Bob Morris @ 21:52 Category: Unfiled;
Black helicopter alert?
Gore Vidal claims ‘Bush junta’ complicit in 9/11. World latest: America’s most controversial writer Gore Vidal has launched his most scathing attack on President Bush, calling for an investigation into whether the US administration deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks to happen.
Bob Morris @ 21:46 Category: Unfiled;
The theatre siege ended badly
50 Militants, 90 Hostages Dead After Moscow Siege A special forces officer in a gas mask is visible through a hole in a poster for the show “Nord-Ost” on the wall of the theater seized from Chechen rebels.
Bob Morris @ 17:00 Category: Unfiled;
San Francisco protest had huge turnout
A probable 80,000 in San Francisco. 200,000+ in DC. More, I think than we had hoped for.
I just got back from the SF demonstration. Wow. All types of people. Moms pushing toddlers in strollers. The Raging Grannies. A big Green Party contingent. Punks, businessmen, Black, Brown, Red, White. Palestinians. Wavy Gravy. Housewives. Ron Kovic. And just lots of “regular” people who are opposed to the crazy policies of the Bushies.
The crowd was a cross section of America, all opposed to the crazy policies of the Bushies. We are the People.
More later!
Bob Morris @ 05:28 Category: Unfiled;
Stop the war!
It is painfully early in the morning. 5 :30 AM or so. Yes, I’m sure some of you leap joyfully out of bed at 5 AM, perky and ready to greet the world. I consider you to be Martians. However, this is a special day!
There will be worldwide protests against an Iraq war today. I’m off to San Francisco on an early flight to be there for what’s looking to be a massive demonstration, with DC being the other big city for protests.
If the remote login features of this blog work, I’ll be posting from San Francisco. If not, I’ll resume Sunday night.
Check Indymedia DC and IndyMedia SF for on the ground coverage as it happens.
Bob Morris @ 05:20 Category: Unfiled;
A place where peace may actually be happening
Sinn Fein’s Adams Says Can See Future Without IRA.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said on Saturday he could envisage a time when the Northern Ireland peace process has advanced far enough for the IRA to disband.
Bob Morris @ 05:17 Category: Unfiled;
Wall Street Journal tribute to Wellstone (yes, the WSJ)
Liberals don’t appreciate conservatives enough. Conservatives don’t appreciate liberals enough either. Here’s an appreciation of Paul Wellstone, who died a few hours ago in the middle of a great battle in the heart of the great democracy.
…
Paul Wellstone was a good guy. His friend Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, spoke at some length this afternoon about his “caring and belief.” When tough old Pat Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, spoke of Wellstone this afternoon on CNN, he began to weep. And when Pete Domenici, tough old Republican of New Mexico, followed Mr. Leahy on CNN, he too began to weep, and had to beg off the interview.
Senators ain’t sissies. They can be one cold crew. But Wellstone touched them in a way that was special, and that I think had something to do with democracy, and those who grace it.
Bob Morris @ 05:15 Category: Unfiled;
Wal-Mart Blocked by Union Lobbying
The growing (finally) power of unions. Wal-Mart is notorious for their opposition to unions. Now unions are stopping them from opening stores in Los Angeles.
Organized labor won a key battle this week in an all-out effort to limit Wal-Mart’s expansion in California, successfully lobbying the Inglewood City Council to block the nonunion retail giant from building a super center in that city.
The union representing local supermarket clerks, which recently hiked dues to create a $3-million war chest to fight Wal-Mart’s expansion in Southern California, is now pushing a similar effort in the city of Los Angeles.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recently announced plans to build at least 40 super centers in California over the next four to six years, bringing the company’s giant discount-plus-grocery stores to the state for the first time. The food workers union says those stores directly compete with union supermarkets and could erode the high wages and benefits paid to its members.
Bob Morris @ 05:12 Category: Unfiled;
Brazil Countdown
This is a wonderful background piece on supporters of Lula, who will almost unquestionably be elected President of Brazil on Sunday. A serious Leftie, his election will make the World Bank and IMF grumpy indeed. However he is making many Brazilians quite happy.
Among his supporters and fellow travelers is “journalist and writer, former guerrilla fighter, and founder of Brazil’s Green Party, Congressman Fernando Gabeira” who is interviewed in a fascinating segment of the article titled “Gabeira and the maconha”. (Page down to section 5. to find it).
Would it be that we had politicians this colorful, passionate, and alive…
Bob Morris @ 05:10 Category: Unfiled;
America utterly unprepared for terrorist attacks?
So concludes a panel of the august Council on Foreign Relations, co-chaired by former Senators Warren Rudman and Gary Hart - “co-chairs of the now famous Commission on National Security that warned of such a terrorist attack three years ago.”
Among the risks
650,000 local and state police officials continue to operate in a virtual intelligence vacuum including having no access to terrorist watch lists provided by the U.S. Department of State to immigration and consular officials.
While 50,000 federal screeners are being hired at the nation’s airports to check passengers, only the tiniest percentage of containers, ships, trucks, and trains that enter the United States each day are subject to examination-and a weapon of mass destruction could well be hidden among this cargo.
First responders-police, fire, emergency medical personnel-are not ready to respond to a chemical or biological attack. Their radios can’t talk with one another and they lack the training and protective gear to protect themselves and the public in an emergency. The consequence of this could be the unnecessary loss of thousands of American lives.
An adversary intent on disrupting America’s reliance on energy need not target oilfields in the Middle East. The homeland infrastructure for refining and distributing energy to support our daily lives remains largely unprotected to sabotage.
Our own ill-prepared response has the capacity to hurt us to a much greater extent than any single attack by a terrorist. America is a powerful and resilient nation and terrorists are not supermen. But the risk of self-inflicted harm to our liberties and way of life is greatest during and immediately following a national trauma.
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