Thursday, September 20, 2007
commentary from reggie- eventually we will win!
Those of you who can read the seasons, can read between the lines when you watch the news, and know how to do your own research and think on your own to acquire a real education all know what time it is... but, I have heard a lot of talk of fear. I have heard a lot of concerns expressed about the general malaise and stupidity of the common person, and of the lack of courage and motivation of the average man to, not only fight to secure his own liberty, but to simply educate the self as to what real liberty and freedom is. Although I hear your concerns and understand that they are based on fact, I do not condone the usage of these concerns as excuses to stop fighting.
If you keep in mind that you are going to die and that you were born to die, this fight becomes simple, and in fact, this entire existence becomes simple. If you keep in mind that this journey is only a matter of what choices you are going to make, then you will be able to face this evil without getting depressed. Trust me when I say that those who seek to enslave you are not as complicated and as sophisticated as you have been made to believe. They are simple just like us. They have only made a choice and stuck with it indefinitely and through any obstacles. There is no reason we can’t do the same thing!
The basic truth that you need to realize before you can start to live in truth is the very truth which every real artist who has ever lived has become. It is the truth that the time and space of the holograph in which we are juxtaposed is our canvas, and every choice we make with these vessels is the guided movement of the brush stroke and in the colors of our choosing. You are an artist and you are painting the world with each fragment of time that you exist in this manifestation here. If you do not move the brush against the canvas, there are others who will paint your world for you… and so it has been for all too long.
Fundamentally it is your own fear of pain and death that made you stop fighting. Fear; this is one of the reasons they are so audacious with their actions. It is because they know it will make a psychological shock to those who actually see what is happening and their first reflex will be to recoil, from fighting the source of the terror, back to the position of fetal safety. And so, they learned long ago, it is not enough to only rape you. They must gang rape you. They must make you look them in the face as they laugh and taunt you condescendingly. You must see them revel in it. They must video tape it, and play it back to you, and threaten you with death and violence while maintaining a supposed position of authority over you. They must then take symbols of the perpetual gang rape and place them ever so quaintly all around you until then, when you are overwhelmed and more demoralized than you would have ever been if a stranger had just penetrated you silently and then went on his way, you become part of the problem. At that point you are on their team and you are a part of their army.
It does not matter if you see immediate success with trying to educate people or incite them to fight for liberty. There is no such thing as being unsuccessful when it comes to these endeavors because you are planting seeds in their mind that you may or may not have the opportunity to see grow. The so called “elite” already know this secret. It may be today that a person calls you crazy and doesn't listen to your message, but that message will still burrow its way into their mind, and it will grow inside of their subconscious. Know that one truth has more power then ten lies. That person that you talked to may turn out to be a leader in the resistance of tyranny a year from now because of the seed you planted in their mind today, if even through certain degrees of separation. That person’s child may turn out to be the one who leads the war for a truth renaissance, spurred by the truth his parents repeated him as heard from you.
You do not need to see immediate results. Their system trains you to think that way, but they do not operate that way. Their system they set in place for you tells you that if you go to college you will get a job, and if you buy the right car you will get the girl, and if you go to work you will you get the money. These simple procedures of jumping through hoops for an immediate treat are for people who are meant (by the elite) to be simple. You have been trained to think ‘if I do this I get that’, and so, if ever you do ‘this’ and you do not get ‘that' immediately, you become depressed and broken in a sea of hopelessness. The truth is that the ruling class’ modus operandi is not the true ‘cause and effect’ system they train you to live your life in accordance with, but rather a form of momentum with compound interest applied. The system they adhere to is the game of chess. Chess is a game of infinite patience, sacrifice, and psychological trickery. We cannot hope to even have a fair chance of winning the game if we don’t even learn what the game is. Do not be mistaken, this war is generational and psychological, as can be seen in the ruling class' multi-generational psychological programming campaign they have waged on us and from which they are just now starting to bear the full harvest of fruit.
So what you need to understand is that everything YOU do counts. What you need to understand is that YOU matter. You need to understand that that conversation you had with your co worker (who is starting to think you're crazy) explaining why 911 was an inside job, or that conversation you had with your mate (who is starting to think you're crazy) about how the Bush family is not who they portray themselves to be, or that conversation you had with your congressman (who is starting to listen to the people’s expressed will) telling him to bring the troops home from Iraq and impeach our president for crimes against humanity is adding one more straw to our side of the scales. Eventually we will win. Eventually we will win. Eventually we will win.
"why did the straw break the camels back? Here's the secret; the other million straws underneath it"- mos def (rapper)
jenny mccarthy on oprah" vaccines gave my son autism
Jenny McCarthy on Oprah talking about Vaccinations
Barbara Loe Fisher Commentary:
When she was not yet a superstar or even broadcasting nationally, in early 1985 a friend gave Oprah a copy of “DPT: A Shot in the Dark,”which was the first report of an association between autism and vaccination. “We’re waiting until it comes out in paperback,” a producer told her friend. The paperback version was published in 1986 but, by then, Oprah had starred in “The Color Purple,” her show had been nationally syndicated and the vaccine safety debate had become a heated controversy. Over the last two decades, many parents of vaccine injured children have written letters to Oprah in hopes that she would do a show about vaccine risks.
Yesterday, after 22 years, Oprah finally talked about vaccine injured children when she interviewed Hollywood Moms, Jenny McCarthy and Holly Peete. Jenny has written a book on her experience of watching her two and a half year old son regress into autism after an MMR shot.
On the show, Jenny talked about the increases in autism among children and asked what parents of vaccine injured children have been asking for a quarter century: “What number will it take for people just to start listening to what the mothers of children who have seen autism have been saying for years, which is, ‘We vaccinated our baby and something happened.”
Jenny says even before Evan received his vaccines, she tried to talk to her pediatrician about it. “Right before his MMR shot, I said to the doctor, “I have a very bad feeling about this shot. This is the autism shot, isn’t it?’ And he said, ‘No, that is ridiculous. It is a mother’s desperate attempt to blame something,’ and he swore at me, and then the nurse gave [Evan] the shot,” she says. “And I remember going, ‘Oh, God, I hope he’s right.’ And soon thereafter-boom-the soul’s gone from his eyes.”
The CDC’s prepared response to a query from the Oprah Show staff about whether there is a link between autism and vaccines was “CDC places a high priority on vaccine safety and the integrity and credibility of its vaccine safety research. This commitment not only stems from our scientific and medical dedication, it is also personal-for most of us who work at CDC are also parents and grandparents. And as such, we too, have high levels of personal interest and concern in the health and safety of children, families and communities. We simply don’t know what causes most cases of autism, but we’re doing everything we can to find out. The vast majority of science to date does not support an association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. But we are currently conducting additional studies to further determine what role, if any, thimerosal in vaccines may play in the development of autism. It is important to remember, vaccines protect and save lives. Vaccines protect infants, children and adults from the unnecessary harm and premature death caused by vaccine-preventable diseases.”
It is curious that the CDC would confine its response regarding the autism-vaccine connection to thimerosal, when MMR vaccine has been strongly associated with regressive autism and live virus MMR vaccine never contained thimerosal. The National Vaccine Information Center, which has operated a Vaccine Reaction Registry since 1982, continues to receive reports from parents describing how their children regressed after receiving live virus or non-mercury containing vaccines, often after being given 8 to 12 vaccines on one day. The most heart-breaking stories are when children are vaccinated over and over again despite deteriorating health because their pediatricians are in denial about vaccine risks.
Jenny McCarthy gave a star turn on Oprah when she clearly, simply and passionately described what happened to her son after vaccination and how she was empowered by information she found on the internet to find ways to cure his vaccine-associated regressive autism. She listened to her mother’s instinct and pursued a course of treatment that involved nutrition and other alternative therapies. It is a story of a mother’s love and determination to heal her son after he was given the diagnosis of autism, a neuroimmune disorder that so many pediatricians are taught is untreatable.
In the early 1990’s, a mother in California, Cindy Goldenberg, was the first Mom to cure her son of regressive autism by listening to her mother’s instincts and doing her own research into vaccine-induced neuroimmune dysfunction. Her son experienced regressive autism after receiving MMR vaccine. Cindy sought out IVIG therapy as well as nutritional and probiotic therapies that she said “healed his gut.” Her son was soon in a regular classroom and this year he graduated from high school.
Dr. Paul D. Cosman, PhD Natural Medicine/Nutrition
SpiceMed International/Viral Score
Commentary.
Autism like many spectrum disorders are caused when a child does not have the detox capabilities to deal with both inherited and man made toxic effects from vaccinations. Brain and spine swelling begins in the womb, and then the overlaying of the mercury in vaccinations compound the problem in the newborn.
A detox protocol, viral purge food group choices will create a reverse aging system to remove the cause and effect of the contamination.
I would encourage every Mom to get the book “A shot in the Dark”
Bravo, Oprah. You allowed Jenny to tell it like it is. You have helped millions of Moms across America understand what happened to their children, who changed physically, mentally and emotionally after getting vaccinated, and now suffer with autism and other kinds of vaccine-induced brain and immune system dysfunction such as learning disabilities, ADHD, seizure disorders, asthma, and diabetes.
dream act- a step closer to new world order's one world government
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (also called "The DREAM Act") is a bill that has been introduced several times in the United States Congress that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant students. The DREAM Act would also repeal Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which currently puts limits on states' ability to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students.
The bill, in all its incarnations, has never been brought to a vote in either the United States House or the United States Senate. The text of the bill has also been included in various other immigration-related bills, including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was approved by the Senate and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which failed in a 46-53 cloture vote in the Senate. [1]
Description of the Bill
The DREAM Act would provide a path to legality for persons brought illegally to the United States by their parents as children, or whose parents attempted to immigrate legally but were then denied legality after several years in application, and whose children thus derived their legal status solely from their parents (the child also becoming illegal upon the parent's denial).
To qualify, the immigrant student would have to meet certain requirements such as:
• Proof of having arrived in the United States before reaching 16 years of age;
• Proof of residence in the United States for a least five (5) consecutive years since their date of arrival.
• Having graduated from an American High School, or obtained a GED.
• "Good moral character," essentially defined as the absence of a significant criminal record (or any drug charges whatsoever).
An estimated 65,000 immigrant students who meet these requirements graduate from high school each year. pdf
Immigrants who meet the above requirements would be eligible to apply for a temporary six (6) year "conditional" residence permit which would allow them to live legally in the United States, obtain driver's licenses, attend college as in-state residents, work legally (including obtaining a social security number), and apply for special travel documents which would allow for travel outside of the country for limited amounts of time.
During the six years of conditional status, the eligible immigrant would be required to either (1) graduate from a two-year community college, (2) complete at least two years towards a 4-year degree, or (3) serve two years in the U.S. military. After the six year period, an immigrant who meets at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for legal permanent resident (green card) status. During their temporary time, immigrants would not be eligible for federal higher education grants such as Pell grants, though they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.
If the immigrant does not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period, his temporary residence would be revoked and he or she would be subject to deportation. During the six years, the immigrant must not commit any crimes other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors, regardless of whether or not they have already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. Being convicted of a major crime, or drug-related infraction would automatically remove the six year temporary residence status and he or she would be subject to deportation. If the immigrant meets all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, he or she would be granted a permanent green card with the same rights as a permanent resident alien, including the right to apply for U.S. citizenship.
[edit] Bill history
A very similar version of the bill, though not yet called the "DREAM Act", was introduced during the 107th Congress in 2001, as H.R.1918 and S.1291 in the House and Senate respectively. It has been introduced in both the Senate (as the "DREAM Act") and the House (as the "American Dream Act") at various times. In the Senate: S.1545 (108th Congress), S.2075 (109th Congress) and S.774 (110th Congress). In the House: H.R.1684 (108th Congress), H.R.5131 (109th Congress) and H.R.1275 (110th Congress).
The text of the bill has also been placed in various other immigration-related bills (none yet successful), including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611) and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348).
Current Status
Despite the apparent failure of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Richard Durbin, the second highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, have expressed a desire for Congress to pass the DREAM Act in 2007.[1][2] Durbin has announced plans to attach the DREAM Act to the 2008 defense appropriations bill. According to the Army Times, several senior officials at the Department of Defense have spoken in favor of the DREAM Act, and specifically the bill's promise of legal status to members of the military as a means of boosting recruitment. The Army has struggled to recruit soldiers as a result of the Iraq war.
Jump to: navigation, search
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (also called "The DREAM Act") is a bill that has been introduced several times in the United States Congress that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant students. The DREAM Act would also repeal Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which currently puts limits on states' ability to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrant students.
The bill, in all its incarnations, has never been brought to a vote in either the United States House or the United States Senate. The text of the bill has also been included in various other immigration-related bills, including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was approved by the Senate and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which failed in a 46-53 cloture vote in the Senate. [1]
Description of the Bill
The DREAM Act would provide a path to legality for persons brought illegally to the United States by their parents as children, or whose parents attempted to immigrate legally but were then denied legality after several years in application, and whose children thus derived their legal status solely from their parents (the child also becoming illegal upon the parent's denial).
To qualify, the immigrant student would have to meet certain requirements such as:
• Proof of having arrived in the United States before reaching 16 years of age;
• Proof of residence in the United States for a least five (5) consecutive years since their date of arrival.
• Having graduated from an American High School, or obtained a GED.
• "Good moral character," essentially defined as the absence of a significant criminal record (or any drug charges whatsoever).
An estimated 65,000 immigrant students who meet these requirements graduate from high school each year. pdf
Immigrants who meet the above requirements would be eligible to apply for a temporary six (6) year "conditional" residence permit which would allow them to live legally in the United States, obtain driver's licenses, attend college as in-state residents, work legally (including obtaining a social security number), and apply for special travel documents which would allow for travel outside of the country for limited amounts of time.
During the six years of conditional status, the eligible immigrant would be required to either (1) graduate from a two-year community college, (2) complete at least two years towards a 4-year degree, or (3) serve two years in the U.S. military. After the six year period, an immigrant who meets at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for legal permanent resident (green card) status. During their temporary time, immigrants would not be eligible for federal higher education grants such as Pell grants, though they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.
If the immigrant does not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period, his temporary residence would be revoked and he or she would be subject to deportation. During the six years, the immigrant must not commit any crimes other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors, regardless of whether or not they have already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. Being convicted of a major crime, or drug-related infraction would automatically remove the six year temporary residence status and he or she would be subject to deportation. If the immigrant meets all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, he or she would be granted a permanent green card with the same rights as a permanent resident alien, including the right to apply for U.S. citizenship.
[edit] Bill history
A very similar version of the bill, though not yet called the "DREAM Act", was introduced during the 107th Congress in 2001, as H.R.1918 and S.1291 in the House and Senate respectively. It has been introduced in both the Senate (as the "DREAM Act") and the House (as the "American Dream Act") at various times. In the Senate: S.1545 (108th Congress), S.2075 (109th Congress) and S.774 (110th Congress). In the House: H.R.1684 (108th Congress), H.R.5131 (109th Congress) and H.R.1275 (110th Congress).
The text of the bill has also been placed in various other immigration-related bills (none yet successful), including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611) and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348).
Current Status
Despite the apparent failure of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Richard Durbin, the second highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, have expressed a desire for Congress to pass the DREAM Act in 2007.[1][2] Durbin has announced plans to attach the DREAM Act to the 2008 defense appropriations bill. According to the Army Times, several senior officials at the Department of Defense have spoken in favor of the DREAM Act, and specifically the bill's promise of legal status to members of the military as a means of boosting recruitment. The Army has struggled to recruit soldiers as a result of the Iraq war.
now why would bush be concerned?
From afp.com
Bush 'concerned' about Blackwater dispute
US President George W. Bush is "concerned" about the Blackwater controversy in Iraq, the White House said Wednesday, as Washington and Baghdad sought a compromise to end the damaging dispute.
At the same time, Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino appeared to reject Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's forceful calls to replace the company, repeatedly insisting that civilian US workers in Iraq "need protection."
Officials on both sides signaled that they wanted a solution that would ultimately let the mammoth private security firm continue to operate in war-torn Iraq, where it protects civilian US employees.
Asked about Bush's reaction to the dispute, triggered Sunday when Blackwater contractors opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13, Perino replied: "Obviously he said he was concerned."
"He was glad that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Prime Minister Maliki to express the deep regret for the innocent loss of life. He wants there to be an investigation -- an open, transparent, clear investigation," she said.
Perino was keen to stress US-Iraqi cooperation on the matter, noting the creation of a joint commission to gather the facts about the incident and "to recommend any sort of policy changes that need to made in the future."
But she said it was "premature" to say whether that could include pulling the firm out of war-torn Iraq, where its employees often protect US diplomats and other civilian workers.
"We are in a very dangerous situation over there, and civilians who are working for either the State Department or other agencies need protection," said Perino. "This is one of the companies that provides protection."
"And the secretary said that she wants a full, open and transparency investigation into what happened," she said. "Until that is settled, I think we'll decline to comment on any other action."
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Wednesday the commission of inquiry's goal "is to make joint policy recommendations, including specific suggestions for improving US and Iraqi procedures regarding government-affiliated personal security details."
It would also receive the findings of a US review of Sunday's shootings, which erupted after a bomb exploded near a US diplomatic convoy which the Blackwater guards were escorting.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP that the joint panel would attempt to thrash out a compromise that would allow Blackwater to continue its operations in Iraq.
"We understand that this company is giving security to embassy staff so we don't want to revoke their license permanently," he said.
"We want them to operate within the laws of Iraq. They used effective fire against civilians and we don't want this to happen again. We will decide the course of action to be taken" in talks with US officials.
Maliki's call came as US and Iraqi officials were locked in talks trying to defuse the crisis sparked when Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Blackwater says the convoy came under attack from insurgents. Iraqi officials say the guards recklessly shot and killed civilian bystanders.
"This company should be punished. We are not going to allow it to kill Iraqis in cold blood. We have frozen all its activities and a joint panel has been formed to investigate the incident," the prime minister said.
"For their own interests, the Americans should hire a new company to protect their people so they can move freely."
The US embassy in Baghdad has barred its officials from travelling by land outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone amid fears of attacks after Sunday's shooting.
But Casey stressed "that the US embassy is fully functioning, that it's able to carry out its needed activities."
The commission, which will be co-chaired by US and Iraqi officials, "is not conducting a specific investigation into this incident," he said, but the shooting "will be a significant portion of what it deals with."
Bush 'concerned' about Blackwater dispute
US President George W. Bush is "concerned" about the Blackwater controversy in Iraq, the White House said Wednesday, as Washington and Baghdad sought a compromise to end the damaging dispute.
At the same time, Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino appeared to reject Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's forceful calls to replace the company, repeatedly insisting that civilian US workers in Iraq "need protection."
Officials on both sides signaled that they wanted a solution that would ultimately let the mammoth private security firm continue to operate in war-torn Iraq, where it protects civilian US employees.
Asked about Bush's reaction to the dispute, triggered Sunday when Blackwater contractors opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding 13, Perino replied: "Obviously he said he was concerned."
"He was glad that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Prime Minister Maliki to express the deep regret for the innocent loss of life. He wants there to be an investigation -- an open, transparent, clear investigation," she said.
Perino was keen to stress US-Iraqi cooperation on the matter, noting the creation of a joint commission to gather the facts about the incident and "to recommend any sort of policy changes that need to made in the future."
But she said it was "premature" to say whether that could include pulling the firm out of war-torn Iraq, where its employees often protect US diplomats and other civilian workers.
"We are in a very dangerous situation over there, and civilians who are working for either the State Department or other agencies need protection," said Perino. "This is one of the companies that provides protection."
"And the secretary said that she wants a full, open and transparency investigation into what happened," she said. "Until that is settled, I think we'll decline to comment on any other action."
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Wednesday the commission of inquiry's goal "is to make joint policy recommendations, including specific suggestions for improving US and Iraqi procedures regarding government-affiliated personal security details."
It would also receive the findings of a US review of Sunday's shootings, which erupted after a bomb exploded near a US diplomatic convoy which the Blackwater guards were escorting.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP that the joint panel would attempt to thrash out a compromise that would allow Blackwater to continue its operations in Iraq.
"We understand that this company is giving security to embassy staff so we don't want to revoke their license permanently," he said.
"We want them to operate within the laws of Iraq. They used effective fire against civilians and we don't want this to happen again. We will decide the course of action to be taken" in talks with US officials.
Maliki's call came as US and Iraqi officials were locked in talks trying to defuse the crisis sparked when Blackwater guards escorting US embassy officials opened fire in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Blackwater says the convoy came under attack from insurgents. Iraqi officials say the guards recklessly shot and killed civilian bystanders.
"This company should be punished. We are not going to allow it to kill Iraqis in cold blood. We have frozen all its activities and a joint panel has been formed to investigate the incident," the prime minister said.
"For their own interests, the Americans should hire a new company to protect their people so they can move freely."
The US embassy in Baghdad has barred its officials from travelling by land outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone amid fears of attacks after Sunday's shooting.
But Casey stressed "that the US embassy is fully functioning, that it's able to carry out its needed activities."
The commission, which will be co-chaired by US and Iraqi officials, "is not conducting a specific investigation into this incident," he said, but the shooting "will be a significant portion of what it deals with."
congress approval rating at %11
Bush, Congress at record low ratings: Reuters poll
Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:41am EDT
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress registered record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday, and a new monthly index measuring the mood of Americans dipped slightly on deepening worries about the economy.
Only 29 percent of Americans gave Bush a positive grade for his job performance, below his worst Zogby poll mark of 30 percent in March. A paltry 11 percent rated Congress positively, beating the previous low of 14 percent in July.
The Reuters/Zogby Index, a new measure of the mood of the country, dropped from 100 to 98.8 in the last month on worries about the economy and fears of a recession, pollster John Zogby said.
"Since the last time we polled we have had the mortgage crisis, and we are hearing the recession word a whole lot more than we've heard it in the past," Zogby said.
"There are things that happened in the September polling that drove the number down a bit, and they are mostly economic worries," he added.
The Index, which debuts this month, combines responses to 10 questions on Americans' views about their leaders, the direction of their country and their personal situations. Polling for the Index began in July, and that month's results provide the benchmark score of 100.
A score above 100 indicates the country's mood has improved since July. A score below 100, like the one recorded in September, shows the nation's mood getting worse. The RZI, which will be released the third Wednesday of each month, had remained at 100 in August.
"The public mood is not just dark. What's darker than dark?" Zogby said. "The mood is getting ugly."
The national survey of 1,011 likely voters, taken September 13 through September 16, found barely one-quarter of Americans, or 27 percent, believe the country is headed in the right direction. Nearly 62 percent think the country is on the wrong track.
About two-thirds of Americans think the value of their homes will stay the same or drop in the next year, and about one-third expect a recession in the next year amid a housing slump and credit crunch.
The poll also found little confidence in U.S. foreign or economic policy, with 68 percent of Americans rating economic policy as just fair or poor and 73 percent calling foreign policy either fair or poor.
Most of the polling was done after a speech by Bush and testimony to Congress by the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, indicating the United States would make some reductions but planned to keep high troop levels in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
Zogby said continuing uncertainty about Iraq contributed to the bad public mood and helped push down ratings for Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress.
"I think we are seeing an anti-institution mood here," he said. "Post-Katrina, and now with Iraq and the economy getting worse, people just don't have faith that anybody is solving their problems."
In the 2008 White House race, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York led the Democratic field with 35 percent. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was second with 21 percent and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was third with 10 percent.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden drew the support of about 3 percent each.
For Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the 2008 field with 26 percent, while newly minted candidate Fred Thompson, a former senator and Hollywood actor, was second with 24 percent.
Arizona Sen. John McCain was third at 13 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was fourth with 7 percent.
In both parties, about 20 percent of likely voters said they had not made up their minds, leaving plenty of room for the races to shift.
The national telephone survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/category/events/trail08/)
© Reuters2007All rights reserved
Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:41am EDT
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress registered record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday, and a new monthly index measuring the mood of Americans dipped slightly on deepening worries about the economy.
Only 29 percent of Americans gave Bush a positive grade for his job performance, below his worst Zogby poll mark of 30 percent in March. A paltry 11 percent rated Congress positively, beating the previous low of 14 percent in July.
The Reuters/Zogby Index, a new measure of the mood of the country, dropped from 100 to 98.8 in the last month on worries about the economy and fears of a recession, pollster John Zogby said.
"Since the last time we polled we have had the mortgage crisis, and we are hearing the recession word a whole lot more than we've heard it in the past," Zogby said.
"There are things that happened in the September polling that drove the number down a bit, and they are mostly economic worries," he added.
The Index, which debuts this month, combines responses to 10 questions on Americans' views about their leaders, the direction of their country and their personal situations. Polling for the Index began in July, and that month's results provide the benchmark score of 100.
A score above 100 indicates the country's mood has improved since July. A score below 100, like the one recorded in September, shows the nation's mood getting worse. The RZI, which will be released the third Wednesday of each month, had remained at 100 in August.
"The public mood is not just dark. What's darker than dark?" Zogby said. "The mood is getting ugly."
The national survey of 1,011 likely voters, taken September 13 through September 16, found barely one-quarter of Americans, or 27 percent, believe the country is headed in the right direction. Nearly 62 percent think the country is on the wrong track.
About two-thirds of Americans think the value of their homes will stay the same or drop in the next year, and about one-third expect a recession in the next year amid a housing slump and credit crunch.
The poll also found little confidence in U.S. foreign or economic policy, with 68 percent of Americans rating economic policy as just fair or poor and 73 percent calling foreign policy either fair or poor.
Most of the polling was done after a speech by Bush and testimony to Congress by the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, indicating the United States would make some reductions but planned to keep high troop levels in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
Zogby said continuing uncertainty about Iraq contributed to the bad public mood and helped push down ratings for Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress.
"I think we are seeing an anti-institution mood here," he said. "Post-Katrina, and now with Iraq and the economy getting worse, people just don't have faith that anybody is solving their problems."
In the 2008 White House race, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York led the Democratic field with 35 percent. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was second with 21 percent and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was third with 10 percent.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden drew the support of about 3 percent each.
For Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the 2008 field with 26 percent, while newly minted candidate Fred Thompson, a former senator and Hollywood actor, was second with 24 percent.
Arizona Sen. John McCain was third at 13 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was fourth with 7 percent.
In both parties, about 20 percent of likely voters said they had not made up their minds, leaving plenty of room for the races to shift.
The national telephone survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/category/events/trail08/)
© Reuters2007All rights reserved
the mark of the beast?
World's species to be 'barcoded'
Al Jazeera.net
Wednesday September 19, 2007
Scientists are working on an ambitious project to create a global database of up to half a million of the world's species using DNA barcoding technology.
DNA barcoding, a technique for characterising a species using only a short DNA sequence, has wide-ranging implications for health and the environment.
A group of Canadian scientists is hoping to raise $150 million to fund an initial five-year stage of what they describe as the biodiversity equivalent of launching a rocket to the moon.
The technology could help remove illegal fish and timber supplies from global markets, get rid of pests such as mosquitoes and even reduce the numbers of collisions between birds and planes.
World's species to be 'barcoded'
Al Jazeera.net
Wednesday September 19, 2007
Scientists are working on an ambitious project to create a global database of up to half a million of the world's species using DNA barcoding technology.
DNA barcoding, a technique for characterising a species using only a short DNA sequence, has wide-ranging implications for health and the environment.
A group of Canadian scientists is hoping to raise $150 million to fund an initial five-year stage of what they describe as the biodiversity equivalent of launching a rocket to the moon.
The technology could help remove illegal fish and timber supplies from global markets, get rid of pests such as mosquitoes and even reduce the numbers of collisions between birds and planes.
(Article continues below)
"We're now trying to launch in Canada the International Barcode of Life Project, which has a five-year life span," Paul Hebert, head of the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, who is spearheading the project told AFP at a three-day seminar on DNA in Taipei.
"We hope to put $150 million into this through a 25-nation alliance."
"The idea is collectively we would gather five million specimens and 500,000 species within that five-year period," Hebert added, saying the entire project could take 15 years.
The seminar in Taipei has brought together 350 scientists from 45 countries to debate the "barcoding of life" concept.
Scientists estimate that while nearly 1.8 million species have already been identified, there may be another 10 million that are not known.
But DNA barcoding technology has progressed so rapidly that scientists predict that science fiction-style powers to recognise previously unfamiliar creatures could become reality in a decade.
"Like in the film of Star Trek, anything scanned by such devices could display its image, name and function," said Allen Chen from Taiwan's Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top academic body and one of three main organisers of the conference.
"This could be done 10 years from now after a global barcoding data bank is set up," said Chen, an expert in corals.
Scientists are already working on hand-held barcoders that would enable users to access a barcode data bank using a global positioning system, said Taiwan's Shao Kwang-tsao, one of the conference chairs.
Hebert said the alliance would invest heavily in the development of such technology.
This week's conference is being held by the Washington-based Consortium for the Barcode of Life, which was set up in 2003 in response to Hebert's initiative and now includes some 160 organisations.
At its first conference in London in 2005, the consortium's data banks collected some 33,000 DNA references belonging to some 12,700 species.
Increasing attention
Today it counts more than 290,000 DNA samples from some 31,000 species, including about 20 per cent of the world's estimated 10,000 bird species and 10 per cent of the 35,000 estimated marine and freshwater fish species.
The "barcoding of life" projects have drawn increasing attention, particularly from the US, Canada and Europe, as scientists explore the technique's applications, which range from food safety and consumer protection to the identification of herbal plants.
One British scientist is working on a project to barcode 2,800 species of mosquito, or 80 per cent of those known to the world, within two years.
The project is aimed at reducing the scourge of malaria, which infects some 500 million people a year and is spread by some mosquitoes.
a tragic story in population control
click here
The number of prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for children has more than doubled between 1995 and 2000. This revealing documentary by Gary Null details the devastating consequences of this excessive medicating of our children with mind-altering drugs.
The film focuses on children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), even though evidence to verify such a diagnosis is lacking.
Instead, kids are often labeled with ADHD simply for acting like kids: fidgeting, speaking out of turn, not wanting to sit still, and being hyper.
The diagnosis of ADHD is often made based on anecdotal evidence and standardized assessments from parents and teachers, without giving consideration to other potential factors like home life, diet, and environmental toxins.
The end result for kids diagnosed with ADHD, as the video shows, is almost always medications.
If you’ve ever wondered why kids were rarely committing suicide or violent acts in schools when YOU were growing up, this essential video may shed some insight.
The number of prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for children has more than doubled between 1995 and 2000. This revealing documentary by Gary Null details the devastating consequences of this excessive medicating of our children with mind-altering drugs.
The film focuses on children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), even though evidence to verify such a diagnosis is lacking.
Instead, kids are often labeled with ADHD simply for acting like kids: fidgeting, speaking out of turn, not wanting to sit still, and being hyper.
The diagnosis of ADHD is often made based on anecdotal evidence and standardized assessments from parents and teachers, without giving consideration to other potential factors like home life, diet, and environmental toxins.
The end result for kids diagnosed with ADHD, as the video shows, is almost always medications.
If you’ve ever wondered why kids were rarely committing suicide or violent acts in schools when YOU were growing up, this essential video may shed some insight.
stock market fear mongering tactics caught!
click here
A financial analyst has slammed the so-called "Bin Laden trades" as part of a fearmongering scam that was used to chill confidence in the markets and enable insiders to reap huge profits after stocks plunged earlier this week.
As we reported last month, an anonymous investor placed a bet of 245,000 put options on an index of Europe's top 50 stocks falling by a third to a half before September 21st. In addition, unusual options were placed betting on a big drop in the S&P 500.
This led many to speculate that the trader was exploiting foreknowledge of a new 9/11 or another imminent catastrophe that would send markets tumbling.
However, market analyst Clif Droke of SilverSeek.com has slammed the trades as being part of a "summer of fear," a scare tactic used by insiders to profit from consequential dips in stocks as the credit crunch sunk its teeth in.
"These high-profile “mystery” trades were just some of the fear tactics used by several independent and mainstream media outlets to conjure up images of another 9/11-type terrorist episode. Indeed, Halloween was early in coming this year for many," writes Droke.
"I predict the promoters of this particular fear campaign will simply put their hands in their pockets, walk away and whistle a rousing rendition of “Dixie,” all the while conveniently forgetting they ever made such dire predictions in the first place. Their mission was accomplished: they convinced millions of everyday investors and observers to hit the panic button and run for cover while they, the fear promoters, profited immensely on the very fear they engendered."
The fact that the massive put options were placed is not in doubt. Dow Jones Financial News confirmed the trades in their August 16th article, 'Mystery trader bets market will crash by a third'.
But was this part of a broader strategy to chill confidence in the markets and make a more widespread profit after stocks dipped following the Northern Rock bank crisis at the end of last week before the Fed cut interest rates?
A financial analyst has slammed the so-called "Bin Laden trades" as part of a fearmongering scam that was used to chill confidence in the markets and enable insiders to reap huge profits after stocks plunged earlier this week.
As we reported last month, an anonymous investor placed a bet of 245,000 put options on an index of Europe's top 50 stocks falling by a third to a half before September 21st. In addition, unusual options were placed betting on a big drop in the S&P 500.
This led many to speculate that the trader was exploiting foreknowledge of a new 9/11 or another imminent catastrophe that would send markets tumbling.
However, market analyst Clif Droke of SilverSeek.com has slammed the trades as being part of a "summer of fear," a scare tactic used by insiders to profit from consequential dips in stocks as the credit crunch sunk its teeth in.
"These high-profile “mystery” trades were just some of the fear tactics used by several independent and mainstream media outlets to conjure up images of another 9/11-type terrorist episode. Indeed, Halloween was early in coming this year for many," writes Droke.
"I predict the promoters of this particular fear campaign will simply put their hands in their pockets, walk away and whistle a rousing rendition of “Dixie,” all the while conveniently forgetting they ever made such dire predictions in the first place. Their mission was accomplished: they convinced millions of everyday investors and observers to hit the panic button and run for cover while they, the fear promoters, profited immensely on the very fear they engendered."
The fact that the massive put options were placed is not in doubt. Dow Jones Financial News confirmed the trades in their August 16th article, 'Mystery trader bets market will crash by a third'.
But was this part of a broader strategy to chill confidence in the markets and make a more widespread profit after stocks dipped following the Northern Rock bank crisis at the end of last week before the Fed cut interest rates?
dan rather vs. the new world order
Rather lawsuit says he was 'scapegoat'
Associated Press
NEW YORK - A $70 million lawsuit filed by Dan Rather alleges CBS and its former parent company intentionally botched the aftermath of a discredited story about President Bush's military service to curry favor with the administration.
CBS spokesman Dana McClintock called Rather's complaints "old news" and said the lawsuit filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan was "without merit." Former CBS parent company Viacom Inc. had no comment.
The lawsuit claims Rather was made a "scapegoat" to placate the Bush administration after questions arose about the story, which concerned President Bush's military service during the Vietnam War.
The 75-year-old Rather, whose final months at CBS were clouded by controversy over the story, said the defendants' actions damaged his reputation and cost him significantly. He was removed from his "CBS Evening News" post in March 2005.
Besides CBS Corp. and Viacom, the lawsuit names CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone and Andrew Heyward, former president of CBS News. The suit seeks $20 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
Rather narrated the September 2004 report that said Bush disobeyed orders and shirked some of his duties during his National Guard service and that a commander felt pressured to sugarcoat Bush's record.
In his lawsuit, Rather maintains the story was true but says if any aspect of the broadcast was not accurate, he was not responsible for the errors. By forcing Rather to apologize publicly, "CBS intentionally caused the public and the media to attribute CBS' alleged bungling of the episode to Mr. Rather," the lawsuit claimed.
The story relied on four documents, supposedly written by Bush's commander in the Texas Air National Guard, the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. Critics questioned the documents' authenticity and suggested they were forged.
CBS fired the story's producer and asked for the resignations of three executives because it could not authenticate documents used in the story. Rather was forced out of the anchor chair he had occupied for 24 years.
An investigating panel for the story, selected by the network, "never concluded that the Killian documents were forgeries, or that the substance of the documents was inaccurate, and it did not question the underlying critical fact that President Bush had received preferential treatment" related to the National Guard, the lawsuit says.
Richard Thornburgh, the former U.S. attorney general who made up the two-man investigative panel with Louis D. Boccardi, the retired chief executive of The Associated Press, said he was unaware of Rather's lawsuit. Reached at his home in Washington, he said only: "Our report speaks for itself."
Boccardi did not return messages left by The Associated Press.
Issued in January 2005, the 224-page report portrayed Rather as "pushed to the limit" with other stories at the time of the "60 Minutes Wednesday" report. He relied on a trusted producer, and did not check the story for accuracy or, apparently, even see it before he introduced it on the program, the panel said.
CBS rushed the story on the air and then blindly defended it when holes became apparent, said the panel, which was unable to say conclusively whether memos allegedly disparaging Bush's service were real or fake.
The fired CBS News producer, Mary Mapes, later wrote that the panel's examination of the story "read more like a prosecutorial brief than an independent investigation." Her book surrounding the controversy was published in 2005.
Rather moved on to a weekly news show on cable's HDNet channel, "Dan Rather Reports," but the effort has garnered little attention. When the show launched, it was available only in four million homes, a small fraction of his potential audience while at CBS.
___
Associated Press Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed to this report.
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