This is about Fairness in Reporting

Dear Friends,

Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us."

I've joined on to ColorOfChange.org's campaign to push back on Fox, publicly demanding they stop their race-baiting and fear mongering. If that doesn't work, then we'll go to their advertisers and the FCC. I wanted to invite you to sign on as well. It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=1927-513854

Here's what happened recently:

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a "pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a "terrorist fist jab." Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama
but to women and Black people everywhere.

After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means
the apology is meaningless.

These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Fox has a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Black
leaders, and Black people in general.

If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join me in helping to bring an end to Fox's behavior.

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=1927-513854

Thanks.

C.S. Lewis, Ben Joseph, and McSweeney's

Here is an excerpt from a short but hilarious piece called "Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less" from McSweeney's online. Read the full text by Ben Joseph here.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C.S. LEWIS: Finally, a utopia ruled by children and populated by talking animals.

THE WITCH: Hi, I'm a sexually mature woman of power and confidence.

C.S. LEWIS: Ah! Kill it, lion Jesus!

Ron Paul? Really?

Things I like about Ron Paul:

- supports home schooling
- opposes NAFTA, the WTO
- opposes Federal Reserve spending which indebts us to China and Saudi Arabia
- opposes the Iraq War
- opposes corporate interference in the FDA
- opposes mandatory vaccinations
- supports paying soldiers more
- supports fully investigating the causes of Gulf War illness and related problems
- wants to bring the troops home now (or yesterday)
- opposes government and corporate data mining of normal citizens
- strongly opposes the Patriot Act
- opposes imminent domain
- understands that there is a connection between corporate profits and the health care crisis
- supports tax deductions for education, including higher education
- supports solar and wind energy development, opposes subsidies for logging
- wants to move beyond hawkish rhetoric in order to begin to understand the national security issues faced by the US

Reasons I will never support Ron Paul, even if he were a viable candidate:

- opposes our possible involvment in/recognition of the ICJ (International Criminal Court) (btw: we haven't, as a country, recognized the authority of the ICJ as of yet. needless to say, the US won't recognize an international legal body which could indict many former--and present--presidents and cabinet members on war crimes charges)
- opposes listening to the UN on matters of war
- is an OB/GYN who opposes a woman's right to choose (defender of liberty, indeed!) and has, in fact, introduced legislation to the House to NEGATE Roe v. Wade. Read his full statement here.
- opposes any support (including amnesty) for undocumented people and even wants to END automatic citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented parents
- misunderstands the reasons we are in a health care crisis. thinks LESS regulation is BETTER.
- supports nuclear energy development
- thinks immigration is a threat to national security
- opposes military intervention abroad--is isolationist in military terms

Yay for taxpayers; they're very stimulating

I just received this email from a friend. It's funny 'cause it's true...

Subject: Economic Stimulus Checks Explained

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
A. Shut up.

US can't be critical of Israel... or else

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/87882

An interesting anecdote illustrating this fact, written by a former US senator.

My eternal problem

You are being called on to take action in many realms today. People may be tugging at you on all angles to be with them and participate in their world of fun and excitement. It could also be that there are many projects that are catching your attention today and you are experiencing conflict over which ones to put your energy into. Friction may arise as you find yourself tearing away from one situation to participate in another.

The Right to Choose NOT to Consume

I just tried this new service, Catalog Choice, which is a go-between for the consumer to reject catalogs she doesn't want in the mail. It's a great way to cut down on junk mail and save some trees while you're at it! It's completely free, and hundreds of catalog titles are listed. You can browse them and decline whichever you don't want. For myself, I am def looking forward to getting fewer of these horrible catalogs in the mail, which depress me and make me feel guilty for wasting trees at the same time that they make me feel inadequate for not buying/wanting to buy/being able to buy all these products they shove in my face. Ahhhh... I'm already breathing easier.

Click here to set up your own free account.

News from A Reader's Corner Bookstore

This coming Saturday, June 28 from 1:00 - 3:00 P. M. Jeffrey Scott Holland will sign his new book:

Weird Kentucky: Your Travel Guide to Kentucky's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets.

Who knew My Old Kentucky Home could be so weird? As all Kentuckians know, there's more to this state than derbies, bourbon, and a certain fried poultry. We're nearly busting at the seams with local legends and unusual sights. Yes, the Bluegrass State is a lot weirder than you ever imagined, and it's all here in these pages. Come and see for yourself. Join us at the booksigning.

Also, now is the time to get your summer reading!!

Enjoy coffee in our Coffee Corner and browse our overflowing shelves of great books!

We also have purses, handmade jewelry, pretty book covers and recent DVDs.

Wireless Internet is available throughout the store and we have plenty of SOFT DRINKS, JUICE AND WATER.

word of the day: CHOLER

choler \KOLL-ur; KOLE-ur\, noun:

Irritation of the passions; anger; wrath.

Good news!

"Las autoridades chinas han aprovechado el paso de la antorcha olímpica por Lhasa, la capital de Tíbet, para anunciar la liberación de 1.157 tibetanos que fueron detenidos durante las protestas del mes de marzo contra la dominación china, según ha informado la agencia oficial china, Xinhua. La noticia se produce, además, dos días después de que Amnistía Internacional preguntara por ellos. No obstante, los responsables chinos de Tíbet han aprovechado la ocasión también para cargar contra el Dalai Lama y defender su dominio sobre el país de las montañas y los lamas."

Leer más en El País en la red.

Dear Leo, please be gentle

A selfish attitude on your part will not be tolerated today, regardless of the circumstances, Clare. Don't make it worse for yourself by pretending that you don't notice the hurt feelings of those around you. People are likely to be extra sensitive today, so be careful of trying to impose your will on someone who really just wants nothing more than an ear to talk to and a shoulder to cry on.

Libraries ruin lives

toothpastefordinner.com

Bil'in resists Israel's violence

F.F.J June 20 2008-The Israeli Army has used almost every weapon in their arsenal to impose their Apartheid on the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. In many cases these weapons, which are often lethal, are used on the whole of the Palestinian population regardless of whether they are simply trying to lead a private family life or if they are resisting the occupation.

The Village of Bilin in particular has been struggling against the Apartheid Wall and the occupation for three consecutive years using peaceful resistance. Bilin has been holding weekly demonstrations with the participation of local villagers, internationals, and Israeli supporters. In return, the Israeli Army has used all manner of violent methods and weapons to silence the Bilin Resistance, even though Bilin's approach has been non-violent.

This use of disproportionate and sometimes lethal force against peaceful resistance has been perpetuated by the Israeli High Courts decision to "legally" allow the use of live ammunition on peaceful Palestinian protestors, only barring the use of live ammunition when foreign nationals and Israeli Activists are present at these protests. The Israeli Army has now used live ammunition against Palestinian protestors in Bilin with the presence of Internationals and Israeli activists there, even in violating its own racist laws. This has lead to many serious injuries to the Bilin Villagers, such as Ibrahim Burnat, who was shot with three bullets in his thigh at last weeks protest.

The action of the Israeli Army against the whole of Palestinian Society betrays their rhetoric about security as the purpose of their occupation and instead shines light on what seems to be their true aim; the slow removal of the Palestinian people from their land by any means possible. This includes terrorizing the population through forced transfers, economic starvation, house demolitions, unwarranted arrests, and unchecked killing of the civilian population. This ethnic cleansing is cemented as a reality through the Israeli policies of land confiscation, settlement expansion, and the control of water resources which are the true aims of the Apartheid wall and system of occupation.

This week as part of Bilin's ongoing weekly resistance, the villagers and their international supporters organized a protest against the Apartheid Wall. The protestors carried signs and banners denouncing the use of live ammunition against peaceful protestors. They also raised pictures of some of the villagers who had been wounded by Israeli Forces while participating in the protests. Below the pictures of the victims was written "Despite the hatred of your bullets, we will uproot your wall". Israeli Troops responded by showering the protest with tear gas and flash bombs and dozens were treated for tear gas inhalation.

Today, the people of Bilin sent the message that they will not be bullied by Israel's use of deadly force and their peaceful struggle will continue its effort to bring about the end of the settlements, the destruction of the Apartheid Wall, and the end of the occupation as a whole.

To read more or veiw photos from the protest please visit our new website at Friends of Freedom and Justice: Bil'in.

"Disortion"

A quote from John McCain's 2002 address to AIPAC:

"If we are serious about the values we in America and Israel live by... we must work to spread our values in the Middle East, first by opposing tyranny in the Arab world. The celebration of freedom in the streets of liberated Baghdad will serve as a counterpoint to the state-directed Arab media's distortion of the Palestinian conflict. It will be a reminder to other Arab tyrants that the United States is a natural ally of Arab people who aspire to freedom... [B]ringing liberty's blessings to Arab peoples will do much more to improve their lives than will their jihad against Israel."

from Ahram Weekly

World Refugee Day

EXCERPTS FROM THE UNHCR:
The United Nations General Assembly designated June 20 as World Refugee Day to recognize and celebrate the contribution of refugees throughout the world. Since then, World Refugee Day has become an annual commemoration marked by a variety of events in over a hundred countries.

This year's theme: Protecting Refugees: Refugee Rights are Human Rights

Forced to flee their homes and having lost everything, refugees have clear needs – shelter, food, safety, protection. But refugees also have rights, the right to seek asylum, the right not to be returned to a country where they fear persecution, the right to work and to send their children to school.

This year, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will commemorate World Refugee Day for the eighth time in Washington, DC, and San Francisco in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees world-wide who are forced to flee their homes. In Washington, UNHCR has again partnered with well-respected institutions to broaden our outreach and encourage even greater public participation in the celebration of World Refugee Day. Together with the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall, World Affairs Council of Northern California and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage, UNHCR will sponsor musical performances, discussion panels and a film screening.

IF YOU ARE IN LOUISVILLE: Kentucky Refugee Ministries invites you to come eat, dance, and play games with members of Louisville's refugee community on Friday June 20th from 1:00-3:00pm at Tyler Park. Participate in the KRM staff and client soccer game!

Further explore refugee issues with these recommended books: Left to Tell, From the Land of Green Ghosts, and Sarajevo Marlboro.

Then join us to discuss your impressions and reactions to these books with a panel of experts and former refugees on Sunday July 27th from 3:00-5:00pm in the Chao Auditorium.

Please visit the Kentucky Refugee Ministries website or call the KRM office at (502)479-9180 for more information.

Vote for my friend, David

The dad of a sweet girl I know was entered into Velocity's "Hottest Dad" contest by his woman. She sent me an email asking me to vote for him, which I have no qualms about because David is a really loving father of a beautiful girl, not to mention a devoted partner, and he definitely deserves the recognition. Plus, it is really sweet of his woman to put him up for the prize, which is a sweet gift certificate package to win, place, or show. So, if you feel like it, it would mean a lot to me if you would click on David's name below and vote for him! His number is #1205. You click 1205 from the list and then enter your email address and submit it. You can vote once per day per email. Only 3 more days to vote! Thanks, friends!

David McDonley!

votevotevotevote.

What it's like to go to grade school in Palestine

Check out the interactions between Palestinian school kids and Israeli soldiers, from the site Poetry for Palestine:


Windows Live Spaces

Check out graphjam.com

Last ones, I promise. I looked at all 34 pages of graphjam.com's stuff, and for the most part, it was GREAT. Highly recommended.


more graph humor and song chart memes



more graph humor and song chart memes



more graph humor and song chart memes



more graph humor and song chart memes



more graph humor and song chart memes

Oh, memories.

more graph humor and song chart memes

Just go with it--no hating.

more graph humor and song chart memes

Motown looks great in bar graph

more graph humor and song chart memes

Multitudes of Monty Python jokes

more graph humor and song chart memes



more graph humor and song chart memes

Jeff Goldblum in graph form. truly beautiful.

Lest we forget The Big Chill:


more graph humor and song chart memes

McSweeney's Book of Lists--in graph form

This is a sign that I officially have too much time on my hands: I came across this sweetass website that represents in graph form various hilarious observations from pop culture. Case in point:


more graph humor and song chart memes

Keep Zimbabwe on your radar screen

As you are probably aware, Zimbabwe is experiencing hard times. In fact, the "hard times" of 13 years ago when I lived there are a veritable paradise compared to the shithole the country is in right now. In 1995 when I was there, the beginnings of today's full-blown troubles began to be serious. There was a drought and sadza prices went up and the masses relied on the government to provide sadza for them to eat. At that time, Robert Mugabe had been in power for 15 years and dissent surrounding his long tenure as president was on the rise. He had been in power too long, and many of his post-colonial promises had failed to be realized. At the same time, Mugabe was promising to make good on his land reclamation campaign, which we know subsequently transpired.

Mugabe kicked off all the white farmers from the land as a symbol of the rejection of colonialism and a representation of Zimbabwean liberty and independence. Unfortunately, this move crippled the last remaining functioning infrastructure of the country and the people became even hungrier and more impoverished from the time I left Zimbabwe through the rest of the 1990s and into the 21st century. At the same time, horrible, exponential inflation (for example, the exchange rate was $8 Zim = $1 US when I lived there; 13 years later, we find the rate at $3,272,803,030 Zim = $1 US, according to the Zimbabwe Currency Converter) has compounded Zimbabwe's internal and external economic problems. Now, Mugabe's grip on power still as tight as always, he is crushing dissent even as cries for his retirement and removal increase. Morgan Tsvangirai, the leading opponent to Mugabe's presidency, has been fighting for regime change for the last 8 years at least. Recently, he defeated Mugabe in a presidential election, but Mugabe's administration refuses to certify the results of the election or turn over power. Instead, Tsvangirai and his supporters regularly meet Mugabe's police force who reign beatings, arrests, murders and disappearances upon them.

As a result of the political repression and dire economic straits in their country, many Zimbabweans have been fleeing into surrounding countries. In the last month, South Africa has been in the news for its people's attacks on Zimbabwean refugees. At the same time, South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, seems tacitly to support Mugabe's regime by his lack of response to the violence against Zimbabwean refugees as well as his refusal to publicly condemn Mugabe's administration and policies.

In the wake of all this, the UN has been trying to mitigate some of the hardship. Here is a news release that I received by email today regarding the UN response to the events in South Africa regarding the Zimbabweans. We can at least take solace in this. Contribute to the effort and help Zimbabwe! Go to the USA's UNHCR website and click on "Donate now."

UNHCR aids those displaced by attacks in South Africa

The UN Refugee Agency is providing assistance in South Africa to address the massive displacement caused by violent attacks against migrants and refugees.

UNHCR has, so far, supplied 2,000 tents, 7,000 blankets and 2,000 sleeping mats to victims of the violence.

"Those affected include refugees and asylum seekers who fled to South Africa seeking protection from persecution in their own countries," said Sanda Kimbimbi, UNHCR's representative in South Africa.

Fifty-six people were killed and an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced by the attacks from marauding gangs in mostly urban centers. Many of the intended victims were refugees and asylum-seekers from Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Ethiopia and other African countries.

Inside Every Woman is a Lady Scientist Dying to Worship Science

Check out this groovy online magazine/blog I just found called Inkling. It's a cyberpaean to the awesomeness of science with a specifically femme bent to it. It contains such highly entertaining articles as why beards are bad in a lab setting, and what to buy the sexy scientist in your life next Valentine's Day.

So why are you still here? Go check it out!

Pocket-sized Obama fits nicely in Israel's trousers

Y'all, I'm upset.

Almost all the excitement I felt over Obama's historic victory in the primaries has vanished in the wake of what happened the next day when he spoke to AIPAC, the largest and most well-funded Israeli lobby in Washington.

I listened to his speech and was saddened. I felt betrayed; I had allowed myself to begin lending creedence to his rhetoric about change and hope. But what hope is there for the Palestinians when Obama's speech makes clear he doesn't intend to change US policy on Israel? I know I can't vote solely on the issue of Palestine, but if de Tocqueville is still valid, the office of president in our Union is for dealing with external affairs. Obama's lack of foreign policy experience did not seem to me a barrier to his future success as president until I heard his well-defined position on Israel. I had naively assumed that since Obama had lived all over the world and had been raised bi-culturally, was well-educated and intellectual, that he would have been exposed to those experiences which lead to good judgment and cosmopolitanism in foreign policy.

But I see now that he is a politician, and that is all. You can tell he is insincere and self-serving because his lips are moving...

Here are some excerpts from the media's reaction to Obama's speech to AIPAC:

From David Horowitz in the Jerusalem Post:

In his meticulously crafted speech, Obama was also the candidate who would isolate Hamas unless it accepted Israel and abandoned terrorism, and who would push for a two-state solution under which Jerusalem would remain Israel's "undivided" capital and Israel's identity as a Jewish state would be paramount - in other words, with no place for a Palestinian refugee "right of return."

Most importantly of all, he was the candidate who would seek to "eliminate" the "grave" and "real" threat posed to Israel by Iran. "I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he vowed, repeating that word "everything" as the applause swelled.

Larry Rohter from the New York Times:

That statement [ref: Jerusalem undivided and fully part of Israel] generated a storm of controversy in the Middle East, with one Kuwaiti daily calling it “a slap in the face” to Arabs. And over the last 24 hours, as Mr. Obama and his campaign have sought to explain his initial remarks, and suggested that an undivided Jerusalem would be hard to achieve, they have been accused of backtracking, which has generated a new round of criticism, this one here at home among Jewish groups.

...To strong applause, Mr. Obama said “Israel’s security is sacrosanct,” and he promised to “ensure that Israel could defend itself from any threat — from Gaza to Tehran."

...An article on Friday in The Jerusalem Post sought to clarify Mr. Obama’s stance further. In it, an unnamed foreign policy adviser to Mr. Obama was quoted as saying that the candidate’s position is that “Jerusalem remains Israel’s capital and it’s not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967.”

...Dennis Ross, a diplomat who was involved in Middle East peace talks for the administrations of the first President Bush and President Bill Clinton, expressed similar views. Mr. Ross said he saw “no calibration” in Mr. Obama’s stance, which he said “does not contradict in any way, shape or form what our policy has historically been.”

But leaders of some Jewish groups remain unconvinced.

“With Barack Obama and his campaign watering down his statement for an undivided Jerusalem,” said Morton A. Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, “one must question whether his initial remark was simply meant to mislead Jewish voters and Israel supporters by not stating his true beliefs on this issue.”

from Uri Avnery published on antiwar.com:

Along comes Obama and retrieves from the junkyard the outworn slogan "Undivided Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel for all Eternity." Since Camp David, all Israeli governments have understood that this mantra constitutes an insurmountable obstacle to any peace process. It has disappeared – quietly, almost secretly – from the arsenal of official slogans. Only the Israeli (and American-Jewish) Right sticks to it, and for the same reason: to smother at birth any chance for a peace that would necessitate the dismantling of the settlements.

In prior U.S. presidential races, the pandering candidates thought that it was enough to promise that the U.S. embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. After being elected, not one of the candidates ever did anything about this promise. All were persuaded by the State Department that it would harm basic American interests.

Obama went much further. Quite possibly, this was only lip service and he was telling himself: OK, I must say this in order to get elected. After that, God is great.

But even so, the fact cannot be ignored: the fear of AIPAC is so terrible that even this candidate, who promises change in all matters, does not dare. In this matter he accepts the worst old-style Washington routine. He is prepared to sacrifice the most basic American interests. After all, the U.S. has a vital interest in achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace that will allow it to find ways to the hearts of the Arab masses from Iraq to Morocco. Obama has harmed his image in the Muslim world and mortgaged his future – if and when he is elected president.

He dares to speak of human rights.

"In the long run, there is no JUSTICE without FREEDOM. There can be no human rights without LIBERTY. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for LIBERTY, we stand with you."

-President George W. Bush, Second Inaugural Address

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20011.htm

Human Rights and Palestine -- ID cards

Click here for a report from B'T Selem, an Israeli human rights group, on the refusal of Israel to issue ID cards to Palestinians, a necessary prerequisite for movement anywhere in the West Bank.

What does this refusal mean? It is evidence that Israel is violating human rights by preventing Palestinians from free movement, a trangression against article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also points to the ingenuousness of Israel's stance that they have created their maze of checkpoints and roadblocks for security; but rather, Israel's refusal to even allow Palestinians to move about to access food and medical care begs the question of why--really--Israel has 500+ checkpoints in the occupied West Bank... Perhaps not for security, but for some less noble purpose... Hrmmm....

Occupation and Demolition in the West Bank

From Middle East Online
WEST BANK - Israel demolished 208 buildings in the occupied West Bank last year, a UN agency said on Friday, adding that the Defence Ministry corrected its previous figure of 107.

Most of the houses were torn down under demolition orders issued because there were no construction permits, which Israeli authorities only seldom grant to Palestinians.

The buildings are located in the so-called Area C, which makes up more than 60 percent of the West Bank and is under full Israeli control.

"We have been informed that according to the records of the Israeli Ministry of Defence the number of structures demolished in Area C of the West Bank in 2007 is not 107, as reported earlier, but 208," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

In the first quarter of this year, Israeli authorities demolished 124 structures in the West Bank, the UN agency said.

Israel has been illegally occupying the Palestinian West Bank since 1967.

Word of the day: HARRIDAN

harridan \HAIR-uh-din\, noun:

A worn-out strumpet; a vixenish woman; a hag.

Use it in a sentence today and see if you don't get a little bit slapped.