Investigate the U.S. Election

I'll say it again. The Bushites stole the 2004 election and the exit polls, showing Kerry winning, weren't wrong. Now prominent statisticians are calling for an investigation:

Prominent Statisticians Refute 'Explanation' of 2004 U.S. Exit Poll Discrepancies in New Edison/Mitofsky Report and Urge Investigation of U.S. Presidential Election Results.President Bush won November's election by 2.5% yet exit polls showed Kerry leading by 3%. Which was correct?

"There are statistical indications that a systematic, nationwide shift of 5.5% of the vote may have occurred, and that we'll never get to the bottom of this, unless we gather the data we need for mathematical analysis and open, robust scientific debate.", says Bruce O'Dell, USCountVotes' Vice President....

According to this analysis by a group of senior statisticians, the new data just released by the exit-pollsters shows that the possibility that the overall vote count was substantially corrupted must be taken seriously. “Now we have statistical evidence that these reports were the tip of a national iceberg. The hypothesis that the discrepancy between the exit polls and election results is due to errors in the official election tally is a coherent theory that must be explored,” said statistician Josh Mitteldorf.

The statisticians go on to note that precincts with hand-counted paper ballots showed no statistical discrepancy between the exit polls and the official results, but for other voting technologies, the overall discrepancy was far larger than the polls’ margin of error.

The problem appears to be in electronic voting - the Diebold effect.

Why should we tolerate voter fraud here while stopping it in the Ukraine?

So Called Liberal Media

I finally turned the TV on today and first I tried MSNBC, but the day-time anchor was interviewing Chris 'Tweety' Matthews who was complaining about how those bullies, the Democrats, were spoiling the Bushites moment of glory - the Iraqi election, by asking for an exit strategy. Trying to suppress my gag reflex, I switched to CNN where Miles O'Brien and Kyra Phillips were obsessing over Michael Jackson's trial. Kyra Phillips was in a state of high excitement over a glimpse of Jackson as he left the courtroom for a lunch break. This is news?

Unable to supress my gag reflex a second time, I hit the off button on my remote control. I'll have to wait for Keith Olbermann tonight to get the news. I wish Air America would broadcast from a local radio station. "

When did Chris Matthews' opinion become so important he gets interviewed for mid-day news? He has his own show for Chissakes - and that's bad enough.

Second Term and Who Cares?

Candi located an excellent article called Ho Hum, More War And Death by Mark Morford. Here are some excerpts but the entire article is worth reading.

Does it bear repeating? Are we too far gone? Do we even care that the WMD search has been quietly, meekly, officially called off in Iraq after two full years of ardent searching and after 1,200 of BushCo's own highly trained scientists and investigators -- not the U.N., not Democrats, not icky foreigners, not crazy liberals, not gay-marriage advocates -- but Bush's own people, preprogrammed to dig up the absolute tiniest shred of evidence of Saddam's gnarly intentions and hold it up and scream in giddy delight, and who found, well, absolutely nothing at all?

Yes, many Americans are "concerned" about Bush's handling of the war. Yes, his approval rating heading into Nightmare Phase II are the lowest of any two-term president in recent history. But, overall, Americans seemed to like him enough to give him another term and they think he's doing an OK job despite the economy and the deficit and the misogyny and self-righteous Bible thumping, and the nation as a whole seems to have assimilated the lies, the bogus war, the death and pain and economic violence.

Let's spell it out again, one more time, just for old time's sake. There was no "bad" intelligence. There was no evil Saddam plotting an overthrow of the world. There was only BushCo-branded coercion and misprision and traitorous presidential lies the scale of which make Nixon look like a pickpocket. The CIA and the FBI and the Pentagon said it outright: Saddam was harmless. No threat. No WMD. No reason to go to war. Period. Didn't matter.

And Saddam did not, as some Repubs whined and as the new reports -- again from Bush's own people -- prove, Saddam did not hide WMDs in Syria. Or Pakistan. Or New Jersey. He did not bury them underground or paint them over to look like circus tents or stash them in the back of the Winnebago Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were driving in "The Simple Life 2." Bush's WMDs never existed. And he knew it. What's worse? We knew he knew it. And he got away with it anyway....

And now, all outrage has become muted and lethargic. All protests, in the wake of BushCo's nauseating fear-based win last November, have become pale and moot and limp. We are numb and resigned to the steady stream of lie and abuse. This is the sentiment, even among many fear-hammered red staters who insist on seeing Bush as their pseudo-religious dumb-guy Messiah: a sort of national teeth gritting, a dark period in America, a hunkering down and waiting for it to be over and for the light to emerge again.

Term II is under way. The vicious Republican PR machine is of such potent talent that Bush could now walk up to a live TV camera and jam his thumbs in his big monkey ears and wiggle his fingers and stick out his tongue and say Ppppbbbtthhtt, ha ha America, it's my gul-dang war and I knew all along Saddam was an easy mark, a pip-squeak tyrant, never had WMDs, and I lied to the whole stupid nation to make me look manly and to help my buddies in Big Oil, and in the military industry, and in my daddy's Carlyle Group, and for my rich Saudi pals.

And he could say: Too bad about all those dead 'Murkin soldiers. Too bad about all those soldiers who will be dying very soon. Too bad they can't go AWOL and skip out on the war like I did. Too bad they're dying for reasons no one can justify, and never could. Okey doke, I'm off to the ranch for even more vacation, the most of any president in American history. Bye now. Oh, yes, one more thing: ppppbbbtthhtt!

And most of America would apparently sit there and watch him, and sigh, and go, oh that Dubya, such an honest and God-loving man, so simple and plainspoken and not all that bright. Just like the rest of us. He's a Good Man, isn't he? He's sturdy and stalwart and on the side of righteousness. I mean, isn't he, Lord? Hello?

Attaturk of Hegemon Answers His Mail

I'm up out of my sick bed for the moment and not writing much, but would like to call your attention Dr. Atta J. Turk who is doling out advice to the lovelorn or maybe just the lorn:

Dear Atta J. Turk --
I am the God-appointed Preznit of a large Western superpower, and I have a problem. There appear to be as many as a dozen cold Senators' and pundits' noses all up in my anal regions, all the way up to my colon at times, and what I want to know is this: How do I tell that Joe Lieberman guy to quit hogging, to knock it off and give other people their turn?
He just doesn't want to listen. He's worse even that that Chris guy with the high voice.
Thanks,
Little Georgy Jingo

Dear Little Georgy,
Here you see the problems that happen when one has to deal with those on the other side of the aisle and the costs that have to be paid. Once you were nice to that Zell fellow, it was only a matter of time before lonely Joe came a callin'. And I understand it is a problem, while Zell is crazy, he, at least is entertaining, lonely Joe on the other hand...well let's just say he makes Mitch McConnell seem charismatic in comparison.

Look, any Republican in your position is going to have to deal with a needy pet Democrat. They are not going to get love from their party, and so they come over to you for the occasional pat on the head and a public attaboy. Some Democrat has to want to be on Hannity & Colmes or O'Reilly as the "good" Democrat in order to serve some sort of pathological need to be loved by someone.

I think, however, that you are overestimating the amount of sphincter time you have to give someone like lonely Joe. It is my experience with him, that when it comes to the necessary affection from Republicans, allowing lonely Joe a quick sniff followed by a good thumping from the back of your hand should suffice to keep him in line. So for you, a quick reward followed by the pleasurable infliction of pain -- a momentary inconvenience and a precious release -- sounds like something you would like.

As for high-pitched Chrissy, just the back of your hand, or on special occasions a good bludgeoning with a mallet, will work.

Coronation of the Naked Emperor

I have a sore throat today and am feeling achy so I might take a few days off. Meanwhile here's a link to photos, short video clips and information from the Cobb-LaMarche Campaign about protests in opposition to the second coronation of the chimperor. These protests and protesters have been ignored by the SCLM (so-called Liberal Media).

Eric Cartman for President

There are rumors on the internets that Newt Gingrich, the Eric Cartman of the Repuglican party, might run for president in 2008.

David Corn has some good stuff on this "family values" candidate-to-be.

Gingrich has tried to fuel speculation that he may run for president in 2008. It's good for book sales. But can a fellow who left his first wife when she had cancer and who then engaged in an adulterous affair while he was Speaker of the House really compete in the GOP primaries? What about those so-called values voters?

But it's even worse than that. In my routine, I got an easy laugh by poking fun at Gingrich for wanting to post the Ten Commandments in government buildings while forgetting about Ol' Number 7 in his own life. I then decided not to do a follow-up joke on Gingrich I had written, which was sharper. In the post below, I reveal that particular gag. It was based on a not widely-known piece of Newt trivia: not only did he leave wife number-one when she was ill; he did the same with wife number-two. Few people seem to realize that when Gingrich dumped Marianne, his second wife, on Mother's Day in 1999 (half a year after he was forced to resign as Speaker), she was in medical trouble. Eight months earlier, Marianne had been diagnosed with a neurological disorder that could lead to multiple sclerosis. The New York Post's Brian Blomquist reported this in July 2000.But the tidbit seems not to have become part of the Gingrich legend. Imagine the question, though, that could be put to Gingrich as a presidential candidate: You ended your first marriage when your wife had cancer, you divorced your second wife after she was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, can you please tell us what this says about your character and your respect for family values? Do you believe there is a need for an Eleventh Commandment: Thou shall not leave your wife when she is really sick?

Darwin Fish on TV

Rjng of Fire's Darwin fish and our home-based mail-order business were featured in a local news broadast in May, 1997. We have provided a page where you can see a Flash movie of the segment. The movie will start automatically right inside your browser window. Movie file size: 4.3 MB. Running time, 2 minutes, 13 seconds.

If your browser cannot display the Flash movie correctly, you can download and install the latest Flash Player plug-in for your browser.

Are We a Banana Republic Yet?

Today, George Will, provided commentary for ABC during the inauguration, and he mentioned that all the military and security at the affair was unattractive and makes us look like a banana republic. His comment was repeated on Peter Jenning's evening news.

George Will is not the only one who has used that term about our government lately. Here's a quote from Paul Krugman.

Social Security doesn't need to be fixed:The American economy cannot withstand another round of massive debts. Last year Congressional Republicans, those famous warriors of fiscal discipline, increased the federal borrowing ceiling, and the international response was a steady decline in the value of the once coveted dollar. Initial debt like that noted by the White House memo on privatization, and long-term unbearable debt like that predicted by Paul Krugman (his numbers coming from the Congressional Budget Office analysis) would produce even more grave consequences, both for the dollar and the economy at large. Krugman speculates: 'And when investors started fleeing because they believed that America had turned into a banana republic, they wouldn't be reassured by claims that someday, in the distant future, privatization would do great things for the budget.' "

And here:
"So if you ask the question do we look like Argentina, the answer is a whole lot more than anyone is quite willing to admit at this point. We've become a banana republic."

Crisis might take many forms, he said, but one key concern is the prospect that Asian central banks may lose their appetite for U.S. government debt, which has so far allowed the United States to finance its twin deficits.

A deeper plunge in the already battered U.S. dollar is another possible route to crisis, the professor said.

The absence of any mention of currencies in a communique from the Group of 20 rich and emerging market countries this past weekend only reinforced investors' perception that the United States, while saying it promotes a strong dollar, is willing to let its currency slide further.
"The break can come either from the Reserve Bank of China deciding it has enough dollars, thank you, or from private investors saying 'I'm going to take a speculative bet on a dollar plunge,' which then ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy," Krugman opined. "Both scenarios are pretty unnerving."

In the longer-term, Bush's version of social security reform, which Krugman says would relegate pensions for the elderly to the whims of volatile financial markets, could have wide-ranging implications for future generations.

The only bright spot in having Bush in power for another four years, said Krugman, is that further economic mismanagement might trigger some sort of popular outcry.

"I do believe at some point there is going to be a popular tidal wave against what has happened," concluded Krugman. "In the meantime, you keep banging on the drum, you keep telling the truth.

"And then eventually we have the great demonstrations, which I think are important to let the government know that many Americans are not happy with what is happening," he said.

The FDA is failing to protect us from dangerous prescription drugs and Republicans are trying to take away our right to sue the drug companies who knowingly release this profitable drugs on an unsuspecting public. Corporate influence rules Washington and our mass media, our leaders lied to us and got us into an illegal war. In the Ukraine exit polls were used as evidence that election fraud had taken place, but here when exit polls don't agree with the "offical" results, we are told that the exit polls were wrong. Our democracy, if not dead, is in critical condition. Indeed, we may already be a banana republic.

T-Rex Snacks On Jesus Fish

Ring of Fire Enterprises has a new car emblem featuring T-Rex snacking on a certain well-known fish. Be the first on your street to own one. Now Available. Order today!

Ring of Fire has Darwin Fish Car emblems and other products.

Killer Diet

Thanks to Dada for the following:

SYDNEY (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. (MCD) said Charlie Bell, who stepped down as the fast-food chain's chief executive in November to focus on his battle with cancer, died on Monday in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. Bell had succeeded Jim Cantalupo, 60, who died suddenly of a heart attack after a little more than a year on the job. A brash go-getter, Bell once told industry analysts that, like McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, he would ram a fire hose down any competitor's throat if he saw him drowning. A charismatic leader who said he ate a McDonald's product most days, Bell was diagnosed with colorectal cancer just weeks after being named to the company's top job in April.

More here:

Bush Child Left Behind

From Philly.com

FIRST, Jenna Bush was going to teach poor kids in Harlem.

Then, after Harlem didn't welcome her with open arms, she decided she was going to teach poor kids at a Washington, D.C., charter school.

Then important news broke: Jenna would wear a Badgley Mischka dress at dad's inaugural ball.

But what about that teaching job? How's that going?

The Washington Post's Reliable Source says not so well.

The White House has been mum on Jenna's job search (odd since they're usually so forthcoming), but the Post believes Jenna has started work not as a teacher, but as a teacher's aide because she doesn't have the qualifications necessary to take over a classroom under the stringent requirements of No Child Left Behind.

(Who knew when dad signed it into law in 2002, the child being left behind would be his own daughter?)

The Stupid Acorn Doesn't Fall Far From the Stupid Tree

Daily Kos :: Why Jenna can't teach:

"In Thursday's NYT profile of Laura Bush:

' And she confessed that on the last day of the fall campaign her daughter Jenna announced that she and her sister, Barbara, would be joining their parents in an Iowa town, Sioux City, which Jenna pronounced 'Sigh-yocks City.'

'Don't put that in!' Mrs. Bush said quickly, as her listeners exploded in laughter. 'It was so funny. She was totally humiliated.'"

By the way, this is the Bush daughter who wants to be a teacher. We wonder, "Is our children learning?"

Boxer is a Champ

Senator Boxer confronted Condi-Liar Rice today with more courage than anyone else. Boxer also bravely challenged the Ohio electors because of election irregularities and she had the integrity to vote against giving Chimp the power to invade Iraq.

I have the greatest admiration for her and am including a partial transcript of her exchange with Con-Liar Rice here:

SEN. BARBARA BOXER: Thank you, Dr. Rice, for agreeing to stay as long as it takes, because some of us do have a lot of questions….

One of the things that matters most to my people in California and the people in America is this war in Iraq. Now, it took you to Page 3 of your testimony to mention the word "Iraq." You said very little really about it, and only in the questioning have we been able to get into some areas….

So in your statement it takes you to Page 3 to mention the word "Iraq." Then you mention it in the context of elections — which is fine — but you never even mention indirectly the 1,366 American troops that have died, or the 10,372 who have been wounded…. And 25% of those dead are from my home state. And this from a war that was based on what everyone now says, including your own administration, were falsehoods about WMDs, weapons of mass destruction.

And I've had tens of thousands of people from all over the country say that they disagree — although they respect the president — they disagree that this administration and the people in it shouldn't be held accountable….

And I'm fearful if we don't see some changes here we're going to have trouble. And I think the way we should start is by trying to set the record straight on some of the things you said going into this war. Now, since 9/11 we've been engaged in a just fight against terror. And I, like Sen. [Russell D.] Feingold [D-Wis.] and everyone here who was in the Senate at the time, voted to go after Osama bin Laden and to go after the Taliban, and to defeat Al Qaeda. And you say they have left territory — that's not true. Your own documents show that Al Qaeda has expanded from 45 countries in '01 to more than 60 countries today.

Well, with you in the lead role, Dr. Rice, we went into Iraq. I want to read you a paragraph that best expresses my views, and ask my staff if they would hold this up — and I believe the views of millions of Californians and Americans. It was written by one of the world's experts on terrorism, Peter Bergen, five months ago. He wrote: "What we have done in Iraq is what Bin Laden could not have hoped for in his wildest dreams: We invaded an oil-rich Muslim nation in the heart of the Middle East, the very type of imperial adventure Bin Laden has long predicted was the U.S. long-term goal in the region. We deposed the secular socialist Saddam [Hussein], whom Bin Laden has long despised, ignited Sunni and [Shiite] fundamentalist fervor in Iraq and have now provoked a defensive jihad that has galvanized jihad-minded Muslims around the world. It's hard to imagine a set of policies better designed to sabotage the war on terror."

This conclusion was reiterated last Thursday by the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank, which released a report saying that Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of … terrorists….

Now, the war was sold to the American people, as chief of staff to President Bush Andy Card said, like a "new product." Those were his words. Remember, he said, "you don't roll out a new product in the summer." Now, you rolled out the idea, and then you had to convince the people, as you made your case with the president. And I personally believe — this is my personal view — that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth….

Now, perhaps the most well-known statement you've made was the one about Saddam Hussein launching a nuclear weapon on America with the image of, quote, quoting you, "a mushroom cloud." That image had to frighten every American into believing that Saddam Hussein was on the verge of annihilating them if he was not stopped.

And I will be placing into the record a number of such statements you made which have not been consistent with the facts. As the nominee for secretary of State, you must answer to the American people, and you are doing that now through this confirmation process….

And as much as I want to look ahead — and we will work together on a myriad of issues — it's hard for me to let go of this war, because people are still dying. And you have not laid out an exit strategy. You've not set up a timetable. And you don't seem to be willing to A) admit a mistake, or give any indication of what you're going to do to forcefully involve others. As a matter of fact, you've said more misstatements — that the territory of the terrorists has been shrinking when your own administration says it's now expanded to 60 countries.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Senator, I am more than aware of the stakes that we face in Iraq, and I was more than aware of the stakes of going to war in Iraq. I mourn and honor — I mourn the dead and honor their service, because we have asked American men and women in uniform to do the hardest thing, which is to go and defend freedom and give others an opportunity to build a free society, which will make us safer.

Senator, I have to say that I have never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character. And I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility or my integrity...

Blah, blah, blah, bloviate, lie, lie, and lie some more.

BOXER: You and I could sit here and go back and forth and present our arguments, and maybe somebody watching a debate would pick one or the other, depending on their own views. But I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in the facts. So when I ask you these questions, I'm going to show you your words, not my words. And, if I might say, again you said you're aware of the stakes in Iraq; we sent our beautiful people … to defend freedom. You sent them in there because of weapons of mass destruction. Later, the mission changed when there were none. I have your quotes on it. I have the president's quotes on it. And everybody admits it but you that that was the reason for the war.

And then, once we're in there, now it moves to a different mission, which is great. We all want to give democracy and freedom everywhere we can possibly do it. But let's not rewrite history. It's too soon to do that.

RICE: Sen. Boxer, I would refer you to the president's speech before the American Enterprise Institute in February, prior to the war, in which he talked about the fact that, yes, there was the threat of weapons of mass destruction, but he also talked to the strategic threat that Saddam Hussein was to the region. Saddam Hussein was a threat, yes, because he was trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction. And, yes, we thought that he had stockpiles which he did not have. We had problems with the intelligence…. It was the total picture, senator, not just weapons of mass destruction, that caused us to decide that, post-Sept. 11, it was finally time to deal with Saddam Hussein.

BOXER: Well, you should read what we voted on when we voted to support the war, which I did not, but most of my colleagues did. It was WMD, period. That was the reason and the causation for that, you know, particular vote. But, again, I just feel you quote President Bush when it suits you, but you contradicted him when he said, "Yes, Saddam could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year." You go on television nine months later and said, "Nobody ever said it was.

RICE: Senator, that was just a question of pointing out to people that there was an uncertainty. No one was saying that he would have to have a weapon within a year for it to be worth it to go to war.

BOXER: Well, if you can't admit to this mistake….

RICE: Senator, we can have this discussion in any way that you would like. But I really hope that you will refrain from impugning my integrity.Integrity?

She wouldn't recognize integrity if it bit her on the butt.


In a time of universal deception, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

Take a Trip to Uranus

People attend performances by a Professor Jose Miranda in Miami who calls himself a rumpologist. He uses bamboo sticks and crystals "specially imported from the Orient" to trace every line, curvature and dimple of his clients' butts. He says the left cheek is the cheek of the future and the right cheek is the cheek of the present.

But wait there's more. You can hire Sly Stallone's mom to read your butt. Is this a great country or what? For a mere $125.00, she'll read your buttocks from a close-up photo or a scan and she'll send you a report about where your butt will take you next.

I predict that those who have their butts analyzed are on crack and the future of rumpology is crappy.

Losing Our Rights

In case you hadn't noticed lately, pharmaceutical companies now own the FDA, the White House and most of Congress and that's probably why those prescription drugs we can barely afford (like Vioxx and PremPro), are killing us. It's not enough that the drug companies have no independant oversight, if the Bushites have their way, we won't be able to sue them after they kill our loved-ones.

From the Hightower Lowdown (subscription):

High on Bush & Co.'s agenda is "tort reform." The "crisis" is that you unruly citizens are treating big corporations unfairly, constantly filing "frivolous lawsuits" against them. So, to protect the poor corporations, Bush says he must limit your access to America's courts.

But a survey by the consumer group, Public Citizen, reveals that American businesses file about four times as many lawsuits as do individuals—even though there are 40 times more individuals in America than businesses—and that corporations file frivolous lawsuits 69 percent more often than individuals do.

Corporate lawyers sue customers, competitors, suppliers, workers, and anyone else standing between their client and another dollar bill. Regular folks count on trial lawyers who pay the up-front costs of getting us to trial, and only get paid if we win. This provides the best access to the judicial system poor and middle-class families can get.

To get this survey and fight for your rights, call Public Citizen: 202-454-5104.

Public citizen also has a drug safety web site here. They currently have a list of 181 one drugs that are not safe to use. The pharaceutical companies are sending drug pushers (they call them sales people) to doctor's offices and they advertise on TV, so check online before filling that prescription and use it to educate your doctor.

The Monty Python President

With apologies to the fine comedians of Monty Python, but they couldn't have written a better script.)

Here is an excerpt of an interview conducted by a reporter of the Washington Post and Preznit Gee Dubya Chimp. The interviewer asked him about his plan to privatize social security. (A little background: The Bushites called it privatizing social security until polls showed that people weren't in favor of the plan so they decided to call it personal accounts to make it seem more acceptable. It's the same plan marketed under a new name.)

The Post: Will you talk to Senate Democrats about your privatization plan?

THE PRESIDENT: You mean, the personal savings accounts?

The Post: Yes, exactly. Scott has been --

THE PRESIDENT: We don't want to be editorializing, at least in the questions.

The Post: You used partial privatization yourself last year, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes?

The Post: Yes, three times in one sentence. We had to figure this out, because we're in an argument with the RNC [Republican National Committee] about how we should actually word this. [Post staff writer] Mike Allen, the industrious Mike Allen, found it.

THE PRESIDENT: Allen did what now?

The Post: You used partial privatization.

THE PRESIDENT: I did, personally?

The Post: Right.

THE PRESIDENT: When?

The Post: To describe it.

THE PRESIDENT: When, when was it?

The Post: Mike said it was right around the election.

THE PRESIDENT: Seriously?

The Post: It was right around the election. We'll send it over.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm surprised. Maybe I did. It's amazing what happens when you're tired. Anyway, your question was? I'm sorry for interrupting.

Answer to California Budget Woes

Here's the latest from MoveOnCalifornia.org:

A proposal in California suggests the state could cut taxes, fully fund education and balance the budget. But the remedy could be a hard pill for voters to swallow.

The Committee to Explore California Secession proposes that Californians could have the best of all worlds if it chooses to move toward independence.

“Californians currently only get 78-cents back for every dollar they pay to the federal government,” says Jeff Morrissette, founder of Move On California. “Meanwhile, other states are getting as much as $2.00 for every taxpayer dollar.”

While Morrissette acknowledges that some inequity in the contribution and distribution of federal funds is to be expected, the ratio should be more on the order of plus or minus five or ten percent.

“The fact is Californians are getting pushed around and it’s time we pushed back,” Morrissette says. “California taxpayers basically lose about $40 billion annually which goes to pork barrel spending projects in other states.”

The secession buzz in California began shortly after the November 2004 election largely out of disappointment in the re-election of President Bush. However, since launching Move On California and the website moveoncalifornia.org, Morrissette says the idea is starting to be embraced by
people across party lines.

“Republicans and Democrats don’t like that we are subsidizing other states when those California tax dollars could be better spent at home to shore up our own fiscal problems,” Morrissette says.

He says that if Californians could control the $40 billion that goes down the drain they could give state taxpayers a $20 billion tax cut and still have enough money to fully fund California spending priorities, specifically education, and balance the budget at the same time.While that may seem like
a fantasy, the budget numbers make more sense and would have far greater appeal to voters across the state than the “loser-pays-all” plan of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“When people hear the word secession, the first thing that comes to mind is the Civil War. But what I’m trying to get across to Californians is that this movement has a stronger parallel to the issues facing colonial Americans
when they, in fact, chose to secede from the British Empire.”
While the secession movement in California is still somewhat under the radar, Morrissette says a momentum is beginning to build. Some 30,000 unique visitors have taken a peek at the Move On California website in under two months, media requests are received daily and two documentary films are in the works.

“While secession may be a long-shot,” Morrissette says, “it will
succeed in bringing awareness to many of the grievances California has politically, socially and fiscally.”

The American Taliban

The American Pharmacists Association has a policy for their members that says druggists can refuse to fill prescriptions if they object on moral grounds. Some pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control pills because of their religious beliefs.

Where do we draw the line on letting wingnuts decide which of our rights we can enjoy?

Will they withhold Viagra if a man is unmarried or gay?

What if a patient has cancer and needs chemotherapy or radiation treatment that will not only kill the cancer cells, but will also kill eggs and sperm?

Maybe a theater cashier should refuse to sell tickets to movies unless he or she approves of the movie's content.

Maybe law enforcement officers should only enforce the laws that meet with their personal beliefs.

Welcome to the slippery slope of the American Taliban.

Who Would Jesus Hate?

A local high school (Scotts Valley, Calfornia) has a policy of honoring diversity that includes sexual orientation, but a parent is upset because he wants his child to be as prejudiced as he is. Complaining about what his son must endure in a tolerant environment, the wingnut is quoted in the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"He has to simply endure these messages all day long in the classroom," D’Andrea says. "It’s indoctrination and propagandization. ... It’s reverse intolerance."

Hey dude, reverse intolerance equals tolerance.

And the wingnut was quoted on KSBW-TV:

"My child is not required to respect that type of family unit if it's contrary to that family's religious moral values," D'Andrea said.

Gay teenagers have high suicide rate, but apparently that isn't important when a parent is trying to teach his son to fear and hate people who are different?

I wonder, who would Jesus hate?

"Dim" president leads us into the Dark Ages

It has been evident to me that culturally we're returning to the "Dark Ages" through the rise to power of religious wingnuts, but now scientists have discovered that we're also getting less sunlight and are literally entering a new Dark Age.

BBC News reports:

We are all seeing rather less of the Sun, according to scientists who have been looking at five decades of sunlight measurements. They have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling.

Paradoxically, the decline in sunlight may mean that global warming is a far greater threat to society than previously thought.

The effect was first spotted by Gerry Stanhill, an English scientist working in Israel.

Comparing Israeli sunlight records from the 1950s with current ones, Dr Stanhill was astonished to find a large fall in solar radiation.

"There was a staggering 22% drop in the sunlight, and that really amazed me." Intrigued, he searched records from all around the world, and found the same story almost everywhere he looked.

Sunlight was falling by 10% over the USA, nearly 30% in parts of the former Soviet Union, and even by 16% in parts of the British Isles.

Although the effect varied greatly from place to place, overall the decline amounted to one to two per cent globally every decade between the 1950s and the 1990s.

Dr Stanhill called it "global dimming", but his research, published in 2001, met a sceptical response from other scientists.

It was only recently, when his conclusions were confirmed by Australian scientists using a completely different method to estimate solar radiation, that climate scientists at last woke up to the reality of global dimming.

Dimming appears to be caused by air pollution.

Burning coal, oil and wood, whether in cars, power stations or cooking fires, produces not only invisible carbon dioxide - the principal greenhouse gas responsible for global warming - but also tiny airborne particles of soot, ash, sulphur compounds and other pollutants.

There are suggestions that dimming was behind the droughts in sub-Saharan Africa which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the 1970s and 80s.

There are disturbing hints the same thing may be happening today in Asia, home to half the world's population.

"My main concern is global dimming is also having a detrimental impact on the Asian monsoon," says Professor Veerhabhadran Ramanathan, professor of climate and atmospheric sciences at the University of California, San Diego. "We are talking about billions of people."

But perhaps the most alarming aspect of global dimming is that it may have led scientists to underestimate the true power of the greenhouse effect.

They know how much extra energy is being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere by the extra carbon dioxide we have placed there.

What has been surprising is that this extra energy has so far resulted in a temperature rise of just 0.6 degree Celsius.

This has led many scientists to conclude that the present-day climate is less sensitive to the effects of carbon dioxide than it was, say, during the ice age, when a similar rise in CO2 led to a temperature rise of six degrees Celsius.

But it now appears the warming from greenhouse gases has been offset by a strong cooling effect from dimming - in effect two of our pollutants have been cancelling each other out.

This means that the climate may in fact be more sensitive to the greenhouse effect than previously thought.

If so, then this is bad news, according to Dr Peter Cox, one of the world's leading climate modellers.

That means a temperature rise of 10 degrees Celsius by 2100 could be on the cards, giving the UK a climate like that of North Africa, and rendering many parts of the world uninhabitable.

That is unless we act urgently to curb our emissions of greenhouse gases.

Evolution stickers unconstitutional

According to CNN Evolution stickers unconstitutional - Jan 13, 2005: "A federal judge in Atlanta, Georgia, has ruled that a suburban county school district's textbook stickers referring to evolution as 'a theory not a fact' are unconstitutional."

When I first saw this headline, I thought Ring of Fire's Darwin fish had been banned.

Animals Were Victims of the Tsunami Too

The major media hasn't reported much about the plight of the animals who were also victims of the Asian tsunami. All I heard was that the wild animals sensed the impending tidal wave and ran for higher ground, but people had pets who are now homeless and hungry. In Sri Lanka and Thailand animal deaths have been limited mostly to pets. IOL reports that some of the dogs have resorted to eating some of the corpses. Apparently wild animals were able to flee to safety, but farm animals were not. Like most pets, the homeless animals will eat or drink things that are not good for them, like contaminated water. A veterinarian is rounding up strays in Thailand:

Kiartisak said he felt he was helping the stray dogs, who are generally perceived in Thailand as ugly, dirty and smelly.

If people begin to care for animals that generally have been shunned by many, it is an indication that people in society have developed spiritually," he said

Humane Society International reports on their blog from South Asia:

Dr. Putu Listrianai Wistawan, Jill Robinson, Animals Asia, and I joined Margot, John Dallie, and Yvonne de Gaay Stekelenburg on their regular feeding routes. This dropped us smack dab into the reality of what these dogs are facing. The dog population has been estimated at 17,000 dogs.

Our first stop was at the Patong river, where there is nothing left of a small subsistence fishing colony. I had to hold back tears at the sight of a dog standing on the foundation, the only thing left of the house, looking out to the river as if anticipating the arrival of his owner. He now joins other unfortunate homeless dogs.

When Margot and Yvonne arrived, the dogs immediately recognized the truck, and started running across the bridge and barking beside the vehicle. It was amazing. I had a flash of the pied piper. Margot said the dogs used to jump into the river and swim to the other side and wait for her at the feeding spot, but they were afraid of the water. We fed them in a different place than usual—it was a concrete foundation slab with blue-and-white print linoleum. I guessed we were feeding them in what used to be someone’s kitchen.

....

Our next stop was Wat Kamala, once a beautiful temple, which was heavily damaged. Three monks and 15 of the 25 dogs there perished. We were received so warmly by the monks. The relationship between the monks and the dogs is very special. The monks are the primary caretakers of the dogs, but now all of them need a little caretaking—they all are making do in the ruined temple, which rests just 30 meters from the beach.

The main problem facing these homeless dogs is the fact that the restaurant and food stalls, which used to feed them, are all destroyed. The area that was once full of restaurants, food sellers and tourists is now just rubble.

Donations are being accepted for Humane Society International here. If you prefer to use PayPal, you can donate directly to Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand. I hadn't heard of the latter organization before, but they are recommended by Friends of Animals.org, so I trust that they are legitimate.

Global Climate Change

The weather in California lately, reminds me of the changes the Earth is undergoing now. The Greenland ice sheet has been melting and slipping down its bedrock toward the sea faster than expected, particularly during the summer melting season according to NASA scientists. It's sliding faster because melted water from the surface is trickling through 4,000 feet of crevices to the bedrock. There, the meltwater serves as a lubricant between the ice and rock, speeding the ice sheet's journey toward the coast. This process was known for decades to enhance the flow of small mountain glaciers, but was not known to occur in the large ice sheets. Global positioning satellites were used to monitor the ice flow. They found that in the summer of 1999, the rate of movement was 3.5 inches more than the midwinter rate, much faster than it was int eh summer of 1996. This finding raises the possibility that warming global temperatures will accelerate the sheet's flow into the ocean, contributing to higher sea levels. Greenland contains enough ice to raise ocean levels by 20 feet.

Plants are bursting into blossom weeks earlier in England than they have in at least 40 years, according to new research. The premature blooms are the strongest biological signel yet of climate change according to Alistair H. Fitter of the University of York. The researchers compared flowering dates with temperature changes in south-central England over the last 40 years, and found that temperatures for January, February, and March have increased by 1.8 degrees since the 1960s. In the same period, flowering dates have shifted by an average of 5 to 15 days, with some plants blooming earlier. They also begin to sprout further north and at higher elevations, some Alpine flowers are already appearing further up mountain slopes. This is how nature respond to global warming.

We can expect more deadly epidemics due to global warming according to a study by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Researchers found that climate-related outbreaks are occurring in a wide range of hosts, including corals, birds, oysters, plants and humans.

The number of increases in disease incidence is astonishing according to Richard Ostfeld of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.

"We don't want to be alarmists but we are alarmed." he was quoted in Science.

Even slight increases in temperature allow disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and fungi to develop more rapidly. As global temperatures rise, these carreirs are spread into new areas that were previously inhospitable. For example, insects carrying tropical diseases are heading toward the poles. Cold weather has often kept a check on these germs but with shorter, milder winters, more of them are surviving. These changes could lead to the extinction of species and cause more illness in humans.

"It's not only going to be a warmer world, it's going to be a sicker world, " says Andrew Dobson.

The Benefit of Organic Foods

I've been hearing that organically grown food isn't just good for the enviroment, it also provides us with better nutrition than conventionally grown-foods. I've always assumed that the quality of organic foods is a result of the nourished soil - that organically enhanced soil produces plants that are more robust, but I read in the January issue of Prevention magazine that there is another theory:

"Raising produce as nature intended seems to preserve its beneficial nutrients, at least for tomatoes and broccoli, University of California, Davis, researchers found. Among supermarket samples of those two vegetables, organic versions tested higher in vitamin C and heart-protective flavonoids -- compounds plants release to defend themselves against infections and insects. Growing plants using modern industrial-style farming methods, however, seems to eliminate their need for those defense mechanisms, reducing their flavonoid levels."

Catcus Mary's Bush Soap and Holy Soap

We just received a box of wonderful hand-crafted soap from Cactus Mary. The labels are so entertaining. She makes the following claim, "Bush soap is guaranteed to remove filthy residue, of administration lies & corruption, chemical plant emissions, soot from burning oil wells & blood..." and you can wash away your own sins with "Holy Soap".

Unfortunately, even Cactus Mary's "Holy Soap" wouldn't redeem Bill Frist, cat killer.

Cat Killer Bill Frist Will Be On Meet The Press

I will not be watching. He has nothing to say that would interest a kitty-lover like me. I can't stand the sight of the man.

Mahatma Ghandi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Conversely, the moral deficit of a person can be judged by the way he (Frist) treats animals.

The Boxer Rebellion

I received the following from the folks at Contest The Vote and I agree with the sentiments:

Today the people of the United States stood up against arrogance and fear...and both buckled. At the urging of tens of thousands of concerned citizens, California Senator Barbara Boxer joined the House challenge of the Ohio Electoral College vote. The result was the televised broadcast of dozens of charges of voter fraud to millions of watching Americans. Everyone could observe for themselves the attitude of denial taken by Republican representatives who were obviously unprepared to say anything of substance, much like their President.

The passion and fire of the members of the House Caucus was truly inspiring. Each one spoke with great sincerity and truth, weakly challenged by the "get over it" statements of those who sought to deny that there are any problems with our Democracy. In addition to acknowledging those brave members of the House of Representatives, we must individually write, phone, and fax OUR Senator Barbara Boxer. Without the support of Senator Boxer, we would have had a repeat of that ugly scene from Fahrenheit 9/11 where President-elect Gore told each Caucus member to sit down and shut up.

NO OTHER SENATOR JOINED SENATOR BOXER! They are still afraid to stand up to the White House Bully for fear of losing some of their own power. In addition, their staff could lose their premium parking spaces, another fact of life in the Democracy of the United States of America. It is now time for us to acknowledge Senator Boxer. (I will no longer refer to her as "Boxer".) Her contact info is below so you can write her your own message of support.

Tell her YOU will be there to help her when she needs your letters, faxes, and phone calls. Tell her how grateful you are that she decided to represent YOU, rather than some unethical corporation.Tell her you want to be added to her email list so YOU can be informed. Tell her that without the action of the brave Senator Barbara Boxer, our Democracy would be no more than that hollow shell being forced upon Iraq.

Senator Barbara Boxer's Contact Info:
Phone: 202.224.3553 (DC)
Fax: 202.228.3972 (DC)

Governor Gropenator

Don Perata had a great response to Governor Gropinator's state of the state speech last night when he said that since Gov. Groper helped to elect George W. Bush, he should get some federal aid for California from Preznit Chimpy. From San Jose Mercury News:

Perata said Schwarzenegger could eliminate the state's $8.1 billion budget deficit if he persuaded the Bush administration and Republican-controlled
Congress to give California more federal funding.

'If there's going to be a gunfight at the OK Corral, we're not going to go in unarmed,' the Oakland Democrat said.

Observations from the L.A. Times

Democrats learned an important lesson about Schwarzenegger last year: He's not always successful at moving the public. He traveled the state telling voters in malls and chain restaurants that they needed to write and call their legislators urging them to pass his version of the budget. He called those legislators 'girlie men.'

Legislators waited for their phones to ring, but they didn't. Schwarzenegger also campaigned extensively for Republican legislative candidates, but none of them won. 'What Democrats concluded is that people turned out to see the Terminator, not the Governator,' South said. 'They were there to see him in his star capacity, not to turn public opinion.'

There is no question that Schwarzenegger has tremendous power; he is one of the most popular politicians in the country. But his successes last year — and there were many — were small enough that political observers started comparing him to Davis, still an insult in Sacramento.

Challenge to the Ohio Electorate

We have a huge storm heading our way, the ground is already saturated from 8 days of rain, so we'll probably have some power outages and I won't be able to get online so, here are a few thoughts for today.

Regarding Barbara Boxer: We're extremely proud of our senator for being the lone voice in the senate for voting rights today. The other Democrats should be ashamed of their jello spines and the Repugnicrats should be ashamed of being shameless. Is that possible?

It Ain't Broke - Don't Fix It

Champollion at Rising Hegemon found this article on Yahoo that exposes Bush's plan for privatizing social security:

A White House e-mail argues the case for cutting Social Security benefits promised in the future and says support must be built for investment accounts by convincing the public the system is "heading for an iceberg."

Calling President Bush's effort "one of the most important conservative undertakings of modern times," Karl Rove deputy Peter Wehner says in the e-mail that "the Social Security battle is one we can win." Doing so would advance the idea of limited government and could transform the nation's political landscape, he said...

Democrats think the White House e-mail "shows the strategy is to instill panic," said Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

In the e-mail, Wehner, director of White House Strategic Initiatives, urged cuts in future promised benefits as the best approach to overhaul the system to private investment accounts. Failure to make the cuts would cause "short-term economic consequences," he wrote.

McClellan cautioned that Bush had not decided on an approach. But Wehner's e-mail implied that the White House was further along in its planning than it has claimed.

Republicans just hate those safety nets for those of us who are not affluent. Just tonight California's Gropenator stated his intention to do away with pensions for state workers.

Some Democrats May Have Spines After All

There's a rumor according to Keith Olbermann that 6 Democrat senators will join Congressman Conyers in contesting the Ohio electoral vote later today. We'll see if they can keep their spines stiff that long.

Southern Feminists

Actually, that term isn't an oxymoron - there are a few feminists in the south and Ashley Sayeau writes for Dec. 6, 2004 issue of The Nation on the subject.

...This pervasive religious fanaticism has sharply curtailed Southern women's sexual and reproductive freedom. Of public schools that provide any sex education, 55 percent in the South, as opposed to 35 percent nationwide and 20 percent in the Northeast, adhere to a strict abstinence-only curriculum. Not surprisingly, the region also boasts the highest teen birthrates in the country. In 2001, 6.7 percent of girls aged 15-19 gave birth in Mississippi, over three times as many as in New Hampshire. Incidentally, 98 percent of counties in Mississippi had no abortion providers as of 2000.

"In the South, the strength of the church has worked very much against women in terms of pushing them into traditional roles, and refusing to deal with sex education, health rights, reproductive rights," said Cornish. Indeed, Mississippi went so far as to enact a law in July permitting all types of healthcare workers and facilities to refuse to perform any service they object to on moral or religious grounds. "We have doctors who won't even issue birth-control prescriptions," Nsombi Lambright of the American Civil Liberties Union's Mississippi branch told the Associated Press.

The obstacles facing Southern African-American women are especially severe. In 1999, the five worst states for African-American women's earnings were in the South. Southern black children are two times more likely than white kids to be poor. Despite this, the region has the lowest welfare benefits and some of the harshest sanctions in the country. Rascaun Ellis, an African-American woman from Mississippi, said this leaves many in her town, particularly young girls, feeling hopeless. She recalled that one of the brightest girls in her high school dropped out after getting pregnant. "She just accepted what she saw as her fate." Participants from Louisiana, where nearly 20 percent of women live in poverty, to Kentucky, where more than half of households headed by women have incomes below $15,000 a year, spoke of how poverty affected their everyday lives, from the roaches in their grocery store to the poorly funded city schools to the fact that it took one attendee's sister a year to recover from a minor injury because most doctors in her town of 17,000 were incompetent.

It seems that the fundies like their women uneducated and pregnant. Laura Bush is the perfect role model, with her ever-present vacant-eyed smile, her mind always on a pleasant thought where reality can't intrude.

Praising God for Star Jones

I admit it, I don't watch The View on TV, but I do watch Jon Stewart and The Daily Show which is where I discovered that Star Jones thanked God for holding off on that tsunami until she, Star Jones, got back home safely. Isn't that a rather self-centered point of view (intentional lame pun)? And doesn't it follow that we should blame God for the masses of people he killed that day?

Evolution on the Ropes

As we slide backwards toward the dark ages and forward toward faith, four states, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are set to require that evolution be taught as an UNPROVEN hypothesis, along with Kansas, where creationists recently won back control of the school board. Probably to follow is Florida, proud home of a faith based prison. In Mississippi where women who want abortions must be told that there's a link between abortion and breast cancer (this is NOT true). In Texas, due to a relulatory change, there is now only one clinic where a woman can get an abortion after sixteen weeks.

Sharpen those coat hangers, girls.

Notable Quotables

Justin Taylor in The Nation:

"...think about those order-by-phone ads you see for Christian rock double albums on cable channels--all those dead-eyed white kids with the slow sway and the vague smiles; these are the wing nuts of the next generation, and they are largely of age or coming of age to make their vote felt."

Alexander Cockburn of The Nation:

"The neocons? They're holding on, probably aware that if they quit government they'll live like hunted things, fleeing lawsuits down the years. They'll cling on and then hope Bush will pardon them on his way out of Dodge in 2008, same as his dad did Weinberger and his CIA buddies."

"No hearts and minds have been won in Falluja any more than they were won in the Vietnamese countryside around My Lai. The city has been destroyed in order to save it for democracy. The language of the US military commanders, and of the journalists who relay their press releases, echoes with eerie and horrible fidelity those press releases, from US miliary HQ in Saigon thirty-five years ago. LBJ handed the quaqmire on to Nixon. It's Bush's poisoned chalice, bestowed by his first to his second term, the cup he'll be hoisting on Inauguration Day."

The Polls

Has anyone asked the Iraqi "Security Moms" how they plan to vote?

Telling Whoppers

Q: How can you tell when Preznit Chimpy is lying?

A: His lips are moving

Okay, that's an old joke but there are subtle ways of determining when people are lying and according to a study conducted by researchers at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, men (more so than women) tend to pause or hesitate when they tell lies.

"When it comes to lying...if you are having to create something, you would want to pause longer because you would want to be careful about what you are going to say," according to an article in the News Telegraph.

Now, I've noticed that, unless he has a script to read, Preznit Chimpy, has a lot of pauses in his semi-coherent phrases. Do you suppose he would actually be fluent if he spoke the truth?

Lying has become so chic under this administration that youngsters are told blatant falsehoods about sex (you can get AIDS from tears and sweat, or you can become pregnant through mutual masterbation).

In a time of universal deception, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

We're On Wife Swap (TV)

We've just learned that some of our products may be displayed on an upcoming episode of Wife Swap, the Reality TV program on ABC. Apparently a wingnut wife will switch with a secular woman. We don't know yet when the program will air. Our No Preaching and Reality Bites emblems may be included in the show, in the possession of the secular woman, of course.

Happy New Year

It's a time to make a fresh start and, for some of us, to make resolutions. My resolution this year is to stop using soap, shampoo, etc. made from animal parts. I recently discovered that "commercial" soap contains tallow which is rendered beef or lamb. My soap will be made only from vegetable sources. I've recently started making my own soap and soon, on our web site, we'll be selling special home-crafted soaps made by Cactus Mary. A friend sent us a couple bars of her soap for Christmas and we really like it.

It'll be available, initially on our web site, in two forms: Bush Soap and Holy Soap. We'll make wild claims about how it will wash away your sins but we'll only guarantee that it is made from pure ingredients.

Our friend, Mary, reports that her hands crack and bleed when she uses commercial soaps, but Cactus Mary soap is gentle and helps her hands to heal.

I've recently been making molded glycerin soap in the shape of kitty faces and in the shape of the Goddess of Willendorf. These molded soaps are made of sapphire colored pure vegetable glycerin, with lavender scent from natural essential oils. I still need to get cellophane packaging for these soaps before offering them on our web site, where you can also buy Ring of Fire's Darwin fish, but hope to offer them to the public soon.

Torture

The Bush Administration issued a new memo recently saying that torture "is abhorrent both to American law and values and to international norms.'' What took them so long? Their 2002 memo defined torture narrowly, as an act causing pain equivalent to that of "organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death.'' Their rewriting of international law wasn't limited to the Geneva Conventions. It skirted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Torture Convention. Can anyone explain to me how Bush is any better than General Pinochet who also justified his repressive policies by presidential decree?

Unfortunately, there's no decree of rights protecting animals from torture. Oh, sure, we have laws against animal cruelty but chickens are exempt.

"Currently, almost all chickens are hung upside-down with their legs snapped into metal shackles, which often breaks their bones," the group said in a statement.

"Many are still fully conscious when their throats are slit and when they are immersed in scalding-hot water for feather removal,"


McDonalds is considering making the suppliers use more humane methods.

PETA, which buys stock in companies as part of its strategy, holds 199 shares in McDonald's. The group has had some success with McDonald's, persuading the company to improve slaughter conditions for cows and pigs and stop using egg suppliers that starve chickens for two weeks to shock the birds' bodies into another laying cycle. More here.

I'll be honest with you. My heros and heroines are the brave members of ALF. They risk their freedom to rescue animals from horrific conditions and then, for security reasons, they don't get to enjoy the lucky animals in their new, safe environments.

In SHAC/USA newsletter Vol. 4, Issue 2, Summer 2004, they tell of a time when they rescued boxes full of baby chicks from barns owned by Huntington Life Sciences (a house of torture for animals) and delivered them to a safe house where they immediately began to scratch in the bedding and bath themselves in the water dishes. In this case, the chickens were unable to stay in their new home, so the ALF rescuers found a new home for them where they could enjoy the outdoors. They were almost full-grown when transported to their new home and they were perplexed by the grass under their feet.

"It was an honor to see them go from cramped quarters in small barns out in a snow storm, to playing in the grass in the warm spring breeze. It reminded us that animal liberation doesn't always have to be flashy stunts and expensive campaigns. It can be a couple of friends, a pair of boltcutters, and the determination and creativity to see animals living free."

"A nation's progress can be judged by how they treat their animals." - Gandhi

Humanitarian Aid

Dada wonders:

what the hell is the difference between all this humanitarian aid outpouring for victims of the tsunami when ca. 100,000 victims of bombs and artillery in Iraq (80% women and children) don't warrant much of anything?

Splenda Kills Beagles

32 beagle dogs were locked in metal cages for 52 weeks. They were given Sucralose mixed in with their normal feed, and blood and urine samples were collected. At the end of the study they were killed by means of exsanguiation - they had their throats slit open and bled to death. They were then cut open and their organs - by now drained of blood so easier to dissect - were examined to test the product's toxicity levels.

Four beagle puppies (or as HLS calls them – punching bags) were starved before being force-fed the super-sweet sugar powder. HLS employees then took blood samples from the jugulars of the infant dogs.

An unspecified number of marmoset monkeys either died from the poisoning or were killed at the termination of the research at HLS.


The report states that 12 of these monkeys, which were babies – under 10 months old – were force-fed Sucralose for seven weeks. Two of the primates died on the seventh day from brain defects, another primate was mysteriously killed after four weeks, and the remainder all were murdered at the completion of the seventh week. Some of the recorded observations from this study noted “in appetence, body weight loss, unwillingness to use hind leg, hopping, involuntary grip reflexes, salivation and subdued mood.”


Huntingdon also used rabbits to study the effects of the product. These little animals were given 1200 times the expected daily intake and not surprisingly most died from the trauma. Many of the other rabbits suffered from convulsions, weight loss, and various intestinal disorders.


Huntingdon also tested the product on pregnant rabbits, mice, and rats – killing both the mothers and the fetuses.