Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes ago

Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design" isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.

The Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said placing intelligent design theory alongside that of evolution in school programs was "wrong" and was akin to mixing apples with oranges.

"Intelligent design isn't science even though it pretends to be," the ANSA news agency quoted Coyne as saying on the sidelines of a conference in Florence. "If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be taught when religion or cultural history is taught, not science." more

 

Score one for the smart people.  And down with Pat Roberston:  Dear Pat Robertson: I am Catholic not a dumbass

'Go-getter,' 18, ousts mayor in Michigan

By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

Michael Sessions is too young to drink champagne legally, but the 18-year-old high school senior has reason to celebrate: He unofficially won a race for mayor Tuesday by defeating the baby boomer incumbent.

Sessions, who turned 18 on Sept. 22, ran as a write-in candidate because he was too young to get on the ballot in the spring. The young politician used $700 from a summer job to fund his door-to-door campaign in Hillsdale, Mich., a town of about 9,000.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051110/pl_usatoday/gogetter18oustsmayorinmichigan

 

Good on yah, Mayor Sessions! 

 

This blog thinks, even without knowing his politics, that this gentleman embodies the spirit of what we hope to accomplish here.  Get involved.

 

I Don't Listen to Rush Limbaugh...

...but I can if I want to. However, if you are listening to tax payer funded Armed Forces Radio Rush is the only voice you can hear.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) tried to changed that with his Amendment to the DOD Authorization Bill that would have required AFR to follow its charter and have balanced programming. Notice I said, "would have." The amendment was defeated, 44-54.

If that number sounds familiar, it should. The vote went straight down party lines.

So, there will be no Ed Schultz Show on Armed Forces Radio. Even though there should be. For the same reason that I can listen to Rush Limbaugh if I choose to - freedom.

Just A Quick Thought

Something I heard on the radio today made me think: though it might not necessarily be in the best interests of U.S. (oil) interests, wouldn't it make more sense politically to divide Iraq into three countries: a Kurdish state, a Shia state, and a Sunni state?

Of course, there's the oil reserves issue because I think most of them are in the South (I'm writing nearly stream of conciousness here, so forgive me if I am wrong) so there would be some quibbling there (I know, that's an understatement), but isn't it at least something to consider?

Just a thought I had as I stayed up late writing for one website when I should be writing for another while stressing out about being unemployed, so take it for what it's worth.

A Cause Worth Supporting?

I was thinking what Sean had to say about the focus of this block, about the fact that it was not intended to be a scandal sheet. There are far too many scuzzy politicians, we know this, and it just so happens that many of them happen to be Republican right now. Though I am the bleeding heart liberal of the group I fully recognize and admit that the Dems are not immune to the "absolute power corrupts absolutely" thing. Heck, just look at the early 90's after Clinton was elected. Because of the shady dealings of the Dems the Republicans were able to sweet into victory; Adam has noted that the honestly and integrity that he saw (yes, that HE saw) have a lot to do with his joining the the GOP.

Anyhow, as I was saying, Sean's words made me think about what I could spotlight that was positive. Then, on MTV of all places, I saw a brief news clip about John Edwards and what he's been doing with his "time off":

Capital Times - "The country is hungry for a big issue - a cause, a calling - it can get involved in, Edwards told about 500 people Wednesday afternoon at the Wisconsin Union Theater. "If you don't believe me, look at the reaction to Hurricane Katrina," he said.

The government reacted slowly, while the people themselves took action, volunteering and donating money to help victims, Edwards said.

"Americans are looking for something moral and just. Something other than this mess in Iraq we are engaged in," he said to overwhelming applause.

"They need a champion. That champion is you," Edwards said, noting that college students have spurred major change in the past, from civil rights to the Vietnam anti-war movement to helping topple the apartheid system in South Africa.

Could this still be politics? Of course, but I think he's making a good point that the youth of America has had a lot to do with bringing about real change, so why not turn the focus onto something that seems to have slipped between the cracks as of late: poverty in America. Empowering people to effect change like this sounds like a good thing to me.

We are the world's richest and most powerful country, yet why do we have so many homeless. Yes, there are some people that have done this to themselves and may even deserve what happens to them, but with so many studies suggesting that a disproportionate number of homeless are mentally ill and/or drug dependent it makes me think about what could be done to help.

I don't know if I am really offering any answers here, but rather opening up the floor for discussion.

More information here. Please, feel free to leave comments.

This wasn't supposed to be a scandal sheet

I swear I am trying to find some good politicians and people worth admiring. Right now I think some of us are hoping they just stop trying to screw us.

Maybe it is the beginning of the end. Maybe it has to get worse before it gets better. I guess we won't really know until November 2006 if people are fed up or think everything is just fine.

In the meantime many local elections are taking place next week, Tuesday, November 8. Please, remember to inform yourself and go vote.

From the Your Tax $$$ Still Pay Him File

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged via CNN.com

Rep. Charlie Melancon, whose district south of New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane, posted a sampling of e-mails written by Federal Emergency Management chief Michael Brown on his Web site on Wednesday.

The Democratic lawmaker cited several e-mails that he said show Brown's failures. In one, as employees looked for direction and support on the ravaged Gulf Coast, Brown offered to "tweak" the federal response...

The e-mails Melancon posted, a sampling of more than 1,000 provided to the House committee now assessing responses to Katrina by all levels of government, also show Brown making flippant remarks about his responsibilities.

"Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane.

A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

"In the midst of the overwhelming damage caused by the hurricane and enormous problems faced by FEMA, Mr. Brown found time to exchange e-mails about superfluous topics," including "problems finding a dog-sitter," Melancon said.(emphasis mine)
Full Text

In case, you didn't know he is still on salary as a consultant to FEMA at a salary of $143,000/yr. He should be arrested for negiligence but we are paying him to help figure out what went wrong. Ummm.

CIA runs secret terrorism prisons abroad: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has been holding and interrogating al Qaeda captives at a secret facility in Eastern Europe, part of a covert prison system established after the September 11, 2001, attacks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The Soviet-era compound is part of a network that has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand and Afghanistan, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement.

Thailand denied it was host to such a facility.

"There is no fact in the unfounded claims," government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said.

The newspaper said the existence and locations of the facilities were known only to a handful of officials in the United States and, usually, only to the president and a few top intelligence officers in each host country. (more by clicking post title)

Alrighty then! If this is true, isn't there supposed to be Congressional oversight of the CIA? The CIA does not report to the President. Yes, he can give orders but the CIA reports to Congress. I am sure all potential detainees are being treated humanely in these "black prisons" and all parts of the Geneva Convention are being observed. Oh wait...

A Rare Show of Spine From the Democrats

Democrats Force Secret Senate Session
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Unable to win their way with votes, outnumbered Democrats used a rarely invoked Senate rule to force a secret session as a way to dramatize their assertions that the Bush administration misused intelligence in the run-up to war in Iraq.

"They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why," Democratic leader Harry Reid said Tuesday in demanding that the Senate chamber be emptied of everyone but members and a few staffers.

Republicans angrily derided the use of Rule 21 — which dates back to 1795 — as a political stunt but agreed two hours later to have a bipartisan group check on how the Senate Intelligence Committee is coming along in its investigation of prewar intelligence.full text

Was this a political move? Absolutely. Do I applaud them for actually deciding to do their job? Yes. It is all of our elected representatives duty to shine the light in the dark places. It is clear now to people who don't just read the talking points that the Bush administration either falsified intelligence or relied heavily on bad intelligence to create support for and begin the invasion of Iraq. We as citizens and the soldiers who are "Fighting for our freedom" deserve answers.

If it takes invoking a Senate rule from the 18th century to do so then so be it.