Ladywriter

Mother's Day is coming up, and you can help ensure the rights of women around the world by urging the U.S. Senate to ratify the Treaty for the Rights of Women. The treaty has been stuck in the Senate for years, and your help is need to finally get it ratified. -> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLs9/zj3Z/ANR12 Also known as CEDAW (the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), this treaty is the most complete international agreement on basic rights for women. And we're one of only eight countries who haven't ratified this important treaty, and as a result, the U.S. is keeping poor company with countries like Sudan, Iran and Somalia. It has been nearly 30 years since the U.N. first adopted the Treaty for the Rights of Women, and it's high time that the U.S. join the rest of the world. Please urge the Senate to take this simple step and help empower women around the world. -> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLs9/zj3Z/ANR12 Thanks for taking action! Samer ThePetitionSite

Your senators need to hear from you right now. President Obama's nominee for secretary of health and human services, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, is under attack from anti-choice extremists. They want to block her confirmation, and they're doing everything they can to convince their allies in the Senate to play along. We need you to take action to make sure Gov. Sebelius is confirmed. Click here to contact your senators now: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/seb4hhs09/iwsw56k4o7nxm56w?source=seb4hhs09_ppol_e1 Gov. Sebelius is a leading health policy expert, a popular governor, and a strong advocate for increased health care access. But none of that matters to the radical groups that have decided to protest her nomination. They are dead set on blocking any nominee with a history of supporting access to full reproductive health care services -- and they're pressuring the Senate to play along. Your senators need to hear from you. Tell them to confirm Gov. Sebelius as secretary of health and human services. http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/seb4hhs09/iwsw56k4o7nxm56w?source=seb4hhs09_ppol_e1 After eight long years of attacks on women's health care and with more and more families left uninsured, we face a true crisis. Countless women and their families are struggling to afford quality health care during these difficult times, and we can't afford to let anti-choice extremists use their influence in the Senate to block confirmation of Gov. Sebelius. Please stand with me now in urging your senators to vote for confirmation. http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/seb4hhs09/iwsw56k4o7nxm56w?source=seb4hhs09_ppol_e1 Thank you so much for your quick response -- by speaking up now, you're helping us move toward real health care reform. Sincerely, Cecile Richards, President Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Breaking News: Dick Cheney Implicated in Torture Crimes Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who have helped spread the word, there is now a firestorm of grassroots support for investigation and prosecution. Today, a coalition of organizations is presenting more than 250,000 petition signatures to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that he appoint a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute Bush-era officials responsible for torture carried out under the Bush Admnistration. More than 134,000 people have signed the referendum at IndictBushNow. Let's make it a million signatures -- you can help by spreading the word to your friends and family. Click this link right now to sign the IndictBushNow petition to Eric Holder. http://www.impeachbush.org/site/R?i=ISq8ow5iQYVAkEJhJV8pwQ..

From the editors: What a week. Last Thursday the Obama administration released four now-notorious memos, written between 2002 and 2005, granting legal cover to CIA torturers for their "enhanced interrogation" methods, which we now know included such ideas as locking prisoners in boxes with insects. Suddenly, accountability is all the rage: For days the networks have been covering every public statement uttered by President Obama and his officials, looking for signs that, contrary to their past rhetoric, there might be plans to prosecute Bush officials who authorized torture. For those who have been covering this issue for many months, that the accountability debate is now front and center in the corporate press is a welcome development. But it is just as critical right now to support the efforts of all the people and organizations who have been pushing for accountability for years. David Swanson, the tireless co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org has unveiled a great new resource compiling links and information pushing for the impeachment of Jay Bybee, who is currently employed as a federal judge despite the bogus and sadistic "legal" analysis on display in his declassified memo. Of course, the movement for accountability for Bush era crimes is much bigger than Bybee. Go here to sign a statement calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate all top-level Bush officials for their abuse of power in the so-called "war on terror." And for more breaking coverage of the torture memos, including who is calling for prosecutions, and even more damning revelations contained in a just-declassified Senate Armed Services Committee report, be sure to check out AlterNet's Rights & Liberties Special Coverage. (There just isn't room to include all of it in this newsletter.) Thanks for reading, Liliana Segura, Editor, Rights & Liberties Special Coverage ___________________________________________________________ WE CAN WIN THE FIGHT TO PROSECUTE BUSH'S TORTURE LAWYERS By David Swanson, After Downing Street A push for accountability is a deterrent to future crimes, even if it fails. But remember: they won't tell us we're succeeding until we already have. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137743/we_can_win_the_fight_to_prosecute_bush%27s_torture_lawyers/ DECLASSIFIED REPORT: BUSH ADMIN SOLICITED TORTURE 'WISH LIST,' ORDERED 'COMMUNIST' TACTICS By Stephen Webster, Diane Sweet, Raw Story Sen. Carl Levin recommends AG Eric Holder appoint a 'distinguished individual or individuals' to 'establish accountability of high-level officials.' http://www.alternet.org/rights/137840/declassified_report%3A_bush_admin_solicited_torture_%27wish_list%2C%27_ordered_%27communist%27_tactics/ NEW BUSH TORTURE BOMBSHELL MEMOS: 10 HORRIFYING DISCOVERIES By Liliana Segura, AlterNet Slamming prisoners into walls, locking them in boxes with insects; these memos are the smoking gun for the sadistic crimes of the Bush administration. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137093/new_bush_torture_bombshell_memos%3A_10_horrifying_discoveries/ TOUGH GUYS HAYDEN AND MUKASEY DEFEND TORTURE, DECRY RELEASE OF THE OLC MEMOS: WHY THEY'RE WRONG By Rep. Jan Schakowsky, AlterNet Former Bush officials are trying to avoid accountability for their inhumane crimes. There is much you can do to make sure they don't get away with it. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137726/tough_guys_hayden_and_mukasey_defend_torture%2C_decry_release_of_the_olc_memos%3A_why_they%27re_wrong/ MR. PRESIDENT, WAR CRIMES MUST BE INVESTIGATED By Ruth Rosen, AlterNet The country I care so much about has breached some of the most important international conventions. Yet no one has been held accountable. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137402/mr._president%2C_war_crimes_must_be_investigated/ COURT: ABU GHRAIB VICTIMS CAN SUE TORTURERS By Willam Fisher, IPS News A federal court has ruled that four men who were tortured and released without charge can sue CACI, the U.S. contractor hired to do interrogations. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137510/court%3A_abu_ghraib_victims_can_sue_torturers/ THE TORTURE MEMOS ARE NOT JUST SICK, THEY'RE FULL OF LIES: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BYBEE MEMO By Jeffrey S. Kaye, AlterNet The memo's gross distortion of psychological research makes it hard to imagine they were used in "good faith" as the Obama administration says. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137156/the_torture_memos_are_not_just_sick%2C_they%27re_full_of_lies%3A_a_closer_look_at_the_bybee_memo/ 'A TON MORE PEOPLE WERE WIRETAPPED THAN WE'VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE' FBI WHISTLEBLOWER THOMAS TAMM By Liliana Segura, AlterNet The man who blew the lid off Bush's spying program believes more details on government spying must, and will, come to light. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137260/%27a_ton_more_people_were_wiretapped_than_we%27ve_been_led_to_believe%27%3A_fbi_whistleblower_thomas_tamm/ CONFIRMED: REP. JANE HARMAN TRIED TO KILL NSA WIRETAPPING STORY -- MAY HAVE SWAYED 2004 ELECTION By John Byrne, Raw Story The New York Times has confirmed Harman tried to keep the paper from publishing an article exposing warrantless wiretapping. http://www.alternet.org/rights/137698/confirmed%3A_rep._jane_harman_tried_to_kill_nsa_wiretapping_story_--_may_have_swayed_2004_election/

Impeach Torture Architect Judge Jay Bybee Posted by Staff, Center for Constitutional Rights at 11:18 AM on April 21, 2009. [Editor's note: The following is a message from our friends at The Center for Constitutional Rights.] Last week, President Obama released four torture authorization memos written by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) under the Bush administration that devised a legal framework for the justification of the Torture Program. The memos were released as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit the Center for Constitutional Rights helped file with the ACLU and other organizations. We need your help to impeach one of the legal architects of the Bush administration Torture Program who is now, incredibly, a federal judge. The memos were intended to provide legal cover for officials to carry out abhorrent, illegal and ineffective techniques that were approved at the highest levels of the Bush administration in violation U.S. and international law and the U.S. Constitution. One of the principal authors was Jay Bybee, the former head of the OLC and today a federal judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. His flagrant contempt for the rule of law is utterly inconsistent with his judicial position and speaks directly to his competency to function in that office. It is unacceptable for an individual who abused his status as a government lawyer and violated the law in conspiring with other members of the Bush Torture Team to sit as a federal judge, someone who hears and decides issues of constitutional import. At the time of his confirmation hearing, his role in the Torture Program was secret, as was the program itself. Jay Bybee’s actions constitute High Crimes and Misdemeanors by any standard. In a strong editorial yesterday, The New York Times called for Bybee’s impeachment. We agree. Write to Rep. John Conyers and the House Judiciary Committee today to demand they hold a hearing to determine whether grounds exist for Bybee’s impeachment. When you send your letter, your name will automatically be added to a petition that we will use to build a national movement to demand the prosecution of those high level officials who committed crimes when they planned, authorized, justified and carried out the Torture Program. Bybee’s impeachment will be a first step in holding the Torture Team accountable for their actions. His August 1, 2002 memo is available here. High level government officials are not above the law. We must send a clear message to all future officials – and to the victims of the torture policies – that the crime of torture is unacceptable and will not be swept under the carpet. If we allow these crimes to be committed with impunity, we are doomed to repeat one of the darkest chapters in our history. Join us to see Jay Bybee impeached and advance the movement for prosecutions and accountability.

This isn't the first torture scandal that has slapped us upside the head. Massachusetts 1692; When the infamous Salem Witch Trials were over, 19 men and women were hanged to death on Gallows Hill, 4 died in prison, and one defiant man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death beneath a board and stones in a torturous attempt to obtain a confession. A History of Violence: Torture and Death for Accused Witches eventually ppl grew up and knocked that stupid shit off. Laws ended up being passed so stupid shit like that didn't happen anymore. but stupid is like a disease that doesn't go away. Damage can be mitigated but we still get shit like The boredom of a small-town life made six young Confederate veterans from the south gather around a fireplace one night, where they thought of a secret group. They made the group to occupy themselves and to get revenge on the many Blacks that had won their freedom in the Civil War. The group wanted to torture former slaves, because the slaves had won their freedom. The Klan members felt threatened because they thought the Blacks would start to get more powerful. In addition, many Klan members were angry because they lost their slaves. The head of the group was called the Grand Cyclops and everyone else was called a Ghoul. The name of the group was hard to decide. One man, Richard R. Reed, suggested the word kuklos, meaning circle and cycle. Then Captain John B. Kennedy, who had an ear for alliteration (words starting with the same sound), added the word Clan. After some tinkering the group came up with the name Ku Klux Klan. stupid is alive and well, its just controlled by more sophisticated people. The memos, released in redacted form to protect the identity of CIA interrogators, describe acts of torture in clinical detail, always associating these with a threadbare legal defense. Among the forms of torture endorsed by the memos are: *Walling. “The interrogator pulls the individual forward and then quickly and firmly pushes the individual into the wall... During this motion, the head and neck are supported with a rolled hood or towel... to help prevent whiplash.” *Water dousing. “Cold water is poured on the detainee either from a container or from a hose without a nozzle... The maximum period of time that a detainee may be permitted to remain wet has been set at two-thirds the time at which, based on the extensive medical literature and experience, hypothermia could be expected to develop... For water temperature at 41 [degrees Fahrenheit] total duration of exposure may not exceed 20 minutes...” *Facial Slap. “The purpose of the facial slap is to induce shock, surprise, and/or humiliation.” *Cramped Confinement. “The confined space is usually dark... For the larger confined space, the individual can stand up or sit down; the smaller space is large enough for the subject to sit down. Confinement in the larger space can last up to eighteen hours; for the smaller space... no more than two hours.” *Stress positions. “A variety of stress positions may be used... they are designed to produce physical discomfort associated with muscle fatigue... In wall standing, it will be holding a position in which all of the individual’s body weight is placed on his finger tips.” *Nudity. “This technique is used to cause psychological discomfort, particularly if a detainee for cultural or other reasons, is especially modest.” *Sleep deprivation. “The primary method of sleep deprivation involves the use of shackling to keep the detainees awake. In this method, the detainee is standing and is handcuffed, and the handcuffs are attached by a length of chain to the ceiling... a detainee undergoing sleep deprivation is generally fed by hand by CIA personnel so that he need not be unshackled. If the detainee is clothed, he wears an adult diaper under his pants. Detainees subject to sleep deprivation who are also subject to nudity... will at times be nude and wearing a diaper. The maximum allowable duration is 180 hours...” *Use of insects. A memo authorizes agents to place an insect in the “cramped confinement box” of a prisoner who interrogators noticed had “a fear of insects.” *Waterboarding. “In this procedure, the individual is bound securely to an inclined bench...Water is then applied to a cloth [that] is lowered until it covers both the nose and mouth... This causes an increase in carbon dioxide level in the individuals’ blood [which] stimulates increased effort to breathe. This effort plus the cloth produces the perception of ‘suffocation and incipient panic,’ i.e., the perception of drowning... The procedure may then be repeated... [A] medical expert... will be present throughout...” ^We did that ^America did that and as Americans No, no I'm not down with that kind of law breaking. As much as I hate people I don't agree with treating them like that. The people that approved and ordered this shit need to be the fuck in jail. They are not above the law.

POT VS. BOOZE: A FORMER POLICE CHIEF'S TAKE By Norm Stamper, Huffington Post Marijuana smokers show greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose (and abuse) alcohol. http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/137752/pot_vs._booze%3A_a_former_police_chief%27s_take/ Alcohol-related traffic accidents claim approximately 14,000 lives each year, down significantly from 20 or 30 years ago (attributed to improved education and enforcement). Figures for THC-related traffic fatalities are elusive, especially since alcohol is almost always present in the blood as well, and since the numbers of "marijuana-only" traffic fatalities are so small. But evidence from studies, including laboratory simulations, feeds the stereotype that those under the influence of canniboids tend to (1) be more aware of their impaired psychomotor skills, and (2) drive well below the speed limit. Those under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be clueless or defiant about their condition, and to speed up and drive recklessly. Hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur annually. There has never been a single recorded marijuana OD fatality. According to the American Public Health Association, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in this country. APHA pegs the negative economic impact of extreme drinking at $150 billion a year. There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. (Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox.) Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long-term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers. While a small quantity, taken daily, is being touted for its salutary health effects, alcohol is one of the worst drugs one can take for pain management, marijuana one of the best. Alcohol contributes to acts of violence; marijuana reduces aggression. In approximately three million cases of reported violent crimes last year, the offender had been drinking. This is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and date rape. Marijuana use, in and of itself, is absent from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no link to be made. Over the past four years I've asked police officers throughout the U.S. (and in Canada) two questions. When's the last time you had to fight someone under the influence of marijuana? (I'm talking marijuana only, not pot plus a six-pack or a fifth of tequila.) My colleagues pause, they reflect. Their eyes widen as they realize that in their five or fifteen or thirty years on the job they have never had to fight a marijuana user. I then ask: When's the last time you had to fight a drunk? They look at their watches. All of which begs the question. If one of these two drugs is implicated in dire health effects, high mortality rates, and physical violence -- and the other is not -- what are we to make of our nation's marijuana laws? Or alcohol laws, for that matter. Anybody out there want to launch a campaign for the re-prohibition of alcohol? Didn't think so. The answer, of course, is responsible drinking. Marijuana smokers, for their part, have already shown (apart from that little matter known as the law) greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose alcohol.

I send presents through the mail....

At last a holiday I celebrate cuz I actually believe the earth is real and science can prove it!! Anybody got plans today? Naturally I have shit to do outside after I double check the forecast. I still got lottsa seeds to plant, plants to move, diggin to do ...

In the days since Iowa lesbian and gay couples won the freedom to marry, powerful right-wing groups have mounted a campaign to REVERSE the Iowa Supreme Court's historic decision. Tell Iowa lawmakers to defend marriage equality. -> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLQZ/zj3s/ANR12 These right-wing groups are pushing for a constitutional ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples in Iowa -- just like California's Proposition 8. And they've even launched a national TV ad full of outrageous falsehoods in the wake of this landmark victory. A marriage ban in Iowa would need to be placed on the ballot by the state's legislature, and so far key leaders are defending the court's decision. But it's critical that they hear public support as the right-wing onslaught continues. Send a message thanking Iowa's leaders and urging them to resist right-wing pressure. -> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLQZ/zj3s/ANR12 Thanks for taking action! Samer ThePetitionSite

too much internet use to control like that if they wanna keep their business

interesting twist makin biggums 0 but it looks like were gonna move on to more pillar fights

its more of delaying the end

I want a shrine to me like this

he isn't going to ban assault weapons it was a big stink at the meeting w the prez of Mexico and it was one of our reporters who brought it up at the press conference I'm sure its on youtube somewhere Obama had 53% McCain 46% and Nader took 1% (man we really need a real 3rd party >.<) I dun like faux news either and there's nothing wrong with protesting but it helps if you know what your protesting X'D

the ice bridge collapse doesn't mess w sea level but a land glacier melting into the ocean will also a refreeze is unlikely to work as the temp in that area is now too warm

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoRrPoMEL1s]YouTube - The Rich Have Misdirected the Anger of the Right into Silly Tea Parties[/ame]

Jeremy Hance mongabay.com April 05, 2009 As though commenting on world leader's lack of progress in combating climate change at the G20 conference last week, an ice bridge connecting the Wilkins Ice Shelf to the Antarctic continent broke off over the weekend. Long expected by scientists, the break is perhaps the beginning of the Wilkins Ice Shelf completely coming loose from Antarctica. Splitting at its thinnest point of 500 meters the 25-mile-long ice bridge connected the Wilkins Ice Shelf to Charcot and Latardy islands. The Wilkins Ice Shelf has become famous for being the largest of ten Antarctic ice shelves to have collapsed or shrunk recently, most likely due to rising temperatures in the Antarctic. In the past 50 years, Antarctic temperature have risen approximately 3 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit), which is about three times the global surface temperature increase. Scientists worry that the loss of the ice bridge may allow water currents to melt the Wilkins Ice Shelf far faster, eventually leaving the ice shelf a disintegrating island. [/url] Related articles Antarctica shows net warming over past 50 years (01/22/2009) Despite a cooling trend in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Antarctica has experienced net warming over the past 50 years, report researchers writing in the January 22 edition of Nature. Analyzing data from satellites and weather stations authors led by Eric Steig of the University of Washington (UW) found that "warming in West Antarctica exceeded one-tenth of a degree Celsius per decade for the last 50 years and more than offset the cooling in East Antarctica", according to a statement from UW. (04/24/2008) A full recovery of the stratospheric ozone hole could strongly modify climate change in the Southern Hemisphere and possibly amplify warming of the Antarctic continent, a new study finds. (03/25/2008) Satellites have captured the collapse of a massive ice shelf in Antarctica. At 160 square miles the area of collapsed ice was seven times the size of Manhattan. Scientists say the collapse is the beginning of a "runaway" disintegration of the 13,680 square kilometer (5,282 square mile) Wilkins Ice Shelf on the southwest Antarctic Peninsula. The region has experienced the largest temperature increase on the planet, rising by 0.5 degree Celsius (0.9 degree Fahrenheit) per decade over the past 50 years. (07/19/2007) Melting glaciers and ice caps will contribute more to global sea level rise this century than the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, reports a study published in the current issue of Science. (06/05/2007) Antarctic glaciers are moving faster due to global warming, reports the British Antarctic Survey. (05/16/2007) NASA has found clear evidence of a California-sized area of snow melting in west Antarctica in January 2005 in response to warm temperatures.

*cough see cough* Dear ACLU Supporter, Disturbing secret memos released yesterday detail the sadistic interrogation methods the Bush administration authorized the CIA to use on detainees. These memos provide shocking confirmation of high-level involvement in the Bush torture program. It's appalling to see how far our nation strayed from our commitment to human rights. To restore our values we must demand accountability from those responsible. The last thing America can do now is adopt a "let bygones be bygones" approach to these despicable and indefensible activities. In America, no one is above the law -- and when crimes have been committed, our legal system demands accountability. It took five long years for the ACLU to force these memos out into the open. And, no matter how long it takes, we're going to keep pushing until those responsible for these heinous acts are held accountable. Enforcing the law is not a political decision. In America, there aren't seasons when we enforce the law and other seasons when we simply ignore it. Slamming people against walls. Placing them in stress positions for prolonged periods. Waterboarding them. These are the kinds of "enhanced interrogation techniques" that these outrageous memos seek to justify. In short, as one of the Bush torture memos openly acknowledges, they seek to permit activities that our own State Department routinely condemns as torture. We can't just say "Tsk. Tsk. That should never have happened" and walk away. We must demonstrate our commitment to the rule of law and demand accountability if our country is going to move forward. We need your continued support to make sure those who broke the law by authorizing these heinous crimes are brought to justice. As a Guardian of Liberty, your small, monthly gift can provide the support we need to be successful in this work. It will be a long and difficult fight -- but it is the only way to restore our values at home and our reputation abroad. Become a Guardian of Liberty by making a recurring monthly donation. http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=OIybMd2kR1ZMZ82QY14RgA.. Thank you for standing with us, Anthony D. Romero Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union P.S. It was up to you and the ACLU to force the release of these memos. And it's up to us to make sure those who authorized and condoned torture are held to account.

let em do their test

its as believable as the bible X'D

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lol