Link: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/kucinich-fire-generals-afghan-surge/

Obama should fire generals who spoke out on Afghan surge - "Generals are subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief. When generals start trying to suggest publicly what the president should do, they shouldn't be generals anymore. That's the way it works."

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-latt/republicans-in-league-wit_b_403942.html

Liberal bloggers have attacked the health care reform bill now in the conference committee. The all-but-eliminated-public option, the proposed taxes on so-called Cadillac health plans won by union workers over years of difficult labor negotiations, the attack on abortion rights, the lack of restraints of insurance company fees, the rejection of competition in drug pricing, all these and many more failings in the bill have been railed against on this site and others.

Link: http://news.antiwar.com/2009/12/25/minor-explosion-on-detroit-bound-plane-creates-major-commotion/

The White House has raised the terror alert level and the Department of Homeland Security has threatened to force Americans to undergo even more onerous airport screenings in the wake of an incident on a Detroit-bound airplane. Probably a patsy used to justify more airport fascism. But what exactly happened? Initially it was reported that one of the passengers ignited “firecrackers” on the flight, injuring himself bad enough to need medical treatment after the plane landed. It wasn’t long, however, before US counterterrorism officials were calling it an “act of terror,” and the passenger, a 23-year-old Nigerian, claims he has “al-Qaeda ties,” though officials haven’t been able to confirm that. BusinessWeek: Sydney, Taiwan Airports Tighten Security After Attack. News13: Airports Tighten Security After Failed Bomb Plot.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/23/jack-straw-letter-iraq-inquiry

The former foreign secretary Jack Straw is to face potentially explosive questioning at the Iraq inquiry next month over a private letter he sent to Tony Blair on the eve of the invasion, urging the prime minister to look at options apart from pressing ahead with British military involvement in the attack. John Pilger: Normalising the crime of the century: The purpose of the Chilcot inquiry is to normalise an epic crime by providing enough of a theatre of guilt to satisfy the media so that the only issue that matters, that of prosecution, is never raised. When he appears in January, Blair will play this part to odious perfection, dutifully absorbing the hisses and boos. All “inquiries” into state crimes are neutered in this way. In 1996, Lord Justice Scott’s arms-to-Iraq report obfuscated the crimes his investigations and voluminous evidence had revealed.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfvYMWgmqUo

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114665&sectionid=351020202

Israeli soldiers have shot dead six Palestinians and left a seventh one wounded in separate incidents in the West Bank and the north of the Gaza Strip. According to a Palestinian medical source, three Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza as they were on their way to cross over a wall to work in Israel on Saturday. The source further added that another Palestinian was also wounded in the incident. Al Manar TV: 6 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Occupation Army in Gaza, W.Bank. Haaretz: Israeli Hit Squad Murders Three Palestinian Activists.

Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114471&sectionid=351020202

Israel has threatened another massive war against the Gaza Strip as the impoverished enclave continues to suffer in the aftermath of the devastating January offensive. Israeli planes have been dropping thousands of leaflets across Gaza, warning Palestinians against cooperating with the resistance fighters based in the coastal sliver. The leaflets also threaten Gazans with a new attack just ahead of the first anniversary of Israel's 22-day onslaught against the Palestinian territory. In December 2008, Tel Aviv launched an all-out military action against Gaza, killing 1,400 people, including a large number of women and children, leaving thousands more injured. In July, the activist group Breaking the Silence released print and video testimony from some 30 soldiers who said they entered Gaza with firing guns upon a "permissive" guideline by commanders, urging to shoot first and worry later about distinguishing civilians from combatants. The 112-page testimony also accused Israeli troops of using Palestinian civilians as human shields and charged Israel with dropping banned white phosphorus bombs indiscriminately into Gaza streets on top of aerial bombardment and heavy artillery fire. PCHR: 23 days of War, 928 Days of Closure (.pdf). NYT: In the year since Israel launched its devastating military offensive in Gaza,it has faced intense international condemnation and accusations of war crimes. Israel's response? Threats of much harsher action.

Link: http://www.titaniumteddybear.com/?p=207

For those of you who are joining late Ann Coulter is a 48 year old, extremely right wing, talking head in the ‘States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Coulter For a brief highlight of her beliefs go here and watch the first video clip: http://www.apoliticus.com/2009/05/things-you-didnt-know-about-ann-coulter/ In this clip Ann Coulter (ACou) says that if everyone listened to her America would be far more tolerant and free because EVERYONE WOULD BE CHRISTIAN. She then goes on to say that all the Jews would be converted to Christianity and thus be “perfected” (yes, that’s a direct quote).

Link: http://eclipptv.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=9151&title=Global_Warming_Emerging_Science_and_Understanding_Part_1___Dr__Coffman

Global Warming Emerging Science and Understanding Part 6
Global Warming Emerging Science and Understanding Part 5
Global Warming Emerging Science and Understanding Part 4
Global Warming Emerging Science and Understanding Part 3
Global Warming Emerging Science and Understanding Part 2

Eighty percent of the American population now believe that man is responsible for global warming. Emerging science, however, is providing important new understanding of this issue. Yet, this information is not getting out to people, especially to our school children. It has not been proven that man is responsible for global warming or cooling. Rock Creek Free Press: Climategate: Science Scandal of the Century -The World’s Most Influential Climate Scientists Get Caught “Fudging” the Data. AWIP: Copenhagen climate change conference: 'Fourteen days to seal history's judgment on this generation'

Link: http://rt.com/Top_News/2009-12-18/data-cherry-picked-climatologists.html?fullstory

As skeptics at the Copenhagen summit are demanding proof that climate change is man-made, a Russian think-tank has accused British researchers of manipulating Russian weather data which does not fit into alarmist theory.