From the Comments ::
This is an interesting web site run by a Ukrainian woman who is fond of riding through the Chernobyl restricted zone on her motocycle taking photos, with a geiger counter in one hand and a camera in the other. Her father is a physicist and gets her passes to get through the checkpoints. I found it fascinating.
by shargash


From the top of the Ghost Town Hotel

The day after the accident, this place on the bridge provided a good view of the gaping crack in the nuclear containment vessel that was ruptured by the explosion. Many curious people came here to have a look and were bathed in a flood of deadly x-rays emanating directly from the glowing nuclearcore.

Continue Reading

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Technological Barbarism · Nukes · Nuclear Power

Congress readies broad new digital copyright bill
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: April 23, 2006, 6:00 AM PDT
Last modified: April 24, 2006, 10:00 AM PDT

update For the last few years, a coalition of technology companies, academics and computer programmers has been trying to persuade Congress to scale back the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Now Congress is preparing to do precisely the opposite. A proposed copyright law seen by CNET News.com would expand the DMCA's restrictions on software that can bypass copy protections and grant federal police more wiretapping and enforcement powers.

The draft legislation, created by the Bush administration and backed by Rep. Lamar Smith, already enjoys the support of large copyright holders such as the Recording Industry Association of America. Smith, a Texas Republican, is the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees intellectual-property law.

A spokesman for the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2006 is expected to "be introduced in the near future." Beth Frigola, Smith's press secretary, added Monday that Wisconsin Republican F. James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the full House Judiciary Committee, will be leading the effort.

The 24-page bill is a far-reaching medley of different proposals cobbled together. One would, for instance, create a new federal crime of just trying to commit copyright infringement. Such willful attempts at piracy, even if they fail, could be punished by up to 10 years in prison.

It also represents a political setback for critics of expanding copyright law, who have been backing federal legislation that veers in the opposite direction and permits bypassing copy protection for "fair use" purposes. That bill--introduced in 2002 by Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat--has been bottled up in a subcommittee ever since.

Continue Reading

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Technology · DMCA · fair use · Copyright Infringement· Intellectual Property · Congress · Activism

There are a special group of Democrats who first sign up to serve their country, often in wars half way around the world, and then return home and continue to fight for the values they hold dear in the Democratic Party. Right now more than fifty veterans are running as Democrats for Congress and dozens more are running up and down the ticket.

We all know the current administration doesn't hesitate to stand in front of the troops when it comes to a photo-op, but never stands behind them when it comes to providing the armor necessary to fight in Iraq, or the benefits promised when they return home. It's time for veterans to join together and defend our country once more -- and the Fighting Dems intend to do just that.

Continue Reading

Elect A Congress To Take Our Country Back

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Fighting Dems · Congress

The Worst President in History?

One of America's leading historians assesses George W. Bush

by Sean Wilentz
Illustration by Robert Grossman

George W. Bush's presidency appears headed for colossal historical disgrace. [snip...

... ]   George W. Bush is in serious contention for the title of worst ever. In early 2004, an informal survey of 415 historians conducted by the nonpartisan History News Network found that eighty-one percent considered the Bush administration a "failure." Among those who called Bush a success, many gave the president high marks only for his ability to mobilize public support and get Congress to go along with what one historian called the administration's "pursuit of disastrous policies." In fact, roughly one in ten of those who called Bush a success was being facetious, rating him only as the best president since Bill Clinton -- a category in which Bush is the only contestant.

Continue Reading

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Worst President · George W Bush

Don't Attack Iran!

Dear President Bush and Vice President Cheney,

We write to you from all over the United States and all over the world to urge you to obey both international and U.S. law, which forbid aggressive attacks on other nations. We oppose your proposal to attack Iran. Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, just as Iraq did not possess nuclear weapons. If Iran had such weapons, that would not justify the use of force, any more than any other nation would be justified in launching a war against the world's greatest possesor of nuclear arms, the United States. The most effective way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons would be to closely monitor its nuclear energy program, and to improve diplomatic relations -- two tasks made much more difficult by threatening to bomb Iranian territory. We urge you to lead the way to peace, not war, and to begin by making clear that you will not commit the highest international crime by aggressively attacking Iran.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Iran · Nuke · Petition · AfterDowningStreet.org · Bush Administration

Tell the Bush administration and Kofi Annan that the world is demanding an end to this madness!

HELP US PREVENT A WAR WITH IRAN

To the Honorable Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

Dear Mr. Secretary-General,

We are appalled that the United States is threatening a military strike against Iran, possibly using nuclear weapons. As you are well aware, a preventive strike is illegal under international law, and the threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran, a non-nuclear weapons state, is a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that the United States has signed. A nuclear strike against Iran would undermine the entire legal framework of disarmament and non-proliferation that so many millions of people around the world, and the United Nations itself, have worked so hard to build and protect.

As the head of the United Nations, the repository of international law, you called the U.S./UK invasion of Iraq what it was: illegal. Now we call on you to tell the Bush administration and the world:

--That any preventive military strike against Iran is illegal.

--That even threatening a nuclear strike against Iran - a non-nuclear weapons state - is illegal.

--That a nuclear strike threatens dire consequences - maybe even global war. We urge you to make a diplomatic solution to this crisis your top priority.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

CODEPINK

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Iran · Nuke · Petition · Code Pink · Bush Administration

President Bush and Congress should rule out attacking Iran with nuclear weapons

TO: Your Senators
CC: (Your Representative)
FROM: (Your Name and Email)
SUBJECT: Don't Nuke Iran

__________

Dear Senators and Representatives,

Congress and President Bush must rule out attacking Iran with nuclear weapons. Even the threat of a nuclear attack eliminates some of the best options we have for diplomacy, and the consequences could be catastrophic.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Iran · Nuke · Petition · MoveOn · Bush Administration

Co-Sponsor This Resolution

Half the names on the Vietnam Memorial wall were added after America's leaders knew our strategy would not work. It was immoral then and it would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion. You and I have to do everything in our power to stop that from happening again.

Two weeks ago, President Bush said that the timing of complete withdrawal from Iraq "...will be decided by future presidents." But this is our responsibility now, not the responsibility of future presidents or a future Congress.

I believe that American combat troops should come home from Iraq in 2006 - not the distant future as President Bush does. Furthermore, I believe we must set a May 15th deadline for the Iraqis to form an effective unity government. And, if the Iraqi politicians choose to ignore that deadline, then I believe things will only get worse and we will have no choice but to withdraw immediately.

It's not enough to express our convictions - we need to back up our beliefs with concrete actions. Today I introduced a resolution into the Senate that will give members of both parties the chance to tell the president that our course in Iraq must change.

I am setting tough deadlines for action in Iraq, and you know as well as I do how fiercely the extreme right wing will attack us. So I'm asking you today to be a citizen co-sponsor of this important resolution. Show the White House and my Senate colleagues a groundswell of support.

Support a Deadline for Iraq

I support John Kerry's Senate resolution for a timely withdrawal from Iraq.

I believe that American combat troops should come home from Iraq in 2006 - not the distant future as President Bush does. Furthermore, I believe we must set a May 15th deadline for the Iraqis to form an effective unity government. And, if the Iraqi politicians choose to ignore that deadline, then I believe things will only get worse and we will have no choice but to withdraw immediately.

We want democracy in Iraq, but it's now the job of Iraqis to build it. Our troops have performed gallantly and heroically. The best way to keep faith with them is to set deadlines for bringing our troops home and getting Iraq on its own two feet. That's the only way to give their sacrifice its best chance of resulting in success.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Iraq · John Kerry · Petition · Bush Administration

Top Ten Reasons Why Sy Hersh's New Article Should Scare the Stuffing Out of You

10. Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a whackjob who is determine to enrich uranium.

9. Our President, George W. Bush, has a messiah complex and is convinced that "saving Iran is going to be his legacy."

8. The Pentagon is already engaging in clandestine activities, called "force protection," that can be classified as military, not intelligence, operations; e.g., preparing a battlefield. Such activities are not subject to congressional oversight.

7. U.S. military planners believe that bombing Iran will cause Iranians to rise up and overthrow the mullahs who rule them. Most Middle East experts think this notion is right up there with Cheney's "Iraqis will greet us with flowers" delusion.

6. A senior Pentagon adviser on the war on terror said: "This White House believes that the only way to solve the problem is to change the power structure in Iran, and that means war."

5. The White House has been talking to members of Congress about Iran. However, the only ones they're talking to are the same bunch who led the charge against Iraq.

4. "The lack of reliable intelligence leaves military planners, given the goal of totally destroying the sites, little choice but to consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons. 'Every other option, in the view of the nuclear weaponeers, would leave a gap,' the former senior intelligence official said. '"Decisive" is the key word of the Air Force's planning. It's a tough decision. But we made it in Japan.'

3. "He went on, ‘Nuclear planners go through extensive training and learn the technical details of damage and fallout-we're talking about mushroom clouds, radiation, mass casualties, and contamination over years. This is not an underground nuclear test, where all you see is the earth raised a little bit. These politicians don't have a clue, and whenever anybody tries to get it out'-remove the nuclear option-'they're shouted down.'"

2. Bombing Iran could "provoke 'a chain reaction' of attacks on American facilities and citizens throughout the world."

1. See reasons #9.

Read the entire article

THE IRAN PLANS
Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?
by Seymour M. Hersh

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Iran · Nukes · NeoCon · War · Bush Administration

Petition in Support of the Resolution of Censure

Yes, Tom! Please let your colleagues in the Senate know that the American people demand accountable, law-abiding democracy here at home, not just rhetoric about democracy abroad! I want you to mobilize support for Senator Feingold's Resolution of Censure so that when the Senate returns to session after the Easter recess, a vote on the Senate floor will tell President Bush that no American can be above the law!

Dear Senator Harkin:

We, the undersigned, support your principled stand with Senators Russ Feingold and Barbara Boxer in favor of holding President Bush accountable, and we urge you to bring the Resolution of Censure to the floor of the Senate for a vote. The President has brazenly, arrogantly and unapologetically broken the law - the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which prohibits warrantless wiretaps of American citizens. Despite getting caught red-handed, he refuses to stop.

Government must protect Americans' security, and that's why the FISA law allows intelligence services to listen to terrorists' conversations legally - by going to the secret espionage and terrorism court to get a warrant AFTER listening.

We are a nation of laws, not of men. No American is above the law. That most certainly includes the President. If Congress fails to hold him to account through censure, then he will believe that he can continue breaking laws with impunity. This is profoundly dangerous to our democracy.

We admire your courage in standing up to President Bush and saying enough! Now, we urge you to take the next step. We - ordinary Americans deeply concerned for the country we love - ask you to work with your colleagues to support and pass the Resolution of Censure in the Senate.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Morals · Scandals · Censure · Tom Harkin · Russ Feingold · Barbara Boxer · FISA · SnoopGate · Domestic Spying · Illegal Wiretapping · Bush Administration · Culture Of Corruption

Bush welcomes probe of CIA leak
'I want to know the truth,' president tells reporters - CNN - Wednesday, February 11, 2004

President Bush Called Leak 'A Criminal Action'
- TalkLeft - Monday, July 11, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
- September 29, 2003

Bush Vows Action if Aides Had Role in Leak
Democrats' Demand for Special Counsel Rejected
- By Mike Allen and Dana Milbank - Washington Post - Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Bush alters standard for firing in leak case
President says an aide would have had to commit a crime, not just be involved - Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen - Washington Post - Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The Wilson-Plame-Novak-Rove Blame Game
- Both sides twist and hype the case of a CIA agent's leaked identity.
- We document what's known so far.
FactCheck.org - July 22, 2005 - Modified: November 23, 2005

Bush Administration Archives - Daily Kos

Tags:   Politics · Morals · Scandals · Bush Administration · Culture Of Corruption · PlameGate · Corrupt Republicans

Republican Party of the United States
Uniform Resignation Form
FORM 34-RY REVISION MARCH 2006

I (name) ______________________HEREBY RESIGN MY

POSITION IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS :

ELECTED OFFICIAL   PARTY LEADER   PARTY SPOKESMAN   UNPAID INTERN   LIASON TO RELIGIOUS RIGHT   FOX NEWS COMMENTATOR   LOBBYIST   FUNDRAISER   ALL OF THE ABOVE

EFFECTIVE AS OF (date) _____________________________

PLEASE GIVE MY REASON AS THE FOLLOWING :

INDICTMENT   CONVICTION   CENSURE   IMPEACHMENT   BRIBERY SCANDAL   ETHICS SCANDAL   RACISIM SCANDAL   TAX EVASION   CHILD PORN ON COMPUTER   THERE'S A DEAD HOOKER           IN MOTEL ROOM           (hotel name &           room # on reverse)   SCANDAL (other)   ALL OF THE ABOVE

PLEASE NOTIFY THE PRESS WITH THE FOLLOWING EXPLANATION:

PERSONAL HEALTH ISSUES   SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY   FOLLOWING GOD'S ORDERS   CAN'T FIGHT THE LIBRUL MEDIA           JUGGERNAUT ANYMORE   ALL OF THE ABOVE

SIGNED : _____________________________
your signature here

(How may the GOP contact you? Indicate phone number, email address, bail bondsman or attorney contact info on reverse.)

Tags:   Politics · Morals · Scandals · Bush Administration · Culture Of Corruption · Pedophiles · Corrupt Republicans

DHS Spokesman Is Accused of Soliciting Teen Online
Washington Post.com
By Spencer S. Hsu
4.5.06

The deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security was arrested last night on charges that he used the Internet to seduce an undercover Florida sheriff's detective who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Brian J. Doyle, 55, was arrested at his Silver Spring home at 7:45 p.m. and charged with seven counts of using a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmitting harmful materials to a minor, according to a sheriff's office statement.

Doyle was online at the time awaiting what he thought was a nude image of a girl who had lymphoma, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in an interview with Fox News' "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren." "We wanted to make sure he was using that computer and talking to detectives at the time of the arrest," Judd said.

DHS Officer Pleads No Contest
Tampa Bay Online.com
By Elaine Silvestrini
4.5.06

The man who headed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa has pleaded no contest to charges he exposed himself to a girl in a mall food court and ran away from security guards.

Frank Figueroa, 49, originally said he was not guilty. His trial was expected to begin tomorrow.

Figueroa, once one of Florida's highest-ranking federal law enforcement officers and the former head of a national program formed to target child sex predators, was arrested Oct. 25 at The Mall at Millenia in Orlando

Son of Senate president offered plea deal in assault case
Arizona Daily Sun
4.3.06

Clifton Bennett, 18, the son of Arizona Senate President Ken Bennett, and his co-defendant, Kyle Wheeler, 19, were charged in January with 18 counts of aggravated assault and 18 counts of kidnapping for the incidents, which happened at a youth camp last June.

The younger Bennett confessed to police that he and Wheeler sodomized the 11- to 14-year-old boys with broomsticks and flashlights in at least 40 incidents, court documents show.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Morals · Scandals · Bush Administration · Culture Of Corruption · Pedophiles · Corrupt Republicans

The Lobby Strikes Back

Harvard study of Israeli lobby's influence costs the academic dean of the Kennedy School his job

The reaction to the Harvard University study by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," [.pdf] has been fury by the Lobby and its partisans - and a demotion for Walt, who, it was announced shortly after the paper's release, would be stepping down from his post as [academic] dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The Kennedy School has removed its logo from the front page of the paper, and made more prominent a boilerplate statement to the effect that the school doesn't necessarily endorse any or all of the views expressed therein.

Now, somebody please tell me that Mearsheimer and Walt have overplayed the power and influence of the Lobby in American political life.

The hate campaign directed at Mearsheimer and Walt underscores and validates the study's contention that all attempts to objectively discuss our Israel-centric foreign policy and the pivotal role played by the Lobby are met with outright intimidation. We have O.J. Simpson defender and pro-Israel fanatic Alan Dershowitz claiming that the scholarly duo filched the majority of their sources from "hate sites" - although how Dershowitz knows this, without having looked directly over their shoulders as they wrote, is very far from clear. But don't worry, he assures us, a "team" of researchers on his staff is looking into the matter. One wonders if this is the same "team" that looked into the evidence and concluded that Simpson was innocent.

Virtually every mention of the study informs us that David Duke is among its most fervent defenders. The Boston Globe and the Washington Post both featured Duke's endorsement in their respective summaries of the controversy, and when the shameless Joe Scarborough of MSNBC had him on, he introduced the notorious racist this way:

"Thank you for being with us tonight, Mr. Duke. You have been attacked as a former Klansman, an anti-Semite, but tonight you're in league with Harvard University. Do you feel vindicated?"

Mearsheimer and Walt are the ones who should feel vindicated, because this sort of cheap demagoguery proves their point about the Lobby's modus operandi. Always they seek to set the terms of the debate in their favor: If you disagree with them and decry their influence, you're a "Nazi." How very convenient.

Continue Reading This Article

World Opinion Roundup

by Jefferson Morley

The Asia Times in Hong Kong approvingly quotes Mearsheimer and Walt's conclusion that support for Israel hinders U.S. efforts to combat Islamic terrorism.

"By preventing US leaders from pressuring Israel to make peace, the lobby has also made it impossible to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which gives extremists a potent recruiting tool and enlarges the pool of potential militants, the authors say. And new attempts by the lobby to 'change regimes' in Iran and Syria could lead the US to attack those countries, with potentially disastrous effects.

Cosmos   •   Tags:   Politics · Israel · Lobby · Bush Administration

Tags:   Politics · Military · Body Armor · Iraq · Terrorism · Patriot Act · Homeland Security · Domestic Spying · Illegal Wiretapping · NSA · Unitary President · Bush Administration · Cheney Administration · Culture of Corruption · Scandals · Tom DeLay · Jack Abramoff