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�Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead�
-Lucille Ball
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
REGISTER TO VOTE
"The time is always right to do what is right"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The "seven social sins": Knowledge without character,
Science without humanity,
Wealth without work,
Commerce without morality,
Politics without principles,
Pleasure without conscience,
Worship without self-sacrifice."
--Gandhi
"We have not inherited the world from our forfathers -
We have borrowed it from our children."
--Kashmiri, proverb
However, here's some political info. for ya'll.
. . .The fact is, global warming is happening -- and it's happening today, not the day after tomorrow. Since 1980, we've seen 19 of the 20 hottest years on record. In that time, 20 percent of the North Pole ice cap has melted away. Scientists say this unprecedented warming is caused by heat-trapping pollution from burning fossil fuels.
The Statue of Liberty doesn't need a bikini quite yet. But experts agree that if we don't cut global warming pollution soon, we face serious economic, health and environmental risks, such as drought, flooding, heat waves and more asthma attacks, not to mention devastation for coral reefs, the Florida Everglades and other natural treasures.
The good news is we already have the tools we need to fix the problem. The Climate Stewardship Act is a bipartisan bill that would cut global warming pollution and help keep our planet cool. The bad news is that we don't yet have enough votes for the bill to pass.
Turn up the heat on Congress! Take action now, and we'll send you a cool "thank-you" coupon for a free scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.*
Click here to get the real scoop, then get a free scoop. Better do it now; the planet can't wait any longer.
And we're going to need a lot of cooler heads to persuade Congress to act, so please share the scoop with your friends (either forward this email or visit the "Tell a friend" page on the website).
*Limit one per customer. Redeemable at participating Ben & Jerry's scoop shops through 8/31/04.
~~~
Qaeda Has 18,000 Militants for Raids - Think Tank
By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda has more than 18,000 militants ready to strike and the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq has accelerated recruitment to the ranks of Osama bin Laden's network, a leading London think-tank said on Tuesday.
Al Qaeda's finances were in good order, its "middle managers" provided expertise to Islamic militants around the globe and bin Laden's drawing power was as strong as ever, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said.
It warned in its annual Strategic Survey that al Qaeda would keep trying to develop plans for attacks in North America and Europe and that the network ideally wanted to use weapons of mass destruction.
"Meanwhile, soft targets encompassing Americans, Europeans and Israelis, and aiding the insurgency in Iraq, will do," the institute said.
"Galvanized by Iraq if compromised by Afghanistan, al Qaeda remains a viable and effective network of networks," it said.
The IISS said al Qaeda lost its base after the toppling of the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001 but had since adapted to become more decentralized, "virtual" and invisible in more than 60 countries. . .
The IISS said the 1,000 al Qaeda militants estimated to be in Iraq were a minute fraction of its potential strength.
"A rump leadership is still intact and over 18,000 potential terrorists are at large with recruitment accelerating on account of Iraq," the IISS said. It gave no source for the figure.
Purported video and audio tapes by bin Laden have appeared from time to time despite a U.S.-led manhunt since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington to capture him "dead or alive."
"Bin Laden's charisma, presumed survival and elusiveness enhance (al Qaeda's) iconic drawing power," the IISS said.
It said al Qaeda was reported to be exporting extremism on a global scale with "middle managers" providing planning, logistical advice, material and financing to smaller groups in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and probably Indonesia and Kenya.
The IISS said the Madrid train bombings in March suggested al Qaeda had now fully reconstituted and had set its sights firmly on the United States and its closest allies in Europe.
05/25/04 06:02
� Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
~~~
Hey, I don�t know about you, but I sure feel a hell of a lot safer since Bush invaded Iraq rather than using our military where it should have been � in Afghanistan, going after bin Laden and his people. Let�s hope the fact that the IISS �gave no source for the figure[s]� they have related means they are grossly overestimating things�
~~~
In other news which makes me want to puke�
New Virginia Law Alarms Gay Activists
By JUSTIN BERGMAN
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gay activists in Virginia are toying with a new motto for the state: "Virginia is for lovers. Some restrictions apply."
Gays and lesbians are angry and even threatening to leave the state over a new law that will prohibit civil unions and could interfere with contracts between same-sex couples.
Some legal experts call it the most restrictive anti-gay law in the nation.
�I won't buy a home in Virginia. I'm done," said Bo Shuff, a 30-year-old gay rights activist who has rented in the Washington suburb of Arlington for the past two years.
Edna Johnston, a lesbian who has scuttled plans to move her historic preservation consulting business from Washington to northern Virginia, said: "It's not a signal, it's a message: �You're not welcome.�"
The new law is an amendment to the state's 1997 Affirmation of Marriage Act, which prohibits gay marriages. The amendment extends that ban to civil unions, partnership contracts and other "arrangements between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage."
Virginia's attorney general and other supporters say the law provides a needed safeguard for the institution of marriage.
But some legal experts say the law is so vague that it could interfere with powers of attorney, wills, medical directives, child custody and property arrangements, and joint bank accounts.
�For the Virginia legislature to go as far as they did, knowing that this is probably unconstitutional, to me it is a political statement," said Henry F. Fradella, a law professor at the College of New Jersey who specializes in gay rights law. �I have not seen anything quite so radical.�
The bill's sponsor, Delegate Robert Marshall, a Republican, said the law is aimed at preventing same-sex couples from acquiring the benefits of marriage through other means.
One state, Massachusetts, has legalized gay marriage. Civil unions are legal in Vermont, and California and Hawaii have domestic partnership laws that provide certain legal rights to gay relationships. New Jersey has a partnership law taking effect July 1. . .
Conservative groups such as the Family Foundation have praised the law, which passed the GOP-controlled legislature by a veto-proof margin after Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner tried to make it less restrictive.
Warner said the bill interferes with people's right to enter contracts and violates the 14th Amendment guarantee to due process and equal protection. He said constitutional scholars urged him to veto it.
�I think the courts will show that it's unconstitutional," Warner said. �This bill went way beyond gay marriage and civil unions."
The state's leading gay rights organization, Equality Virginia, is discussing options for challenging the law, which takes effect July 1.
But some gays say the piling on of anti-gay legislation is starting to wear them down.
Virginia is the only state where companies not large enough to underwrite their own insurance policies are prohibited from offering domestic partner benefits. The state also bans joint adoptions by same-sex couples and refuses to list the names of same-sex couples from other states on the birth certificates of children adopted here.
Lawmakers also shot down attempts this year to rewrite the state's anti-sodomy law to conform with the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas law against gay sex.
Barry Parsons, a 39-year-old lawyer, left Virginia for Washington in 1999 so he and his partner of 12 years could adopt a baby. He said Virginia could suffer economically if more professional gays like him move out.
�I went to law school in Virginia and the state of Virginia invested a substantial amount of money in my education," Parsons said. �After four years I left and that's when my income started to pick up. Now all my taxes are going to D.C."
Brad Haransky, a 43-year-old director of membership for a Washington lobbying firm, said he and his partner moved to Virginia three years ago to escape the city. Now they are thinking about moving back.
�If every gay person said, `We're out of here,' we'd crash the market big time," he said. In some neighborhoods in Arlington, he said, �every third or fourth house is gay-owned."
Victoria Cobb, lobbyist for the Family Foundation, called this a �ridiculous threat."
�This reminds me of the Hollywood elite's reaction to Bush being elected," she said. �Virginia has always elevated marriage over all other relationships. Traditional marriage is undeniably beneficial to the economy."
On the Net:
Text of HB751: http://legis.state.va.us
Equality Virginia: http://www.equalityvirginia.org
Family Foundation: http://www.familyfoundation.org
05/25/04 14:24
� Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
~~~
BUSH IGNORES SICK 9/11 FIREFIGHTERS & COPS
Over the last month, President Bush has repeatedly recounted how he was inspired by "the courage of the firefighters and the police" [1] in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He recounted how, when standing atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero, he was told by a firefighter, "Don't let me down" [2]. But more than two years later, he continues to ignore the needs of firefighters and police officers who are now suffering adverse health effects from their rescue efforts at Ground Zero. The situation has reached a head: yesterday, 1,700 cops and firefighters were forced to sue in court for the medical help they desperately need [3].
While the President's very first campaign commercial used photos of coffin draped corpses [4] being pulled from the rubble, the White House has sought to hide evidence that Ground Zero firefighters and cops were exposed to hazardous toxins. Specifically, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) intervened to doctor EPA press releases [5] that were supposed to warn the public about toxins near Ground Zero. The press releases were modified to claim that the air was safe - despite the fact that there was not adequate scientific evidence to substantiate that claim. The CEQ was headed by James Connaughton, a former asbestos industry lawyer who represented companies in toxic pollution cases [6].
When Ground Zero firefighters and cops began getting sick, the White House tried to block $90 million in funding [7] for medical treatment. When Congress forced the Administration to accept the $90 million, the Administration then delayed the money [8] and threatened to shut down the health-screening program. Even today, the New York Police Department has been denied much needed health grants [9].
Sources:
1. Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Luncheon, 04/20/2004
2. Remarks by the President to the American Conservative Union 40th Anniversary Gala, 5/13/2004
3. "1,700 sue over 9/11 sickness", New York Daily News, 05/24/2004
4. "President Bush: Don't use my husband as your mascot", Salon, 03/05/2004
5. "W. House Molded EPA's 9/11 Reports", CBS News, 08/22/2003
6. "It's public be damned at the EPA", New York Daily News, 08/26/2003
7. "Cough up 9/11 aid, workers tell Bush", New York Daily News, 01/25/2003
8. "$90M in WTC aid on hold", New York Daily News, 07/10/2003
9. "1,700 sue over 9/11 sickness", New York Daily News, 05/24/2004
Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion
~~~
Word of the Day for Tuesday May 25, 2004
agrestic uh-GRES-tik, adjective: Pertaining to fields or the country; rural; rustic.
last / next
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