in Honduras, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, El Salvador, Guatemala, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and others.


... believe America is hated all over the world because of our freedom.


... believe the massive U.S. national debt (now $7,786,000,000,000) created by Republican presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush does not seriously threaten the future of our children and grandchildren.

... are unaware massive national debt ensures the expansion of poverty, which keeps wages low, which increases corporate profits.

... are unaware widespread poverty keeps wages low and corporate profits high.

... are unaware weak gun control laws perpetuate violence in poor neighborhoods which expands poverty, reduces wages and increases corporate profits.

... are unaware abortions go down only when we reduce poverty, expand healthcare and improve education.


... are unaware that making abortion illegal expands poverty which reduces wages and increases corporate profits.


... believe the Michael Jackson trial deserved more news coverage than the genocide of 400,000 people in Darfur , Sudan.

... believe Social Security is the biggest priority in America .

... are unaware privatizing Social Security would be a massive give away to experienced Wall Street investors that would also destabilize Social Security.

... are unaware that NOT funding 'No Child Left Behind' is dismantling funding for schools in poor neighborhoods, which expands poverty, lowers wages and increases corporate profits.

... are unaware the Healthy Forests Initiative has led to massive clear cutting of prime lumber and almost none of the forest fire prevention that it was sold on.

... are unaware the Clear Skies Initiative has increased pollution.

... are unaware Tort Reform will absolve corporations of massive negligent liabilities for things like asbestos exposure, pollution, mercury poisoning, hazardous waste, mad cow disease and all sorts of dangerous products and practices.

... are unaware mercury pollution (mostly from coal fired power plants and medical vaccines) has caused an epidemic of Autism, ADD and ADHD in the U.S.

... are unaware the Bush administration is dismantling three decades of US environmental protection.

... believe global warming is a rumor or conspiracy.


... are unaware 'Global Warming' is causing colder weather because the melting ice caps are cooling the gulf stream.

... believe the science of evolution is less valid than literal fundamentalist interpretation of creationism.

... believe the UN scandals could have taken place without the largest, most influential member and host nation being involved.

... believe making a war monger ambassador to the UN will help prevent more wars.

... are unaware that expanding equal rights to any segment of the population (including gay people) also expands economic opportunity and puts pressure on wages, which would reduce corporate profits.

If you believe Fox News is fair and balanced, you have been brainwashed by corporate owned media.

UFO's over BRITAIN?! No...no...no! I left them a telepathic message, saying to pick me up in San Francisco! Gd! You can't rely on anyone to write down a message properly...

On a more serious note...
This guy's got credentials... and ...HE BELIEVES...
Hmmm...


From: The Daily Mail.

'Aliens could attack at any time' warns former MoD chief
By CHARLOTTE GILL Last updated at 14:03pm on 10th November 2006


UFO sightings and alien visitors tend to be solely the reserve of sci-fi movies.

So when a former MoD chief warns that the country could be attacked by extraterrestrials at any time, you may be forgiven for feeling a little alarmed.


Nick Pope - Former Minister of Defence?Britain's "Fox Mulder".

During his time as head of the Ministry of Defence UFO project, Nick Pope was persuaded into believing that other lifeforms may visit Earth and, more specifically, Britain.

His concern is that "highly credible" sightings are simply dismissed.

And he complains that the project he once ran is now "virtually closed" down, leaving the country "wide open" to aliens.

Mr Pope decided to speak out about his worries after resigning from his post at the Directorate of Defence Security at the MoD this week.

"The consequences of getting this one wrong could be huge," he said.

"If you reported a UFO sighting now, I am absolutely sure that you would just get back a standard letter telling you not to worry. ''Frankly we are wide open - if something does not behave like a conventional aircraft now, it will be ignored.



"The X-Files have been closed down." If these words had come from a sci-fi fanatic, they could be easily dismissed by cynics.

But Mr Pope's CV - he was head of the UFO project between 1991 and 1994 - cannot be ignored.

When he began his job, he too was sceptical about UFOs but access to classified files on the subject and investigation of a series of spectacular UFO sightings gradually changed his mind.

And while Mr Pope says that there is no evidence of hostile intent, he insists it cannot be ruled out.

"There has got to be the potential for that and one is left with the uneasy feeling that if it turned out to be so, there is very little we could do about it," he said.

"If you believe these things are extra terrestrial craft then you cannot rule out that what is happening is some kind of covert reconnaissance."



One incident which persuaded him of the existence of alien lifeforms was in 1993. There were reports of a "vast, triangular-shaped craft" spotted flying over RAF bases in the West Midlands.

"Most of the witnesses were police and military personnel," he said.

"Hundreds of members of the public also had sightings over a period of several hours."

In another incident in 1980 at RAF bases in Suffolk, staff investigated a suspected plane crash after bright lights were reported coming from nearby woods.

They found a kind of lunar landing module standing on three legs which then flew off. The indents it left in the ground were found to emit ten times the normal levels of radiation. Mr Pope said: "These sort of incidents are why I got so frustrated.

"In my time I would brief the more interesting sightings up the chain of command to people like the Chief of the Air Staff and would get the answer back that it was very interesting and I had clearly done a good job investigating it and that was it.

"Every one is a piece of a puzzle but no one takes it seriously. There needs to be more resources and people who are prepared to look past the philosophical issues, look at the reports and investigate them properly.

"Whether you believe these things are foreign air forces testing prototype aircraft or whether you believe they are something more exotic, with the speeds and movements they are capable of, it's technology we would very much like to get hold of."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence insisted that all UFO sightings were investigated for "evidence to suggest that UK airspace has been compromised by hostile or unauthorised air activity."

She said: "Unless there is such evidence, the MoD doesn't attempt to positively identify what was seen."

Mr Pope is continuing his UFO research in a private capacity since leaving the MoD and is recognised as a leading authority on UFOs and the unexpected.

He has written four science fiction books drawing on his experience at the MoD, and lectures around the world on the subject.

He has appeared on BBC Newsnight and Radio 4's Today programme and has acted as consultant on numerous television documentaries.

"Why are 'They' So Angry at 'Us'(the U.S.)?"... Well... DUH!


(AFP Photo) A Palestinian mother and her 2 babies lay in the morgue in the Beit Hanoun hospital.


The recent Israeli "Military Offensive" (See "Massacre") in Gaza consisted mainly of shelling civilians... mostly women and children attempting to escape another unjustified, unsane and plain e-v-i-l Israeli massacre of Palestinians - a people whom the Israelis obviously don't consider to be human beings... (*based upon the ongoing and growing list of atrocities against/massacres of Palestinian civilians... After which Israeli "officials" always announce "an investigation into the terrible tragedy", which results in.... nothing, of course. And it never will. Israel sees nothing wrong with it's atrocities (see "phosphorus munitions used in beirut"). Israel's investigating itself for crimes against humanity (usually Arabs... Or, anyone who they percieve as standing in their way/standing up to them.) makes as much sense as when the White House had the CIA investigate the CIA for criminal activities, which led to findings of...Drum Roll, Please... "No Wrongdoing on the part of the CIA."... Gee! What a surprise! Not.)...

Hmmm.... What a coincidence!! (*I don't believe in coincidences.)
The Nazi's - whom the virtually the whole world recognizes as some of the most heinous criminals/murderers in modern history - had the same beliefs about Europe's Jews... and felt justified and remorseless about murdering them... just like Israel's government does about it's perpetual massacres of Palestinian civilians...

...O.K., say there was some mistake made....
Wait a minute... that's not possible... Israel is known to have some of the best-trained military personnel in the world... I could be generous and say, o.k., maybe once some crazy, unforseen procession of events led to one "accidental" tragedy... but, I've lost count of how many times this has happened.

These military personnel who are flying their state-of-the-art-of-killing fighter jets, helicopters; driving the tanks; participating in the shelling, etc. might tell themselves, "I am just following orders. My superiors told me to do it."... but that shite don't fly... and they've gotta know that for one simple reason...

..."I was just following orders." is the exact same lame ass attempt at an excuse the Nazi's gave for the vicious atrocities committed against/the unprecedented massacre of millions of European Jews.

That cowardly attempt at evading paying for one's heinous behaviour didn't fly at Nuremburg. It won't fly when the Israeli's finally face Justice. And I am absolute in my belief that it won't fly with The God of Abraham, either.

(*Think about it... if you were a kid growing up in Gaza... one who miraclously survived all the violence, or if you were a surviving parent or sibling or spouse of a victim... Would it be hard to encourage you to violence against Israel? Israel is likely planting the seeds for future terrorist acts by their own terrorist acts against them.)

My prayers go out to all victims (and their families) of Israel's illegal, immoral and over-the-top violence.
(And a pox on the perpetrators. May it be a Good lesson to them.)
-L.


From: The Guardian Unlimited


(*Oh, and a pox on this asshole, too.)AP Photo. John Bolton, United States ambassador to the United Nations, raises his hand to veto Arab-backed draft resolution condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza at Security Council meeting at the United Nations.

U.S. Vetoes Condemnation of Gaza Strikes


Sunday November 12, 2006 1:46 AM

AP Photo NYOH101

By JUSTIN BERGMAN

Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution Saturday that sought to condemn an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and demand Israeli troops pull out of the territory.

(*P)U.S.(*TULE) Ambassador John "Fcuk Diplomacy" Bolton said the Arab-backed draft resolution was ``biased against Israel and politically motivated.''

``This resolution does not display an evenhanded characterization of the recent events in Gaza, nor does it advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace to which we aspire and for which we are working assiduously,'' he told the Security Council.

The veto unleashed a flurry of criticism in the Middle East.

``This decision by the U.S. government gives unlimited cover to commit more massacres of innocent Palestinians,'' said Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government. ``This is a shame on the American administration, which says it is trying to promote human rights and democracy in the Middle East.''

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, however, the draft resolution would have aggravated the situation in Gaza because it contained ``inflammatory and unnecessary language.''

``We do not believe the resolution was designed to contribute to the cause of peace,'' she said in a statement.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev agreed the draft was one-sided. ``It's good that it wasn't accepted by the Security Council,'' he said.

The draft received 10 votes in favor and four abstentions, along with the U.S. vote against. Britain, Denmark, Japan and Slovakia all abstained. The U.S. is one of five permanent members of the council that have the power to veto resolutions.

It was the second U.S. veto this year of a Security Council draft resolution concerning Israeli military operations in Gaza. The U.S. blocked action on a document this summer after Israel launched its offensive in response to the capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas-linked Palestinian militants.

Palestinians strengthened calls for Security Council action after an early morning Israeli artillery barrage in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun killed 19 people Wednesday.

In an open session of the General Assembly on Thursday, Palestinian U.N. observer Riyad Mansour called the attack ``state terrorism'' and said the perpetrators should be held accountable under international law for war crimes.

Israel has expressed regret for the loss of life in Beit Hanoun but said it will continue operations to stop militants from launching rockets into Israel. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to visit Washington on Sunday to meet with President Bush.

Qatar's U.N. Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser warned in the Security Council meeting that the failure of the body to act on the draft would lead to more Israeli violence against Palestinians.

``Any lukewarm reaction or response on our part gives the impression we are shirking from our humanitarian responsibilities,'' said Al-Nasser, who sponsored the resolution on behalf of the Palestinians. Qatar is the only Arab nation on the council.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the veto ``will only increase the anger'' toward Israel, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused the Security Council of ``turning a blind eye to Israeli acts in Gaza.''

The Arab League was planning to hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday to decide how to respond the latest Israeli offensive.

The draft resolution had been weakened slightly in recent days to help improve its chances of passage. A section was added demanding the Palestinian Authority take immediate action to bring an end to violence, including the firing of rockets into Israel.

It also called for the U.N. secretary-general to establish a ``fact-finding mission'' to probe Wednesday's attack in Beit Hanoun, a step below ordering a full investigation.

In addition, it backed off calls for U.N. observers to be placed on the Gaza-Israel border, asking instead for the ``possible establishment of an international mechanism for protection of the civilian populations.''

In his remarks to the Security Council, Bolton said the draft was still too one-sided. He said it compared legal Israeli military operations with the firing of rockets into Israel - an act of terrorism. He called the fact-finding mission unnecessary and said the text failed to condemn the ruling Hamas party's refusal to renounce terrorism.

Both Bolton and Deputy British Ambassador Karen Pierce voiced support for returning to the internationally backed ``road map'' peace plan, which has been stalled for years.

But Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, said the fact that the council allowed the draft to go to a vote showed the world's frustration with the U.S. not involving other members of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators in recent decisions on Israel. The other members are the U.N., the European Union and Russia.

``They don't have a stake in the talks and they are more willing now to force our hand,'' he said. ``A lot of times the world has felt (the U.S.) has been too pro-Israel, but in this case, people are just fed up.''

---

Associated Press Writer Omar Sinan contributed to this report from Cairo, Egypt.

"Rummy" and other neo-con political power-brokers are getting obscenely rich off humanity's blind trust of Big Pharma, fear... induced by gov't's "scare-orrism" about "pandemics" and irradiated people's suffering.
Gd! I hate these assholes.
An uber pox on them... yeah, yeah, yeah... good lesson, blah, blah, blah...
-L.




From the November 2005 Idaho Observer:

TAMIFLU: No end in sight to defense secretary's poison profiteering


Donald Rumsfeld

Score another disease type letter to Donald Rumsfeld..type "T" for Tamiflu

Donald Rumsfeld became very wealthy after using his political influence to achieve FDA approval for the deadly neurotoxic drug aspartame as an artificial sweetener in 1980. Since that time, millions of people have suffered the ravages of aspartame addiction and a full spectrum of symptoms..including deafness, insanity, blindness, chronic fatigue and death..associated with its consumption. Aspartame activists call this cluster of symptoms "Rumsfeld's disease type A." During the 80s, Rumsfeld brokered the sale of chemical and biological weapons to Saddam Hussein (Rumsfeld's disease types B and C). As current secretary of defense, Rumsfeld orders the widespread use of depleted uranium munitions, which are causing chronic illnesses, birth defects and death in those exposed to the radioactive material (Rumsfeld's disease type DU). Rumsfeld's poisons are polluting the air, the land and the sea (environment, or type E). And now we find concrete proof that Rumsfeld is a former CEO of and owns stock in the company that owns the rights to Tamiflu..a drug of known toxicity, non-efficacy and an ability to mutate flu strains. The Pentagon has just bought $58 million worth of Tamiflu so it looks like we will be able to identify "Rumsfeld's disease type T" very soon.

by The Idaho Observer

Tamiflu is being touted as THE remedy to the latest government "scare-orrism" project..the bird flu pandemic. But who benefits? Private sector sales are enormous and the federal government is becoming one of the world..s biggest customers for Tamiflu.

Last July, the Pentagon ordered $58 million worth of the treatment for U.S. troops around the world, and Congress is considering a multi-billion dollar purchase. Swiss pharma giant Roche expects 2005 sales for Tamiflu to be about $1 billion, compared with $258 million in 2004.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is one of the politically-connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu and receives a 10 percent royalty from its sales.

Bush insiders and Gilead

Rumsfeld served as Gilead's chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds Gilead stock valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosure documents filed by Rumsfeld.

The exact number of shares Rumsfeld owns is unknown, but fears of a pandemic and the ensuing scramble for Tamiflu have sent Gilead..s stock from $35 to $47 a share in recent weeks. That..s made the Pentagon chief, already one of the wealthiest members of the Bush cabinet, at least $1 million richer, according to an October 31, 2005 article by Fortune senior writer, Nelson D. Schwartz.

Rumsfeld is not the only politico benefiting from demand for Tamiflu. Former Secretary of State George Shultz is on Gilead's board and has sold more than $7 million worth of Gilead stock since the beginning of 2005.

The wife of former California Governor Pete Wilson is also Gilead board member. "I don't know of any biotech company that's so politically well-connected," says analyst Andrew McDonald of Think Equity Partners in San Francisco.

Rummy's stock "options"

So what does a former Gilead CEO-turned-second-in-command of the U. S. military do about potential conflict of interest and profiteering allegations? He simply recused himself from any decision making at Gilead when he became Secretary of Defense. And he had the Pentagon's general counsel issue instructions outlining what he could and could not be involved in if there were an avian flu pandemic and the Pentagon had to respond.

But did he sell his stock? According to a Pentagon official, Rumsfeld considered selling his Gilead holdings and sought the advice of the Department of Justice, the SEC and the federal Office of Government Ethics.

According to Schwartz, those agencies somehow didn't offer an opinion so Rumsfeld consulted a private securities lawyer. He was advised that it was safer to hold onto the stock and be quite public about his recusal rather than sell and run the risk of being accused of trading on insider information, so he is keeping his shares for the time being.

But lets put the picture in perspective. Selling, based on insider trading, would only be done because of an expected loss. He's already made at least a cool million and Tamiflu sales are expected to quadruple. His "recusal" is from decision-making at Gilead and the Pentagon's counsel only issued "instructions." The fact remains that Rumsfeld will profit handsomely without having to make any decisions or follow any "instructions."

(Remember the anthrax scare and how the wide-spectrum-killer antibiotic "Cipro" (manufactured by pharma giant Bayer) became a household word?)

"Type T" on the way

The Tamiflu package insert states that it is only effective on influenza types A and B viruses and only if administered within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. However it is interesting to note that, in Tamiflu's clinical trials in adults who had naturally acquired influenza, nearly 10 percent experienced nausea or vomiting as compared to less than 5 percent who took a placebo.

And in another summary of Tamiflu's efficacy on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website, the median reduction of days one experiences influenza..s symptoms due to treatment with Tamiflu was only 1.5 days.

The same summary notes that there is concern about Tamiflu's ability to cause influenza A viruses to mutate, with no assurance that these new mutated viruses are harmless to the general population. Furthermore, no Tamiflu safety studies have been conducted on pregnant or nursing women and children under 12 months. Its potential as a carcinogen is still under study.

Thanks to our out-of-control Congress, this $billion dollar "experimental" drug has now been unleashed on an unquestioning public.

Rumsfeld was responsible for the FDA approval of the artificial sweetener aspartame, a neurotoxin responsible for a host of lethal and debilitating ailments referred to as Rumsfeld..s Disease type A. Rumsfeld brokered deals to deliver biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein in the 80s, leaving countless Iranians and Kurds dead or injured, in what has been called Rumsfeld..s Disease types B and C. The tons of Depleted Uranium munitions dumped in Afghanistan and Iraq during Rumsfeld's tenure as Secretary of Defense is leaving a legacy of death and destruction (*including massive birth defects and causing cancer in adults.-L.) that is simply "Beyond Treason." The cumulative ailments from this nuclear warfare agent will haunt humanity for the next few billion years and has been termed Rumsfeld's Disease type DU. And now a poorly tested, mutagenic pharmaceutical is being wholesaled to the public with great profits for the CEO-turned-War-Secretary. Is Rumsfeld's Disease type T, for Tamiflu, the new disease-inducing drug to be unleashed on the world?

Hari Heath

Vaccination Liberation - vaclib.org



The Idaho Observer
P.O. Box 457
Spirit Lake, Idaho 83869
Phone: 208-255-2307
Email: observer@coldreams.com
Web:
http://idaho-observer.com
http://proliberty.com/observer/

From the "...Now they tell us."-Files.
My non-medical-but-intelligent-and-intuitive-opinion is this:
Do Not give kids Tamiflu - or take it yourself, for that matter - Unless you are facing life-threatening flu Sx (Symptoms)... *Of course, check with your physician regarding any health or drug-related issues*. I'm no doctor. But I know better than to blindly trust the FDA or the Pharmaceutical industry!
* There's a second article included, published in 2004(!), that brought up a possible link between Tamiflu and bizarre behaviour - leading to some deaths - in children... Where the FDA basically pooh-poohed people's concerns. My question... Are there any former heads of Roche (manufacturer of Tamiflu) on the Label Board of the FDA??!


*Psst! Here's a little known Fact: Tamiflu Patent Holder is Gilead Corporation: Whose former executive and still major shareholder is...
Donald Rumsfeld! (Yes, THAT Donald Rumsfeld.)
What a Coincidence! ( - i don't believe in coincidence.)
Talk about creepy!
-L



FDA Proposes 'Abnormal Behavior' Warning for Tamiflu Label
BY ANDREW BRIDGES

WASHINGTON Nov 13, 2006 (AP).. Doctors and parents should watch for signs of bizarre behavior in children treated with the flu drug Tamiflu, federal health officials suggested Monday in citing an increasing number of such cases from overseas.

Food and Drug Administration officials still don't know if the more than 100 new cases, including three deaths from falls, are linked to the drug or to the flu virus or a combination of both. Most of the reported cases involved children.

Still, FDA staff suggested updating Tamiflu's label to recommend that all patients, especially children, be closely monitored while on the drug. They also acknowledged that stopping treatment with Tamiflu could actually harm influenza patients if the virus is the cause of delirium, hallucinations and other abnormal behavior, such as aggression and suicidal thoughts.

The FDA's pediatric advisory committee is to discuss the recommendation Thursday. The FDA isn't required to follow the advice of its outside panels but usually does. An FDA spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The meeting comes a year after the same panel of outside experts rejected linking Tamiflu to reports of 12 deaths in Japanese children since 2000 and voted against changing the drug's label to suggest any such concern. At that time, however, the committee did recommend that the FDA continue to monitor the drug's safety and return a year later with an update.

The panel's decision after reviewing the new update is likely to be closely watched, since Tamiflu could play an important role in an outbreak of bird flu. The drug doesn't prevent flu but can reduce the length and severity of its symptoms.

Most of the 103 new cases of bizarre behavior are from Japan, where the number of Tamiflu prescriptions is about 10 times that in the United States, with more than twice the population.

The new cases occurred during a 10-month period, between Aug. 29, 2005, and July 6, 2006. The tally marks a sharp increase to the 126 similar cases logged over the more than five years between the drug's approval in 1999 and August 2005, the FDA said.

The Japanese Tamiflu label now warns that disturbances in consciousness, abnormal behavior, delirium, hallucination, delusion and convulsion may occur. It also recommends patients be carefully monitored and the drug stopped if any abnormality is observed.

Even though severe cases of the flu can spark those conditions, the number and nature of the cases along with comments from doctors who believe the abnormal behavior was associated with the drug keep the FDA from ruling out Tamiflu as the cause, according to agency documents.

For that reason, the proposed changes would bring the U.S. label more in line with the Japanese one, and warn of abnormal behavior and recommend that patients, especially children, be closely monitored. However, the proposed U.S. version would recommend treatment be stopped only on a doctor's advice.

FDA staff called the proposed changes "prudent," since U.S. Tamiflu use could jump to Japanese levels. The current U.S. label mentions only "seizure and confusion" seen in some patients.

Tamiflu is made by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG. A Roche spokesman did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Previously, Roche has cited studies from the United States and Canada that show the death incidence rate of influenza patients who took Tamiflu was far below those who did not.

Tamiflu is one of the few drugs believed effective in treating bird flu, which health officials fear could spark a pandemic should it mutate into a form easily passed from human to human.


The following article was published 2 years ago... alarms should have been sounded! -L.
From: Science News, on Monday, November 24, 2004.(Two Years Ago!)

*************************************************************************************

"What, Us Worry?"

What, Us Worry?


The FDA says don't sweat the reports from Japan (*Update* And now, in 2006, cases of bizarre behaviour in children, induced by Tamiflu, are being reported from Europe.) linking Tamiflu with serious side effects in a small number of children:"Kids die of influenza, both in Japan and the United States, and if you give a drug to people who are at risk of dying, there will be people who die who got the drug," said Dr. Robert Nelson, chairman of the FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee. "There is no signal the drug is doing it, as opposed to the disease."

The committee, which often meets in obscurity, found the world watching as it conducted a routine review of a drug that could play an important role in a pandemic caused by bird flu.The committee, in a unanimous vote, said not to worry. At the same time, though, it said it would continue to monitor reactions to the drug.

There's just one problem. The kids in Japan in didn't die from influenza. They died from hallucination-induced bizarre behavior.

THE antiviral drug Tamiflu, being stockpiled by governments around the world as a defence against bird flu, is believed to have caused the deaths of two Japanese teenagers. According to Health Ministry and other medical sources, it appears that the drug induced hallucinations and dramatic shifts in behaviour in the boys, which led them to commit suicide. Rokuro Hama, the doctor who made the connection, is the head of the Japan Institute for Pharmacovigilance and gave details of the incidents at a medical conference at the weekend.

Dr Hama believes that Tamiflu was linked to a third case in which a teenage girl was narrowly prevented from jumping from a window two days after starting a course of the drug.

Let's hope the FDA took a closer look at the evidence than the public statement of one member seems to indicate.

The safety of Tamiflu in children has been questioned before, and there's at least some reason to be on the lookout for central nervous side effects - especially in children, a population that doesn't see a lot of heavy Tamiflu use.

Based on the Japanese experience, I'd be reluctant to use it in a child. The Japanese have the highest rate of Tamiflu use in the world. A rare side effect would be more likely to reveal itself there than here. Unless there was an extremely virulent strain of influenza going around, it might not be worth the risk.

UPDATE: Looks like the FDA did a decent job of considering the possibilities behind the Japanese teenage Tamiflu deaths: Initially, it was not clear why the neuropsychiatric adverse events and deaths were reported almost entirely in Japanese children. The FDA receives adverse event reports from all over the world and usually adverse events are roughly the same from different reporting countries. The reports of death and neuropsychiatric events associated with Tamiflu, almost entirely from Japan, was unusual enough to prompt further evaluation. The FDA requested additional information from both Hoffman-La Roche, the pharmaceutical company which produces Tamiflu, and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. FDA then evaluated several possible explanations for the neuropsychiatric adverse events.Was it possible that Japanese patients metabolize Tamiflu differently than American or European patients or have higher levels of the drug in their bodies? There is no scientific evidence that this is true and Japanese dosing recommendations are very similar to U.S. and European recommendations.

Was it possible that these events were an unusual manifestation of influenza infection? There is good evidence that neuropsychiatric events can occur with influenza, in the absence of Tamiflu or other treatment. Beginning in the mid-1990s, there have been many reports in the pediatric scientific literature describing a syndrome of influenza-associated encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or encephalopathy. These reports originated primarily from Japan where pediatricians described a pattern of rapid onset of fever, accompanied by convulsions and altered level of consciousness, progressing to coma within a few days of the onset of flu symptoms. This syndrome frequently resulted in death or significant neurologic sequelae. These reports prompted nationwide surveillance of influenza-associated encephalopathy in Japan. This syndrome was described and the surveillance in Japan was in progress before Tamiflu was approved for the treatment of influenza.

Was it possible that the large number of adverse events from Japan was because the Japanese use more Tamiflu? Is it possible that we may see more U.S. cases as use of Tamiflu increases in this country? Partly because of the awareness in Japan of influenza-associated encephalopathy, the Japanese health service will pay for rapid diagnostic testing for influenza in children and subsequent treatment. Japan currently uses the majority of the world's supply of Tamiflu distributed for seasonal influenza. It is possible that some of these events might be observed in the U.S. population if the use of Tamiflu increases substantially.

Finally, was it possible that the neuropsychiatric events reported from Japan reflect different methods and requirements for adverse event reporting? Both the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and Roche confirmed that Japanese regulators require an intensive period of active adverse event reporting for 6 months after a product is approved.

When Tamiflu was approved for prophylaxis of influenza in Japan, Roche and its Japanese pharmaceutical affiliate actively solicited adverse event reports from 70,000 institutions and physicians in Japan. These adverse event reports included the 2003-04 flu season and were subsequently reported to the FDA and are included in the BPCA safety review.

It is particularly difficult to assess the relationship of Tamiflu to the reported pediatric deaths. It is known that young children (less than 2 years of age) are hospitalized more often for influenza-associated illness than older children and young adults. Infants and the elderly are known to have higher influenza-associated death rates than other age groups.

However, in the U.S., influenza deaths in children were not among the events requiring reporting to public health departments and the CDC until the 2004-05 flu season.Review of the available information on the safety of Tamiflu in pediatric patients suggests that the increased reports of neuropsychiatric events in Japanese children are most likely related to an increased awareness of influenza-associated encephalopathy, increased access to Tamiflu in that population, and a coincident period of intensive monitoring adverse events.

Based on the information available to us, we can not conclude that there is a causal relationship between Tamiflu and the reported pediatric deaths. MedPundit 04:00 Nov-21,2004