LoJack Your ex-Cons

Butler County, Ohio officials are being asked to consider using tracking devices on all probationees particularly convicted sex offenders. Best - er - I mean Worst quote here:

While Fox earlier had suggested the use of electronic ankle or wrist bracelets to allow for passive monitoring of offenders, on Monday he took the proposal a step further, calling for a plan of implanting computer microchips into offenders so that they can be tracked and located immediately.

"People have these GPS chips put in their pets and - in some case - in their children, in the event they are lost or kidnapped," Fox said. "I don't see why the same can't be done with probationees."

Might have something to do with the fact that this is America or something like that. Also, implanting GPS locators in humans is not yet technically feasible, he may be thinking of RFID chips which only work over short distances and don't necessarily provide location information to a tracking system like a GPS transceiver would.

No One Accounting for Accountability

Well, except the ACLU I guess but where is the rage from the rest of the country? The latest ACLU expose facilitated by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) noted:

A memo signed by Lieutenant General Ricardo A. Sanchez authorizing 29 interrogation techniques, including 12 which far exceeded limits established by the Army’s own Field Manual...

"General Sanchez authorized interrogation techniques that were in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Army’s own standards," said ACLU attorney Amrit Singh. "He and other high-ranking officials who bear responsibility for the widespread abuse of detainees must be held accountable."

So far, only those in the field are facing the consequences. In looking up info for this post, I came across this posting. What resonated the most was the first comment by misanthrope112 posted after the op-ed writeup.

[Update 5:50 pm - Thanks for the info BrooklynKat]
The ACLU is asking Attorney General Alberto "Not So Speedy" Gonzalez to pursue perjury charges against General Sanchez. A rather lengthy transcript of his sworn testimony before a Senate Armed Services Committee is at the bottom of the page as well as here. Of note:

[Senator] REED: ... General Sanchez, today's USA Today, sir, reported that you ordered or approved the use of sleep deprivation, intimidation by guard dogs, excessive noise and inducing fear as an interrogation method for a prisoner in Abu Ghraib prison ... Is that correct?
SANCHEZ: Sir, that may be correct that it's in a news article, but I never approved any of those measures to be used within CJTF-7 at any time in the last year.
REED: Excuse me. Because I want to get back to this.
It may be correct that you ordered those methods used against a prisoner. Is that your answer?
SANCHEZ: No, sir, that's not what I said. I said it may be correct...
REED: Well, I didn't hear; that's why I want...
SANCHEZ: ... that it's printed in an article, but I have never approved the use of any of those methods within CJTF-7 in the 12.5 months that I've been in Iraq.

What can make three of the world's major religious rivals unite? Why, gays of course...

The major leaders of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are united to stop the WorldPride festival and parade in Jerusalem, scheduled for this August. International gay leaders say that they want to hold the festival in the Holy City, home to three great religious traditions, in order make a statement about tolerance and diversity. But religion is not about tolerance and diversity! Is it? I don't recall...

"That is something new I've never witnessed before, such an attempt to globalization bigotry," said Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of Jerusalem Open House, a gay and lesbian group that is the host for the festival. "It's quite sad and ironic that these religious figures are coming together around such a negative message."

All is not lost, however. "Organizers of the gay pride event, Jerusalem WorldPride 2005, said that 75 non-Orthodox rabbis had signed a statement of support for the event, and that Christian and Muslim leaders as well as Israeli politicians were expected to announce their support soon. They said they were dismayed to see that what united their opponents was their objection to homosexuality." Full story here.

A Sex Scandal in the Boy Scouts?! *gasp* NO!

Could this story be any more cliché? CNN reported on Tuesday that Douglas S. Smith Jr., a former top official of the Boy Scouts of America, has been charged with downloading child pornography from the Internet after federal investigators found images of children engaging in sex acts on his computer.

Because sometimes comedy and tragedy are too closely linked

Living Will is the Best Revenge !! Read the funny here.

Even the Australians Hate Us Now

Though we've enjoyted historically warm relations with Australia, things may be taking a turn for the worse. A recent poll "commissioned by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, a research institute with a generally center-right orientation" has found that Australians have a diminishing regard for the US, particularly our foreign policy.

[The poll] found that only 58 percent of the population had a positive view of the United States.
...
That put the United States behind China (69 percent positive), and not even in the overall Top 10 countries, regions or groups that Australians respect. They have a more positive opinion of France (66 percent) and the United Nations (65 percent).

[AP coverage here]

Updates on Int'l Court of Justice and John "Hairy as Michael" Bolton

Just to keep you up to speed on some goings on:

1) The Supreme Court is waffling on what to do regarding foreigners on Death Row that never had a chance to contact their respective embassies for help.
[Our original post on the ICJ here] [Update from the AP here and from the NY Times here]

2) 59 former diplomats are asking the Senate to reject the appointment of John Bolton as US Ambassador to the UN. The group included ex-diplomats that served under Democrat and Republican administrations.

Their criticism dwelled primarily on Bolton's stand on issues as the State Department's senior arms control official. They said he had an "exceptional record" of opposing U.S. efforts to improve national security through arms control.

But the former diplomats also chided Bolton for his "insistence that the U.N. is valuable only when it directly serves the United States."

[Our original post here] [Update here]

Do You Know How Fast You Were Going? Your Car's Black Box Does

I've been following the debate over black boxes in cars and the data they collect since last summer thanks to autoblog.com and engadget.com (search on "black box"). As in airplanes, these Electronic Data Recorders (aka EDRs) can record information such as throttle or brake actuation, seatbelt usage, or even vehicle speed. Unlike airplanes, they don't record audio from inside the car.

I haven't heard of any significant developments in a while but this article from the AP details how regulation is springing up at the state level. There currently isn't much regulation on the use of the information which is highly disturbing but the state legislature of North Dakota is trying to pass a law to prevent the use of black box data in court. Seemingly less important issues - at least from a privacy standpoint - are more commonly regulated:

California has a law on the books requiring dealers and vehicle rental companies to inform drivers when a car has a black box. In New York it is illegal for rental companies to use global positioning system technology to track drivers and use the data to charge extra fees or penalties.

For some really detailed info on EDRs in cars and some of the privacy concerns, see this Nov. 2004 article from Autoweek. Most disturbing stat you may not already know: "About 65 percent to 90 percent of 2004 [model year] cars and trucks have" EDRs.


[Update 4/14/05]
North Dakota soon to adopt new legislation on protection of the data. Some laws are better than no laws but this one would still leave the data open to retrieval by court order. Thanks to Engadget.com for the update.

Ethics Committee Reshaped to Accommodate Ethics of House Majority Leader

Here's another sign of the deterioration of our government's system of checks and balances. House Majority Leader Tom Delay didn't care for the rebukes he received from the House Ethics Committee last year so this year, his GOP buddies stacked the deck in his favor:

House Republican leaders responded to those rebukes this year by dumping the Republican ethics committee chairman along with two GOP committee members who voted to admonish DeLay.

Two of the new GOP members have contributed to DeLay's legal defense funds, and one of them raised money for a Texas political committee that could be investigated by the ethics committee in the future.

[4/12/05 Update]
Damn, links to the AP are becoming useless over time so we had to dig up a related but older story here.

Ghost Busters

The probe into Abu Ghraib prison abuse is unearthing some seriously disturbing things. A review of Army documents shows that the CIA participated in what is know as a "ghosting" program that was systematic and known to three senior intelligence officials in Iraq. Ghosting refers to hiding detainees in a special row of cells with little or no identification numbers rendering them unnamed, unannounced and unaccounted for in direct violation of the Geneva Convention.

The most recent Pentagon review of detainee abuse was released this month by Vice Adm. Albert T. Church III, who told reporters that his probe found 30 cases in which prisoners were held off the books, including one kept secretly for about 45 days. According to investigative statements by some soldiers, such detainees were left in isolation cells for weeks without being interrogated, they were sometimes registered under fake names and essentially lost, and the rules that applied to thousands of other detainees did not always apply to them.

Bush Brothers Manage to Alienate Their Own Fanboys

A recent CBS News poll found that "four of five people polled opposed federal intervention" in the Terri Schiavo case while "more than two-thirds of people who describe themselves as evangelicals and conservatives disapprove of the intervention by Congress and President Bush." It is clearly a tough situation for which there will be no winners and even BrooklynKat and I don't totally agree on what should be done.

More than eight in 10 in that poll said they feel sympathy for Bob and Mary Schindler, parents of Schiavo, who want to keep her alive. And seven in 10 said they're sympathetic for Michael Schiavo, the husband of Schiavo who says she should be allowed to die.

Former Republican Congressman Comes Correct by Leading Opposition to the Patriot Act

Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr is leading a "coalition" of strange bedfellows to oppose the USA Patriot Act which he voted for while in office. A pretty surprising group of organizations are getting together on this:

[The] ACLU, the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Free Congress Foundation, the American Policy Center, Citizens' Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Second Amendment Foundation and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

If these guys can set aside their fundamental differences to help face a common concern, it might be time for us to sit up and take notice. Washington Post article here.

Straight Censor for the Queer Guy

President Bush wants 'pro-homosexual' drama banned. What should we do with US classics like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or The Color Purple? "Dig a hole," Gerald Allen recommends, "and dump them in it." Don't laugh. Gerald Allen's book-burying opinions are not a joke.

Bush is interested in Allen's opinions because Allen is an elected Republican representative in the Alabama state legislature. He is Bush's base. Last week, Bush's base introduced a bill that would ban the use of state funds to purchase any books or other materials that "promote homosexuality". Allen does not want taxpayers' money to support "positive depictions of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle". That's why Tennessee Williams and Alice Walker have got to go.

Cutting off funds to theatre departments that put on A Chorus Line or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof may look like censorship, and smell like censorship, but "it's not censorship", Allen hastens to explain. "For instance, there's a reason for stop lights. You're driving a vehicle, you see that stop light, and I hope you stop." Who can argue with something as reasonable as stop lights? Of course, if you're gay, this particular traffic light never changes to green.

[Thanks for the tip Maria! And be sure to check out her super sexy art at http://www.mariartist.com]

Jesus Versus the Volcano

IMAX theaters in Texas, Georgia, and the Carolinas are refusing to show a new film called Volcanoes of the Deep Sea. The film "makes a connection between human DNA and microbes inside undersea volcanoes" and the theaters are refusing to show it using the following rationale:

"We've got to pick a film that's going to sell in our area. If it's not going to sell, we're not going to take it," said Lisa Buzzelli, director of an IMAX theater in Charleston that is not showing the movie. "Many people here believe in creationism, not evolution."

Assuming people aren't going to see a movie about volcanoes based on a simple reference to evolution doesn't give them much credit does it? Well I guess that's why movie theater managers need to make these decisions for them. I'm sure these same states tried to get people to pay for Gigli though.

On Civil Disobedience

While you were busy watching 24 hour news coverage on Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman, thousands of people took to the streets this weekend to protest the 2nd anniversary of the Iraq War without much news coverage. Huge protests occurred simultaneously this Saturday in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Reno, Albuquerque, Tokyo, London, Athens, Stockholm, Istanbul, Vancouver, etc...

Makes you wonder why Bush suddenly took a personal interest in one comatosed woman and made sure all focus was on her and not on the thousands and thousands who oppose his war.

Voice your Opinion and Get Published!

The editors of College Tree Publishing have asked us to pass on a really cool opportunity to contribute to their upcoming books What We Think II (aka What We Think: Politics 2006) and What We Think About God. They are collecting essay submissions and an excerpt of their note to us is below.

[We have previously requested] submissions from people in the 17 to 25 year old age group on political and social issues. The end result was What We Think: Young Voters Speak Out, which was put out nationally in late October [of 2004]. The book was meant to be a running forum for political expression of America's youngest voting demographic, and in that regard has been a success.
...
We are a non-partisan company possessing a Republican, Democrat and Libertarian leaning editor, trying to give fair and equal voice to all ideologies present among college age youth. We are currently accepting submissions for our next two books, What We Think: Politics 2006 and What We Think About God and looking to increase the number of well written pieces. Individuals 17 to 25 are encouraged to submit for possible publication.

Yet another way to silence your opposition...

The New York Times reported that "roughly a dozen nonprofit organizations have publicly contended that government agencies and Congressional offices have used reviews, audits, investigations, law enforcement actions and the threat of a loss of federal money to discourage them from activities and advocacy that in any way challenge government policies, and nonprofit leaders say more are complaining quietly."

The N.A.A.C.P. prefers risking its tax exemption rather than hand over documents for an I.R.S. review that the civil rights group contends is politically motivated.

Other groups who have complained about this type of abuse of power include Advocates for Youth (educate young people about safe sex, in direct opposition to the Bush administration's programs that advocate abstinence as the only way to prevent pregnancy and sexual transmission of diseases), Global Health Council (who's main focus last year was preventing the transmission of H.I.V. among youth), and the Environment and Public Works Committee (who criticized the Clear Skies Act for being too lenient on power plant emissions).

Soldiers Try to Call in Sick

Wow, what a dilemma to be in. These poor soldiers are trying to rationalize their decisions to avoid participating in a war they just don't believe in or are just afraid of dying in. This NY Times article talks about the increasing trend of soldiers finding ways to avoid going to Iraq. Some heartbreaking snippets in here.

"There are people who would want to hang me for this," he [a Private from Texas] said in a telephone interview from Toronto. "The thing is, yes, I did sign up for this. And, when I did, I had this vision that I'd be a good guy and defend my country. But killing people for something I don't believe in just to fulfill a contract just didn't seem right to me either."

In the hopes of staying out of Iraq, some are running off to Canada, deliberately injuring themselves, or even taking illegal drugs which they expect to be flagged during tox screens. This one guy put it: "Until I took a stand, I was really going against my own conscience. I was so afraid to be called a coward."

Congress Tries to Stem the Loss of Dungeon Master Jobs to Egypt and Syria

The House of Representatives went out of their way to vote on an ammendment to a defense spending bill to "ban the use of federal money to transfer terror suspects to countries that are believed to torture prisoners." It was largely a symbolic gesture that "reaffirms a 1994 treaty barring torture of detainees in American custody, whether in the United States or in countries known for human rights violations." The consensus on this was pretty amazing actually: the ammendment was approved 420-2. Kinda sad that this was necessary to reaffirm though.

Tired of Being Asked What He Would Do, Jesus Just Wants to Skate

Dudes, Jesus is my homeboy and he's a skater. Proselytizing is cool again. Skater troupes are the newest way evangelical groups are reaching out to America's youth. You can't make this stuff up cause I really wish I had.

Best quotes:
"Rick Weigele, an elder with the Christian Cornerstone Fellowship" said, "But these guys aren't talking about religion; they're talking about a relationship with Jesus, and their medium is the skateboard."

Gnarly dude in evangelical group King of Kings: "I knew God had given me this gift, and I knew I wanted to glorify him with my skateboard. I wanted to stoke God out."

The Evil Empire Strikes Again

It was reported in the Washington Post today that Wal-Mart has agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations it used hundreds of illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

In two separate investigations, authorities uncovered the cases of an estimated 345 illegal immigrants contracted as janitors at Wal-Mart stores. Many of the workers worked seven days or nights a week without overtime pay or injury compensation, attorneys said. Those who worked nights were often locked in the store until the morning.

But really, what's $11 million when last year Wal-Mart's sales equaled $288.19 billion.

The Natural Family Manifesto

In response to Tuesday's announcement by California's court that same-sex marriage could not be banned according to the state's constitution, a coalition of conservative groups have announced their "Natural Family Manifesto," Salon.com reported. Here are some excerpts from the "Manifesto" for your enjoyment:

• It is not enough to stop public recognition of 'gay marriage,' nor to oppose 'safe sex education' in the public schools, nor to ban partial birth abortion, nor to create optional 'covenant' marriages
• The "integrity" of the home -- autonomous family units composed exclusively of one woman, one man, and as many children as possible. As incentive for the mother to stay home and fulfill her "aptness for motherhood," fathers would be paid a "family wage"
• In the utopia of "family homes, lawns, and gardens... ringing with the laughter of many children," gay marriage would not only be illegal -- children would be instructed with positive images of chastity, marriage, "husbandry," and "housewifery"

Ahhhh, good times...

Propaganda TV Part II

Ever wonder why talking points on so many conservative (and not-so-conservative) news shows all sound the same? Well, it could be because our news comes freshly pre-packaged from the White House. Mmmm, can you smell the propaganda?

[See Propaganda TV Part I]

America, Land of Opportunity and Vigilante INS Agents

This article is a really great summary of US immigration policy and reality, particularly of the Mexican persuasion. Points of parcticular interest:

• As mentioned in his most recent State of the Union, Bush is sympathetic to the predicament of illegals (or maybe just their employers) and has voiced a desire to grant legal status to 7 million of them currently in the country. However he faces opposition from conservative media and Republicans who voted for a National ID to make things more difficult for illegals who manage to get a mere driver's license.
• The immigration system is just broken as the yearly cap of 675,000 new visas for permanent residents effectively serves as a floor under current rules.
• The libertarian argument for open borders actually might make sense to an extent. If the barriers to entering the US are kept low, immigration from Mexico may actually become more circular a la Puerto Rico in the 80s.

Best quote: "But there is precious little evidence that Joe White, whatever the pay, is willing to toil alongside José Blanco picking fruit in California." Don't forget all the benefits of membership in vigilante border patrols!

Sorry Bono, no World Bank for you...

But you still have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Early rumors speculated that U2's Bono could be a candidate for World Bank president. However it has been reported today that President Bush will recommend Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as his choice to be president of the World Bank.

Yes, THAT Paul Wolfowitz. The prominent neo-con and author of Bush's doctrine of "preemption rather than reaction."

Arrivederci Iraq!

Italy has announced that it will begin withdrawing 3,000 troops from Iraq in September, further deteriorating Bush's "coalition of the willing." So far Bulgaria and Ukraine have also partially withdrawn troops, not to mention Hungary, Nicaragua, Spain, New Zealand, Portugal, and the Netherlands (full withdrawal by the end of this year). Those staying like Albania, Mongolia, and the Kingdom of Tonga will still do their best though. Oh, but did I mention that newly elected Kurdish and Shiite leaders have failed to complete a deal to form a coalition government?

Go Team Coalition of the Willing!

Update 4/3/05:
Original Link no longer working. New links on Italian troop withdrawal here and deadlock here.

Chipping Away at a Woman's Right to Choose

There is a new threat to the Roe vs. Wade decision. In a move that seems to strong-arm women away from making the very hard decision to have an abortion, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is seeking access to the medical records of 80 patients who received late-term abortions last year.

Priscilla Smith, director of the domestic legal program at the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York said, "It really is scary for patients. As more and more restrictions are placed upon abortion, there's more and more opportunity for self-righteous and right-wing antiabortion attorneys general and prosecutors to do these kinds of investigations."

Watch What You Say on IM

Not to sound too terribly cliché, but Big Brother IS watching you, and his name is AOL. According to their new terms of service:

You consent to AOL using your registration information and other information collected by AOL under the terms of the AIM Privacy Policy. By registering with or using AIM Products, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information and the transfer of this information to the United States or other countries for the processing and storage by AOL. Additionally, you agree that AOL may use the Screen Names and wallet services, or other similar technologies, to authenticate you on AIM, help store your registration and transaction-related information, and enable you to take advantage of offerings from AOL and its affiliated providers.

So I guess you should think twice about the dirrrrty things you say to each other on IM!

Update: AOL has very quickly clarified that they don't look at conversations in user to user chat sessions unless ordered by law. The scary language is supposedly specific to any content you post to a public forum or other similar area.

More Republican Love

As we are both peddlers and fans of questionable commentary based on questionable facts from questionable sources here's some more that's probably better than most of the crap we push.

Governator Caught in True Lies (Not the Holiday Blockbuster Jingle All the Way)

The governator's cronies have been involved in some shady film productions that are drawing comparisons to similar Bush Administration mischief that violated campaign finance rules. This AP article calls the productions "propaganda."

The videos included suggested opening remarks for a news anchor, a narrative by a state employee and interviews with supporters of the administration policies. It's not evident to viewers who produced them and no opposition is expressed.

Now we know to keep an eye on the Mouth and Voice in California. How did those hippies end up voting for him?

Pentagon Looking to Clear out Prime Carribean Real Estate

Rummy is up to it again and trying to keep his shenanigans on the dl. The Pentagon is asking around for help in trying to quickly ship Guantanamo prisoners to our pals in more torture-friendly countries. Where's Ashcroft when you need him?

US Quits International Judicial Body in Order to Execute Convicts more Efficiently

After recently faking out some state courts and the international community, the Bush administration is staying true to their attitudes of "general hostility to international institutions and ... support for the death penalty." Why waste time with international protocol that promotes justice for the accused when they can keep death row moving along? Of course, it happens to be minority and alien immigrant unfriendly at the same time. How efficient!

New Features @ JustToTheLeft

Hi loyal readers, we've added some minor tweaks to keep you coming back for more. There are now convenient links located at the footer of each post providing a permalink to the post itself and an e-mail icon allowing you to easily e-mail the post to a buddy. In most cases, the titles of each post will open new windows to the main reference for that post.

We also now have a tip submission form available in the upper right hand corner in case you want to tell us about something worthy for all of us to ridicule or if you just want to report a bad link. There are also some improved RSS links including a button that will make it easier for you to add our feed to your My Yahoo! page.

Let us know what you think in the comments section. Is there something that we're desperately missing? Thanks for stopping by!

Civilian Deaths in Iraq Estimated at 100,000

Somewhat different than, "Give me liberty or give me death."
More like, "You WILL enjoy liberty or we WILL kill you!"

Was Saddam's Capture Fictional?

"Former Sgt. Nadim Abou Rabeh was quoted in a Saudi newspaper as saying the ousted Iraqi president was actually captured Friday, Dec. 12, 2003, and not the day after, as announced by the U.S. Army, according to UPI. 'I was among the 20-man unit, including eight of Arab descent, who searched for Saddam for three days in the area of Dour near Tikrit, and we found him in a modest home in a small village and not in a hole as announced...'" Full story

Only weeks after news broke of Saddam's capture in 2003, the Village Voice and others reported that the U.S. version of the capture was untrue.

Conspiracy theory or truth? Hmmm...

Update [3/30/05]:
A reader kindly pointed out that the original link (labeled "Full Story" above) to CNN no longer opens a relevant article. A search on Abou Rabeh on CNN.com and NYTimes.com returns nothing so the best source of this original we could find is here. Anybody else have any better links? No major news sites seem to have this anywhere. How did this disappear from CNN.com in its entirety?

posted by Fenton Harwick III

Update II [3/30/05]:

If you are a fan of conspiracy theories, and I know I am, you may see this as "The Man" trying to keep this story under raps. Earlier this month, the story of Saddam's fake capture appeared on several major news sources including CNN. Now the only link I can find is for Rochester TV. The plot thickens...

W.W.J.D.?

I guess he would save the environment. Hallelujah!

Defense Department not Reimbursing Soldiers as Dictated in a Law Passed Last Year

The Defense Department seems to be dragging its feet in complying with a law passed last year that seeks to reimburse those that buy safety or health equipment for soldiers. Soldiers and their loved ones have been buying everything from armor plating to GPS devices for use in the field and are entitled to reimbursement under the law. I really hope there's no truth to Senator Dodd's (D-Conn.) conjecture that the hold up is just the passive-aggressive way the Defense Department is reacting to a law they don't like:

"Very simply, this is either negligence on their part, because they were not happy with this when it passed, or it's incompetence," Dodd said. "It's pretty outrageous when you have all their rhetoric about how much we care about our people in uniform."

And they wonder why the recruitment for the Army and Marines are down?

Update: this NY Times article has a little more detail.

The Sunshine in Government Initiative to be Pimped During Sunshine Week

In an attempt to keep the man in check, a coalition - consisting of more than 2 significant entities - is pushing for, among other things, increased government transparency. Too bad the name reeks of the Ministry of Love (thanks BrooklynKat). Seriously, Sunshine in Government Initiative and Sunshine Week are the real names.

"National security depends on public trust," AP President and CEO Tom Curley said. "The trend toward secrecy is the greatest threat to democracy. We must be vigilant at explaining and fighting for accountable government in every jurisdiction."

Ditto.

If 50 Cent and The Game Can Give Peace a Chance, Why Can't We?

Continuing our updates on the Entertainment world, 50 Cent is no longer keepin' it real. He and The Game (formerly of G-Unit) have grudgingly patched up their differences to avoid yet another shootout. They should serve as an example to us all on how to resolve our differences peacefully.

Crowe Prepares for Reprisal of Role as a Paranoid Delusional in Proof of Life II

Ok, this one isn't so much a knock on Russell Crowe as it is on how weird this all sounds. Apparently he was/is the target of an al-Qaeda plot to kidnap cultural icons in a "cultural-destabilization plan."

Let the Poor Stay Poor

The Senate defeated the minimum wage increase on Monday, which would have raised the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour, unchanged since 1996.

"I believe that anyone who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year should not live in poverty in the richest country in the world," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., arguing for the Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage by $2.10 over the next 26 months ... While Democrats sought only an increase in the minimum wage with their proposal, Republicans expanded theirs to include business regulatory relief as well as tax breaks totaling $4.2 billion, most of it directed toward the restaurant industry.

Ya hear that red-Staters?

Update: For you other mathemagicians out there, $5.15/hr x 40 hrs/week x 52 weeks/yr = $10,712/yr. How you gonna feed your baby mama with that?

Self Promotion Part II - First Blogger Admitted to White House Briefing Room

Here's another one from the AP that says the first ever blogger was admitted to the White House press briefing room. He was even granted an audience with press secretary Scott McClellan. (Apparently James Guckert / aka "Jeff Gannon" / aka "8 inches cut" doesn't count cause Talon News is considered "a conservative online news outlet" and not a blog.)

Just goes to show how Blogs are increasingly being recognized as legitimate news outlets. Oh wait...

Self Promotion Part I - People Actually Using the Internet for Something Other than Porn

Actually, this article from the AP doesn't have great numbers for Blogs so this isn't as Self Promotional as much as it is just forcing us here at JustToTheLeft to be more Self Aware. It's also not very timely news but interesting in that more people are using the internet to do their research on politics. Hopefully, this just gives them more information to form their opinions so as long as they get their info from respectable sources, that's a good thing right?

Bush Names Hard Ass as New Ambassador to U.N.

Bush has named John Bolton as the new ambassador to the U.N. The NY Times says he's known as a "blunt-spoken conservative known for his sharp skepticism of the United Nations and international diplomacy." Just what we need as representation in the U.N. Refreshingly, a Repulican Senator from Nebraska reacted by saying:

"We need alliances, we need friends," he said of the United Nations, adding that while reforming the organization was important, "To go up there and kick the U.N. around doesn't get the job done."

Nice that someone came out and said it.

Priority for Body Armor Same as for Socks

At one point in time at least. This article lists some unbelievable foul ups in getting simple body armor to all our troops in Iraq. While it took the Pentagon months just to get the stuff, our buddies in the "coalition of the willing" managed to get theirs in 12 days from a supplier in Michigan.

Rendition Program not Exactly Like your Semester Abroad in Italy

Under Bush administration approval, the CIA has been not so secretly sending terrorist suspects to prisons abroad supposedly out of cost concerns. There has been quite a bit of speculation that suspects are shipped abroad so that more liberal methods of interrogation can be used. Of particular note, one of the countries that the US has been sending prisoners to is Saudi Arabia which the State Department has just officially criticized for human rights violations.

Bill O'Reilly calls the ACLU a "Terrorist Group"

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly labeled the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a "terrorist group" for filing a lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and for opposing Bush administration anti-terrorism measures that the group believes are unconstitutional.
"In the past, O'Reilly has called the ACLU "the most dangerous organization in the United States of America right now ... second next to Al Qaeda" and "a fascist organization." He has also said that 'Hitler would be a card-carrying ACLU member. So would Stalin.'"

The ACLU, a non-partisan organization, has assisted those on the far right as well, helping to keep Rush Limbaugh's medical records sealed.

*Update: ACLU and Human Rights First Sue Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Over U.S. Torture Policies

Shoot first, ask questions later

U.S. Forces Fired on Car Carrying Freed Italian Hostage in Iraq

Blinded by the Right

U.S. efforts to force the United Nations to withdraw support for needle exchange programs endanger global efforts to prevent the spread of HIV, a group of AIDS organizations, human rights groups, scientific researchers and policy analysts from 56 countries said today.

The U.S. is endangering the welfare of our children by promoting unrealistic methods for stopping the spread of AIDS.

Millionaire, Republican Playboy out of Touch with the Masses

I guess this is news to some people but many are understandably confused and misled by the marketing department of the current administration. The results of this NY Times/CBS News poll include some scary numbers:

The number who thought private accounts were a bad idea jumped to 69 percent if respondents were told that the private accounts would result in a reduction in guaranteed benefits.

What's the Deal with Bush's Social Security Plan Anyways?

I'm only beginning to read up on the Social Security ruckus myself but here's a nice summary of points against Bush's plan to move towards privatized investment accounts.

On the flip side, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan reiterated support for Bush's S.S. strategy while telling everyone the mounting Federal Budget deficits are a not so good idea.

U.S. Troop Deaths in Iraq Top 1,500

Renew Your Faith with Fire

Are your parishioners losing faith? Having a hard time holding the attention of your Sunday school classes? Looking for an easy way to roast smores during your bible study retreats? Put on some safety goggles and break out a striker.

Red Staters, you just got played!

Liberal author Thomas Frank and conservative opinion maker Richard Viguerie agree that Bush roped in voters with moral issues, only to sell them out with his Social Security plan.

Republican politicians constantly use the culture wars to hoodwink religious people into voting for big-business ideas that, ultimately, run against the financial interests of the voters. The disaster could come when social conservatives, people who've been duped into voting for the GOP on the assumption that it was the party of morals (rather than of money), might finally see the truth. If, as some economists predict, Social Security privatization goes badly for working people, with traditional benefits cut and stock market gains diminutive, wouldn't family-values voters realize that the Republican Party has diminished the value of their checking accounts?