UNDERNEWS

FOLLOWING THE BOUNCING OBAMA BALL

2008-05-14T22:53:00.001-04:00

NY TIMES - Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that "for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed" his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet "unconditionally" with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called "rogue" state. Mr. Obama believes "that engagement at the presidential level, at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation, can be used to leverage the change we need," Dr. Rice said. "But nobody said he would initiate contacts at the presidential level; that requires due preparation and advance work."

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE TRANSCRIPT, JULY 2008 - QUESTION: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since. In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?

OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them - which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration - is ridiculous.

OBAMA WEB SITE, MAY 2008 Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior. Obama would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress.

ONE IN TEN MIDDLE AGED AMERICANS BORROWING FOR LIVING EXPENSES

2008-05-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

ELLEN SIMON AP The economic downturn is hitting roughly one in 10 middle-aged and older Americans especially hard, compelling them to borrow money for everyday living expenses and to seek help from family, friends or charities, according to a survey released by the AARP.In the telephone survey of 1,002 adults 45 and older, nearly four in 10 said they had helped a child pay bills or expenses. Among retirees, one-third said they'd helped their children pay bills. Eight percent said they'd helped a parent pay bills or expenses. . . One-third of survey participants said they stopped putting money into their 401(k) or retirement account and 14 percent said they had cut back on their medications.

TSA TELLS 5,000 FOREIGNERS THEY'RE SECURITY THREATS

2008-05-14T22:44:00.001-04:00

NY TIMES A German graduate student in oceanography at M.I.T. applied to the Transportation Security Administration for a new ID card allowing him to work around ships and docks. What the student, Wilken-Jon von Appen, received in return was a letter that not only turned him down but added an ominous warning from John M. Busch, a security administration official: "I have determined that you pose a security threat."

Similar letters have gone to 5,000 applicants across the country who have at least initially been turned down for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, an ID card meant to guard against acts of terrorism, agency officials said. The officials also said they were sorry about the language, which they may change in the future, but had no intention of withdrawing letters already sent. . . A British student at M.I.T. who was rejected, Sophie Clayton, 28, said that at first she was amused at what appeared to be a bureaucratic absurdity. But as she pondered the designation, Ms. Clayton said she grew worried. "The two words ‘security threat’ are now in the files next to my name, my photograph and my fingerprints," she said.

LOCAL HEROES: MAINE TOWN MEETING VOTES AGAINST WAR WITH IRAN

2008-05-14T22:38:00.001-04:00

BRUNSWICK TIMES RECORD, ME - Despite questions from some residents about whether such a vote would really make a difference to U.S. foreign policy, voters at a town meeting overwhelmingly supported a resolution calling for peace in Iran. Harpswell residents voted 112-24 in favor of the resolution. Selectmen Amy Haible and Jim Henderson voted in favor, while Selectman Mark Wallace opposed. The vote, prompted by a petition signed by 321 residents, authorizes the town to officially ask Maine's congressional delegation not to support funding for military action against Iran without explicit congressional approval, ensure U.S. relations with Iran are consistent with international law and "encourage talks without preconditions between the U.S. and Iran on nuclear issues and ending the violence in Iraq.". . .

JESSE JACKSON WANTS SECRET SERVICE RECORD ON HIM

2008-05-14T22:35:00.001-04:00

CBS CHICAGO The e-mails released by the Secret Service as part of a long-running civil rights suit filed by African American agents. . . contain racist and sexist jokes and pictures. The one about the Rev. Jackson has now led to a demand for the release of any other insulting references to members of the Jackson family in Secret Service files.

Rev. Jackson's dealings with the Secret Service date back to his two campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s. He actually asked for and was assigned protective details before other candidates back then.

The Secret Service e-mail, CBS 2 obtained from a court filing in Washington, was titled "The Righteous Reverend," and jokes about the deaths of Jackson and his wife when a missile strikes their plane. The e-mail ends with, it "certainly wouldn't be a great loss and probably wouldn't be an accident either."

When CBS 2 reached him by cell phone Tuesday afternoon, the Rev, Jackson said he wants all Secret Service communications which mention him, all the way back to the 1980's.

DEPARTMENT OF GOOD STUFF

2008-05-14T22:27:00.001-04:00

LIBRARIES LEND FISHING TACKLE

LISA VERNON-SPARKS, PROVIDENCE JOURNAL It might be the best-kept secret in the state. And you can check it out at the public library; that is, the public libraries in Coventry, Lincoln and Scituate - just in time for fishing season. Tucked in among the stacks of books are cabinets stuffed with fishing equipment: rods, reels, tackle boxes, hooks, lures, sinkers and floats. If you fancy taking a youngster or two out for a leisurely day of fishing without an outlay of money to get started, here’s your chance. All you need is a library card.

Three branches in the Cooperating Libraries Automated Network, CLAN, allow patrons to borrow a full complement of fishing equipment. The Coventry Public Library has 15 poles and tackle boxes for patrons to borrow for a week at a time. There are no immediate renewals to give as many people as possible a chance to use the poles. And if they’re returned late, the circulation desk will charge the same late fee as a book - 10 cents a day.

The fishing equipment is available year-round, but it’s during the month of May, with spring trout season at its peak and summer just around the corner, that interest begins to surface in borrowing the colorful poles and ready-packed tackle boxes, according to Lynn Blanchette, Coventry library director. . .

OBAMA PLAYS THE FAITH CARD HARD

2008-05-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

OBAMA ADDS FAITH TO HOPE & CHANGE

DEPARTMENT OF GOOD STUFF

2008-05-14T22:05:00.001-04:00

MAGIC WHEEL

MORNING LINE

2008-05-14T22:04:00.000-04:00

OBAMA 17 ELECTORAL VOTES SHORT

CONYERS TO PRESIDENT: ATTACK IRAN, WE IMPEACH

2008-05-14T21:59:00.001-04:00

From a letter by Rep. John Conyers to the president that he is trying to get Democratic colleagues to sign.

We are writing to register our strong opposition to possible unilateral, preemptive military action against other nations by the Executive Branch without Congressional authorization. As you know, Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power "to declare war," to lay and collect taxes to "provide for the common defense" and general welfare of the United States, to "raise and support armies," to "provide and maintain a navy," to "make rules for the regulation for the land and naval forces," to "provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions," to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia," and to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution ... all ... powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States." Congress is also given exclusive power over the purse. The Constitution says, "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law."

By contrast, the sole war powers granted to the Executive Branch through the President can be found in Article II, Section 2, which states, "The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into actual Service of the United States." Nothing in the history of the "Commander-in-Chief" clause suggests that the authors of the provision intended it to grant the Executive Branch the authority to engage U.S. forces in military action whenever and wherever it sees fit without any prior authorization from Congress. In our view, the founders of our country intended this power to allow the President to repel sudden attacks and immediate threats, not to unilaterally launch, without congressional approval, preemptive military actions against foreign countries. As former Republican Representative Mickey Edwards recently wrote, "The decision to go to war ... is the single most difficult choice any public official can be called upon to make. That is precisely why the nation's founders, aware of the deadly wars of Europe, deliberately withheld from the executive branch the power to engage in war unless such action was expressly approved by the people themselves, through their representatives in Congress." . . .

Our concerns in this area have been heightened by more recent events. The resignation in mid-March of Admiral William J. "Fox" Fallon from the head of U.S. Central Command, which was reportedly linked to a magazine article that portrayed him as the only person who might stop your Administration from waging preemptive war against Iran, has renewed widespread concerns that your Administration is unilaterally planning for military action against that country. This is despite the fact that the December 2007 National Intelligence Estimate concluded that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003, a stark reversal of previous Administration assessments.

As we and others have continued to review troubling legal memoranda and other materials from your Administration asserting the power of the President to take unilateral action, moreover, our concerns have increased still further. For example, although federal law is clear that proceeding under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act "shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance" can be conducted within the U.S. for foreign intelligence purposes, the Justice Department has asserted that the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping in violation of FISA is "supported by the President's well-recognized inherent constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and sole organ for the nation in foreign affairs". As one legal expert has explained, your administration's "preventive paradigm" has asserted "unchecked unilateral power" by the Executive Branch and violated "universal prohibitions on torture, disappearance, and the like."

Late last year, Senator Joseph Biden stated unequivocally that "the president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach" the president.

We agree with Senator Biden, and it is our view that if you do not obtain the constitutionally required congressional authorization before launching preemptive military strikes against Iran or any other nation, impeachment proceedings should be pursued. Because of these concerns, we request the opportunity to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss these matters. As we have recently marked the fifth year since the invasion of Iraq, and the grim milestone of 4,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq, your Administration should not unilaterally involve this country in yet another military conflict that promises high costs to American blood and treasure.

OBAMA REALITY CHECK: GLIMPSES OF A GOSSAMER

2008-05-14T17:19:00.000-04:00

WARNING: THIS MAY NOT BE AN EXACT REPLICA
OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS PACKAGE

Now that the canonization of Barack Obama, aided by his media acolytes, has slowed a bit, it may be considered less than blasphemy to examine what this circus hath wrought. After all, at some point, even in a mythological age, reality raises its ugly head. What follows are glimpses of a gossamer with all the uncertainty that such an effort involves. After all, even with the best tools, it is hard to measure precisely a ghost.

THE COMPETITION

Obama would almost certainly be a better president than either Bush or his preferred heir apparent, John McCain.

He would also likely be a better president than Bill Clinton. The reasons for this are several. He is vastly more honest. This doesn't mean he is without guile - far from it - but it is, for him, apparently a fallback position rather than, as with Clinton, the first thing you exercise upon arising. Further, even though he comes from Chicago, the worst anyone has been able to hang on him is Tony Rezko. Obama has not been impeached, the governmental equivalent to a criminal indictment. And he has not proclaimed a deep concern for minorities and working class whites while simultaneously screwing them. Finally, Obama would probably bring to an end the 28 year Reagan - Bush - Clinton - Bush era that has been disastrous to America.

HONESTY & CONSISTENCY

Obama does mislead, and not unintentionally it would seem. For example, Obama repeatedly uses the politician's trick of providing desriptions of a problem as a substitute for a prescription. This allows him to delude voters into thinking he has sympathy with them without the need to offer solutions.

Has deceived the voters by not telling them that he would keep American troops in Iraq and he a tendency to shift on a number of issues, such as NAFTA and policy towards Iran, depending on the media tenor of the moment.

Misled on extent on lobbyist support

Wrote in his own book, "I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.”

ARROGANCE

Four years ago, Obama was an obscure state senator representing part of one of America's most corrupt and machine-run cities. He is now running as God's gift to America and clean government based on this past, plus what he would like have been a temp job in the U. S. Senate.

JUST WORDS

Obama's use of southern pulpit cadence and inflection gives him an unfounded reputation for eloquence. His actual words are often corny and trite. He relies on cliches such as hope and change that have far more common with ad agencies than with philosopher kings. He also loses his command of metaphor and meaning when he is removed from a teleprompter and asked some questions, a weakness reflected in his antipathy towards news conferences.

MINORITIES

Like Hillary Clinton, Obama has built his campaign around genetic identity rather than on political principles and issues.

Wouldn't have photo taken with San Francisco mayor because he was afraid it would seem that he supported gay marriage

BUSINESS INTERESTS

Has offered few good ideas about how to handle the current economic crisis.

Cass Sunstein, a constitutional advisor to Obama, told Jeffrey Rosen of the NY Times: "I would be stunned to find an anti-business [Supreme Court] appointee from either [Clinton or Obama]. There's not a strong interest on the part of Obama or Clinton in demonizing business, and you wouldn't expect to see that in their Supreme Court nominees."

Wrote that conservatives and Bill Clinton were right to destroy social welfare,

Supported making it harder to file class action suits in state courts

Voted for a business-friendly "tort reform" bill

Voted against a 30% interest rate cap on credit cards

Had the most number of foreign lobbyist contributors in the primaries

Is even more popular with Pentagon contractors than McCain

Was most popular of the candidates with K Street lobbyists

Voted against a 30% interest rate cap on credit cards

In 2003, rightwing Democratic Leadership Council named Obama as one of its "100 to Watch." After he was criticized in the black media, Obama disassociated himself with the DLC. But his major economic advisor, Austan Goolsbee, is also chief economist of the conservative organization. Writes Doug Henwood, "Goolsbee has written gushingly about Milton Friedman and denounced the idea of a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures."

Doug Henwood, Left Business Observer: "Top hedge fund honcho Paul Tudor Jones threw a fundraiser for him at his Greenwich house last spring, 'The whole of Greenwich is backing Obama,' one source said of the posh headquarters of the hedge fund industry. They like him because they're socially liberal, up to a point, and probably eager for a little less war, and think he's the man to do their work. They're also confident he wouldn't undertake any renovations to the distribution of wealth."

NEW IDEAS

Has produced no interesting new ideas nor promised to fight for any important new programs

CITIES

Has no meaningful urban policy

BUSH REGIME

Has not dealt with the criminality of Bush's use of torture.

Aggressively opposed impeachment action against Bush.

RELIGION

Has run his campaign as though leading a cult rather than a political movement.

Has indicated a willingness to name rightwing Christians to his cabinet.

CONSERVATIVES

Went to Connecticut to support Joe Lieberman in the primary against Ned Lamont

Paul Street, Z Mag - Obama has lent his support to the aptly named Hamilton Project, formed by corporate-neoliberal Citigroup chair Robert Rubin and other Wall Street Democrats to counter populist rebellion against corporatist tendencies within the Democratic Party. . . Obama was recently hailed as a Hamiltonian believer in limited government and free trade by Republican New York Times columnist David Brooks, who praises Obama for having "a mentality formed by globalization, not the SDS." . . .

Times, UK - Obama is hoping to appoint cross-party figures to his cabinet such as Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator for Nebraska and an opponent of the Iraq war, and Richard Lugar, leader of the Republicans on the Senate foreign relations committee. Senior advisers confirmed that Hagel, a highly decorated Vietnam war veteran and one of McCain's closest friends in the Senate, was considered an ideal candidate for defence secretary.

Richard Lugar was rated 0% by SANE. . . rated 0% by AFL-CIO. . . rated 0% BY NARAL. . . rated 12% by American Public Health Association. . . rated 0% by Alliance for Retired Americans. . . rated 27% by the National Education Association. . . rated 5% by League of Conservation Voters. . . He voted no on implementing the 9/11 Commission report. . . Vote against providing habeas corpus for Gitmo prisoners. . .voted no on comprehensive test ban treaty. . .voted against same sex marriage. . . strongly anti-abortion. . . opposed to more federal funding for healthcare. . .voted for unconstitutional wiretapping. . .voted to increase penalties for drug violations

Chuck Hagel was rated 0% by NARAL. . . rated 11% by NAACP. . . rated 0% by Human Rights Coalition. . . rated 100% by Christian Coalition. . . rated 12% by American Public Health Association. . . rated 22% by Alliance for Retired Americans. . . rated 36% by the National Education Association. . . rated 0% by League of Conservation Voters. . . rated 8% by AFL-CIO. . . He is strongly anti-abortion. . .voted for anti-flag desecration amendment. . .voted to increase penalties for drug violations. . . favors privatizing Social Security

PROGRESSIVES

Dissed Nader for daring to run for president again

Called the late Paul Wellstone "something of a gadfly"

Progressive Punch ranks Obama 24th in the Senate.

FOREIGN POLICY

Has no clear plan to leave Iraq and Afghanistan.

His top Iraq advisor wrote that America should keep between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in Iraq as of late 2010. Obama, in his appearances, blurs the difference between combat soldiers and other troops and has given no indication that he would reduce the massive mercenary force in Iraq.

Has hawkish foreign policy advisors involved in past US misdeeds and failures

Would probably be good at international negotiations.

Would improve America's image abroad, at least until he did something stupid.

Supports Israeli aggression and apartheid. Obama has deserted previous support for two-state solution to Mid East situation

Has voted numerous times to continue funding the war

Favored cluster bomb ban in civilian areas

Promises not to sign a trade bill without environmental and labor protections.

Won't rule out first strike nuclear attack on Iran

Called Pakistan "the right battlefield ... in the war on terrorism." Threatened to invade Pakistan

AP - He would return the country to the more "traditional" foreign policy efforts of past presidents, such as George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. At a town hall event at a local high school gymnasium, Obama praised George H.W. Bush - father of the president - for the way he handled the Persian Gulf War: with a large coalition and carefully defined objectives. . . "The truth is that my foreign policy is actually a return to the traditional bipartisan realistic policy of George Bush's father, of John F. Kennedy, of, in some ways, Ronald Reagan, and it is George Bush that's been naive and it's people like John McCain and, unfortunately, some Democrats that have facilitated him acting in these naive ways that have caused us so much damage in our reputation around the world," he said.

ECOLOGY

Voted for a nuclear energy bill that included money for bunker buster bombs and full funding for Yucca Mountain.

Comes in at 48th in the ranking of senators by the League of Conservation Voters

Won't oppose nuclear power

Supports federally funded ethanol

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Supports the war on drugs

Supports the crack-cocaine sentence disparity

Supports Real ID

Voted against immunity for telecoms' illegal spying on Americans

Supports the PATRIOT Act

Supports the death penalty

Opposes lowering the drinking age to 18

Helped fight for restoration of habeas corpus at Gitmo.

Refused to take a position on the anti-constitutional Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Supports No Child Left Behind

Supports charter schools

DEMOCRACY

Has inspired a lot of young and minority voters to get involved in politics

HEALTH

Opposes single payer healthcare

Supported restricting damage awards in medical malpractices suits

Favors healthcare individual mandates that would help insurance companies and banks but not citizens

Received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006

SOCIAL SECURITY

Says "everything is on the table" with Social Security. Clinton seems slightly more supportive of the classic Democratic program

PROSPECTS

At worst, Obama will be one more fox placed in the chicken coop of democracy by the corporations and their outsourced workers in the media and politics. At best, he will rebel against his upbringing and offer America something new and better. Most likely, however, is that he will serve as a deeply frustrating transition between what should never have happened and what needs to be done - stabilizing our national dysfunctions as they continue to await proper and necessary treatment.

BREVITAS

2008-05-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

WORD

After the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. - Cree Indian prophecy

CORPORADOS

A University of Leicester space scientist has worked out that sending texts via mobile phones works out to be far more expensive than downloading data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr Nigel said: "The maximum size for a text message is 160 characters, which takes 140 bytes because there are only 7 bits per character in the text messaging system, and we assume the average price for a text message is 5p. There are 1,048,576 bytes in a megabyte, so that's 1 million/140 = 7490 text messages to transmit one megabyte. At 5p each, that's £374.49 per MB - or about 4.4 times more expensive than the ‘most pessimistic' estimate for Hubble Space Telescope transmission costs. . . Hubble is by no means a cheap mission - but the mobile phone text costs were pretty astronomical!" - Physorg

MID EAST

There was something interesting missing from Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner's introductory remarks to journalists at his regular news briefing in Baghdad on Wednesday: the word "Iran," or any form of it. It was especially striking as Bergner, the U.S. military spokesman here, announced the extraordinary list of weapons and munitions that have been uncovered in recent weeks since fighting erupted between Iraqi and U.S. security forces and Shiite militiamen. . . . A plan to show some alleged Iranian-supplied explosives to journalists last week in Karbala and then destroy them was canceled after the United States realized none of them was from Iran. A U.S. military spokesman attributed the confusion to a misunderstanding that emerged after an Iraqi Army general in Karbala erroneously reported the items were of Iranian origin. - LA Times

OUTLYING PRECINCTS

The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate's politics were born in Chicago. Yet [Barack Obama] is presented to the nation as not truly being of this place, as if he floats just above the political corruption here, uninfected, untouched by the stain of it or by any sin of commission or omission. . . My argument is not with him -- but with the national political media pack that refuses to look closely at what Chicago is. . . Why is Obama allowed to campaign as a reformer, virtually unchallenged by the media, though he's a product of Chicago politics and has never condemned the wholesale political corruption in his home town the way he condemns those darn Washington lobbyists - Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass.

About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away from a polling place by a fellow sister because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph. Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away her fellow members of Saint Mary's Convent in South Bend, . . . because they had been told earlier that they would need such an ID to vote. The nuns, all in their 80s or 90s, didn't get one but came to the precinct anyway. Some showed up with outdated passports. None of them drives. . . Secretary of State Todd Rokita was unapologetic. "Indiana's Voter ID Law applies to everyone. From all accounts that we've heard, the sisters were aware of the photo ID requirements and chose not to follow them," he said in a statement released by his office. AP

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa, says blacks and whites remain divided in the U.S., that race has become a huge issue in the presidential campaign, and that many voters are supporting candidates based on the color of their skin. And as for the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Democratic hopeful Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, Archbishop Tutu says: "You might be shocked to discover that he's articulating the views of very many who haven't had the chance of that kind of exposure. And instead of hearing what he is saying, again, people are trying to gain political capital." Inside the Beltway, Washington Times

Barack Obama, who labeled discussion of whether he wears a flag pin in his lapel a false issue in a debate with Hillary Clinton, was wearing one Monday as he campaigned in West Virginia ahead of Tuesday's primary vote there. Obama made no reference to the pin, which could be clearly seen in television images and through telephoto lenses as he spoke in Charleston, W. Va., about veterans issue. Monday morning, pollster and former Bill Clinton adviser Douglas Schoen wrote in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that Obama needs to better define his values heading into the general election. "First, and obviously symbolically, he must start wearing the flag lapel pin,"Schoen wrote. "He simply cannot afford to raise doubts about his patriotism." Margaret Talev, McClatchy

No matter who you're voting for, you have to admit that Barack Obama has good taste in TV. He told the Las Vegas Sun that his favorite TV show was The Wire, the HBO police drama set in inner-city Baltimore that just completed its fifth and final season. Obama even told the Sun that his favorite character is Omar Little, a "charismatic, sawed-off shotgun toting, Honey Nut Cheerios-eating, gay stickup artist." Some have compared Omar to a modern day Robin Hood because he kills drug dealers and then gives the drugs to the users that have been exploited by the dealers. "That's not an endorsement. He's not my favorite person, but he's a fascinating character," Obama said. . . During the current presidential administration, and throughout this campaign season, the issues of cities have been woefully ignored. We've heard about Iowa corn and ethanol and more than we ever wanted to know about the candidates' personal lives, bowling scores, and nutty pastors. But what about housing and transportation, infrastructure and education? To millions of Americans, these are the issues that matter. . . Corinne Ramey, DMI Blog

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr launched a Libertarian Party presidential bid Monday, saying voters are hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government. His candidacy throws a wild card into the White House race that many believe could peel away votes from Republican Sen. John McCain given the candidates' similar positions on fiscal policy. Barr, who has hired Ross Perot's former campaign manager, acknowledged that some Republicans have tried to discourage him from running. But he said he's getting in the race to win, not to play spoiler or to make a point. - DC Examiner

RELIGION & ITS ALTERNATIVES

CATHOLIC ACTIVISTS WANT BISHOPS MADE MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRIESTS' ACTS

MONEY & WORK

WE'RE PAWNS IN THE HEDGE FUND CHESS GAME

FREEDOM BEAT

Earlier this year, North Braddock, Penn. resident Shawn Hicks came back from a night out and plopped down on his own couch in his own home. Unfortunately, he failed to deactivate the silent alarm on his home security system. According to Hicks, two police officers responded to the alarm, entered his home, and woke him with a taser between the shoulder blades. When Hicks tried to explain that the whole thing was a misunderstanding, and that the officers were in his own home, they tasered him again. They next checked his wallet and ID, which confirmed his name and address. Then they tasered him again. The police then removed the taser pellets from Hicks' bloody back, refused to get him medical treatment, and arrested him for "being belligerent." They threw him in a holding cell until 5 am the next morning, when they released him without filing any charges. - Reason

ECO CLIPS

Aaron Peskin, president of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors points out, "The greenest building that exists today is one that is already built." He wants to make sure the city's new green codes do not foster a wave of teardowns. Demolishing buildings to erect new ones--even green buildings--generates huge volumes of solid waste, creates pollution, and consumes energy and natural resources. Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, calculates that even a new state-of-the-art green building using 40 percent recycled materials will take 65 years to recover the energy lost in demolishing and replacing an existing building. "Durability is the most sustainable thing an architect can do," says Philip Bess, professor at the Notre Dame School of Architecture, who played a key role in preserving Boston's Fenway Park baseball stadium. "Sustainable architecture means buildings that people love," adds his Notre Dame colleague David Mayernik. "They won't be torn down." - Jay Walljasper, Ecopolitan

CHART ON THE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT BIOFUELS

IF THEY CRIMINALIZE INCANDESCENT BULBS, PRETTY SOON ONLY CRIMINALS WILL HAVE INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULBS

FURTHERMORE . . .

Bob Hezzelwood said he has been visiting Bonita Beach for years and no one has bothered or complained about his bathing suit. However, recently, a Lee County sheriff's deputy gave Hezzelwood a ticket for trespass and told him not to return to the beach. A judge tossed out the case. However, Hezzelwood said he plans to sue the sheriff's department, saying his civil rights were violated. "It frightens me and embarrasses me to go public with it. But by the same token, I don't know what else to do," Hezzelwood told The Naples News. "I'm a civilian out here who's been picked on by a little bully deputy and that's wrong. It's just wrong." - Channel Six FL

FIELD NOTES

The American Civil Liberties Union has a new version of its Get Busy, Get Equal online activist toolkit. The website offers tools for ending gay and transgender discrimination, making schools safe, and winning recognition for LGBT relationships.

DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARKANSAS

2008-05-13T16:49:00.001-04:00

Nostalgic moments from the Clinton years. With almost perfect timing we come to the end of our tribute to the Clinton years even as Hillary Clinton seems to be coming to the end of her campaign.

DAILY MAIL, UK: Bill Clinton bid a reluctant farewell to the White House on Saturday, taking an unprecedented $200,000 worth of furnishings to remember it by. The items included works of art, chinaware and rugs - many of them gifts from the ex-president's supporters in Hollywood - amassed during his eight years in office.

DRUDGE REPORT: The Bush Administration has quietly launched an investigation into apparent acts of vandalism and destruction of federal property - after incoming Bush staffers discover widespread sabotage of White House office equipment and lewd messages left behind by previous tenants . . . The damage left by departing Clintonites goes "way beyond pranks, to vandalism", said a close Bush adviser . . . According to sources, so far Bush officials have found: Phone lines were cut . . . Voice mail messages were changed to obscene, scatological greetings . . . Many phone lines misdirected to other government offices . . . Desks found turned completely upside down and trash deliberately left everywhere . . . Computer printers that were filled with blank paper but interspersed with pornographic pictures and obscene slogans that would be revealed only as items were run off the computer . . . 'W' keys weren't just pried off more than 40 keyboards, some were glued on with Superglue; some were turned upside down and glued on . . . Filing cabinets glued shut . . . VP Office space in the Old Executive Office Building found in complete shambles. Mrs. Gore had to phone Mrs. Cheney to apologize . . . Lewd Magic Marker graffiti found on one office hallway.

DAVID WASTELL, LONDON SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Former President Clinton is offering to repay the cost of vandalism by his outgoing staff when they left their offices on Jan. 20, once he is given a complete list from the Bush White House of the damage reportedly done . . . President Bush has ordered that no action be taken against officials of Mr. Clinton and Al Gore, the former vice president, in effect granting his first presidential "pardon." Mr. Bush's order was an attempt to calm the massive uproar in the media over reported theft and damage in the White House that was beginning to overshadow the opening days of his administration and sour relations with his predecessor.

THE LAST WORD I feel sometimes defending President Clinton is like being in the Mafia - you just can't get out. You know, I'm like Michael Corleone. How do I get out of this business?" - James Carville on the Bill O'Reilly show

PALESTINE IS ALSO OBSERVING A 60TH ANNIVERSARY

2008-05-13T16:13:00.001-04:00

BASSEM NAEEM, GUARDIAN, UK As the Palestinian people prepare to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba ("catastrophe") - the dispossession and expulsion of most of our people from our land - those remaining in Palestine face escalating aggression, killings, imprisonment, ethnic cleansing and siege. But instead of support and solidarity from the western media, we face frequent attempts to defend the indefensible or turn fire on the Palestinians themselves.

One recent approach, which seems to be part of the wider attempt to isolate the elected Palestinian leadership, is to portray Hamas and the population of the Gaza strip as motivated by anti-Jewish sentiment, rather than a hostility to Zionist occupation and domination of our land. . .

The Israeli media and pro-Israel western press are full of views that deny or seek to excuse well-established facts of history including the Nakba of 1948 . . . But it should be made clear that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian government in Gaza denies the Nazi Holocaust. The Holocaust was not only a crime against humanity but one of the most abhorrent crimes in modern history. We condemn it as we condemn every abuse of humanity and all forms of discrimination on the basis of religion, race, gender or nationality.

And at the same time as we unreservedly condemn the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews of Europe, we categorically reject the exploitation of the Holocaust by the Zionists to justify their crimes and harness international acceptance of the campaign of ethnic cleansing and subjection they have been waging against us - to the point where in February the Israeli deputy defence minister Matan Vilnai threatened the people of Gaza with a "holocaust". . .

The Palestinian people aspire to freedom, independence and peaceful coexistence with all their neighbours. There are, today, more than six million Palestinian refugees. No less than 700,000 Palestinians have been detained at least once by the Israeli occupation authorities since 1967. Hundreds of thousands have so far been killed or wounded. Little concern seems to be caused by all of this or by the erection of an apartheid wall that swallows more than 20% of the West Bank land or the heavily armed colonies that devour Palestinian land in a blatant violation of international law.

The plight of our people is not the product of a religious conflict between us and the Jews in Palestine or anywhere else: the aims and positions of today's Hamas have been repeatedly spelled out by its leadership, for example in Hamas's 2006 program for government. The conflict is of a purely political nature: it is between a people who have come under occupation and an oppressive occupying power. . .

After almost a century of Zionist colonial and racist oppression, some Palestinians find it hard to imagine that some of their oppressors are the sons and daughters of those who were themselves oppressed and massacred. . .

DEMOCRATS PUSH REVIVAL OF GI BILL OF RIGHTS

2008-05-13T16:03:00.001-04:00

CBS Congressional Democrats are pushing what could become the most dramatic expansion of college aid for military veterans since World War II, with a bill they hope will buoy them this election season and become an albatross for Republicans. Pitched by the Democrats is a plan that would essentially guarantee a full-ride scholarship to any in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for individuals who serve the military for at least three years. The proposal would give veterans 15 years to use the benefit, instead of the current 10-year limit, and would set up a new government program that matches financial aid by more expensive private institutions. For a pricey public school - such as Miami University in Oxford, Ohio - that benefit might be worth as much as $31,000 per school year, compared to the maximum $9,900 benefit that veterans are given now. The GI bill covered all the costs for World War II veterans. But today, with expenses exploding, the value of the benefit has plummeted, CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras reported last month. Attending a public college costs an average of almost $13,000 a year. The GI bill pays about half that amount.

NY TIMES PUBLISHES WIERD ANTI-OBAMA PIECE

2008-05-13T15:55:00.001-04:00

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN, TIKUN OLAM Edward Luttwak, one of Ronald Reagan's original cold warriors, has channeled Daniel Pipes in the N.Y. Times op-ed section today, claiming preposterously that a President Obama will be in danger because Islamists will view his as a Muslim apostate and try to kill him. . .

Of course, no Islamist has ever uttered a word about Obama's alleged apostasy let alone advocated killing him nor does Luttwak claim as such. In fact, the McCain campaign has pounced on an endorsement from a Hamas spokesperson (so much for Islamists wanting to kill Obama). . . .

Luttwak once again refers to Obama's so-called "Muslim heritage,"which is non-existent. The author's justification? No matter how Obama defines himself, Muslims define him as Muslim: As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood.

So "universally understood" in fact, that I have never heard a genuine Muslim advance this concept. Another distortion of Islam inherent in this statement is that there is a unitary "universal standard" of Muslim belief. Besides, this notion that Obama is Muslim despite the fact that he is a believing Christian flies in the face of a sacred American tradition-that in this land of freedom and self-expression we define our own identity and refuse to allow others to do this for us.

I find it ironic that those excellent imams Pipes and Luttwak (I wonder where they could've earned those advanced degrees in Islamic theology?) have been telling Americans how Muslims will view Obama, while no Muslim has ever advanced the views they espouse. Could it be that their knowledge of modern Islam is deficient or that in their need to smear both Islam and Obama they have gone off the deep end?

WE'LL SELL YOU ETHICS, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO CHARGE A LITTLE EXTRA

2008-05-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

PHIL MATTERA, DIRT DIGGERS DIGEST A feature article by two academics in today's Wall Street Journal provides further evidence that the concept of corporate ethics is an oxymoron-or at least is a far cry from human ethics. The piece, by Remi Trudel and June Cotte of the University of Western Ontario's Ivey School of Business, is headlined: "Does Being Ethical Pay?”

The authors don't seem to think there is anything odd about discussing behavioral norms exclusively in terms of the material payoff. They unselfconsciously refer to corporate social responsibility as a "big business" and thus don't have any problem analyzing it in the same terms used for any investment.

Trudel and Cotte start out asking the question: "How Much are Ethics Worth?" What this means in practical terms is: how much extra can companies charge for products that are advertised as having been produced in an ethical manner. They ignore the question of how much more such goods actually cost to produce and consider only how much consumers are willing to pay. Based on experiments with a random group of adults, they found that people are willing to pay significantly more for the ethical goods, which suggests that consumers are a lot more ethical than companies.

Amazingly, the authors then address the question: "How Ethical Do You Need to Be?" Here they found that consumers would, for example, pay a differential for a shirt advertised as 25 percent organic but not much more for one said to have a higher organic content. The lesson Trudel and Cotte seem to draw from this is that companies should make some effort to give their products an ethical patina but need not go too far, since there will not be a proportional return for the additional effort.

The analysis of Trudel and Cotte is at the same time appalling and refreshing. It cuts through the social responsibility hype that permeates so much large-company marketing these days and shows that corporations will do the right thing only if it somehow enhances their bottom line. Lenin famously said that capitalists would sell the rope with which they would be hanged. Today's corporate executives are happy to sell us the appearance of social responsibility-and, if we are lucky, the real thing.

JOHN EDWARDS LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE POVERTY

2008-05-13T15:24:00.001-04:00

John Edwards seems to be doing what too few prominent losing candidates do: take their hard earned constituency and turn it into a movement.

Former Presidential candidate Senator John Edwards announced that he will serve as national chair of Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity, a new campaign to cut poverty by 50% over the next ten years. This campaign brings together four organizations with the experience, knowledge, and resources to make this goal a reality: ACORN, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Coalition on Human Needs, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

Speaking before a crowd of activists at North Philadelphia's Thankful Baptist Church, Edwards called on Congress, the Presidential candidates, and all Americans to make the fight against poverty a priority. "The challenge before us is to make it so that hard work is enough to get ahead again. That is not just a question of helping our brothers and sisters who are living in poverty - it is a question of restoring the fundamental fairness that this country was founded upon," said Senator Edwards. . . .

The multi-year campaign will elevate focus on the issues facing the poor and middle class in America, building an effective constituency to advocate for specific policy changes..

The first years of the campaign will focus on:

- Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit;

- Raising both state and federal minimum wages;

- Increasing the number of low-income families receiving child care assistance;

- Increasing eligibility for unemployment insurance

According to modeling by the Urban Institute, the expanded tax credits, minimum wage increases, and child care assistance alone would cut poverty by a full 26%.

BAND THRIVES WITH 600,000 FREE DOWNLOADS

2008-05-13T15:01:00.000-04:00

GLENN GAMBOA, NEWSDAY Coldplay has become the latest band to discover that giving away your music - even a little bit for a little time - may, in the long run, end up being worth more than the conventional model of only selling it. To drum up publicity for its new single, "Violet Hill," which was released last week, the band decided to give it away for a week on its Web site as a free download. On the first day it was available, the song was downloaded more than 600,000 times, according to Billboard magazine. . . According to the music social network last.fm, "Violet Hill" set a record among its 15 million members, who played the track about 33,000 times the first day, or once every two seconds. . .

Spending a fraction of what it normally would to market a new single from a new album, Coldplay landed tons of positive media attention, let people know they have a new single and a new album - "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" - coming, got people to listen to the new single and generated lots of goodwill among its fans, while possibly minting new ones. . . "While publishers become increasingly concerned about the cannibalization of their revenue stream, experiments by Coldplay and Radiohead, at a minimum, prove that free music downloads provide added publicity to increase awareness for album releases," said Bill Tancer, Hitwise's general manager of global research. . .

Record companies mainly concern themselves with making as much money as they can in the short-term, since the profit splits on the contracts are more favorable for them at that point. Artists, on the other hand, generally don't start making serious money until after they have fulfilled their first contract and sign another where they get a higher percentage of the profits and get more control over their careers.

That means record companies have less financial incentive to support a veteran band on its fourth album than a brand-new act and its debut, so they haven't been very interested in strategies that help bands develop long-term relationships. However, as that way of thinking crumbles - thanks to the iTunes-aided ability of fans to buy only the hits they want instead of a whole album that may have only one good song - something else has to replace it.

The "pay-it-forward" model will survive only if artists commit to strengthening their relationship to fans with free music and fans commit to supporting their favorite artists financially by buying their albums, going to their shows and buying their T-shirts and other merchandise.

Sure, it sounds crazy. But a business model built on mutual respect between artists and fans may just be crazy enough to work. After all, sticking with the currently faltering business model would be even crazier.

107 YEAR OLD LIGHT BULB STILL BURNING IN CALIFORNIA FIREHOUSE

2008-05-13T14:53:00.000-04:00

JOHN M. GLIONNA, LOS ANGELES TIMES - Five years after his retirement, ex-firefighter Tom Bramell still likes to visit Station No. 6 for old times' sake, whistling in amazement at all the changes - the strange faces and slick high-tech engines. But one thing remains exactly the same, and it's what Bramell misses the most about his firefighting days. The sturdy little object hangs from the ceiling in the firehouse's engine bay, emitting its familiar faint orange glow. He calls it the long-lived light bulb of Livermore. That's actually something of an understatement.

At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. . . . The Livermore lightbulb, you see, never gets turned off, which many suspect is the secret to its longevity.

Hanging 18 feet above the floor at the end of a black cloth-covered cord, the little light with the filament the width of a No. 2 pencil lead is unprotected by any lampshade.

Firefighters won't even dust it. Touch it, jokes one captain, and "you get your fingers chopped off."

They guard their light with a surge protector and have a diesel generator and a battery as backups. To them, the bulb is the embodiment of their always-on-duty ethic.