Boyda visits Iraq, praises job done by US
military

post from Boyda Bloc on 26 December 2007 04:32:00 AM. © Boyda Bloc

Stories ran in yesterday's Topeka Capital-Journal and Lawrence Journal-World providing more coverage of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's trip to Iraq. In interviews, she said she could see improvement on the ground, but that everything was still on shaky ground.

?It?s headed in a much better direction but everything is very tentative,? Boyda said after receiving briefings from war commander Army Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and others.

She said that violence has decreased significantly in the region but that U.S. military and civilian officials don?t want to raise hopes yet.

?What is happening on the ground tactically is very good, and everyone is hopeful that it will continue, but no one is taking anything for granted and they don?t want to overstate things,? she said. -Lawrence Journal-World

We'll be back later today with some added analysis.

Read The Full Article:
http://boydabloc.blogspot.com/2007/12/boyda-visits-iraq-praises-job-done-by.html

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The media’s corporate whores merrily turn
over pebbles in quest of dirt

post from The American Street on 26 December 2007 04:18:00 AM. © The American Street

The whores of the Big Media are blooming in buckets lately. People in the primary states understand[...]

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http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/2007/12/26/the-medias-corporate-whores-me
rrily-turn-over-pebbles-in-quest-of-dirt/

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Will the Washington Post Cease to Exist as a
Newspaper

post from BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash on 26 December 2007 04:13:38 AM. © BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com

December 26, 2007

Could the Washington Post Print Edition Cease Publication?

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Will 'The Washington Post' Cease to Exist as a
Newspaper

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com

December 26, 2007

Could the Washington Post Print Edition Cease Publication?

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http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/023

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Slavery: A Global Investigation.

post from The Osterley Times on 26 December 2007 04:11:00 AM. © The Osterley Times

Slavery is officially banned internationally by all countries, yet despite this there are more slaves , in the world today than ever before. In the four hundred years of the legal slave trade around 13 million people were shipped from Africa. Today there are an estimated 27 million slaves - people paid no money, locked away and controlled by violence. Multi-Award winning documentary makers Kate Blewett and Brian Woods - who produced the groundbreaking films The Dying Rooms, Innocents Lost and Eyes of a Child, saw this terrible exploitation with their own eyes. The result is an utterly devastating film.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Read The Full Article:
http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2007/12/slavery-global-investigation.html

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If you think I am "shadowboxing" step into the
ring.

post from the field negro on 26 December 2007 04:01:00 AM. © the field negro

Here I am trying to enjoy my holiday season with family and friends. And then, for some reason, (lord only knows why) I log on the Internet to see what's jumping off on the web.

This of course is when I see this: An open attack and challenge to the field from one of my black re-puke-lican friends.

Poor cobb, he loves and embraces the conservative movement, but the feelings aren't mutual. He and those of his ilk have chosen sides, and they can't turn back now. They are stuck with the conservative movement for better or for worse. Unfortunately for cobb and his friends, when it comes to black folks,it has been for the worse. He just can't admit to himself that there are nefarious forces in his party working to keep us out, and who would use the race card and other wedge issues to stay in power.

No wonder the black conservative is always so angry and so shrill. He has declared his allegiance and he can't go back now. So instead, he tries to create illusions and straw man arguments to justify his erroneous and misguided beliefs. He refuses to face the reality of Nixon and his Southern Strategy; Ronald Reagan, and his Philadelphia Mississippi, moment. George Bush 41 and his Willie Horton moment. The racist original puppet master, Lee Atwater (may his miserable soul rot in hell) The new school racist puppet master, Karl Rove. The racist speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich. The racist commander the thief, George Bush 43, who made sure his "Southern strategy" of embracing Bob Jones was fully in place. And of course, we can flash forward to the current crop of re-puke-lican candidates for the highest office in the land. They have even expanded their "Southern Strategy" farther south. (Think Mexico, and the their Paul Revere style cries that the brown people are coming). Yes cobb, there are plenty of those,and more where they came from. But time doesn't permit me to get into it here as much as I would like, because I still have to enjoy my vacation.

Sorry cobb, your straw man argument about a bunch of irrelevant conservative bloggers who are high on a phony ass food chain is just ludicrous. As if they would actually come out on their blogs and endorse a perceived racist strategy by their party. They would never openly admit to such a strategy. And you and I both know that. Do you think it's an accident that everyone associates the "Southern Strategy" with your party?

At the end of the day cobb, I feel sorry for you. You attack my site and the people that post here by calling them a bunch of "synchophants" (that's a big word, maybe woozie can interpret it for me). Yet we have nothing but love for you, because even though you don't, we still consider you one of us. Don't blame me or the people who come to the fields because you cannot juxtapose your political beliefs with the racist history and the political reality of the party you embrace. That's not their fault. You should be working within your party to try and change it, you should be using your considerable writing talents to enlighten them, and to make them understand your race and your people. You should not be making excuses for them and attacking the people of your race for not embracing them. "Shadowboxing"? If you think I am shadowboxing always feel free to step into the ring with me. And as for being a "blight to the spirit of the blogosphere"; my question to you would be what spirit? Over here our spirits are fine, because in spite of the victimology tag, we know where stand politically and socially in A-mery-ca. So unlike you, our conscience is free.

Anyway cobb, I hope I could help to enlighten you , and I answered some of the questions in your challenge. Hopefully, this will better help you to understand what us black folks think of your party, and why we feel--and more importantly vote-- the way that we do.

BTW, you can send the $20 you owe me to the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles. I don't need the money.

Read The Full Article:
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2007/12/if-you-think-i-am-shadowboxing-step.html

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Another NH paper slams Mitt

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 26 December 2007 03:58:00 AM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Over the weekend, The Concord Monitor called Mitt Romney a "phony" who should not be president.

Today, another major smackdown of Mitt from the Union Leader, which is the right-wing Republican paper in NH (and pro-McCain). The funny thing is that Mitt considers NH something of a second home. He has a big second home on Lake Winnipesaukee. But NH folks, at least the editorial writers, aren't loving the Mittster. Best line:

In this primary, the more Mitt Romney speaks, the less believable he becomes.

Classic.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/206533548/another-nh-paper-slams-mi
tt.html

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Putin Checks Iran

By Cernig

Opposition figure Kasparov may be the chess master, but Vlad the soft totalitarian is proving time and again, as he creates his Nu-Soviet, that he's a master of political chess. He's adroit at manouvering enemies and allies alike into situations where his true intent is suddenly unmasked and they find themselves in a no-win situation. Here's the latest:

Russia's delivery of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr power station makes it unnecessary for Iran to pursue its enrichment program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Lavrov, interviewed by the Moscow daily Vremya Novostei, also said any suggestion of "regime change" in Tehran had to be ruled out in discussions on verifying Iran's nuclear program.

"We believe that Iran has no economic need to proceed with its program of uranium enrichment," Lavrov told the daily.

"We are trying to persuade the Iranians that freezing the program is to their advantage as it would immediately lead to talks with all countries of the "six," including the United States."

Such talks, he said, would aim to end any suspicion that Iran had any secret aim to produce nuclear weapons. "Iran's agreement to this proposal is in everyone's interest."

If Iran doesn't play its part in Putin's plan then Russia will stop helping Iran stave off sanctions, according to Lavrov. If it does, there must be no further sanctions and no regime change attempts.

Putin's Russia has successfully, thereby, put a spanner in the works of both Western and Iranian plans and left itself as the fulcrum and lever of how this issue plays out. Putin has also tried to steal one of the primary "carrots" the West could offer, security guarantees,out from under Bush's nose, seriously weakening any US ability to re-take the diplomatic initiative. Instead, if Iran agrees, it would move irrevocably into the status of a Nu-Soviet client state. However if Iran doesn't agree then the implied stick is obvious.

From an Iranian point of view, agreeing to the Russian plan may well be impossible. There's a lot of rhetorical and domestic political capital now invested in continuing enrichment activities. Refusal also makes sense from a national security angle - Russia's off and on again pronouncements about fuel supply wouldn't be countenanced by any nation serious about energy security as the supply is quite obviously not a reliable one and is attached to too many political strings.

Which means that in due course, Russia will ride to the West's rescue and back further sanctions - perhaps even regime change attempts under UNSC resolutions, despite their assertion that such should be off the table. Russia wins, no matter what, it seems.

Checkmate? Not quite. If America was to abandon attempts to keep control of Bush's envisioned fuel cartel so that it can be used to apply political pressure and instead hand the whole plan to the UN, under an expanded IAEA's control, Russia and Iran would both be left floundering. That's just so not going to happen while Bush and Cheney are still around, but it's something the current candidates should be thinking about, sounding out the American companies involved with guarantees of preserving their profits.

Read The Full Article:
http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2007/12/putin-checks-iran.html

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Republican Squeaky Wheels

The overhyped story of the 2008 elections so far is the role of the Religious Right in picking a GOP candidate, fueled by headlines about Huckabee's commercial cross, Romney's speech on "Faith in America," Pat Robertson's underwhelming endorsement of Giuliani and the Rev. James Dobson's serial excommunication of each aspirant as he edges toward supporting his fellow preacher.

But this media melodrama may be obscuring the decline of the so-called God Vote in Republican politics, starting last November when opposition to the war in Iraq overwhelmed candidates of the Bush theocracy and gave control of Congress to the Democrats.

Even as Huckabee rises in the polls, prominent Republicans are questioning what Peggy Noonan calls his "creepy" appeal and, in New Hampshire, the resurgence of the resolutely secular John McCain is threatening Romney.

A new Gallup poll offers some perspective, showing only 32 percent of Americans now feel religion is increasing its influence in national life, compared to the Eisenhower era half a century ago when 69 percent felt that way.

A recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that "younger white evangelicals have become increasingly dissatisfied with Bush and are moving away from the GOP."

In October, Mike Huckabee told the Values Voters summit, ?I come today as one not who comes to you, but as one who comes from you. You are my roots.? Nonetheless, Romney won the straw poll after the meeting.

Now that Huckabee is surging and real voting is about to begin, Republicans will give us some answers about what kind of President they want after George Bush's pious pronouncements and disastrous performance. "Cultural conservatives" may be in for some surprises.

Read The Full Article:
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/12/republican-squeaky-wheels_26.html

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PM, Abbas to meet in bid to defuse Har Homa spat

Olmert has agreed to meet with Abbas in an attempt to solve the diplomatic spat that has broken out between both sides since Israel announced that it intended to build 307 housing units in the southeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, on the Palestinian side of the Green Line.

Ha'aretz newspaper have explained why they think this misunderstanding has taken place:

Moreover, the Har Homa affair exposed the differences in the perceptions that both parties adhere to. As far as Israel is concerned, the neighborhood is an integral part of unified Jerusalem, and not part of the territories.

Construction at Har Homa is not subject to the same bureaucratic maze that any construction in the territories - be it a house, shack or electricity line - must endure before it is approved.

The Palestinians and their supporters in the international community do not make that distinction. To them, any Israeli construction east of the Green Line, which was Israel's border before the 1967 Six-Day War, is an illegal settlement. They treat construction in East Jerusalem much the same as they treat construction in the settlement blocs in the West Bank.

I find this simply extraordinary. The implication here is that international law is somehow confusing on this subject.

UN Res 242 calls for:

Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.

Now the Israelis have tried to argue that, as the resolution does not call for withdrawal of armed forces from THE territories occupied, that the resolution can be met by withdrawal from SOME of the territory occupied.

To this end, as the Ha'aretz article clearly explains, the Israeli government have been treating East Jerusalem as "an integral part of unified Jerusalem, and not part of the territories".

This thinking is enshrined in Israeli law - passed by the Israeli Knesset on July 30, 1980 - in the form of the Jerusalem Law, which states that Jerusalem is Israel's "eternal and indivisible" capital.

However, this law was immediately rejected by the international community in UN resolution 478 which stated that the Jerusalem Law is "null and void and must be rescinded forthwith".

It is for this reason that I find the way Ha'aretz have explained this "misunderstanding" as simply extraordinary. The Israeli government cannot be unaware that the international community - with the possible exception of the United States - do not share their view regarding Jerusalem. Indeed, no country in the world has it's Israeli embassy in Jerusalem, with most country's housing their Israeli embassy's in Tel Aviv. Even the US, who have passed a law calling for their embassy to be moved to Jerusalem, have balked at actually doing so.

Moreover, the Palestinians have long claimed East Jerusalem as the capital of any future Palestinian state which makes the fact that the Israelis feel they can build there with impunity simply breathtaking.

The Israelis are claiming that this decision was made by "low-ranking government bureaucrats in the Housing Ministry" and "that Olmert was not informed of the decision in advance".

The international community are treating this claim with skepticism, and I have to say that I agree. The notion that Israel are unaware - especially at a time when the US is attempting to bring the two sides together - that building new houses in East Jerusalem is highly controversial, is simply unbelievable.

One can only hope that Olmert's claim that he was not informed, and that this decision was made by "low-ranking government bureaucrats in the Housing Ministry" is a precursor to Israel backing away from this outrageous plan.

Click title for full article.

Read The Full Article:
http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2007/12/pm-abbas-to-meet-in-bid-to-defuse-
har.html

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