Headlines - Monday

50 million now without health insurance, people homeless, jobless and hungry ...

 

Cost of Iraq war will surpass Vietnam's by year's end

 

If Congress approves the latest funding request, as expected, the Iraq war will have cost about $694 billion, making it the second most expensive conflict in U.S. history behind World War II.

http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/mayfaire/latimes0213.htm

 

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A Fraud That Makes Madoff Look Small Time:  http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/04/12-4

 

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Digby: What We Need:

 

..... Society doesn't need newspapers. What we need is journalism. For a century, the imperatives to strengthen journalism and to strengthen newspapers have been so tightly wound as to be indistinguishable. That's been a fine accident to have, but when that accident stops, as it is stopping before our eyes, we're going to need lots of other ways to strengthen journalism instead.

When we shift our attention from 'save newspapers' to 'save society', the imperative changes from 'preserve the current institutions' to 'do whatever works.' And what works today isn't the same as what used to work.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-we-need-by-digby-obviously-there.html

 

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As you plan your summer travel, think twice - or ten times - about getting on a plane.

Because the new "metal detectors" you step through are actually displaying your naked body to TSA employees.  Down to the last groin-area pore. Without your knowledge, much less permission.

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Willful violations, willful disclosure, willful authoritarianism

 

Why do Barak Obama and his people in the justice department think that they can get away with not merely reinforcing some of the worst of the Bush administration's excesses when it comes to legal secrecy and authoritarianism, but actually expanding upon it all in ways even Bush probably didn't dare to dream about? The hubris of Obama's decisions in this matter are astounding, disappointing, and downright depressing.

It isn't even necessary for your expectations to be set very high to be disappointed — mine certainly weren't — because rejecting the patterns established by the Bush administration in this area should have been the bare minimum we should have been able to expect. Apparently, though, that was too much.

More here: http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2009/04/willful-violations-willful-disclosure.html

 

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A Saudi court has ruled that the marriage 47-year-old man to an 8-year-old girl should be upheld. Sheikh Habib Al-Habib rejected the mother's effort to secure a divorce for her child.

Since the mother is separated from the girl's father, the court ruled that she is not a legal guardian who can seek such a divorce. The father arranged the marriage to settle his debts and insists that the girl's husband promised not to consummate the marriage until the girl reaches puberty. That could be as early as nine years old.

Recently, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia endorsed marriages of girls as young as 10.

For the full story, click here.

 

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The castaway dog who swam SIX miles through shark-infested waters, then survived FOUR months on a desert island: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1167967/The-castaway-dog-swam-SIX-miles-shark-infested-waters-survived-FOUR-months-desert-island.html

 

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Go Sea Shepherds!

 

Good. Japan's controversial whaling fleet returns to port this week with a smaller-than-expected haul, blaming harassment from militant activists in the Antarctic, the fisheries agency said.

 

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This pirate crisis appears to be another one of those political Rorschach tests that shows how detached from reality some people can get when it comes to defending or attacking a politician. Over at the DKOS, there are multiple glowing diaries all but calling for a CMH for Obama: http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=19869

 

I'm with Howie Klein in wondering why George W. Bush let the pirates fester around the Horn of Africa for eight years.

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Theocracy in California public schools:           http://www.mockpaperscissors.com/?p=16983

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A feature article on poor, little Chimpy living in the suburban wasteland, with his empty and wasted wife, Pickles. Except that he is still wearing the freakin' preznintial seal. Anyway, it is quite a read.

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The chosen people

Last month, Israeli President Shimon Peres contradicted President Obama's groundbreaking message to Iran by urging the Iranians to overthrow their government. Meanwhile, Obama emphasized his willingness to work with the current Iranian leaders and underscored his view that regime change is not a goal. Now, Peres is ratcheting up more bellicose rhetoric. During a radio interview yesterday, he said that Israel is poised to attack Iran if Obama's "overtures to the Islamic republic fail to bear fruit":

"Ahmadinejad recruits forces against us, but there are also forces against him," Peres said. "What happened in Egypt created a fierce opposition and we must unify all his opponents - the Sunnis and the Europeans, as well as those afraid of nuclear weapons and terror."

Peres went on to say that he hoped Obama's call for dialogue with Ahmadinejad would be heeded, but warned that if such talks don't soften the Iranian president's approach "we'll strike him."

Peres did add a caveat. "We certainly cannot go it alone, without the US, and we definitely can't go against the US. This would be unnecessary," he said.

"Israel would be utterly crazy to attack Iran," International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei said recently. "I worry about it. If you bomb, you will turn the region into a ball of fire and put Iran on a crash course for nuclear weapons with the support of the whole Muslim world."

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Obama testing new umbrellaprompters

Here's Barack Obama and his "commie posse" in Europe, testing incredible new Marxist technology which will allow the reading of prepared remarks from the inside of these health-care umbrellas. [White House]