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Michigan Preparing To Let Doctors Refuse To Treat Gays

(Lansing, Michigan) Doctors or other health care providers could not be disciplined or sued if they refuse to treat gay patients under legislation passed Wednesday by the Michigan House.

The bill allows health care workers to refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds.

The Republican dominated House passed the measure as dozens of Catholics looked on from the gallery. The Michigan Catholic Conference, which pushed for the bills, hosted a legislative day for Catholics on Wednesday at the state Capitol.

The bills now go the Senate, which also is controlled by Republicans. read more...

Insane Video of the Week!

Stick a Tickle Me Elmo and an electronic Tigger together and they will simulate a really dirty sex scene, as captured on this video. Smart toys from different vendors are really overdue for combinatorial unintended consequences. 1.9 MB WMV Link "Oh boy that tickles. HeHeHe..."

I would rather go to Iraq...

For Recruiters, a Hard Toll From a Hard Sell

By Damien Cave / New York Times

The Army's recruiters are being challenged with one of the hardest selling jobs the military has asked of them in American history, and many say the demands are taking a toll.

A recruiter in New York said pressure from the Army to meet his recruiting goals during a time of war has given him stomach problems and searing back pain. Suffering from bouts of depression, he said he has considered suicide. Another, in Texas, said he had volunteered many times to go to Iraq rather than face ridicule, rejection and the Army's wrath. read more...

Sign the petition demanding ABC drop Wal-Mart as a sponsor of its "Only in America" series.

Wal-Mart, which imports between 50 and 85 percent of its merchandise, is trying to boost sales by draping itself in the American flag. The retail giant has purchased sponsorship rights to a segment on ABC's Good Morning America called "Only in America." The move is part of a long-standing propaganda campaign by the company to mislead consumers into believing Wal-Mart reflects American values and favors American-made products. In fact, "80 percent of the six thousand factories in Wal-Mart's worldwide database of suppliers are in China." If Wal-Mart were a country "it would be China's fifth-largest export market, ahead of Germany and Great Britain." Ted Fishman, in his recent book China Inc., notes, "Wal-Mart's growth as an economic force is inseparable from China's rise as a manufacturing giant ... no company has been a bigger catalyst in pushing American ... manufactures to China." It's time to stop the deception. Sign the petition demanding ABC drop Wal-Mart as a sponsor of its "Only in America" series.

Canada denies refugee status to war dodging U.S. soldier

... An American war dodger who fled the U.S. military because he believed the invasion of Iraq was criminal has lost his bid for refugee status in Canada in a case closely watched on both sides of the border....

New recruiting campaign to appeal to patriotism

...  The Army expects to miss its recruiting goals this month and next and is working on a revised sales pitch appealing to the patriotism of parents, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said Wednesday....

Soldier allegedly delivered 30 blows in detainees death

...  Pfc. Willie V. Brand, who is accused of manslaughter in the beating death of an Afghan detainee at an airfield near Kabul in 2002, allegedly delivered 30 knee strikes to the mans legs, creating injuries that made it look as if the detainee had been run over by a bus, according to testimony delivered Tuesday at a hearing at Fort Bliss, Texas.  

Reserve, Guard raise maximum enlistment age

...  With reserve recruiting hitting the doldrums in 2005, the Army has raised the maximum enlistment age from 34 to 39 for the Army Reserve and National Guard, casting its recruiting net deeper and wider.

Soldier discharged for trying to smuggle weapon

...  A North Carolina National Guard soldier who tried to bring home a contraband AK-47 assault rifle has been kicked out of the military, a Fort Bragg spokesman said.

Rehab means amputees lives can go forward

...  Service members who lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan often are awestruck when they visit Walter Reed Army Medical Centers physical therapy rehabilitation center here and see other amputees jumping, running, biking, swimming and ambling around on high-tech prosthetic legs.

LOS ANGELES - Barney Martin, a former New York City detective who went into show business and became best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld's father Morty on the comedian's hit television series, has died. He was 82.

AP Photo

Martin died of cancer Monday at his Studio City home, according to his publicist, Jennifer Glassman.

Born March 3, 1923, in the New York City borough of Queens, Martin served as a navigator in the Air Force during World War II before starting a 20-year career as a New York City police detective.

Martin showed a talent for making deputy police commissioners laugh during presentations. In the 1950s, he began writing on the side for comedy shows such as "Name That Tune" and "The Steve Allen Show."

Martin got his start in film when Mel Brooks (news) featured him in "The Producers" in 1968. That role launched Martin into Broadway theater, where he appeared in several musicals, including "South Pacific," "The Fantasticks," All American" and "How Now Dow Jones."

He is credited with creating the role of Roxy's unappreciated husband, Amos Hart, in the musical "Chicago."

Martin also appeared in several television series in the 1990s, including "The Tony Randall Show," "US," "Sydney" and "Zorro and Son."

In "Seinfeld," Martin was the third actor to play the part of Seinfeld's father and became the one most identified with the role of the Florida retiree.

He said at the show's wrap party in 1998: "Playing Jerry's dad was like having whipped cream on top of a mountain of ice cream."

He is survived by his wife and son. A daughter died in 2002 of cancer.

Top Stories Photos - Reuters

Wed Mar 23, 1:55 PM ET Gabriel Keys (foreground) is arrested by police officers for trespassing in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 23, 2005. The young protester attempted to take a glass of water into the Woodside Hospice for the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo. A federal judge rejected a request from the parents of Schiavo to order her feeding tube reinserted, dealing a blow to attempts by the U.S. Congress and the White House to prolong her life. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Poll: Keep the Feeding Tube Out

NEW YORK, March 23, 2005

Courts Deny Schiavo Parents  (Photo: AP)

(CBS) Americans have strong feelings about the Terri Schiavo case, and a majority says the feeding tube should not now be re-inserted. This view is shared by Americans of all political persuasions. Most think the feeding tube should have been removed, and most also do not think the U.S. Supreme Court should hear the case.

An overwhelming 82 percent of the public believes the Congress and President should stay out of the matter. There is widespread cynicism about Congress' motives for getting involved: 74 percent say Congress intervened to advance a political agenda, not because they cared what happened to Terri Schiavo. Public approval of Congress has suffered as a result; at 34 percent, it is the lowest it has been since 1997, dropping from 41 percent last month. Now at 43 percent, President Bushs approval rating is also lower than it was a month ago.

VIEWS ON THE CASE
Most Americans side with Terri Schaivo's husband in saying that the feeding tube should not be re-inserted now.

WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO TERRI SCHIAVO NOW?

Re-insert tube
27%
Do not re-insert
66%

Fudging the facts on Bush's end-of-life record

The Bush White House values nothing more than consistency. Other politicians can flip this way and flop that way, but George W. Bush never errs, never wavers and always stays the course -- or at least that's what the administration would have you believe.

How else can we explain Scott McClellan's deceitful spin on the Texas futile care statute then-Gov. George W. Bush signed into law in 1999? As we noted yesterday, the 1999 measure allowed hospitals in Texas to pull the plug on patients when further care would be futile -- regardless of the desires of the patient or his family. Asked yesterday whether Bush's signature on that bill conflicted with his role in the Terri Schiavo case, McClellan snapped back: "That's absolutely incorrect. The legislation he signed is consistent with his views. You know, this is a complex case and I don't think such uninformed accusations offer any constructive ways to address this matter." read more...

Cashing in on Terry Schiavo

As a federal wrestles with the Schavio case, a marketing firm tries to sell the names of those who contributed money to help keep her alive.

Folks might contribute to the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation for all sorts of reasons. To get more junk mail and spam probably isn't one of them.

But as a federal court in Florida begins to wrestle with Schiavo's case, a company that sells evangelical-themed mailing lists to direct marketers is cashing in by offering up the names and addresses of individuals who have contributed to the legal fight to extend Schiavo's life. The pitch -- "New List! First Time Available!" -- is here:

"Each of these donors responded to an email during February 2005, from Terri Schindler-Schiavo's father on behalf of his daughter. These compassionate pro-lifers donated toward Bob Schindler's legal battle to keep Terri's estranged husband from removing the feeding tube from Terri. These individuals are passionate about the way they value human life, adamantly oppose euthanasia, and are pro-life in every sense of the word!"

The names and postal addresses of 6,198 donors are available for $150. Email addresses go for $500.

President Bush said that he intervened in the Terri Schiavo case yesterday morning because he believes in "defending life for all Americans, including those with disabilities." Supporting life, however, takes more than political grandstanding. Time and again the Bush administration has pursued policies that undermine the lives and health of the American people. While the Schiavo case is being considered by the federal courts, President Bush has an opportunity to show his commitment to "defending life for all Americans" by reconsidering his policies that affect millions of Americans.

ELIMINATING HEALTH CARE FOR THE POOR: According to the Institute of Medicine, lack of health insurance already "causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." Since President Bush took office the number of Americans who are uninsured has swelled by more than 5 million people. Now he's poised to make the situation worse. President Bush is proposing significant funding cuts to Medicaid and the related State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Bush's 2006 budget slashes funding for the programs – which provide vital health coverage to 1 in 6 Americans and 1 in 4 children – by more than $20 billion over five years. According to Heather Boushey, an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, "the cut would make 1.2 million children unable to access the system." Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) said of Bush's proposed Medicaid cuts: "[P]eople need to remember that to balance the federal budget on the backs of the poorest people in the country is simply unacceptable.... You don't pull the wheelchair out from under the child with muscular dystrophy."

EXPOSING CHILDREN TO TOXIC MERCURY: Mercury is a powerful toxin that can have serious neurological effects, especially in kids. It is known to directly harm the nervous systems of children, causing birth defects and other maladies. Currently, 600,000 babies born in the United States every year "may be exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in the womb." Yet, the Bush administration recently issued rules which would allow some power plants to "increase [mercury] pollution, while others turn a profit selling unused pollution allowances." The new "cap-and-trade" policy rolls back a plan created by the EPA in 2000 which "would have mandated curtailing emissions at every plant by the maximum amount possible, which proponents said could bring a 90% reduction in three years using existing technology."

UNDERMINING PROPER NUTRITION FOR BABIES: Bush's proposed budget significantly reduces funding for the Women, Children and Infants (WIC) program – "a major preventative against low-weight babies." In 2010, for example, Bush's budget would cut funding for the program by $658 million, which would require eliminating coverage for 660,000 women.

LEAVING THE DISABLED ON THE STREET: Bush's statement about his intervention in the Schiavo case implies that he is a champion for the well-being of the disabled. Not quite. He is proposing "to stop financing the construction of new housing for the mentally ill and physically handicapped." The program has existed for three decades.

No child left unrecruited

To get federal money, schools have to give students' names and numbers to military recruiters. But some schools, claiming invasion of privacy, are fighting back.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Aimee Molloy

March 21, 2005  One day in the next two weeks, a uniformed colonel from the U.S. Army is expected to pay a visit to William Cala, the superintendent of the Fairport Central School District in Fairport, N.Y., east of Rochester. While Cala has not been told exactly what's on the agenda, he knows why the colonel is coming: to try to talk some sense into him about how he's handled the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. It might seem strange that the Pentagon is sending an emissary to a school district, but it's actually the law.

 The colonel's visit is the latest move in a three-year dispute between the Fairport school district and the government over a little-known provision of No Child Left Behind, the controversial landmark education legislation passed in 2001. The provision, under Section 9528 of the law, requires districts that receive federal funding to share students' names, addresses and phone numbers with military recruiters. This is where Cala, an outspoken critic of NCLB, has run into problems with the law -- he doesn't want to hand over student data to military recruiters without explicit permission from parents. "The Fairport Board of Education has a very long-standing policy that we don't share student information with anybody, period," says Cala, who has run the Fairport schools for eight years. "We're being forced to reverse this policy because the military says so, and we don't think that's fair or right." read more...

Gov. Faces Widening Network of Opposition

A diverse band of foes is using a blend of tactics to put Schwarzenegger on the defensive.

SACRAMENTO - Inspired by what began as an isolated protest by California nurses, opponents of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are working in a loose but widening network to thwart his policy proposals.

They are deploying an aggressive blend of demonstrations, legal action and legislative maneuvers, forcing him to defend his agenda on multiple fronts.

Firefighters and nurses are protesting outside his fundraising events. Democratic lawyers are going to court in an effort to curb the campaign money he's taking in. Teachers unions are airing TV commercials accusing him of pushing an education budget that shortchanges students.

Democrats are launching legislative inquiries into the governor's activities with a hair-trigger reflex, using the investigative machinery under their control to probe Schwarzenegger's communications and fundraising methods.

With the governor's approval ratings dropping and opponents notching a recent victory in court, anti-Schwarzenegger forces say they've shown that a movie star governor who appeared politically invincible not long ago has been cut to human scale. read more...

Needed in class: a few good men

Lowly status, poor pay, and fear of lawsuits are pushing the numbers of male teachers in US classrooms to an all-time low.

By Jodi Helmer

John Yaeger is the first to admit that being a teacher is challenging. He spends his days attempting to teach the basics of spelling and grammar to students who are more interested in playing video games than learning. He also devotes part of his weekend to grading papers and planning lessons.

But hard work, long hours, and modest pay are not the only challenges that Mr. Yaeger faces as a teacher: As a man working in a female-dominated profession, he must also battle stereotypes.

"I have been asked to carry heavy boxes by female teachers and assigned to extra lunch duty and hall patrol because administrators think male teachers are better at dealing with disciplinary problems," says Yaeger, a special education teacher at P.S. 72 in the Bronx. "I also overhear a lot of teachers - smart, educated women who are great teachers - saying that there should be a man in the classroom to solve certain problems."

The assumption that male teachers can be counted on to administer discipline is just one of the gender-related biases that dog men in the profession. read more...

Genes contribute to religious inclination

17:38 16 March 2005

Maggie McKee

Genes may help determine how religious a person is, suggests a new study of US twins. And the effects of a religious upbringing may fade with time.

Until about 25 years ago, scientists assumed that religious behaviour was simply the product of a person's socialisation - or "nurture". But more recent studies, including those on adult twins who were raised apart, suggest genes contribute about 40% of the variability in a person's religiousness.

But it is not clear how that contribution changes with age. A few studies on children and teenagers - with biological or adoptive parents - show the children tend to mirror the religious beliefs and behaviours of the parents with whom they live. That suggests genes play a small role in religiousness at that age.

Now, researchers led by Laura Koenig, a psychology graduate student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, US, have tried to tease apart how the effects of nature and nurture vary with time. Their study suggests that as adolescents grow into adults, genetic factors become more important in determining how religious a person is, while environmental factors wane. read more...

Secret US plans for Iraq's oil before 9-11 attacks

By Greg Palast Reporting for Newsnight

The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.

Iraqi-born Falah Aljibury says US Neo-Conservatives planned to force a coup d'etat in Iraq

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists".

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

Insiders told Newsnight that planning began "within weeks" of Bush's first taking office in 2001, long before the September 11th attack on the US. read more...

Teen Pledges Barely Cut STD Rates, Study Says

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 19, 2005; Page A03

Another Republican for gay marriage

When California Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer issued a tentative ruling in six consolidated legal cases yesterday, he instantly became a member of one of the nation's fastest growing fraternities: Republican-appointed judges who have issued rulings expanding rights for gay men and lesbians.

Kramer, who ruled yesterday that California's "denial of marriage to same-sex couples appears impermissibly arbitrary," was appointed to the bench in 1996 by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. In issuing his opinion, Kramer followed in the footsteps of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled 4-3 in favor of marriage rights in 2003. That decision was the handiwork of Republican appointees, too: It was written by Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who was appointed to the court by Republican Gov. William Weld and elevated to chief justice by Republican Gov. Paul Celluci, and two of the three justices who joined in the opinion were Republican appointees.

And then, of course, there's Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the Supreme Court's 2003 decision overturning Texas' sodomy laws. Kennedy was appointed to the court by Ronald Reagan. Among the five justices who joined in his conclusion in the Texas casee were three Republican nominees: John Paul Stevens (Ford), Sandra Day O'Connor (Reagan) and David Souter (Bush I). Without the votes of those Republican appointees, gay men would still risk criminal prosecution for consensual sex in Texas.

In the wake of Kramer's decision in the California case, activists from the religious right are already shouting about "judicial tyranny" again. But before they take to the barricades in the coming war over George W. Bush's judicial nominees, perhaps they should think twice about who the tyrants are.

-- Tim Grieve

[09:16 EST, March 15, 2005]

David Gregory of NBC pressed President Bush about his Social Security plan, or lack of...

                                                 Video-QT

                                                 Video-WMP

(Please link to http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/03/16.html#a1938 for the video)

David: Mr. President, you say you're making progress in the Social Security debate. Yet private accounts, as the centerpiece of that plan, something you first campaigned on five years ago and laid before the American people, remains, according to every measure we have, poll after poll, unpopular with a majority of Americans. So the question is, do you feel that this is a point in the debate where it's incumbent upon you, and nobody else, to lay out a plan to the American people for how you actually keep Social Security solvent for the long-term? 

PRESIDENT: First of all, Dave, let me, if I might correct you, be so bold as to correct you, I have not laid out a plan yet, intentionally. I have laid out principles, I've talked about putting all options on the table, because I fully understand the administration must work with the Congress to permanently solve Social Security. So one aspect of the debate is, will we be willing to work together to permanently solve the issue. Personal accounts do not solve the issue...

Bush admits to not having a plan and also acknowledges that private accounts will not hellp the solvency of Social Security. Gone is the talk about Social Security going bankrupt, and is in crisis.

Italy plans Iraq troop pull-out

Berlusconi said he was responding to public opinion

He told Rai state television the pullout would take place "in agreement with our allies".

Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq - the fourth largest foreign contingent.

Domestic opposition to Italy's involvement in Iraq intensified after the killing of an Italian agent by US troops in Baghdad earlier this month.

The surprise announcement came as Italy's lower house of parliament backed a recent Senate vote to extend the country's military presence in Iraq beyond June. read more...

International troops levels in Iraq

KBR charged millions getting $82,100 worth of LPG into Iraq

WASHINGTON - Iraq needed fuel. Halliburton Co. was ordered to get it there quick. So the Houston-based contractor charged the Pentagon $27.5 million to ship $82,100 worth of cooking and heating fuel.

In the latest revelation about the company's oft-criticized performance in Iraq, a Pentagon audit report disclosed Monday showed Halliburton subsidiary KBR spent $82,100 to buy liquefied petroleum gas, better-known as LPG, in Kuwait and then 335 times that number to transport the fuel into violence-ridden Iraq.

Pentagon auditors combing through the company's books were mystified by this charge.

"It is illogical that it would cost $27,514,833 to deliver $82,100 in LPG fuel," officials from the Defense Contract Audit Agency noted in the report. read more...

Army 1st Lt. Jack Saville also must forfeit $2,000 of his military salary per month for six months, military judge Col. Theodore Dixon ruled.

The 25-year-old West Point graduate could have gotten 9½ years in prison. He pleaded guilty Monday to assault and other crimes in one incident, and was convicted Tuesday of an assault charge in a second case.

Reading from a statement during the sentencing phase of his trial, Saville apologized and said: I desperately wish to remain in the Army. It has given me more than I could ever imagine.

He will be allowed to remain in the Army.

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 14, 2005; Page A01

WICHITA – Propelled by a polished strategy crafted by activists on America's political right, a battle is intensifying across the nation over how students are taught about the origins of life. Policymakers in 19 states are weighing proposals that question the science of evolution.

The proposals typically stop short of overturning evolution or introducing biblical accounts. Instead, they are calculated pleas to teach what advocates consider gaps in long-accepted Darwinian theory, with many relying on the idea of intelligent design, which posits the central role of a creator.

The growing trend has alarmed scientists and educators who consider it a masked effort to replace science with theology. But 80 years after the Scopes "monkey" trial -- in which a Tennessee man was prosecuted for violating state law by teaching evolution -- it is the anti-evolutionary scientists and Christian activists who say they are the ones being persecuted, by a liberal establishment.

They are acting now because they feel emboldened by the country's conservative currents and by President Bush, who angered many scientists and teachers by declaring that the jury is still out on evolution. Sharing strong convictions, deep pockets and impressive political credentials -- if not always the same goals -- the activists are building a sizable network. read more...

War deserter hoping for a new life in Canada

Posted on Sun, Mar. 13, 2005

TORONTO - An Army Specialist from Kentucky has become a high-profile opponent of the Iraq war as one of many U.S. military deserters who have fled to Canada.

Many Canadians who oppose U.S. policy in Iraq see 22-year-old Darrell Anderson, an Iraq war veteran, as a hero.

But back home in Lexington, some say he should be severely punished, while others see him as a young man who has run from commitment before.

A Lexington Herald-Leader reporter who traveled to Canada to hear Anderson speak recently at the University of Toronto.

"I never imagined that I would be in this kind of spot," Anderson said. "But I didn't want to stay and hide out in the States. And I refuse to spend time in prison for standing up for what I believe. It does get lonely sometimes, but I still believe this was the best decision."

Anderson hopes that Canada will let him stay in the country. He could be immediately arrested if he ever returned to U.S. territory, and he could be sent back to his Army unit to face punishment that could include a full court-martial and up to five years in prison.

Anderson arrived in Iraq in January 2004 with an artillery unit attached to the 1st Armored Division.

"At that point, I believed that my country had been attacked on 9/11, and that if my country was sending me to Iraq it had to be for a good reason," he said.

In Iraq, Anderson served as an ammunition loader on a self-propelled tank gun. His outfit performed various missions, from shelling suspected insurgent strongholds to supporting friendly Iraqi forces.

His perspective on the war changed after an incident at a checkpoint, he said. His unit was manning a roadblock near an Iraqi police station under insurgent attack. In the middle of the action, a car approached, refused to stop, and entered the zone Anderson was guarding. To prevent suicide car bombs, troopers had been told to fire on any vehicle that didn't stop.

Anderson said he felt no threat and therefore didn't fire on the car, which contained a harmless Iraqi family. But he said he was reprimanded for not firing. It was, he says, the beginning of his fear of being put in a position of having to kill innocent Iraqis.

A few weeks later, he was wounded by shrapnel from a homemade bomb. The wound was slight so he remained on duty, but received the Purple Heart.

Anderson's outfit, which returned to Germany last July, is expected to do another tour in Iraq this summer. But Anderson says that by the time he came home to Lexington for Christmas last year, his misgivings had hardened.

His mother has supported his decision, but others say he walked out on his commitment.

"He has done himself, the nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky a disservice," said Vaughn Binzer, an infantry officer in Vietnam who now commands VFW Post 680 in Lexington. "I think he should be arrested and extradited." read more...

[17:08 EST, March 8, 2005]
Terrorists' right to bear arms

Remember when Congress mandated last year that records of gun sales had to be destroyed within 24 hours after purchase? It was a gift to pro-gun hardliners, who riddled the Bush campaign during 2004 with threats regarding ownership and privacy rights. Apparently it was also a gift to potential terrorists who may be lurking inside the United States: Thanks at least in part to the pro-gun lobby's influence in Washington, dozens of terrorist suspects on federal watch lists got legal approval in 2004 to purchase weapons. From the New York Times today, on a new report out from the Government Accountability Office:

"F.B.I. officials maintain that they are hamstrung by laws and policies restricting the use of gun-buying records because of concerns over the privacy rights of gun owners.

"At least 44 times from February 2004 to June, people whom the F.B.I. regards as known or suspected members of terrorist groups sought permission to buy or carry a gun, the investigation found. In all but nine cases, the F.B.I. or state authorities who handled the requests allowed the applications to proceed because a check of the would-be buyer found no automatic disqualification like being a felon, an illegal immigrant or someone deemed 'mentally defective,' the report found."

"In the four months after the formal study ended, the authorities received an additional 14 gun applications from terror suspects, and all but 2 of those were cleared to proceed, the investigation found. In all, officials approved 47 of 58 gun applications from terror suspects over a nine-month period last year, it found."

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, isn't pleased with the tradeoff regarding U.S. national security. "Destroying these records in 24 hours is senseless and will only help terrorists cover their tracks," Lautenberg said Monday, according to the Times. "It's an absurd policy," he said, adding that it can be credited to the Bush administration's "twisted allegiances" to the National Rifle Association.

-- Mark Follman

Video footage shows possible detainee abuse

March 08, 2005
Associated Press

The 26-minute video, obtained by The Palm Beach Post on Saturday and posted without audio on its Web site, contains some graphic images, including a soldier kicking a wounded, moaning Iraqi. It also depicts troops feeding rations to a stray kitten.

Army investigators found no cause to charge anyone in connection with the so-called “Ramadi Madness” video, according to documents released last week. The Army investigation, which ended in December, determined that the footage illustrated “inappropriate rather than criminal behavior.”

Excerpts from the video were made available online Monday.

The video was a compilation of recordings taken of the actions of B Company, 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, a Florida National Guard unit that was in Iraq in 2003 and early 2004, according to military officials. The company is based in West Palm Beach.

In one video clip, a soldier is shown manipulating a dead Iraqi, shot while trying to run a checkpoint in a truck. The soldier said he only positioned the body so other U.S. personnel could remove it.

Sgt. Chad Shadle, who compiled the video shot by another soldier, said it was meant only to be seen by the circle of soldiers in Bravo Company. He said he put it together late one night out of boredom.

“People see what they want to see,” Shadle said. “They see abuse and want to cry foul. There was no abuse. I’d like to see these critics attacked every night, mortared every day. I’d like to see how they’d feel, how they’d react.”

Other scenes showed soldiers cleaning the head wound of a detainee during an apparent interrogation, and a guardsman showing off his weapon.

Maj. Joseph Lyon, the company’s commander, has said the video led to disciplinary action against a soldier or soldiers, but would not give details.

IT'S OVER... AND WE WON!

Amidst the growing momentum of the 2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour and after nearly four years of a national boycott, the CIW and Taco Bell have reached a historic agreement! Join us in Louisville, KY on March 11th & 12th to celebrate this victory and chart the next steps in the fight to end sweatshops in the fields! Check back later tonight for photos, video, audio, and press.

Click here for details on this precedent-setting agreement.

Click here to read the statement by Lucas Benitez of the CIW.

And click here for a full report from the 2005 Truth Tour!

Disturbing Video of the Week

Brought to you by:

Center for the American Progress 

DAILY TALKING POINTS
	Stop the Bankruptcy Bill March 7, 2005 A bi-partisan coalition of senators is on the verge of passing sweeping bankruptcy legislation that will hurt regular Americans.

Credit Card Companies Going for Broke Tell Senators to OPPOSE S.256 The bankruptcy bill as written penalizes families facing high medical costs or other hardships but does little to crack down on abusive lending practices.

Food or Medicine?: Don't Make Her Choose Tell Congress Not to Cut Medicaid President Bush has proposed cutting $45 billion from the nation's largest health insurance program and he plans to shift the costs to states.

Don't Let Your Dollars Fund Genocide Write to your state officials Today show your solidarity with the suffering people of Darfur. Demand that public pensions sell any stock they hold of companies doing business in Sudan.