Link: http://socialistworker.org/2009/05/28/stealing-their-right-to-vote

IN NOVEMBER, American voters made history by electing the first African American president, a symbol of the promises long denied to those who fought in the civil rights' movement of the 1960s.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8069455.stm

A Briton held on suspicion of terrorism in Bangladesh is to sue Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, alleging she allowed his torture, the Home Office has confirmed. Former civil servant Jamil Rahman, who grew up in south Wales, claims he was interrogated by MI5 officers in between beatings by Bangladesh security forces.

Link: http://firedoglake.com/2009/05/27/bernie-kerik-indicted-for-lying-to-white-house/

Kerik, who served as commissioner from 1998 to 2002, allegedly gave "false and misleading" answers to Bush administration officials about his relationship with contractors who renovated his Riverdale apartment, according to the indictment handed up by a Washington grand jury. -Good grace! We're as shocked as the Bush officials are. (Here's an update on "false and misleading" information: BushLies.net)

Link: http://www.uruknet.de:80/?s1=1&p=54609&s2=28

The pictures of the dead and maimed Iraqi children were gruesome. War is gruesome. War is never pretty but the Iraqi war has been "Sanitized for your protection." It’s not enough that adult males have been tortured but thousands of women and children have also been imprisoned and cruelly treated. I think it’s pretty gruesome that the US Military has held up to 6000 juveniles in its torture prisons in the Middle East and there has been rape and torture reported to individuals as young as 10 years old! How can any human being torture another human being, much less a child?

Link: http://www.reason.com/blog/show/133729.html

Remember those campaign promises to bring a swift and honorable peace in the two wars that President Obama inherited? Forget about it. Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, said Tuesday his planning envisions combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for a decade as part of a sustained U.S. commitment to fighting "extremism and terrorism" in the Middle East. Power-of-Narrative: The Great but Unacknowledged Wisdom of Doing Nothing.

Link: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/26/sotomayor-inhofe/

Republican members of Congress have been trying to subtly raise questions about Sonia Sotomayor’s objectivity — simply because of her non-traditional race, gender, and upbringing. Think Progress: Conservatives Blast Obama’s Hispanic SCOTUS Nominee As ‘Not The Smartest’ And An ‘Intellectual Lightweight’.

Link: http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/obama-and-the-environment-the-politics-of-bait-and-switch/

After little more than 100 days in office, the Democrats, under the leadership of Barack Obama, have unleashed a slew of anti-environmental policies that would have enraged any reasonable conservationist during the Bush years.

Link: http://socialistworker.org/2009/05/27/jailed-for-aiding-palestinians

FOLLOWING CONVICTIONS for aiding international terrorism that were on through fear-mongering and highly questionable evidence, five human rights activists from the Holy Land Foundation will face sentencing May 27 in Dallas.

Link: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/68952.html

The U.S. is embarking on a $1 billion crash program to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, another sign that the Obama administration is making a costly, long-term commitment to war-torn South Asia, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/27/georgia.russia1

US and Russian warships took up positions in the Black Sea today in a risky war of nerves on opposing sides of the Georgia conflict. With the Russians effectively controlling Georgia's main naval base of Poti, Moscow also dispatched the Moskva missile cruiser and two smaller craft on "peacekeeping" duties at the port of Sukhumi on the coast of Abkhazia, the breakaway region that the Kremlin recognised as independent yesterday.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1186790/Bonnie-Clyde-How-pair-bit-crooks-worlds-famous-gangsters.html

The moment is one of the most iconic in American gangster folklore. Exactly 75 years ago two small-time Depression-era bank robbers named Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow died on a lonely road outside Gibsland, Louisiana. They were killed by a 16-second hail of 187 automatic rifle and shotgun rounds, fired at their Ford V8 sedan. Immortalised in Arthur Penn's classic 1967 film, in which they were played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, the pair the American press called 'Romeo & Juliet In A Getaway Car' earned themselves a place in the criminal hall of fame - joining infamous mobsters such as Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. -But the true story of Bonnie and Clyde is very different from the Hollywood fantasy. And as two new books reveal, it is even more extraordinary. Their deaths were certainly violent in the extreme. On the day of their demise, Clyde Barrow, who was just 25, was driving along in his socks, while Bonnie was eating a sandwich in the passenger seat. Near Gibsland, they stopped to greet the father of one of their gang members - but it was a trap. A six-man posse of Texas and Louisiana troopers was waiting in ambush and opened fire. No warnings were issued and the couple were given no opportunity to surrender. Clyde died instantly - the first shot took off the top of his head. HistoryBuff: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde. Texas Hideout: Bonnie & Clyde's Hideout.

Link: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=BUR20090527&articleId=13750

A quintessential hallmark of an authoritarian regime, particularly one that operates within highly-militarized, though nominally democratic states such as ours, is the maintenance of a system of internal control; a seamless panopticon where dissent is equated with criminality and the rule of law derided as a luxury ill-afforded "during a time of war." In this context, the deployment of new offensive technologies which can wreck havoc on human populations deemed expendable by the state, are always couched in a defensive rhetoric by militarist aggressors and their apologists.

Link: http://reasonradionetwork.com/?p=2966

Edgar J. Steele’s Nickel Rant Internet radio show: “The Ties That Divide.” Topics include:

Link: http://online.wsj.com:80/article/SB124334529081854421.html

The Supreme Court overturned a long-standing ruling that stops police from initiating questions unless a defendant's lawyer is present, a move that will make it easier for prosecutors to interrogate suspects. The high court, in a 5-4 ruling, overturned the 1986 Michigan v. Jackson ruling, which said police may not initiate questioning of a defendant who has a lawyer or has asked for one unless the attorney is present.

Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2009/05/28/gen-casey-us-ready-to-fight-war-against-north-korea/

Troops on High Alert as North Korea Moves Artillery to Western Coast. US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey today insisted that the army was “prepared” to fight a war against North Korea, in the event one broke out. Given the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gen. Casey conceded that “it would probably take us a little bit longer to shift gears” into fighting a more conventional conflict with the massive North Korean army.

Link: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=10779

Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, said: "Senior officials of the Chinese government grilled me about whether or not we are going to monetise the actions of our legislature." "I must have been asked about that a hundred times in China.

Link: http://prismwebcastnews.com/2009/05/26/12-basic-life-saving-cell-phone-use-precautions/

1 - Limit phone calls to those that are absolutely necessary, and restrict these to 6 minutes maximum, which is the time the body needs to adjust. Use a hands-free kit and hold the phone more than 20/30cm away from your body in order to limit the impact of radiation on yourself.

2 - Do not carry your phone directly on your body, even on stand-by, and do not use it less than one metre away from another person, in order to reduce the effect of ‘passive’ radiation.

Link: http://freedetainees.org:80/5648

An Afghan who has spent over six years at the U.S. military’s Guantanamo Bay prison was only around 12-years-old when he was detained, not 16 or 17 as his official record says, an Afghan rights group said on Tuesday. Interviews with the family of Mohammed Jawad, who like many poor Afghans does not know his exact age or birthday, showed he was probably not even a teenager when he was arrested in 2002, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission said.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/26/future-planet-earth

As the planet faces the most dangerous century in its 4.5bn-year history, astronomer royal Martin Rees looks into his crystal ball. If population growth were to continue beyond 2050, one can't be other than exceedingly gloomy about the prospects. And the challenge of feeding such a rapidly growing population will be aggravated by climate change. The world will be warmer than today in 2050; the patterns of rainfall and drought across the world will be different. If we pursue "business as usual", CO2 concentration levels will reach twice the pre-industrial level by around 2050.

Link: http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/888-nobel-peace-laureate-mairead-maguire-detained-by-usa-homeland-security

Friday 17th May, 2009, Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace laureate, was detained on her entry into Houston Airport, USA, by Homeland Security Immigration. Maguire was on her way home to Northern Ireland, after attending a 3 day conference in Guatemala, which was hosted by herself and three Sister Nobel Peace Laureates, Rigoberta Menchu, Jody Williams, and Shirin Ebadi. 150 women activists from around the World attended the Nobel Womens' Conference to discuss, 'Redefining Democracy, Human Rights and Peace.' Maguire was held for two hours, during which she was questioned, fingerprinted, photographed and questioned again. This resulted in her missing her flight.

Link: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=ALO20090525&articleId=13728

It seems political turmoil is becoming increasingly common in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. More than five years after the 2003 Rose Revolution, it looks like another regime change might put an end to Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency. During the last few weeks, several protests have been organized by many groups demanding that President Saakashvili tenders his resignation effective immediately. Even former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze suggested "the country's embattled president to resign to avoid bloodshed...

Link: http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/05/25/gilad-atzmon-the-three-legged-monster/

Unlike her cosmopolitan brothers and sisters who spread Zionism and tribal racism using a liberal and progressive disguise, Melanie Philips is open about it all. The other day she defined what Zionism is in a very clear manner: “Zionism,” writes Philips, “is simply the movement for the self-determination of the Jewish people. And its significance is greater than any other movement of national liberation because Judaism itself rests upon three legs — the people, the religion and the land. If one is lopped off by having its legitimacy denied, the whole thing collapses. That is why anti-Zionism is far more than an unpleasant political position. It is a direct attack on Judaism itself.”

Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2009/05/25/israel-claims-venezuela-bolivia-supplying-iran-with-uranium/

According to a report by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the South American nations of Venezuela and Bolivia are secretly supplying uranium for Iran’s nuclear program as part of a plan to “undermine” the US, which publicly objects to the civilian energy program

Link: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/25/memorial_day_specialwinter_soldier_on_the

War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month to testify before Congress and give an eyewitness account about the horrors of war. “Winter Soldier on the Hill” was designed to drive home the human cost of the war and occupation—this time, to the very people in charge of doing something about it. [includes rush transcript]

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article22704.htm

By acknowledging recent crimes while refusing to pursue the criminals, the president has made his position untenable. 'Every government ­assumes deeds and ­misdeeds of the past," writes Hannah Arendt in Eichmann and the Holocaust. "It means hardly more, generally speaking, than that every generation, by virtue of being born into a historical continuum, is burdened by the sins of the fathers as it is blessed with the deeds of the ancestors."

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=95799&sectionid=3510203

US militarism to continue under Obama Barack Obama has vowed to keep US military dominance in the world by sending military troops to 'theater of war' when and where Washington deems 'necessary'. "We will maintain America's military dominance and keep you the finest fighting force the world has ever seen," President Obama told graduates at the US Naval Academy on Friday.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=95896&sectionid=351020201

Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights has declared in a report that hundreds of people were tortured in Iraqi prisons last year. According to the report published in Baghdad's al-Sabbah newspaper Sunday, of the 306 cases of torture and abuse in Iraqi prisons, 107 took place in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Link: http://www.infowars.com/savage-declares-innocent-afghans-are-dangerous-terrorists/

Once again, Mike Savage’s virulent hatred of Islam gets in the way of reality. In the clip below, taken from Savage’s radio program, the nationally syndicated talk radio host tells his audience that the detainees held at Guantánamo and elsewhere are a threat to America. He warns that if these detainees are put in American prisons — as senator Dianne Feinstein suggests — they will radicalize their fellow prisoners in the jihadi philosophy.

Link: http://www.uruknet.de:80/?s1=1&p=54545&s2=25

On Wednesday, NATO forces launched an air strike in Afghanistan Paktika Province, targeting a farmer along the road. The farmer was wounded, and later died of his wounds. NATO later admitted that "a subsequent investigation has determined that the individual was not emplacing improvised explosive devices, as originally suspected."

Link: http://www.uruknet.de:80/?s1=1&p=54531&s2=25

Ibrahim Jassam is the latest journalist the US has arrested but not charged. A journalists advocacy group says such actions hurt US standing when it speaks for press freedom and rule of law.

Link: http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/62598

"It has to be repeated again and again: the settlements are a disaster for the Palestinians, a disaster for peace and a double and triple disaster for Israel. First, because their main aim is to make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible, and thus prevent peace forever. Second, because they suck the marrow out of the Israeli economy and swallow resources that should be used to help the poor. Third: because the settlements undermine the rule of law in Israel, they spread the cancer of fascism and push the whole political system to the right."

Link: http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/fraudulent-trials-behind-asthma-drugs-cited/

Pay-to-Play Research Was Waved Through by FDA A major allergy and respiratory management company knowingly produced flawed clinical trials of FDA approved drugs currently on the market a Texas physician is charging.

Link: http://bellaciao.org/en/spip.php?article18833

The easiest way to spot a liar is that liars always over-embellish their case... While the other Bush minions have scurried away like vermin when the kitchen light comes on, Mr. Cheney stands his ground to defend the indefensible. To try again for the umpteenth million time to make a case long discredited by simply repeating the same, tired lies verbatim.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2009/may2009/ncar-m23.shtml

Unemployment in North Carolina remained at 10.8 percent in April. The state’s jobless rate has jumped from 7 percent last October and was one of 8 US states with double-digit jobless rates last month, led by Michigan with 12.9 percent unemployed. The national jobless rate rose to 8.9 percent in April, up from 8.5 percent in March.

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article22693.htm

If we hear in the coming days that former vice president Dick Cheney has fired one of his speechwriters – or perhaps grounded Lynne or Liz – it will be clear why. Oozing out of the sleazy speech he gave Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute was an inadvertent truth regarding the Israeli albatross hanging around the neck of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2009/may2009/swat-m23.shtml

A humanitarian catastrophe is taking place in areas of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), as a result of the Obama administration’s expansion of the occupation of Afghanistan into the so-called “AfPak war”. Over the past seven years, ethnic Pashtun Islamist movements in NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have lent assistance to the resistance being waged against the American-led forces in Afghanistan by the Pashtun-based Taliban, including by disrupting US and NATO supply routes through Pakistan.

Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/22/state/n124823D29.DTL

A federal judge on Friday threatened to severely sanction the Obama Administration for withholding a top secret document he ordered given to lawyers suing the government over its warrantless wiretapping program.

Link: http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/22/cheney-prosecution-fear/

Vice President Dick Cheney decided to speak out after learning that President Barack Obama might open prosecutions of former Bush Administration officials, his daughter disclosed Thursday.

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/22

President Dick Cheney's defense Thursday of the Bush administration's policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1186128/Gender-bending-fear-plastic-drinks-bottles.html

Drink from plastic bottles can raise the body’s levels of a controversial ‘gender-bending’ chemical by more than two thirds, according to tests. Experts have been concerned about the possible health effects of bisphenol A (BPA) - an everyday chemical used in many plastic food and drink containers and tins as well as clear baby bottles - which is officially classified as toxic in some countries. A study found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles showed a 69 per cent increase in their urine of BPA, which mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen.