edgecity

Amazing. Here’s what CNN calls news. Seven of thirteen stories on the home page are irrelevant. We’re living in a world gone mad. Never in history has the news media been more needed to inform the public. Never in U.S. history have they failed so miserably. Raunchy mannequins, chimps, bad kissers and fur-clad piglets. Now that’s what I call news!!!

How about global warming, peak oil, Alberto Gonzales, Andrew CArd, Larry Craig, President Bush’s signing statement designed to skirt congressional oversight, just to name a few. How about the rising cost of food and gasoline that never gets counted in inflation figures, or $4.50 for a half gallon of milk on $6.00 minimum wage? Where’s the reporting on the pending contempt of congress for Hariet Miers? How about the drought. Or how about a story about people committed to making peace in the world. Instead we get chimps. Maybe that’s what we have at CNN, chimps.

CNN.com apparently thinks running a red light is worthy of page one coverage. Oh Britney! You brat. Would you please behave so CNN can cover real news stories. Oh never mind,. they would just find some other titilating trivia to publish instead of newsworthy material.

 

Here’s the letter I wrote to Senator Schumer this morning:

Senator Schumer,

Yesterday, you were quoted as saying:

”When Judge Mukasey came before the Senate judiciary committee last month he refused to state waterboarding as torture. That was unsatisfactory, that was wrong. That will be a blemish on judge Mukasey’s distinguished career for as long as he lives. But he has made it clear that if Congress passed further legislation in this area, the President would have no legal authority to ignore it…”

Your confirmation of Mukasey was unsatisfactory, wrong. This will be a blemish on YOUR distinguished career for as long as YOU live. There’s no ambiguity about waterboarding as torture, nor need for new law–legal precedent has been set for decades. You have abandoned reason and morality. You have abandoned your duty to provide checks and balances to the Executive branch by choosing to overlook Mulasey’s position. You have abandoned America, Senator.

Of course you know all this. Why then, have you allowed his confirmation?

Since when does an admonishment provide an adequate substitute for the rule of law, checks and balances, and morality?

Dear Senator,

Since Judge Mukasey is unwilling to answer a simple yes or no, when asked if waterboarding is torture, by saying that it depends upon the circumstances, he is saying that it is not illegal. And yet legal precendent has been set.

The United States knows quite a bit about waterboarding. The U.S. government — whether acting alone before domestic courts, commissions and courts-martial or as part of the world community — has not only condemned the use of water torture but has severely punished those who applied it.

After World War II, we convicted several Japanese soldiers for waterboarding American and Allied prisoners of war. At the trial of his captors, then-Lt. Chase J. Nielsen, one of the 1942 Army Air Forces officers who flew in the Doolittle Raid and was captured by the Japanese, testified: “I was given several types of torture. . . . I was given what they call the water cure.” He was asked what he felt when the Japanese soldiers poured the water. “Well, I felt more or less like I was drowning,” he replied, “just gasping between life and death.”

By voting to confrm Judge Muskasy, YOU are condoning the use of waterboarding. Is that your position?

Please restore the rule of law and vote against the Mukasey nomination. Why isn’t this all obvious to you? What are you afraid of? Why won’t you stand to defend against tyranny?

Dear Senator Schumer,

I read on cnn.com that you said this:

“When an administration so political, so out of touch with the realities of governing and so contemptuous of the rule of law is in charge, we are never left with an ideal choice. Judge Mukasey is not my ideal choice. However, Judge Mukasey, whose integrity and independence is respected even by those who oppose him, is far better than anyone could expect from this administration.”

So, knowing that Mukasey will still grant executive powers far beyond the intention of our Constitution, you say “Well, OK, our President is politically extreme, so let’s let him nominate someone who is slightly less extreme because it could be worse.” Huh? You know this man will not respect the Constitution, and yet you are willing to confirm him because the President is making a concession by sending you a slightly less extreme anti-constitution Bush loyalist? Why are you choosing to fail our country, knowing what you are doing? Why? What are you afraid of, retribution by the Bushies?

Please don’t sell America down the river again. Deny Mr. Bush his vision of monarchical presidental powers. Grant us Americans the security of the rule of law. Vote NO.

Senator Schumer,

Just when I thought the soul of America might be restored, then came You.

Is waterboarding torture, yes or no? You know the answer to this question, don’t you, Sir? Maybe you don’t.

Listen to Senator Leahy for the moral guidance you apprently lack:

“No American should need a classified briefing to determine whether waterboarding is torture. Waterboarding was used at least as long ago as the Spanish Inquisition. We prosecuted Japanese war criminals for waterboarding after World War II.”

I hope you’ll see the error of your ways and change your mind about confirming Mr. Mukasey. Why can’t we get a simple answer to this simple question:

Is waterboarding torture, yes or no?

Is that a morally ambiguous question, Senator?

Senator Feinstein,

I urge you to reconsider your decision to allow Mr. Mukasey to continue the confirmation process. Now, more than ever, the morals we have stood for as a nation are under attack by those who would compromise long standing standards of conduct with regard to the treatment of prisoners. We need an Attorney General that’s willing to state explicitly what and what is not torture. Why don’t you agree, Ms. Feinstein? Is waterboarding torture or not? Why won’t you demand a yes or no answer to that question from Mr. Mukasey? Is this a morally ambiguous question for you, Ms. Feinstein?

Even though I no longer vote in California, most of my family does. I promise I will urge them to help vote you out of office when you come up for re-election. You see, their morals are not ambiguously defined. Waterboarding IS torture. They know it, I know it. Why don’t you know it?

Dear Senator Leahy,

America is at a moral crossroads, and you sir, are one who will help decide whether our country restores its moral integrity or continues down this perilous path to ruin.

Will you confirm Michael Mukasey?

Consider this about waterboarding:

“That we are even having a debate about this question, and that it is not a foregone conclusion that someone who claims not to know whether waterboarding is torture cannot possibly be confirmed as Attorney General, is a testament to the moral degradation of our country, and of our political discourse.”

It’s time to stop the Bush Administration.

Please sir, show up for your country, demand a yes or no answer to this question:

Is waterboarding torture or not?

If yes, then continue the confirmation process. If no, send him on his way. Today.

Dear CNN,

Britney Spears will lose custody of children

You call that a front page headline? With all that’s happening in the world, you put this story as the headline?

Where are your souls?

Here are a few possible real headlines:

• Harry Reid slams Limbaugh over “Phony Soldiers” remarks
• Charges Dropped Against Rev. Yearwood
• AT&T will cancel the account of anyone that makes anti-ATT remarks
• Dwindling Funds Force Romney To Dig Deeper Into Personal Fortune

Tell me, CNN, why do I have to dig through blogs to get REAL NEWS?

 

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The corporate media proves again and again they have lost their way as our nation’s news providers. 

It’s time to go elsewhere, permanently.

Here’s an Iraq IQ test, written in 2003, as the U.S. Government was preparing for the liberation invasion of Iraq. 

Take the War on Iraq IQ Test: Do you know enough to justify going to war with Iraq?

1. Q: What percentage of the world’s population does the U.S. have?
A: 6%

2. Q: What percentage of the world’s wealth does the U.S. have?
A: 50%

3. Q: Which country has the largest oil reserves?
A: Saudi Arabia

4. Q: Which country has the second largest oil reserves?
A: Iraq

5. Q: How much is spent on military budgets a year worldwide?
A: $900+ billion

6. Q: How much of this is spent by the U.S.?
A:50%

7. Q: What percent of US military spending would ensure the essentials of
life to everyone in the world, according the the UN?
A: 10% (that’s about$40 billion, the amount of funding initially requested to
fund our retaliatory attack on Afghanistan).

8. Q: How many people have died in wars since World War II?
A: 86 million

9. Q: How long has Iraq had chemical and biological weapons?
A: Since the early 1980’s.

10. Q: Did Iraq develop these chemical & biological weapons on their own?
A: No, the materials and technology were supplied by the US government,
along with Britan and private corporations.

11. Q: Did the US government condemn the Iraqi use of gas warfare against
Iran?
A: No

12. Q: How many people did Saddam Hussein kill using gas in the Kurdish town
of Halabja in 1988?
A: 5,000

13. Q: How many western countries condemned this action at the time?
A:0

14. Q: How many gallons of agent Orange did America use in Vietnam?
A: 17 million.

15. Q: Are there any proven links between Iraq and September 11th terrorist
attack?
A: No (in 2007, the answer is still NO)

16. Q: What is the estimated number of civilian casualties in the Gulf War?
A: 35,000

17. Q: How many casualties did the Iraqi military inflict on the western
forces during the Gulf War ?
A: 0

18. Q: How many retreating Iraqi soldiers were buried alive by U.S. tanks
with ploughs mounted on the front?
A: 6,000

19. Q: How many tons of depleted uranium were left in Iraq and Kuwait after
the Gulf War?
A: 40 tons

20. Q: What according to the UN was the increase in cancer rates in Iraq
between 1991 and 1994?
A: 700%

21. Q: How much of Iraq’s military capacity did America claim it had
destroyed in 1991?
A: 80%

22. Q: Is there any proof that Iraq plans to use its weapons for anything
other than deterrence and self defense?
A: No

23. Q: Does Iraq present more of a threat to world peace now than 10 years
ago?
A: No

24. Q: How many civilian deaths has the Pentagon predicted in the event of
an attack on Iraq in 2002/3?
A: 10,000

25. Q: What percentage of these will be children?
A:Over 50%

26. Q: How many years has the U.S. engaged in air strikes on Iraq?
A: 11 years

27. Q: Was the U.S and the UK at war with Iraq between December 1998 and
September 1999?
A: No

28. Q: How many pounds of explosives were dropped on Iraq between December
1998 and September 1999?
A: 20 million

29. Q: How many years ago was UN Resolution 661 introduced, imposing strict
sanctions on Iraq’s imports and exports?
A: 12 years

30. Q: What was the child death rate in Iraq in 1989 (per 1,000 births)?
A: 38

31. Q: What was the estimated child death rate in Iraq in 1999 (per 1,000
births)?
A: 131 (that’s an increase of 345%)

32. Q: How many Iraqis are estimated to have died by October 1999 as a
result of UN sanctions?
A: 1.5 million

33. Q: How many Iraqi children are estimated to have died due to sanctions
since 1997?
A: 750,000

34. Q: Did Saddam order the inspectors out of Iraq?
A:No

35. Q: How many inspections were there in November and December 1998?
A:300

36. Q: How many of these inspections had problems?
A:5

37. Q: Were the weapons inspectors allowed entry to the Ba’ath Party HQ?
A: Yes

38. Q: Who said that by December 1998, Iraq had in fact, been disarmed to a
level unprecedented in modern history.
A: Scott Ritter, UNSCOM chief.

39. Q: In 1998 how much of Iraq’s post 1991 capacity to develop weapons of
mass destruction did the UN weapons inspectors claim to have discovered and
dismantled?
A: 90%

40. Q: Is Iraq willing to allow the weapons inspectors back in?
A:Yes

41. Q: How many UN resolutions did Israel violate by 1992?
A: Over 65

42. Q: How many UN resolutions on Israel did America veto between 1972 and
1990?
A: 30+

43. Q: How much does the U.S. fund Israel a year?
A:$5 billion

44. Q: How many countries are known to have nuclear weapons?
A: 8

45. Q:How many nuclear warheads has Iraq got?
A: 0

46. Q: How many nuclear warheads has US got?
A: over 10,000

47. Q: Which is the only country to use nuclear weapons?
A: the US

48. Q: How many nuclear warheads does Israel have?
A: Over 400

49. Q: Has Israel every allowed UN weapons inspections?
A: No

50. Q: What percentage of the Palestinian territories are controlled by
Israeli settlements?
A: 42%

51. Q: Is Israel illegally occupying Palestinian land?
A: Yes

52. Q: Which country do you think poses the greatest threat to global peace:
Iraq or the U.S.?
A: ????

53. Q: Who said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about
things that matter”?
A: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr