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Tag: secrecy

More than 750

More than 750

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That’s the number of laws that Bush has claimed authority to disobey. Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ”whistle-blower” protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush’s assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting…

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Hiding Monetary Policy Now?

Hiding Monetary Policy Now?

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It has been standard modus operandi of this administration that when it doesn’t like the facts, it stops the flow of information. Here’s yet another example. We all know that the government prints money, and regulates the amount it prints to help control some factors of our economy. Whatever your theories or ideas might be about the Federal Reserve, this is public information. We deserve to know. A number called M3 exposes the full extent of the Federal Reserve money…

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Tracing Torture

Tracing Torture

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Here is a brief excerpt from testimony that claims the authorization to use torture in Iraq came from pretty high up. Read the whole article at TomDispatch.com and Truthout.org. “Tracing the Trail of Torture: Embedding Torture as Policy From Guantanamo to Iraq,” by Dahr Jamail While President Bush has regularly claimed – as with reporters in Panama last November – that “we do not torture,” Janis Karpinski, the U.S. Brigadier General whose 800th Military Police Brigade was in charge of…

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My reaction to the State of the Union Address

My reaction to the State of the Union Address

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I somehow made it all the way through the State of the Union address last night. Much as I disagree with the Bush administration, I even found him unusually appealing. I actually had the thought, “Well, maybe most of this administration’s ugliness is Cheney. Maybe Bush means some of what he is saying here.” I thought he really tried to appeal to our hopefulness at a very sour time – that showed some good leadership. But that’s about it. So…

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No jail for JW that sexually assaulted daughter

No jail for JW that sexually assaulted daughter

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The Globe and Mail: No jail for Jehovah’s Witness found guilty of abusing daughter Ontario JW Gower Palmed pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. Although the court found he abused his daughter on at least five occasions, Judge Kruzick thought he had already been punished by the civil suit – and after all, he’ll be on a sex-offender registry. Now a married mother of three pre-teen daughters, Ms. Boer said she hoped her criminal and civil battles would…

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JW Chronicles – Predators, Justice, Help

JW Chronicles – Predators, Justice, Help

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There is something inherent in controlling authoritarian communities like the JWs that helps to produce – and serves in some ways to protect – sexual predators of all kinds and, for some reason, especially pedophiles. There was at least one such in my own congregation, who described me as a “perfect little doll” to my parents and who gave me the permanent creeps. He was in his seventies before any charges were made, but I knew deep in my heart…

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