ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Unknown&nbsp;News | Helen & Harry's cranky weblog of news and opinion | unknownnews@inbox.com &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</title> <META content="abuse of authority, alternative news, anarchist news, anti-bush news, anti-cheney news, anti-republican news, bad cops, bush news, cheney news, civil rights, corrupt cops news, crooked cops, freedom news, liberal news, libertarian news, maniac cops, minarchist news, police blotter, police brutality, police corruption news, police misconduct, progressive news, rumsfeld news"name=KEYWORDS> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; 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30, &nbsp;2009</b></font></A></NOBR></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="1%" class="fonta">&nbsp;</td></tr></table> <!-- =1111111= --> <A NAME=rh-310></A><!-- == --> The ACLU has asked the Obama administration to turn over the Bush administration's memos and legal opinions supporting torture, war crimes, eavesdropping, and other illegal acts. The Bush administration, of course, refused to allow anyone to see such things, so now we'll see how the Obama administration <i>really</i> feels about open and honest government. Basically, if the answer is yes, there's a glimmer of hope that the high crimes of the Bush-Cheney era might be prosecuted and proven. And if the answer is no then all hope of justice from any entity within American borders is effectively extinguished. <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="298" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonty"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/protest26.jpg" border="1" width="298" height="199"><p>  To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. <i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Abraham&nbsp;Lincoln</i> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/60870.html">McClatchy&nbsp;Newspapers</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=economy></A><!-- == --> The FBI "had good intelligence on the mortgage-fraud schemes, the corrupt attorneys, the corrupt appraisers, the insider schemes" for at least several years before the recent economic meltdown. The Bush-Cheney administration was fully briefed on the potential for catastrophic consequences to the economy, and did nothing. <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/397690_fbiweb28.html">Seattle Post-Intelligencer</A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1127></A><!-- == --> Obama's economic stimulus package passed the House with no votes from any Republicans, and it's expected to get <A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/29/senate-gop-zero-votes/">zero votes from Republicans in the Senate</A>. Obama's plan is wrongheaded in a lot of ways, but it's going to pass unless faux Democrat Harry Reid lets Republicans fake-filibuster it in the Senate, and I&nbsp;don't think Reid is that stupid. (Or unless Republicans mount an <i>actual</i> filibuster, but I doubt they'd have the required work ethic.) What's amusing to me is that Obama's efforts at bipartisanship have been met with the same stone wall stubbornness we've seen from Republicans for years, only even stonier. Maybe getting slapped upside the head like this will help Obama get over his daydream of extracting civility from anyone with an R after his name. And you've got to wonder, where would America be now if <i>Democrats</i> had shown anywhere near this kind of resolve in opposing eight years of asinine and illegal policies during the Bush-Cheney era? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10152470-38.html">CNet&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-1127a></A><!-- == --> In covering the debate over Obama's economic plan, the cable news channels -- with the curious exception of Fox News -- have given more than twice as much air time to Republicans than Democrats. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/28/cable-news-stimulus/">ThinkProgess</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-510></A><!-- == --> In France, huge crowds have taken to the streets to protest the government's handling of the economic crisis. President Sarkozy found billions of euros for bailing out failing French banks, but he couldn't find ten cents for ordinary working stiffs. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7857435.stm">BBC&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-237></A><!-- == --> J P Morgan Chase protected itself, but not its clients, from Bernie Madoff's swindles. <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/28/business/madoff.4-418155.php">New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-554></A><!-- == --> California has stopped issuing tax refunds. They haven't got the money, says State Controller John Chiang, who will continued receiving his fat paychecks. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/01/tax-refunds-now.html">ABC&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=fools&liars></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/foolsnliars.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>Today's round-up<br>of fools and liars</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/pinocchio.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="42"></TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><A HREF="http://crooksandliars.com/silentpatriot/colbert-slams-oreilly-spreading-fals">Fox's O'Reilly brags that he doesn't spread rumors before spreading rumor</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.newshounds.us/2009/01/29/hannity_revives_suggestion_obama_may_be_muslim.php">Fox's Hannity revives suggestion Obama may be Muslim</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.alternet.org/story/123574/fox_news_is_using_the_obamas_to_perfect_its_racist_attacks_on_black_america/">Fox News is using the Obamas to perfect its racist attacks on Black America</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/01/28/limbaugh/index.html?source=rss&aim=/politics/war_room">Gingrey (R-Georgia) bows to Limbaugh</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.newshounds.us/2009/01/29/oreilly_and_miller_joke_about_torture.php">Fox's O'Reilly and comedian Miller joke about torture</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200901280012?f=h_latest">Fox's Beck lies that only 3 percent of stimulus plan would be spent in the next 12 month</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200901280011?f=h_latest"><i>The Hill</i> repeats Republicans' lie that stimulus bill includes $4.2 billion bailout" for ACORN</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200901290007?f=h_latest">Fox's O'Reilly claims that "enhanced food stamps ... will not help the economy one bit" -- but economists disagree</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/29/yoo-obama-torture/">Torture lover John Yoo excoriates Obama for banning torture</A><BR> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <A NAME=wi-541></A><!-- == --> AIG is planning to pay about $450-million in bonuses to its people who sold those shady credit default swaps. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702558.html">Washington&nbsp;Post</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-652></A><!-- == --> Iceland's new Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, will be the world's first openly gay head of state. Ladies first, she's a lesbian. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/world-gets-its-first-gay-head-of-state-1519068.html">The&nbsp;Independent</I>&nbsp;(London,&nbsp;UK)</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=fg-543></A><!-- == --> Russell Tice, the NSA whistleblower who's behind most of what little Americans now know about the Bush-Cheney administration's policy of illegally monitoring Americans' telecommunications, thinks we need to know a lot more about how credit card information was commingled with the wiretapping data collected. There's so much we need to know about the past eight lawless years... and so little official interest in letting we the people know diddly. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/01/nsa-whistlebl-2.html">Wired</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-538></A><!-- == --> The House has blocked Obama's attempt to delay the analog-to-digital TV conversion, and the Senate has passed a slightly different version of the delay bill and sent it back to the House. We'll see what happens next, but for anyone who's mercifully missed my previous rants, I'll say again: If you're using rabbit ears, there's a pretty good chance you'll have problems when the analog-to-digital conversion happens: If you live in or near a big city, you'll likely see stations come and go every time the wind kicks up or it rains heavily or a plane flies overhead. If you're in an un-lucky location -- if there's a big building across the street, or a tall tree outside your window -- you could easily lose a station or two. If you live a long ways from a big city, you'll likely lose some or most of the stations your antenna has previously pulled in. Oh, and if you live in an area where hurricanes, twisters, or tornadoes sometimes visit, you'd better get a battery-operated AM radio for emergency alerts, because DTV reception gets increasingly unreliable as storms approach. Other than that, the new technology is just great. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUKN2932967920090130?sp=true">Reuters&nbsp;News&nbsp;Agency</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-412></A><!-- == --> Here's another demonstration of how laughably insecure voting machines are, as a Princeton professor shows how anyone with a screwdriver can gain access to a Sequoia machine's innards. What makes this demonstration of the machines' flaws a little different from previous demonstrations is that this one was in court. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.northjersey.com/news/elections/votingmachines012809.html">Record&nbsp;of&nbsp;New&nbsp;Jersey</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1204></A><!-- == --> Obama has told the Environmental Protection Agency to rethink its Bush-era blockage of California's endeavor to enact better emission standards. And in the process of announcing this, the President gave a pretty wide-awake speech on American energy independence. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://climateprogress.org/2009/01/26/irreversible-catastrophe/">climateprogress.org</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-506></A><!-- == --> Army Col. James Pohl, a judge at the Guantanamo concentration camp, has decided not to accede to President Obama's request for a 120-day hold on the kangaroo trials there. It's not a big deal, as Obama certainly has other ways to stop the show trials if that's his intent, but it's a little bit ballsy of the Colonel, ain't it? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-guantanamo-judge30-2009jan30,0,4747376.story">Los&nbsp;Angeles&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;] <A NAME=cops></A><A NAME=cops-box></A><!-- =cops= --><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/policelog.html" width="100%" height="475" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <BR><BR><A NAME=wi-310a></A><!-- == --> Karl Rove's attorney is asking the Obama administration to back his claim of executive immunity for the recently re-subpoenaed Rove. As for the unindicted co-conspirator himself, Rove's saying he <A HREF="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/rove-announces-he-has-no-intention-o">plans to ignore this week's subpoena</A> like he ignored the last one. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/28/obama_to_face_test_on_executive">Democracy&nbsp;Now</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <!-- =2222222= --> <A NAME=rh-1122></A><!-- == --> Eric Holder says he'll look the other way on Bush-Cheney era crimes of torture, or at least, that's what Missouri's Cylon Senator Kit Bond told the Moonie-controlled <i>Washington Times</i>. I'll believe it when I&nbsp;see it from a serious source, but if it turns out to be true, it means that Holder is planning to violate his oath of office before he takes it. If it turns out to be true, he ought to choke on the line where he swears allegiance to the Constitution and he's supposed to add, "I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion". If it turns out to be true, then the crimes of the Bush-Cheney administration are the crimes of the Bush-Cheney-Obama-Holder era. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/28/exclusive-holder-assures-gop-torture-prosecution/">Washington&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-157></A><!-- == --> President Obama has signed his first major legislation, an equal pay bill dubbed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which effectively overturns the Supreme Court's 2007 OK for gender-based discrimination in pay. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/court-overturns-court-on-job-bias/">SCOTUS&nbsp;Blog</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-247></A><!-- == --> We're told that human rights investigators are looking into Israel's war crimes during the siege of Gaza, including at least five incidents where Gazans waving white flags -- including children -- were shot. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/60853.html">McClatchy&nbsp;Newspapers</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-614></A><!-- == --> <!-- Gold Medal --><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="105" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/goldmedal.jpg" border="0" width="85" height="85"></td></tr></table> There was a rare and heart-warming moment of honesty at the big economic meetings in Davos on Thursday. The moderator of a televised debate wouldn't allow a response to Israel's attempted justification for its recent slaughter in Gaza, so Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed off the set, telling Israeli President Shimon Peres, "You are killing people". &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/01/20091291976879610.html">al-Jazeera</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-529></A><!-- == --> The Obama administration is working on a letter to the Iranian government, explaining the new American position that we're not out to kill Iranians and topple their government. Sanity is <i>such</i> a refreshing thing. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/28/barack-obama-letter-to-iran">The&nbsp;Guardian&nbsp;(London,&nbsp;UK)</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-537></A><!-- == --> Regardless of what you've read elsewhere, the US basically lost its complaint against China before the World Trade Organization on Monday. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3645/125/">Michael&nbsp;Geist</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=think></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thinker.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>It made me stop&nbsp;and&nbsp;think</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/quesplanation.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR>"A person of faith, I&nbsp;quit wearing a cross around my neck in public some years ago to avoid being identified with a growing "Christian" culture of bigotry and intolerance. After that County Council meeting, though, I'm finding it difficult even to pray: How can God let such hateful evil use His name?" &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09028/944884-109.stm">Angelle&nbsp;N.&nbsp;Guyette</A>&nbsp;]<BR> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <A NAME=wi-1208></A><!-- == --> Remember Republicans' claims of "widespread voter fraud" in Ohio last year? Well, the investigation is complete, and they found one case of vote fraud -- one vote. The perp turned himself in and his second vote wasn't counted. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090127/NEWS01/301270059">Cincinnati&nbsp;Enquirer</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-951></A><!-- == --> Norm Coleman's office -- he's the Republican Senator from Minnesota who's suing as he loses a very close election to Al Franken -- tried a weird stunt on Wednesday. His P.R. schmucks asked "disenfranchised voters" to visit Coleman's website, and then engineering a fake site crash so they could say their site was overwhelmed with disenfranchised voters. But they're so technically clueless that what they did is pretty easy to unravel. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://minnesotaindependent.com/24761/disenfranchised-voters-crash-colemans-site-unlikely-says-blogger">Minnesota&nbsp;Independent</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=fg-625></A><!-- == --> One of the key nutballs who led the right wing's loony tunes cry that Saddam Hussein had deep, ongoing connections to al Qaeda, was the lyrically named Laurie Mylroie. She's now writing Pentagon reports about the dangers of Iran, and ain't that reassuring? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/saddam-qaeda_conspiracy_theorist_surfaces_writing.php">TPM&nbsp;Muckraker</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-532></A><!-- == --> DEA agents stole $15,000 and a Rolex watch from a guy the airport in Toledo, Ohio. But they gave him a receipt. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.reason.com/blog/show/131341.html">Reason</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1132></A><!-- == --> <!-- author page --><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="150" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/old-shoes.jpg" border="0" width="130" height="64"></td></tr></table> Shoe-tosser Muntazer al-Zaidi has been tortured and remains in prison pending whatever trial he'll get, but his act of defiance has been memorialized in a statue of a shoe in Tikrit. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/01/29/2009-01-29_saddams_hometown_unveils_statue_dedicate.html">New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Daily&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-317></A><!-- == --> Two Kentucky goombahs who hung an effigy of Barack Obama won't be charged. And really, they shouldn't have had to hire lawyers and go through the hassles they've endured. There's a long tradition of hanging politicians in effigy, and there's nothing wrong with it, and we don't lose that political freedom of expression when a politician is black. Certainly, the notion of a black man hanging from a rope is extra damned ugly, and though the men deny it that might have been what they intended -- but that's not relevant, legally or constitutionally. Freedom of speech means people are allowed to say and do pretty damned ugly things. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/60852.html">McClatchy&nbsp;Newspapers</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-107></A><!-- == --> Suicides in the US Army are at their highest ongoing levels since the aftermath of the Vietnam war. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_army_suicides_012909/">Associated&nbsp;Press</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-950></A><!-- == --> The CIA's top man in Algeria is accused of using a knock-out drug to rape unconscious Muslim women. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6750266&page=1">ABC&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1150></A><!-- == --> Vladimir Putin prefers his nation's journalists, like its dissidents, dead. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.atlargely.com/2009/01/another-journalist-is-murdered-in-russia-anastasia-baburova.html">At&nbsp;Largely</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1140></A><!-- == --> Microsoft's marketing of Vista is generating plenty of complaints of to government anti-trust regulators. The government still has anti-trust regulators? Then why does Microsoft still exist? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10151757-38.html">CNet&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-1148></A><!-- =Iraq= --> Iraq is apparently quite serious about banning Blackwater. A hopeful sign for that nation's future. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.atlargely.com/2009/01/iraqi-government-to-blackwater-get-out-and-stay-out.html">At&nbsp;Largely</A>&nbsp;] <A NAME=watching></A><A NAME=movies/TV></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="45" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/film_sprockets.gif" border="0" width="45" height="27"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>We've been watching&nbsp;...</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="45" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/tv-icon.jpg" border="0" width="42" height="42"></TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=wi-124></A><!-- == --> The <i>Columbia Journalism Review</i> is offering <A HREF="http://www.cjr.org/short_takes/glory_days.php">a&nbsp;loving tribute to <i>Lou Grant</i></A>, the late '70s-early '80s TV series set in the city room of the fictional <i>Los Angeles Tribune</i>.<BR><BR>I'm old enough to remember the show from its prime time run on CBS (where it was cancelled not for poor ratings but because its star, Ed Asner, became politically controversial) and I've recently watched the first two seasons of <i>Lou Grant</i>, <A HREF="http://www.hulu.com/lou-grant">available free from hulu.com</A>. It holds up pretty well, and once you get past the typewriters instead of computers and trips to the archives for research instead of Googling, it's still a pretty good look at what journalism is supposed to be. Thumbs up from Harry &amp; Helen.<BR><BR>One thing that struck me, though, in watching these decades-old <i>Lou Grant</i> reruns, is that hot-shot journalist Joe Rossi, who's supposed to be seriously considered Pulitzer material, is just an awful, awful reporter who should've been fired. He needs constant chiding from bosses to keep his personal perspectives out of his coverage, several times the script-writers have him blowing key facts in his stories, and in one particularly galling scene he's revealed to have quoted a politician after promising that their conversation would be off the record. And for this his punishment is a stern talking to? <DIV align="right"><I>H&amp;HH &nbsp; </i></div></td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <BR><BR><A NAME=wi-552></A><!-- == --> A US District Judge has ruled that the names of people who contributed to California's anti-gay Proposition 8, names already publicly listed per the law, will remain publicly listed. In other words, no special rights for bigots. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://sfist.com/2009/01/29/prop_8_donors_remain_public_judge_r.php">sfist.com</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-1120></A><!-- == --> On their way out of Washington, the Bush-Cheney administration slapped tariffs on fancy imports ranging from Roqueford cheese to French truffles, Irish oatmeal, and Italian sparkling water. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012804071.html">Washington&nbsp;Post</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=ot-123></A><!-- == --> Google has a new project designed to detect whether or not your ISP or broadband service is blocking or throttling your connection. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://mashable.com/2009/01/29/google-measurement-lab/">Mashable</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-539></A><!-- == --> <i>The Huffington Post</i> and <i>Daily Kos</i> think you should be outraged that Bank of America hosted a conference call for conservatives plotting against the Employee Free Choice Act, and <A HREF="http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Anti-union_call_between_Bank_of_America%2C_Bernie_Marcus%2C_et_al._and_Rick_Berman%2C_17_Oct_2008"><i>Wikileaks</i> has the audio</A>. I'd be amazed if BofA <i>didn't</i> do things like that, and it probably wasn't in the top ten evil things BofA did the day they did it. I&nbsp;mean, duh. Bank of America is not your local community bank, and it's not on your side in any way shape or form. It's the Bank of Evil, or as a friend calls it, the Bank of Fascism. Do you have money there? Why? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/27/191623/438/822/689723">Huffington&nbsp;Post, distilled&nbsp;by&nbsp;Daily&nbsp;Kos</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=rh-918></A><!-- == --> The cop who's responsible for pretty much ruining at least a year of Julie Amero's life -- she's the substitute teacher who was prosecuted because pop-up lingerie ads appeared on her classroom computer -- has completely lost his marbles. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://weblog.infoworld.com/robertxcringely/archives/2009/01/the_julie_amero_2.html">Info&nbsp;World</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-139></A><!-- == --> The <i>Cleveland Plain Dealer</i> has pulled a <i>San Jose Mercury-News</i>. The <I>Plain Dealer</i> ran a gutsy exposé of government corruption. And then, when the heat was applied they melted and refused to back their reporter, though I&nbsp;see no evidence that the facts as reported were wrong. If you don't understand my allusion to the <i>San Jose Mercury-News</i>, the late <A HREF="http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/121304.html">Gary Webb</A> can explain it to you. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.cjr.org/darts_and_laurels/dart_to_the_plain_dealer_1.php">Columbia&nbsp;Journalism&nbsp;Review</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=wi-637></A><!-- == --> Her parents were communists, so the government of New Zealand started spying on Maire Leadbeater in about 1956, when she was ten. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4832220a11.html?source=RSStopstories_20090129">stuff.co.nz</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <!-- =3333333= --> <A NAME=rh-615></A><!-- == --> I've hated a few of my bosses over the years, but I&nbsp;wouldn't be stupid enough to trust something called careerbuilders.com to "anonymously" forward my hatred to the executive suite. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9126860&intsrc=hm_list">Computer&nbsp;World</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=fg-721></A><!-- == --> On Thom Hartmann's radio show Wednesday, he had Joe the Plumber (who's not a plumber) as a guest. Hartmann's a smart liberal and Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (a.k.a. Joe the Plumber) is neither, but instead of the political argument I'd expected, Hartmann only asked Wurzelbacher about plugged toilets and protecting pipes from freezing. The interview was 2/3 over before I&nbsp;realized what Hartmann was doing, subtly and politely implying that if Wurzelbacher has any expertise it's about sinks and toilets, not politics. I&nbsp;just thought it was classy and hilarious. [audio&nbsp;file] &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/SANFRANCISCO-CA/KKGN-AM/Thom%20Hartmann%2001-29-09%20H1.mp3">Thom&nbsp;Hartmann&nbsp;Show</A>&nbsp;]<BR><BR> <A NAME=D-30></A><A NAME=dialogue></A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="14%" bgcolor="dddddd" class="fonty"> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-30.html#D-30"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/dialogue-bubbles.jpg" border="0" width="75" height="75"></A></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="86%" bgcolor="dddddd" class="fonta"><A HREF="#D-30"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <BIG><B>Readers' comments</B></BIG><BR><BR> <small><i>Please send your news tips, comments, and criticisms to &#60;<A HREF="mailto:unknownnews@inbox.com">unknownnews at inbox.com</A>&#62;.<BR>If that address ever fails, check <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">our contact page</A> for our alternate email addresses.</i></small></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=30MrC635></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A NAME=sidebar></A><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="70%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"> <A HREF="http://reason.com/news/show/131332.html">How to Sell a Mess: What "stimulus" advocates learned from the push for war with Iraq</A><BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:</I>&nbsp; When Washington makes a big decision -- to pass the PATRIOT Act, to invade Iraq, to bail out Wall Street, to spend hundreds of billions "stimulating" the economy -- the most important stage of the debate isn't the final agreement on what to do. That's just a bunch of details about portions and timing. The key stage comes in the initial rounds, when the acceptable radius of disagreement is established. Your sharpest critics are often your most radical critics, so it's important that their arguments be confined to the foreign press, the blogosphere, and other backwaters.<BR><BR>Once those boundaries are ratified, you must police them without pity. This is harder than it sounds. If you argue with those outsiders, you've made them a part of the debate. But you can't shut them up either. The goal then is to persuade everyone else that the dissidents simply don't deserve attention: that they're extremists, partisan flacks, or just not "serious." In 2003, "serious" people were willing to debate the evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but they considered it settled that such weapons were reason enough to invade his country. In 2009, "serious" people will debate the best ways to stimulate a slumping economy, but the arguments against a so-called stimulus itself are beyond the pale.&nbsp;...<BR><BR>On one level, the stimulus crowd hasn't been as successful as the GOP was during Bush's first term: The Democratic leadership cravenly fell in behind the PATRIOT Act and the Iraq war, but every Republican in the House voted against the Democrats' bill yesterday. On another level, the Democrats don't need to be as successful as the GOP. The bill passed the House without the Republicans' help, and it will probably pass the Senate. And in the meantime, the Dems defined the debate, excluding alternative perspectives almost as effectively as the Bushians did.<BR><BR>Do you doubt that? Consider the following argument:<blockquote>'The recession is a necessary correction. It is forcing ill-conceived and poorly run companies to collapse or restructure, and it is compelling consumers to save again. Protecting those overgrown institutions and encouraging more unsustainable consumption will only delay doomsday and make it worse. It's better to endure some pain now than to endure even more pain tomorrow.'</blockquote>There's two things you should notice about that counternarrative. The first is that it sounds pretty radical. The second is that it isn't as radical as it sounds. It doesn't require you be a thoroughgoing libertarian opposed to all intervention in the economy. An ordinary liberal Democrat could accept it, arguing for federal efforts to ease individual pain -- unemployment insurance, retraining subsidies, even direct income grants -- while refusing to shore up failing institutions. You might think that would be a common position on the left: help for the dispossessed, not one dime for corporations.<BR><BR>But as far as Washington is concerned, it's invisible. The only Democratic legislators who broke with the bill were conservatives. Meanwhile, many Republicans have accepted the premises behind a Keynesian stimulus effort; they're just debating scale, means, and methods. Alternative ideas are out there, but Washington doesn't take them seriously. &nbsp;<A HREF="http://reason.com/news/show/131332.html"><FONT COLOR=blue><i>...&nbsp;Continue&nbsp;reading&nbsp;...</i></FONT></A> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <A HREF="#30MrC635"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; Here's a beautiful essay from <i>Reason</i> <img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/rightarrow.jpg" border="0" height="10" width="35"> This is an important discussion to have. The country really hasn't had it yet. Repubs <i>are</i> being demonized by "liberal" thinkers, including Rachel Maddow, and yet much of what the Repugs say <i>is</i> true: the "stimulus" bill was written in Nancy Pelosi's office (basically), it is full of pork, and it does not match what Obama said he wanted.<BR><BR>Now, Obama has said the bill provides a "down-payment" on infrastructure, energy independence and health care reform, but after the next few trillion dollars are squandered, do you think there will be either the will or the money to provide universal healthcare? In other words, after everyone recognizes that the US is in imminent danger of bankruptcy/dollar implosion, how will Obama get the LAST trillion of spending to do what he wanted to do in the first place?<BR><BR>Also, Obama promised that the bill would be "earmark" free, but it is chock full of "pork". An earmark is simply a giveaway added without debate by a single politician to an otherwise unrelated bill, often as a quid pro quo for his/her vote. Pork, on the other hand, differs in that it isn't done quite so secretly.<BR><BR>This House bill is more of a bailout bill than a true stimulus bill (anyway, the mega-trillion heavy lifting is being done in total secrecy by the Federal Reserve.) Bailing out the state governments is unbelievably dumb. Did you know that state governments continued to add employees during 2008? Have you heard about them releasing low-level, non-violent drug consumers from prison, or doing much of anything to reduce the larded up police state we have here in AmeriKa? California, for example, isn't releasing prisoners, they're demanding that the courts not require them to upgrade prisoner medical care to levels required by the Constitution. Ja. Only girlie men allow pot smokers to get out of jail early (noting that both the governor of California and the President of the United States have admitted to using illegal drugs, but neither man is willing to save budget money by releasing people from prison for doing the things they themselves are guilty of! <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Mr. Chuckles &nbsp; </div><BLOCKQUOTE><i> That's just excellent, the article and your comments on it. Excellent. I&nbsp;wish someone in the White House would read either or both. </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=30TL538></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="#30TL538"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i>The "bad bank" propaganda:</i>&nbsp; TV shows and news media are buzzing with news that Tim Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary, is considering a "bad bank" to solve the nation's problems with banks unable or unwilling to lend. Unfortunately, the "bad bank" concept as it would likely be implemented represents another massive rip-off of Americans; trillions of dollars would be squandered, delivered straight to Wall Street in this scenario.<BR><BR>What is needed instead might include a "bad bank" to hold junk paper but the starting point would be a mercifully swift but brutal nationalization of insolvent banks wherein the good paper and bad paper would be separated to create two new banks, good bank and bad bank, but at no cost to taxpayers -- though shareholders and bondholders would be wiped out (as is just and deserved.)<BR><BR>The big problem with having Obama and Geithner use the "TARP" to buy bad paper and put it in a "bad bank" is that the government would have to overpay for the assets, otherwise the banks would not wish to sell -- and in any event, selling at current market prices would mean that insolvency would become obvious anyway.<BR><BR>According to Nouriel Roubini another two trillion of bad bank debts must be recognized. Unfortunately, the Obama regime does not have the testicles to confront Wall Street and nationalize BofA, JPM, WFC, etc. So we're going through this charade of "stimulus bill" and "TARP", which will end up not solving the problems...then in six months or so, Obama will be back asking for another trillion, and another and so on. The longer nationalization is delayed the more this will cost. If Obama waits until 2010 to act correctly, the cost then might be five trillion (remember, derivative instruments are involved as force multipliers.)<BR><BR>Sad to say, the US is hosed because our new President either does not have a clue or is without the courage to act decisively to fix the banking system.<BR><BR> Couple of articles:<BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a6A9lCHrtAqk">Roubini predicts more global gloom after vindication at Davos</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601170&refer=special_report&sid=a0pWErBctHdM">Gold rally fills vaults with bullion as bank stimulus increases</A> <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Theo Lipschitz&nbsp; </div><BLOCKQUOTE><i> I remain bewildered at the billions of dollars and just plain stupidity and/or raiding the Treasury that 'experts' and Obama keep advocating, not to save the economy but to save stupid gazillionaires from feeling any pain. Nothing Obama's proposed is going to come close to fixing the economy's gargantuan problems. What's needed and needed soon: Quit pretending the giant banks are still in business and start nationalizing them. Start prosecuting the criminals who wear suits like we prosecute the criminals who wear masks. And while we're at it, bring back anti-trust law and break up each and every corporation that's been described by the 'experts' as "too big to fail". </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=30MK742></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="#30MK742"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i>Socialism in the US -- get a dictionary:</i>&nbsp; I'm getting REALLY tired of all of the articles that suggest that what's happening in the US is socialism or socialistic. Come on, get a dictionary/encyclopedia before you throw around this pretty STUPID idea.<BR><BR> Wikipedia offers this definition of socialism: "a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. This control may either be direct -- exercised through popular collectives such as workers' councils -- or indirect -- exercised on behalf of the people by the state. As an economic system, socialism is often characterized by socialized (state or community) ownership of the means of production."<BR><BR> In the recent article linked to on Unknown News referring to "<A HREF="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/24-10">lemon Socialism</A>," the author, Robert Reich, points out that the US federal government has taken ownership of Fannie and Freddie, put millions into Wall Street banks, bailed out AIG, given money to GM and Chrysler, and provided loans based on accepting vast amounts of financial and corporate assets.<BR><BR> HOWEVER, the US government is NOT running these enterprises nor in ANY way is the purpose of supporting them related to increasing social and economic equality and cooperation. Actually, the closest that some countries have ever come to socialism was when their governments attempted to jumpstart the industrial revolution by creating the necessary transportation and energy infrastructure along with providing public services. Depending on the resources of the various countries, governments ran mining companies, utilities companies, health facilities, schools, and factories mainly because it was the government that could obtain the large amounts of money needed for all of the expensive equipment or the large numbers of personnel required. Such efforts DID do the job as long as the government personnel involved did NOT start dipping into the wealth being created. Clearly, corruption can occur in both private and government-run businesses.<BR><BR> Over time as new technologies came on board or new resources were discovered, some of the government enterprises became unnecessary and they were shut down. Sometimes some were privatized. Alternatively, some governments have taken over some industries or enterprises like telecommunications and utilities given their importance. Of course, for a LONG time, the US and other governments using their secretive regime change methods have worked on wreaking these nationalized enterprises. They still are. The events in Zimbabwe are related to these kinds of efforts.<BR><BR> However, it was the rise of neo-liberalism (I'll try not to repeat myself here) with President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 80s that upped the rate of the wreaking of nationalized enterprises. This time the method was creating conditions for receiving loans such as requiring the privatization of certain enterprises. This led to many government run energy and utilities enterprises falling into the hands of US and European multi-nationals whose policies created terrible poverty for millions around the world. Clearly, by the 80s even more multi-nationals were controlling politicians.<BR><BR> SO, if the point of an economic system is to reduce the gap in wealth between the rich and the poor, then there are various ways to do that. You could have PRIVATE businesses but put caps on the pay received by the top level employees (since today we have NO single private owners of large corporations) and put caps on the profit that is NOT put back into the business or used to reduce the prices consumers pay. Some Scandinavian countries already do this. Medium sized business do it, too. They'd go out of business otherwise.<BR><BR> OR, we could have STATE-OWNED & RUN businesses that provide their services at cost or for free once progressive taxes are collected to pay the costs. Of course, as noted above many developing countries had these policies until corrupt elites backed by the US took over or until the IMF and World Bank neo-liberal conditions were instituted.<BR><BR> There is no doubt in my mind that ALL of the neo-liberal policies are intended to transfer the real wealth created by workers to the rich. For example, based on <A HREF="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/neoliberalism">this Wikipedia article</A> the following are neo-liberal policies: Firstly, forcing governments to cut expenditures which means cuts in public services; and secondly preventing governments from fixing their own exchange rates, using tariffs and subsidies to support their own sectors, and adjusting the prices of imported goods which mean that multi-nationals can more easily put that country's local enterprises out of business causing high unemployment and poverty. Then, there are such policies as forcing governments to remove laws that control cross-border flow of finance and laws that regulate businesses. This enables the growth of corrupt businesses. For the sake of loans these countries are also pressured into implementing union busting policies and development based on imports which means exploited workers and the loss of domestic industry.<BR><BR> Stopping institutions like the IMF and the World Bank from carrying out these neo-liberal policies seems crucial to me. Laws that ban some of these policies or create automatic inspection of them when poverty, unemployment, and poor health statistics rise are needed.<BR><BR> Related to corruption, over my lifetime I've seen that BOTH socialism AND capitalism can be ruined by corruption. So how do we stop corrupt government personnel from robbing the earnings of government-run enterprises and how do we stop corrupted government leaders from working for the benefit of corrupt private businesses? The only solution I&nbsp;see is the creation of international courts that deal with all the corrupt government and multi-national personnel. While setting up such courts I&nbsp;do NOT want to see a global governance system. There is no doubt in my mind that it would be run by all of the current behind-the-scenes people now running our governments. Of course, the corrupt leaders of all sorts will work against the formation of such courts.<BR><BR> Thus, a first step around the world for We the People is to get our own governments cleaned up -- pretty much what all of the protests in Europe are about. With governments that actually ARE more socialistic, there could be a clean up removing any corrupt and business controlled officials. With governments that are more capitalistic some socialistic/reduce the gap between the rich and poor laws could be revived/passed. For both, a priority should be getting rid of the neo-liberalism related laws/policies. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Marie K. &nbsp; </div></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=29W1010></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="#29W1010"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.military.com/news/article/alaskas-wwii-militia-vets-lose-pay.html?ESRC=army.nl">Alaska's WWII militia vets lose pay</A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Native militia formed to guard the territory of Alaska from the threat of Japanese attack during World War II.<BR><BR>The change means 26 surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard -- most in their 80s and long retired -- will lose as much as $557 in monthly retirement pay, a state veterans officer said Thursday. The payments end Feb. 1. </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> Disgusting. The Army can waste untold amounts of money but can come up with this kind of nonsense.<BR><BR> And then&nbsp;... <A HREF="http://www.military.com/news/article/army-to-pay-wwii-militia-retirees.html?col=1186032310810">Army to pay WWII militia retirees</A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> ... Army Secretary Pete Geren will use an emergency fund to cover the retirement benefits for 26 former members of the largely Native guard. The monthly pay amounts to as much as $557.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> There may be some hope for this country yet. <BLOCKQUOTE><i> Beautiful, and maybe you're right. It's just so rare to see someone with both authority and a conscience&nbsp;... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; H&amp;HH</i></BLOCKQUOTE> <center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.truthout.org/012909N">Purple Hearts: A cold-blooded decision</A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The official rationale for refusing to honor what is widely considered the "signature wound" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that PTSD, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez, is "an anxiety disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event," not "a wound intentionally caused by the enemy."</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> Although, in my judgement, the military establishment has been abysmal in its recent conduct concerning vets, I&nbsp;have to agree with the decision that PTSD is not "a wound intentionally caused by the enemy". BTW, if PTSD ("an anxiety disorder caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event") is deserving of a Purple Heart (or any medal) we all should be deserving of a medal for enduring the eight years of the Bush administration. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Wig &nbsp; </div></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=29JR525></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="#29JR525"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/msl-rfl012709.php">Researchers find lack of trust in leaders, institutions is major factor in US economic crisis</A><BR><BR> This is yet another reason to legally go after our richest financial crooks and most powerful politicians responsible for the current mess: rebuild trust to help rebuild the economy. <br><br><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/01/what_happened_to_conservapdia.php">Conservative Wiki offers helpful list of Senate Democrats to assassinate, so Republican Governors can appoint Republican replacements</A><BR><BR> Reddit says Conservapedia has taken down this thinly veiled hit-list on Democratic Senators. I&nbsp;checked, and sure enough, while the title remained, the main content was gone. <BLOCKQUOTE><i> Can you imagine how many days of ranting and raving we'd hear if a list of assassinatable Republicans had been posted at some widely-read progressive site, like say, <i>DemocraticUnderground</i>? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; H&amp;HH</i></BLOCKQUOTE> <center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/my_cat_again/">My Cat</A><BR><BR> I've not had a personal pet since I&nbsp;was maybe 10 years old (though there were 'family' pets of cats and dogs both before and after that). From my teenage years up through today, I&nbsp;actively avoided having a pet, and discouraged others on the matter too (for one thing, it seems foolish for poor folks with kids to pay for the upkeep of animals which do not meaningfully contribute to the household).<BR><BR>Despite all that, this piece moved me. Scott Adams proves once again he is a FAR better writer than he ever was a cartoonist. <br><br><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23630143-details/Britain+%27will+have+worst+recession+in+the+West%27/article.do">Britain 'will have worst recession'</A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> In a huge blow to Gordon Brown, the IMF said that the UK's recession will be deeper than that of the US, Italy, France and others.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> Note that of all the major European nations, Britain's political and financial policies were the most closely aligned with (or similar to) America's over the past decade. <br><br><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/iran-more-dangerous-than-financial-crisis/2009/01/30/1232818678136.html">Israel's Netanyahu: 'Iran more dangerous than financial crisis'</A><BR><BR> I consider the currently led-by-crazies, suicidal state of Israel as being much more dangerous than Iran. And Israel may have 400 nuclear weapons. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">JR Mooneyham &nbsp;(<A HREF="http://www.jrmooneyham.com">www.jrmooneyham.com/</A>) &nbsp; </div> <BLOCKQUOTE><i> I emphatically agree. Israel's actual right-before-your-eyes war crimes make headlines routinely, while Iran gets endless international hand-wringing over its hypothetical future crimes and its funding for Hamas that doesn't amount to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of America's funding for Israel. I&nbsp;would just add, the insane war crazies who've led America for the past eight years make Israel's crazies look like Boy Scouts. </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=29SB411></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="#29SB411"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; This is the crap spewing from the State Controllers office:<blockquote>Thank you for contacting State Controller John Chiang's office. As you are aware, the Controller has announced that in order to preserve cash for education, debt service and other payments that are deemed by the State Constitution, federal law or court rulings as having first claim to available General Fund cash, he will begin delaying, for 30 days, payments to all other programs that are funded out of the State's depleted General Fund.<BR><BR>At this time the State Controller's office will not be issuing IOUs, however the cash management plan does call for delayed payments. This delay in payments will apply to tax refunds that millions of individuals and businesses have earned, expect and deserve. The Controller is aware that not only will the delay in refunds cause significant financial harm to California families, it will delay the economic stimulus expected from consumer spending. Controller Chiang is aware that postponing the payment of tax refunds also will ultimately cost the state tens of millions of dollars in interest payments if those payments are postponed beyond the date prescribed by law. The Controller knows this action will hurt thousands of Californians and their families, and he urges the Governor to work with legislators to enact a sensible, solid plan to bridge the $42 billion budget gap and provide cash to get the State through this current crisis. If the Governor and Legislature move quickly, he will be able to avoid delaying any payments. I&nbsp;encourage you to visit our website at <A HREF="http://www.sco.ca.gov">www.sco.ca.gov</A> to view the Controller's official statement and cash management plan.<BR><BR>Thank you -<BR><BR>Joyce Leavitt, Director of Public Affairs, Office of State Controller John Chiang<BR>300 Capitol Mall, Suite 1850 Sacramento, CA 95814</blockquote><DIV align="right">Sherri B. &nbsp; </div> <BLOCKQUOTE><i> He's playing hardball with poor people's lives. Is there any chance it'll work? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; H&amp;HH</i></BLOCKQUOTE> I doubt it. <BR><BR><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/28/BAB615IA5R.DTL&tsp=1">Court says private school can expel lesbians</A><BR><BR>I think I'm hallucinating. Does this say what I&nbsp;think it says?<DIV align="right">Sherri B. &nbsp; </div><BLOCKQUOTE><i> Another school run by faux religious bastards. I&nbsp;wouldn't want anyone I&nbsp;love to attend there, but it's a private school, and so long as they're not taking tax money the legal fact is that bastards have the right to be bastards. On the bright side, whether these girls are lesbians or not they were better off at whatever schools they attended after being expelled, and there's almost no chance they'll ever be Republicans. </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"> <I><B>More comments:</B></I> <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#30AA722"><FONT COLOR=blue> Angry Annie replies to The Canadian</FONT></A> about Gaza, Israel, and <i>Unknown News</i> <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#BA28251"><FONT COLOR=blue> Barney A. replies to The Canadian</FONT></A> about the Gaza and Hamas questions <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#29TC1025"><FONT COLOR=blue> The Canadian replies to Barney A.</FONT></A> about news and propaganda <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#30TC415"><FONT COLOR=blue> The Canadian replies to Helen & Harry</FONT></A> about getting the right answers <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-20.html#29SB444"><FONT COLOR=blue> Sherri B. replies to Helen & Harry</FONT></A> about Osama bin Laden's funeral <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#29SJ954"><FONT COLOR=blue> SirJ replies to Helen & Harry</FONT></A> about sports and sportsmanship <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#29S359"><FONT COLOR=blue> Siskiyousis replies to Mary Ann M.</FONT></A> about peanut butter criminals <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0901-28.html#29W452"><FONT COLOR=blue> Wig replies to Michael M.</FONT></A> about Obama's pep talks </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=recent></A><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="50%" class="fonty"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="300" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"><BR> &nbsp; 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</TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="96%" class="fonty"> © 1999-2008 by Helen & Harry Highwater and the individual authors.</center> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="2%" class="fonty"><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup"startspan ALT="Site Meter"--><script type="text/javascript"language="JavaScript">var site="sm4unknownnews"</script><script type="text/javascript"language="JavaScript1.2" src="http://sm4.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=sm4unknownnews"></script><noscript><A HREF="http://sm4.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=sm4unknownnews"target=_top><img src="http://sm4.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=sm4unknownnews&refer=&hours=8&minutes=53&rtype=4"border=0 title="Site Meter" height="10" width="10"></A></noscript><!-Copyright (c)2000 Site Meter --><!--WEBBOT bot="HTMLMarkup"Endspan --></TD></TR></TABLE> </TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="5" BGcolor=white class="fonttnr">&nbsp;</TD> <TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="5" BGcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonttnr">&nbsp;</TD> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="310" BGcolor="#eeeeee" class="font14"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="300" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="1%" BGcolor="#eeeeee" class="font14">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="57%" class="font14"><BR> <!-- Translation--> <form action="http://www.google.com/translate" ><script language="JavaScript"> <!-- document.write ("<input name=u value="+location.href+" type=hidden>") // --></script> <input name="hl" value="en" type="hidden"> <input name="ie" value="UTF8" type="hidden"> <input name="langpair" value="" type="hidden"> <input name="langpair" value="en|ar" title="Arabic" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagArab.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|zh-CN" title="Chinese" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagChina.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|fr" title="French" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagFrance.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|de" title="German" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagGermany.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|it" title="Italian" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagItaly.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"><BR> <input name="langpair" value="en|ja" title="Japanese" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagJapan.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|ko" title="Korean" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagKorea.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|pt" title="Portuguese" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagPortugal.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> <input name="langpair" value="en|es" title="Spanish" src= "http://unknownnews.org/flagSpain.gif" onclick="this.form.langpair.value=this.value" height="16" type="image" width="23"> </form> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="42%" BGcolor="#eeeeee" class="font13"> <A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/RSSfeed.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/RSS-button.gif" alt="Subscribe to our RSS feed" border="0" width="72" height="54"></A> </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=today></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="300" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" class="fonty"> Like the URL says, this website is about "unknown news". It's a thrice-weekly round-up of reports we think merit more attention, from mainstream, professional journalists, or (rarely) other sources we trust entirely.<BR><BR> Here's a bit more about <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/about.html">who we are</A> and <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html">what we're doing</A> and here's some <A HREF="#unymhm"><FONT COLOR=blue>unknown news you might have missed</FONT></A>. </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=casualties-box></A><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" bgcolor=black WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/casualtieslog.html" width="100%" height="115" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe> </TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="275" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="center" valign="middle" WIDTH="100%" BGcolor="#FFCC66" class="fonty"><TABLE CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" BGcolor=white class="fonty"><TABLE CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="265" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="center" valign="middle" WIDTH="100%" BGcolor="#FFCC66" class="fonty"><TABLE CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" BGcolor=white class="fonty"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="4" CELLSPACING="4" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="255" class="fonty"> <center><A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html"><BIG><b><i>Our mystery&nbsp;links</i></b></BIG></A><BR>(mostly just for fun)</center><BR> <FONT COLOR=red>Links in red are not safe for work</FONT>, and <FONT COLOR=magenta>links in pink include audio and/or video.</FONT> <center><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/myslinks.html" width="275" height="225" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></center> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;More:&nbsp;</SPAN> <DIV align="right"><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html"><FONT COLOR=blue><B>unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html</B></FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN></div><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <A NAME=unymhm></A><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="300" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" class="fonty"> <center><A HREF="#unymhm"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <BIG><B>Some unknown news you&nbsp;might&nbsp;have&nbsp;missed</B></BIG></center><BR> <A NAME=side projects></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="3%" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="TOP" width="97%" class="fonty"> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/0331-1.html">9/11 victim's wife asks questions</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/070422a-MadelineZane.html">A single crime is not "news"</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/04121402abstinence.html">"Abstinence only" teaches lies</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/040206secretjustice.html">Acquittal as US hides 9/11 evidence</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/Turley14Aug2002.html">A.G. proposes concentration camps</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/070313-warcrimes.html">Americans held in secret prisons</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/outsourcerama.html">America's outsourced economy</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/030812vanimpe.html">Apocalypse preacher advises Bush</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/homophobia.html">Are you afraid of homosexuals?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/2000-1.html">Army PSY-OPS infiltrated CNN, NPR</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/OsamaInterview.html">Bin Laden denies 9/11 involvement</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/041029911.html">Black boxes found in WTC rubble</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0626-2.html">Boycotting Israel is illegal?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/insanity2.html">Bush considers God a political ally</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bush1941.html">Bush family's Nazi connections</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/inspectors.html">Bush's recurring lie about Saddam</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/insanity7.html">Bush says he speaks for God</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/casualties.html">Casualties from Afghanistan and Iraq</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/p102102-1.html">Cheney is blocking 9/11 investigation</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/CIA-Media.html">The CIA and the media</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/cops.html">Cops you won't see on TV's <I>Cops</I></A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/camps.html">Detention camps in America</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; The <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/diy.html">do-it-yourself page</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/election2000.html">Election 2000: Counting the vote</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/0601240119binLaden.html">Expert skeptical about bin Laden tape</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/050426a-hh.html">Getting to know Pope Benedict XVI</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/insanity7.html">God told Bush to strike al Qaeda?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/google.html">Google refuses our ad</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/graffiti.html">Graffiti written on our walls</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/suicides.html">Guantanamo suicides: an ongoing lie</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Our <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/usforeignpolicy.html">guide to US foreign policy</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0509160909gunsandgo.html">Guns confiscated in New Orleans</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/2001-1.html">G.W. Bush & bin Laden's brother</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Our <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/hatemail.html">hate mail</A> collection<BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0604180417lostluggage.html">Identifying the 9/11 hijackers</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/bushaintnochristian.html">Is George W. Bush a Christian?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/insanity.html">Is George W. Bush insane?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/030917a-hh.html">Investigating 9/11, or not so much</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/040202child.html">Julia Child's letter on McCarthyism</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/0222-1.html">Justice Dept. lied about terror cases</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/katrina.html">Katrina: A criminal catastrophe</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/031106a-hh.html"><i>Los Angeles Times</I> fudges the truth</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/logoflies.html">Log of Bush-Cheney lies</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mythofthespat-uponveteran.html">The myth of the spat-upon veteran</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Some <A HREF="#debunk"><FONT COLOR=blue>news we doubt or debunk</FONT></A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/010924911.html">Officials canceled trips on <nobr>9/10/2001</nobr></A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Our <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/reference.html">on-line notebook</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/060214a-Barrett.html">Phony 'Osama bin Laden' tapes</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/p090402-1.html">Plans for Iraq attack began on 9/11</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/070406-tomatoraid.html">Police raid tomato growing operation </A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Some <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/comics.html">political comics we've enjoyed</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/030817pedopriests.html">Pope ordered pedo priest cover-up</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/fairuse.html">Pre-9/11 warnings "suppressed"</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/RepublicanFamilyValues.html">Republican Family Values</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/030817apoc.html">Rice briefs 'Christian Zionists'</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/saddam.html">Saddam: America's man in Iraq</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/SmedleyButler.html">Smedley Butler's page</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/Moon2003.html">Sun Myung Moon & the Republicans</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/070827a-hh.html">Tell the truth about Karl Rove</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/010726911.html">"Threat assessment" before 9/11</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Some <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/911.html">unanswered <NOBR>9/11</NOBR> questions</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/unblock.html">Unblocked internet access</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; Our <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/unknownhonors.html">unknown honors</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/p0808-4.html">US uses napalm in Iraq, lies about it</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/Guardian13Jun2004.html">US runs network of secret prisons</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/0722-1.html">Warning on depleted uranium</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/warlies.html">Wars based on lies</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/tqp053102.html">Was 9/11 "another Pearl Harbor"?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/waco.html">What happened at Waco?</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/hh030102.html">Why Daniel Pearl is dead</A><BR> &bull;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/wow.html">Words of wisdom from our 'leaders'</A><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE><A NAME=thebasics></A><BR> <B><I>If you're new to Unknown News:</I></B>&nbsp; Here are some answers to <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/faq.html">frequently asked questions</A> about the site, and <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/about.html">answers to questions we wish you'd ask instead</A>. Here's <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/RSSfeed.html">our RSS feed</A>, here are some quick links to <A HREF="#recent"><FONT COLOR=blue>recent and not-so-recent entries</FONT></A>, and here's <A HREF="#disclaimer"><FONT COLOR=blue>our disclaimer</FONT></A>. If you'd like to say hello or add a comment, here's <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">our email address</A>. And yes, <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html">we <i>do</i> sell bumper stickers</A> and <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html#stuff">stuff</A>. <BR><BR> Our readers are already well-informed, so we focus on news that's generally unknown or under-reported. For more comprehensive coverage, our surf cycle includes <A HREF="http://www.alternet.org/">AlterNet</A>, <A HREF="http://www.buzzflash.com/">BuzzFlash</A>, <A HREF="http://www.commondreams.org/">Common Dreams</A>, <A HREF="http://www.democracynow.org/">Democracy Now</A>, <A HREF="http://www.rawstory.com/">Raw Story</A>, <A HREF="http://www.commondreams.org/">Truthout</A>, and <A HREF="http://whatreallyhappened.org/">WhatReallyHappened</A>. We&nbsp;also listen to and recommend <A HREF="#radio"><FONT COLOR=blue>these radio programs</FONT></A>.<BR><BR> <B><I>We're not at all interested</I></B> in Area 51, the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations, eyeballs inside pyramids, flying saucers, FreeMasons, Paris Hilton, "Holocaust revisionism," the Illuminati, JFK's assassination, Vince Foster's suicide, the North American Union or its alleged Amero, <i>Protocols of the Elders</i>, the Rockefellers, Rosicrucians, Rothchilds, Skull & Bones, space aliens, technologies supposedly suppressed, or theories you don't really understand about the collapse of the World Trade Center.<BR><BR> We'll never link to 'news' from unreliable sources such as americanfreepress.net, Art Bell, cloakanddagger.ca, Tom Flocco, David Icke, Lyndon LaRouche, <A HREF="http://unknownnews.org/WayneMadsen.html">Wayne Madsen</A>, Henry Makow, Al Martin, <i>Prison Planet</i>, Sherman Skolnick, Edgar Steele, Webster Tarpley, or your brother-in-law. <BR><BR> <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=wdwb></A><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="300" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonty"> <center><A HREF="#wdwb"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <BIG><B>What we believe</B></BIG></center><BR> We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies. This doesn't mean we're anti-American, redneck scum, pinko commies, militia members, or terrorist-sympathizers. It means we believe in freedom, as more than merely a cliché. <BR><BR> We believe you have the right to live your own life as you choose, and others have the equal right to live <I>their</I> lives as <I>they</I> choose. It's not complicated.<BR><BR>We believe freedom leads to peace, progress, and prosperity, while its opposite -- oppression -- leads to war, terrorism, poverty, and misery. <BR><BR> We believe it's preposterously stupid to hate people because of their appearance, their race or nationality, their religion or lack of religion, how they have sex with other consenting adults, etc. There are far more apropos reasons to hate most people. <BR><BR> We believe in questioning ourselves, our assumptions, each other -- and we especially believe in questioning authority (the more authority, the more questions). We believe obedience is a fine quality in dogs and young children, but not in adults. <BR><BR> Like America's right-wingers, we believe in individual responsibility, hard work to get ahead, and stern punishment for serious crimes. We believe big government should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR> But unlike most right-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like America's left-wingers, we believe in equal treatment under law, war as a last (not first) resort, and sensible stewardship of natural resources. We believe big business should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR>But unlike most left-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like libertarians, we believe it's wrong and <I>reprehensible</i> to arrest people for what they think, believe, look like, wear, eat, smoke, drink, inhale, inject, or otherwise do to themselves. <BR><BR> But unlike many libertarians, we're not obsessed with the gold standard, we don't believe incorporation is humanity's highest achievement, and we don't believe everything in life comes down to dollars and cents. We've read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels, but we understand that they're works of fiction.<BR><BR> We're skeptical, and we're sick of so-called 'journalists' who aren't skeptical at all. <BR><BR>A reader asks, what are our solutions? We propose no solutions except common sense, which is never common. We like the principles of democracy, and the ideals broadly described as 'American'. The US Constitution is a fine and workable framework for solutions, when it's actually read and thoughtfully understood by intelligent statesmen and women. So, no manifestos from us. We don't dream that big, and if there's one thing the world <i>doesn't</i> need it's yet another manifesto.<BR><BR>Our suggestion is: think. A fact-based instead of faith-based approach leads to solutions for most of the recurring issues of our time, from abortion to global climate change, pollution to universal health care, careful but real regulation of industry and economy, hunger, war, terror, human rights for humans not for corporations, science not religious doctrine in public schools, equal protection and prosecution under law, etc. Approach problems without glorifying stupidity, without demonizing intelligence, and answers usually come into focus. <BR><BR> These pages are published by <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/bighowdy.html">Harry and Helen Highwater</A>, happily married low-income nom de plumes and rabble-rousers from Madison, Wisconsin (with a few friends scattered around the world helping out). <BR><BR> We try to spotlight news that hasn't gotten enough (or appropriate) attention in American media, along with our opinions and yours. <BR><BR> We bang our keyboards against the wall, because it doesn't hurt as much as banging our heads. <BR><BR><center><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/Highwaters-oldtime.jpg" border="3" width="199" height="277"></A></center><BR> <DIV align="right"><i>Helen &amp; Harry Highwater</i> &nbsp; <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;(from <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/about.html">About <I>Unknown News</i></A>)&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN></div> </TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <A NAME=debunk></A><A NAME=falsenews></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="300" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonty"> <center><A HREF="#debunk"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <BIG><B>Some news we doubt&nbsp;or&nbsp;debunk</B></BIG></center><BR> <A NAME=ANCHOR></A> <I>Nov. 11, 2008</I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/11/democrats-rushlimbaugh-fairnessdoctrine.html">Democrats plot return of Fairness Doctrine to silence Limbaugh and other right-wing voices <font color=red>&nbsp;Bull.&nbsp;</font></A><BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> ... the conservative drumbeat over the Fairness Doctrine is much ado about nothing. It's fearmongering -- which may be good for fund-raising. Conservatives claiming that the Obama administration will mean the death of right-wing radio seem to forget this fact: Limbaugh and other conservative talkers thrived during the Clinton years. <BR><BR><BR><CENTER><BIG><B><FONT COLOR=gray>*** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ***</FONT></B></BIG></CENTER><br> <A NAME=HH100558></A> <I>Nov. 10, 2008</I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=5081">Democratic leaders in the US House discuss confiscating 401(k)s, IRAs <font color=red>&nbsp;Bull.&nbsp;</font></A><BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> Democrats in the US House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers' personal retirement accounts -- including 401(k)s and IRAs -- and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration.<br><br><I>Comment:&nbsp;</i> Relax, this report is just another flat-out lie. The proposal comes from exactly one economist you've never heard of, Teresa Ghilarducci of Notre Dame (not New College, as the article falsely reports). She's one among dozens of economists who briefly testified in low-level Congressional hearings in early October, and she's the only one who made this proposal, and there's been not a peep of interest in the idea from any member of Congress. The claim that Congress is "conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers' personal retirement accounts" is more Republican fearmongering, from the liars who brought you "Obama is pallin' around with terrorists" and "the Democrats will confiscate your guns". <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> <BR><BR><CENTER><BIG><B><FONT COLOR=gray>*** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ***</FONT></B></BIG></CENTER><br> <A NAME=HH180945></A> <I>Oct. 18, 2008</I><BR> <A HREF="http://thecurvature.com/2008/10/17/rape-culture-in-unexpected-places-new-pepsi-ad/">Pepsi ad makes light of rape? <font color=red>&nbsp;Doubtful.&nbsp;</font></A><BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The imagery sure doesn't sell me a soda, which would be the top priority of an ad for Pepsi. Seems much more likely it's someone's idea of an joke. It's a blog post, and it links back to another blog called "<A HREF="http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu/?p=4209">Feminist Law Professors</A>" by Ann Bartow, a real law professor who writes an interesting blog, but her source is <A HREF="http://pzrservices.typepad.com/advertisingisgoodforyou/2008/10/vb.html">a blog about advertising</A>, which <A HREF="http://www.scaryideas.com/">cites another blog</A> which posts a wide assortment of images and very few words, and where a site-specific search led to <A HREF="http://www.scaryideas.com/print/8946/">all three of Pepsi images</A>. That whole blog seems to be artistic imagery, and much of it's actually quite good, but there's no claim that it's a Pepsi ad, and a quick web search yields nothing as yet to validate any claim that it's a real Pepsi ad. <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> <BR><BR><CENTER><BIG><B><FONT COLOR=gray>*** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ***</FONT></B></BIG></CENTER><br> <A NAME=HH081007></A> <I>Oct. 7, 2008</I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.wowowow.com/post/loud-mouth-and-loose-lipped-palin-owes-obama-apology-one-margo-howard-117251">Palin's son entered the military as punishment for drug dealing? <font color=red>&nbsp;Doubtful.&nbsp;</font></A><BR><BR><I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> Three of our readers have sent us this link to this news, but we're not convinced. The author's remark is based not on fact but on long-simmering rumor that Track Palin was prosecuted for vandalism and/or drug dealing, and offered a choice by the judge -- join the Army, or face a jail stint. Problem is, the record is sealed because Track Palin was a minor, so there's no knowing whether it's true. <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> <BR><BR><CENTER><BIG><B><FONT COLOR=gray>*** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ***</FONT></B></BIG></CENTER><br> <i>Sept. 29, 2008</i><br> <A NAME=ANCHOR></A><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0809-29.html#bc290125">Florida cash machine dispenses Ameros? <font color=red>&nbsp;Bull.&nbsp;</font></A><br><br> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> What customers of what bank in Florida are going to accept Ameros, the fictional currency of the fictional North American Union? At what business can Floridians spend these Ameros? <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> <BR><BR><CENTER><BIG><B><FONT COLOR=gray>*** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *** &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; ***</FONT></B></BIG></CENTER><br> <A NAME=ANCHOR></A> <i>Sept. 7, 2008</i><br><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0809-07.html#CM7">Palin used racial slurs to describe Obama, Eskimos? <font color=red>&nbsp;Doubtful.&nbsp;</font></A><BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that Sarah Palin is a racist. She's a Republican in a position of power, so I'd be a little surprised if she <i>wasn't</i> a racist. But before we can put it in the news section on our website, we'd need to hear about her racism from a more reliable source than "Dick & Sharon's LA Progressive" quoting "a waitress" and "an insurance agent" and "Juneau observers" -- a bunch of anonymous Alaskans who may or may not exist. <DIV align="right"><i>H&amp;HH</i> &nbsp; </div> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <A HREF="https://secure.aclu.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2125&2125.donation=form1&s_src=UNW080001C00&s_subsrc=getinvolvedmenu_join_hp&JServSessionIdr006=wnbcqvc7x1.app20a"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/aclu_logo.gif" border="3" alt-"American Civil Liberties Union" width="190" height="74"></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR> </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="50" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <A HREF="https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=36"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thumbtack.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></A> </td></tr></table><BR> <A HREF="https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=36">Help ACORN fight Republicans' lies</A></TD></TR></TABLE> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="10%" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD> <TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="49%" class="fonty"> <A HREF="http://article31.org/"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/article31.gif" border="1" width="148" height="70"></A> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="4%" class="fonty"> </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="37%" class="fonty"><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="50" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <A HREF="http://www.actblue.com/"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thumbtack.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></A> </td></tr></table><BR> <A HREF="http://www.actblue.com/">Act Blue</A> </TD></TR></TABLE> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="300" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" bgcolor=black class="fonttnr"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="300" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="300" bgcolor=white class="fonttnr"> <center><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/bill-of-rights.jpg" alt="U.S. Bill of Rights" border="0" width="280" height="157"></center><BR> <!-- 300x168 --> <b>The preamble</b><BR><BR> Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.<BR><BR> Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several states as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution. viz: Articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.<BR><BR> <b>Amendment I</b><BR><BR> Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment II</b><BR><BR> A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment III</b><BR><BR> No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment IV</b><BR><BR> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment V</b><BR><BR> No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment VI</b><BR><BR> In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment VII</b><BR><BR> In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment VIII</b><BR><BR> Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment IX</b><BR><BR> The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. <BR><BR> <b>Amendment X</b><BR><BR> The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <A NAME=columnists></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="280" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="270" class="fonty"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="260" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" valign="middle" WIDTH="250" class="fonty"><BR> <b>Columnists<BR>at <I>Unknown News</I></b><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-SherriB.html">Sherri B.</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-HazelBurke.html">Hazel Burke</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-PavelC.html">Pavel C.</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-TheCanadian.html">The Canadian</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-MrChuckles.html">Mr. Chuckles</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-ChrisD.html">Chris D.</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-Mahdi.html">Mahdi Abdul Finkelstein</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-KathyF.html">Kathy Fisher</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-LeonF.html">Leon Fisher</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-Happy.html">HappySysiphus</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-hh.html">Helen & Harry Highwater</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-JSMagruder.html">JS Magruder</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-JRMooneyham.html">JR Mooneyham</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-DrRuhs.html">Herb Ruhs, MD</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-Panther.html">Underground Panther<BR>in the Sky</A><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/archive-MadelineZane.html">Madeline Zane</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/previously.html"><I>Unknown&nbsp;News</I> archives</A> <BR><BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/">Latest <I>Unknown News</I></A><BR><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <A NAME=listenup></A><A NAME=radio></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="290" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" bgcolor=white WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="114" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="right" width="100%"><BR><BR> <A NAME=ANCHOR></A><A HREF="#radio"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/radio.jpg" border="0" width="94" height="161"></A> </td></tr></table> <BR><I>&nbsp;&nbsp;On the radio,<BR>we never miss ... </i><BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://airamerica.com/listen"><B>&nbsp;Rachel Maddow&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Mon-Fri &nbsp; 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