Tuesday edition - June 8, 2008

In March of 2000, John McCain said this,  "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." That was the most racist remark I have ever heard uttered by a presidential candidate, other than Strom Thurmond.

At the G8 summit in Japan, President Bush greeted Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, by saying, “Yo Harper!” Seeing the Canadian’s discomfort, Bush realized his error and said, “Yo Harper … eh?”

- Laugh Lines

The-World-Is-A-Safer-Place-Without Saddam

• US military deaths in Iraq war at 4114 The Associated Press

• Bomb kills four contractors in northern Iraq Reuters South Africa

• Son's Death In Iraq Drives Father To Build Life-Saving Robot InformationWeek, NY

• White House says no 'hard date' for withdrawal in Iraq talks AFP

• Iranian president says no war with US, Israel AP

• NKorea talks resuming, to discuss nuke assets list AP

Cheney Law: What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You

Vice President Dick Cheney's office pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change, fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, a former EPA officials maintains.
 

Disturbing News

• Salmonella mystery Los Angeles Times

• Half of US coral reefs said at risk United Press International 

• Dry, hot weather threatens California fire gains AP

“Big ruling coming out of the Supreme Court. They have ruled individuals have the right to carry guns.” But do not “think you can just go into a gun store and buy a gun. No, no, no. There is still a strict 15-minute waiting period.” - David Letterman

Email

Subject: Miller's pictures

Dear Lisa,

I was very surprised to read on your site about the photographer Zoriah Miller being kicked out of Iraq because of the photos he took. As an amateur historian it reminds of the time during our Civil War when Alexander Gardner, a colleague of Matthew Brady, took several pictures of Confederate dead following the battle of Antietam. Brady put them on display in his New York gallery and invited the public in for a look. Said Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. “Let him who wishes to know what war is look at this series of illustrations.” Another viewer said, “ We recognize the battlefield as a reality, but a remote one, like a funeral next door. Mr. Brady has brought home the terrible earnestness of war. If he has not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards, he has done something very like it.” We as a people cannot hide from the horrors of war through censorship. If the papers had any guts they would run Miller’s pictures on the front page and give Americans a real view of what it means when they read that a couple of our GI’s were killed by an IED. Then maybe we could get them home sooner.

Gary
Canton, Ohio

Thanks for writing, Gary. How times have changed.

Imagine if these same media rules of Iraq/Afghanistan existed during the Vietnam conflict. Hell, we'd probably still be fighting there.

Remember this horrific photo of the naked girl who was just napalmed? Thank God for Vietnamese photographer Nick Ut opening our eyes. This photo won him the Pulitzer Prize.

In the article I linked to yesterday it also states " Only about a dozen reporters are currently embedded with U.S. forces in Iraq -- a shockingly low number. " No wonder we are ignorant of the horrors of war occurring. Bush knows a picture is worth a thousand words.

About 25 years ago I had the pleasure to meet a Vietnam war photographer through a close friend. He took us over to his studio and I viewed his selected works shot during the Vietnam war . As the tour ended I turned to the photographer with tears in my eyes and said "I thank God he invented the Thai stick so you all could cope with what you just saw."  Our eyes locked and he smiled and said, " Yes, Lisa, exactly. Thank you for that."

That photographer was Al Rockoff.

Unfortunately, over three decades later, the media is now ignoring the visual horrors of war by complying with this administration.

Where have all the war photos gone?

To the editor's circular file, methinks.

Newsroom Cutbacks Hit Olympics

Despite global protests and calls for a boycott of this summer's Olympics in Beijing, newspaper editors are moving ahead with their coverage plans and treating the Games much like any other major sporting event. But the coverage itself will look slightly different from that in years past, with newsroom cutbacks affecting the number of staffers being sent to cover the competitions.

Republican-Shenanigans News

• New RNC Ads Go After Obama on Energy Washington Post

• Republican buoyed by calls for energy exploration Reuters

"And here's a comment many people are calling racist, this is a stupid thing to say, it seems a Republican party operative, a man named Grover Norquist, told the LA Times that Barack Obama was just John Kerry with a tan. That's what he said, stupid thing, that's what he said. Well using that logic, if Barack Obama is John Kerry with a tan, then John McCain is George Bush with an enlarged prostate." --Jay Leno

Can't This Administration Do Anything Right?

An embarrassed White House apologized on Tuesday for an "unfortunate mistake" — the distribution of less-than-flattering biography of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi at the Group of Eight summit. Still, the gaffe led to headlines in Italy.
 

"And Barack Obama is now denying that he is email pals with the beautiful actress, Scarlett Johansson. Remember that story? They were saying that Scarlett Johansson and Barack Obama were emailing each other. He says no, it's not true. In fact his exact words were 'I did not have textual relations with that woman.'" --Jay Leno

Rock-The-Voter News

• Obama to rally 75000 in convention spectacular AFP

• Webb tells Obama he's not interested Richmond Times Dispatch

Pet Owners Prefer McCain

An AP-Yahoo News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain's corner.

"I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners," said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

"Hey, big scare today for Barack Obama. His airplane had to make an unscheduled landing because of mechanical problems. While the pilot was steering to the left the plane was apparently drifting to the right, nobody could really quite figure out what was happening " --Jay Leno
 

Biz-Tech News

• Oil down more than $8 in 2 days AP

• Toyota reportedly to put solar panels on Prius San Francisco Chronicle 

• Pending home sales fall 4.7 percent AP

• Siemens cutting 17K jobs worldwide to cut costs AP

• GM to build world's biggest rooftop solar station in Spain AFP

• Viacom won't soon shed image as corporate bully CNET News

• Bernanke Says Fed May Extend Wall Street Lending Access to 2009 Bloomberg

• Fed to curb shady home-lending practices AP

• US moves against Iranian officials, companies AP

Filling the tank of an S.U.V. just crossed into $100 territory. Not to gloat but as they say: “In every cloud… “ – Will Durst

Bush Increased Trade With Iran Tenfold

U.S. exports to Iran — including brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics and possibly even weapons — grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists. America sent more cigarettes to Iran, at least $158 million worth under Bush, than any other products.

Bush-Prison-Torture News

• `No progress' on mass Guantanamo prisoner transfer The Associated Press

• Guantanamo Bay may be turned into marine ‘rapid reaction’ base RINF.COM, UK 

• Guantanamo Museum by Alicia Framis Opens at Centre d'Art Santa Monica Art Daily 

Another Day, Another Study

Congress should pass legislation to require the president to consult lawmakers before going to war, according to a bipartisan study group chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher.

Go-F**k-Yourself News

• Cheney, senators expected to attend Helms funeral Charlotte Observer, NC

"China has announced that they're shutting down several of their largest factories for the rest of the summer -- so that there will be less pollution for the Olympics. Chinese officials say: 'Sorry, but for the next few months, you're going to have to buy your lead-coated toys somewhere else." --Conan O'Brien

I hope you had a good time today

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Odd News

• Ringo Starr brings 'peace' to Chicago Chicago Tribune
  Brit offers Madonna some lip service New York Daily News

• Church of England backs female bishops CNN International

• Some coffee fans get grim delight in Starbucks woes Reuters

• Guest talks too much, German woman calls police AFP

• Woman in Japan escapes robber with tea and chat AP

A new twist on the term carpool. This photo released by Ashley Campasino via the York Daily Record, shows a red Mazda Miata at the bottom of the Campasino family swimming pool in Stewartstown, Pa. on June 30, 2008. Kim Taylor thought she had set the emergency brake. But her wayward red convertible nonetheless rolled downhill, crashed through a fence and plunged into her neighbors' in-ground pool. The car was removed from the pool the same day. Shown in the picture are from left, Kim Taylor, her husband, Bob and their daughter Alex.
Photo/Courtesy Ashley Campasino

Peace.