Clipmarks | masbury's clips

American Muslims at Ft. Hood condemn shootings

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:23:47 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: “The Islamic community strongly condemns this cowardly attack, which was particularly heinous in that it was directed at the all-volunteer army that protects our nation,”

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

“When a white guy shoots up a post office, they call that going postal,” said Victor Benjamin II, 30, a former member of the Army. “But when a Muslim does it, they call it jihad.

A mosque leader, Dr. Manzoor Farooqi, a pediatrician, when asked if he feared retribution for the shootings, said he hoped good relations would prevail.

“He is an educated man. A psychiatrist,” he said. “I can’t believe he would do such a stupid thing.”

“The Islamic community strongly condemns this cowardly attack, which was particularly heinous in that it was directed at the all-volunteer army that protects our nation,”

Nihad Awad, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said, “We reiterate the American Muslim community’s condemnation of this cowardly attack

Mr. Benjamin added, Major Hassan had overlooked an important, and peaceable, tenet of Islam. “We do have the right to retaliate,” he said, “but he who does not is twice blessed.”

Tags: ft. hood, islam

Italy Convicts CIA Agents of Kidnapping

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:43:01 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Direct challenge to extraordinary rendition.

Clip Source: www.newser.com

(AP) – An Italian judge today convicted 23 Americans of the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric on a Milan street, in a landmark case involving the CIA's extraordinary rendition program in the war on terrorism. Judge Oscar Magi acquitted three other Americans, citing diplomatic immunity. Former Milan CIA station chief Robert Seldon Lady received the stiffest sentence, eight years in prison. The other 22 each received a five-year sentence. All were tried in absentia.

All but one of the Americans were identified by prosecutors as CIA agents. Their lawyers entered innocent pleas on their behalf, and they are considered fugitives from Italian justice. They were convicted of kidnapping Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr and transferring him to US bases in Italy and Germany. He was then moved to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. Nasr was released after four years in prison without being charged.

Tags: rendition

Election: Democrats gain two in House

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:03:03 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Was 256, will be 258. Both will support public option.

Clip Source: tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

Most of the commentary about last night's elections has centered around Republican pickups in the New Jersey and Virginia statehouses. But what's gone largely unnoticed is that the two congressional seats up for grabs last night both went to Democrats, and that will have immediate ramifications for health care reform.

The NY-23 seat abdicated by Republican John McHugh (who resigned to become Secretary of the Army) went to Democrat Bill Owens--the first Democrat to hold the seat in over a century. And the CA-10 seat abdicated by Democrat Ellen Tauscher (who resigned to become Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs) went to Democrat John Garamendi.

That creates some simple arithmetic. Yesterday, Democrats had 256 voting members in the House. By week's end, they'll have 258.

Tags: politics, democrats, election

Israeli settlers forcibly evict E. Jerusalem homeowners, seize home

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:24:06 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: No nation but Israel recognizes Israel's claim to East Jerusalem, yet settlers, backed by the Supreme Court of Israel, continue to put non-Jewish families on the street and move into their homes.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

JERUSALEM — (AP) Jewish settlers forced their way into a disputed house in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, using hired guards to evict an elderly Palestinian woman and tossing the other residents' belongings into the rain-swept yard.

The settlers displayed what they said was a court order granting them ownership of the simple one-story building. Human rights groups said the takeover was a push by Jewish settlers to expand their presence in east Jerusalem.

Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war and immediately annexed it – a move recognized by no other country. The Palestinians consider east Jerusalem the capital of their hoped-for state.

The U.S. and others have criticized Israeli settlement in east Jerusalem and urged Israel to stop evicting Palestinians and demolishing their homes there, saying such moves disrupt peace efforts.

Tags: israel

Military suicides fuel worry that military personnel too strained for Afghanistan surgern

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:17:04 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Wonder what it takes for this to matter enough to foreign policy leaders.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Military Suicides Fuel Worry That Army Is Strained

The Army's top generals worry that surging tens of thousands more troops into Afghanistan could increase the strain felt by many military personnel after years of repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Tags: military

Afghanistan policy may lead to civil war unless Afghans brought to the table

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:19:38 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: We have a military policy designed for conquering nations, but Afghanistan's problems are civilian ones that will only be solved by getting the Afghan people into the process.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Washington's current policy derives from a military agenda and not a civilian one. In fact it may now be impossible for Washington to return to a government orchestrated strategy of nation-building anywhere after thirty years of privatized foreign policy and military buildup that favored profit driven development schemes at the expense of civil society

the administration has pushed Hamid Karzai for the run-off election in the belief that it will legitimize his rule in order that General McChrystal can get his troops to go on fighting. What this ignores is that a corrupt, incompetent government stacked with Tajik warlords is abhorrent to everyone in Afghanistan - Pashtun and Tajik alike

Washington's current policy may lead to outright civil war

it will have little success until the Afghan people and the population of Pakistan's Western territories are brought politically into the decision making

President Obama still has the credibility to do that, but his window of opportunity is closing

Tags: afghanistan

CDC: Paid sick leave needed to slow spread of H1N1

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:02:30 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: But tens of millions must work even when contagious because their companies require it or they cannot afford to miss a day's wages. Do sick people have to work in EU nations, or is the USA unique in this?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Tens of millions of people, or about 40 percent of all private-sector workers, do not receive paid sick days, and as a result many of them cannot afford to stay home when they are ill. Even some companies that provide paid sick days have policies that make it difficult to call in sick, like giving demerits each time someone misses a day.

Public health experts say policies like these encourage many people with H1N1

to report to work despite official warnings

that they should stay home

“For people who are really caught on a weekly income, if they can’t make a go of it, they might say, ‘I’m desperate. I’m going to do what I have to do, and I’m going into work even though I’m sick,’”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was emphasizing that businesses should adopt “flexible leave policies” to allow workers with the flu to stay home

Despite such recommendations, some employees say they have no choice but to go to work sick.

Tags: h1n1, disease, cdc, work

Clinton: Israel must make greater efforts toward peace

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:47:46 GMT

clipped by: masbury

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Clinton urges Israel on peace moves

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said that Israel must make greater efforts to ensure peace with the Palestinians, a day after supporting Israel on the contentious settlements issue.

She said she had told Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that "positive steps" taken by the Palestinians towards peace, such as improved security in the occupied West Bank, "should be met by positive steps from Israel".

In particular, Clinton highlighted allowing Palestinians greater freedom of movement.

Netanyahu has proposed the building of 3,000 settler homes already planned in the occupied West Bank as the only construction for now. Yet, he has not said that settlement building in East Jerusalem - ruled as occupied under international law - should be stopped.

About 500,000 Israeli settlers and 2.8m Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in a war in 1967.

President salutes fallen soldiers at Dover

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:12:58 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: As I recall, we weren't even permitted to see footage of their caskets being unloaded not too long ago.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

We woke up this morning with images on cable news and the Internet of President Obama solemnly saluting as the casket of a fallen soldier was carried in honor from a C-17 in Dover back home into the United States. The president, through his visit, brought a national spotlight onto the grimmest reality of the war in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, although it is only a few hours since the president returned from Dover, we should expect that the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of the world will start whining about the president's visit accusing him of exploiting the event. Their script is so predictable that I can write this just after 9 AM with confidence that they'll do it. But our president should always be reminding the American people of the sacrifice our troops make.

No matter what your political views are or your position on the wars, we should never forget those making the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. President, thank you for reminding all of us.

Tags: military, obama

FoxNews pounds ACORN story - oh wait - there is no ACORN story

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:01:35 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: No new developments on ACORN for two weeks, but it came up 22 times Thursday morning. Meanwhile, FN makes only 2 mentions of the 3.5% growth in GDP that broke at 8:30AM - the first growth since the beginning of the worst recession in 70 years.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

On Thursday morning, Fox and Friends made 22 mentions of the minority-organizing group ACORN -- a consistent boogeyman for the GOP -- despite the fact that there has been no new news on the ACORN front in weeks.

"Straight ahead," said host Steve Doocy early in Thursday's show. "Congress has stopped funding ACORN after... Fox News uncovered shocking video tapes. But did you know that that ACORN ban was only temporary? Should ACORN get its funding back?"

Contrast that to the tone of the coverage when news broke, at roughly 8:30 am (late in the broadcast) that the economy had grown for the first time in the past year. The host spent just a handful of minutes -- and made only two mentions -- on the 3.5 percent growth in GDP, despite the fact that it signaled the beginning of the end of the worst recession in 70 years.

Tags: acorn, foxnews, media

US Diplomat Resigns Over US' Afghanistan Policy

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:45:22 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "Like the Soviets, we continue to ... bolster a failing state ... encouraging a ... system of government unknown and unwanted by its people"

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Matthew Hoh, the senior civilian representative in Afghanistan's Zabul province for the US government, said

that he had "lost understanding of, and confidence in, the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan".

my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end

officials had tried to convince Hoh to stay

"I'm not some peacenik

"I want people

to call their congressman and say, 'Listen, I don't think this is right'.

He said that all his efforts

were being over-run by

the fact that people in Afghanistan do not like outsiders

Many Afghans fight US forces because of their presence in the country, Hoh said

called for the Obama administration to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan

you have to draw the line somewhere, and say this is their problem to solve

Like the Soviets, we continue to

bolster a failing state

encouraging a

system of government unknown and unwanted by its people,"

Tags: afghanistan

8 Soloist Secrets to Getting Your Work Done

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:19:17 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "The Soloist isn't a loner but instead is that adventuresome, creative spirit that tends to get crushed by too many meetings, interruptions and annoying co-workers."

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

To be a Soloist is to be aware of that which the masses are too distracted to see. The following are secrets not so much because the information is hidden, but because most people simply aren't paying attention to the obvious.

The Soloist isn't a loner but instead is that adventuresome, creative spirit that tends to get crushed by too many meetings, interruptions and annoying co-workers.

1. Let Your Calls Go To Voicemail

2. Turn Off Your E-mail Arrival Alert

3. Get In Five Minutes Early

4. Mini-Brainstorm With Your Ensemble

5. Slow To A Stroll

6. Cut The Caff

7. NanoNap

8. Take The Stairs

Tags: work

FoxNews' War on the White House

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:36:29 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: This is not news.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: media, foxnews

FoxNews: A 24/7 Political Operation

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:26:16 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Media Matters shows news hosts and opinion hosts pushing the same right-wing spin. Bravo to Obama for dumping them.

Clip Source: www.americablog.com

This is really a fascinating, and devastating, video from Media Matters. FOX News argues that they're not really biased. Rather, their critics, FOX says, don't understand that while FOX's opinion hosts are conservative, their news is actually objective. Media Matters then compiled video showing FOX's opinion and news hosts pushing the exact same anti-Obama stories in the exact same way, with the exact same spin - from "death panels" to the false charge that an Obama administration official ignored sexual abuse. Here's the video, and then read David Waldman's analysis over at Daily Kos.

[Video]

Tags: media, foxnews

Biden on Cheney attacks: "Who cares?"

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:53:37 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "So I think that is sort of irrelevant. Not sort of - I think it’s irrelevant."

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

PRAGUE — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had a blunt response on Friday to the latest broadsides from former Vice President Dick Cheney: “Who cares?”

In the latest exchange between old and new administrations, Mr. Biden rebuffed his predecessor’s criticism about President Obama’s handling of Afghanistan as “absolutely wrong.” And Mr. Biden rejected the last review of the war conducted by the White House under former President George W. Bush and Mr. Cheney as “irrelevant

“Who cares what — ” he said, and then stopped himself to find another way to put it. (“I can see the headline now,” said the famously free-wheeling vice president. “I’m getting better, guys.”)

Moreover, he said, the Bush-Cheney review is now dated. “A whole lot has changed in the last year,”

Is that review relevant and totally applicable to today in light of the changes that have taken place in the region, in Afghanistan itself? So I think that is sort of irrelevant. Not sort of — I think it’s irrelevant.”

Tags: cheney, biden