The Campaign for Another War Begins

No More Mister Nice Blog pointed to a supposed PSA video which appears to warn us about the dangers of Iran. Shots of the Port of New York, NYC streets, Grand Central Station, and so on are intercut with scary quotes (from newspapers, Iranian mullahs, and, er, John Kerry) -- all leading up to a big ol' nuclear blast. Then comes a veiled face with mushroom clouds in its eyes.

Err? John Kerry? WTF is HE doing in this PSA??

The Iran Freedom Foundation could appear to be a real site except where is the Arabic? Then in the fine print I notice that they are quoting Jerome R. Corsi -- WELL! There's a hint! Author of the "Unfit for Command" !! ARGH! Now I'm certain that this is bogus site. But I decided to do a little more sleuthing.

I went over to http://www.coolwhois.com/d/iranfreedomfoundation.org to check on who owns the web site and it turns out to be the head of the American Enterprise Institute .

No doubts of motive now.

Don't these guys have any shame?! How many young American (and Arab) lives have to die until they feel theirs is big enough?

I Believe in the Culture of Life Too

But Bush lies when he uses that term. Scottie, his puppet, in yesterday's press conference when questioned about this disparity says people can disagree about degrees of life --wtf is he talking about??

Righties limit their "culture of life" to abortion, euthanasia, and stem cell research. My "culture of life" is a bit broader. I tend to agree with Michael Blanding, who wrote:

At minimum, a true "culture of life" would support the following ten positions:
1. Withdraw the Troops

2. Stop the Death Penalty
Fifty-nine prisoners were executed last year, 23 of them in Texas alone. Yet study after study has shown the death penalty to be unequally applied by race, and hundreds of inmates have been found innocent at the eleventh hour. If we are all created in God's image, then it is up to God, not us, to deal the ultimate in punishment.

3. Pass Effective Gun Control Laws
More than 80 Americans are killed by firearms each day. Yet Congress has made it easier for criminals to get their hands on weapons -- most recently with the repeal of the assault weapons ban -- instead of following the lead of states like Massachusetts and New York, which have passed tougher laws and decreased handgun deaths.

4. Fund Social Services

5. Create Universal Health Care for Children

At the very least, we could coverage to the most vulnerable among us. Meanwhile, our infant mortality rate recently rose for the first time in four decades, to 28,000 deaths a year.

6. Research Alternative Energy

It's a fact that access to the world's oil has fueled conflict in the Middle East for years. Developing wind and solar power could be the best protection we have against more of our soldiers dying overseas in the future. At the same time, reducing greenhouse gases could slow global warming, held responsible for the increasing severity of natural disasters like the Southeast Asian tsunami that claimed the lives of 175,000 people (with another 100,000 missing).

7. Investigate Prisoner Abuses

8. Support AIDS Clinics Abroad

9. Implement a Fair Guestworker Program

Last year, more than 300 undocumented migrants died crossing the border to work in the U.S. There is no getting around the fact that these workers from Mexico and other countries are essential to the functioning of our economy. A fair guestworker program would not only recognize the contributions of these workers, but also prevent needless deaths.

10. Join the International Criminal Court
Ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and genocide are alive and well in the world, in places like Kosovo, Rwanda, and most recently the Sudan. Yet the U.S. is one of only a handful of countries (including China and Israel) that refuse to join the International Criminal Court. Last week, over our country's objections, the United Nations finally referred to the ICC the case of Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 Sudanese have been brutally killed.

Together, these issues account for the needless deaths of tens of thousands of people a day. A culture that valued their lives is one we could all celebrate.

see http://www.alternet.org/story/21660/

The Mahablog Has a Great Post

Friday, April 1, 2005My Living Will

This morning I read about an individual with health problems who keeps her living will in her refrigerator. She figures the paramedics will check the fridge to see what medications she's on, and they will find it there.

But I thought, why not post it online? I'll have lots of witnesses that way. So, in the likely event that someday I'll be too incapacitated to speak for myself, please:

1. Don't take my picture wearing some ugly-ass hospital gown and make it public. I will haunt you.

2. If Randall Terry comes within three miles of my hospital bed, shoot him.

3. If Randall Terry survives the shooting, please dress him in an ugly-ass hospital gown and send the photo to Faux Nooz.

4. The following objects are not to be permitted anywhere near my home or hospice: Giant styrofoam spoons; bowling pins, especially if juggled; video or film cameras; clowns and/or politicians. If such persist in hanging around, perhaps a display of Randall Terry's head on a pike will discourage them. Worth a try.

5. If the time comes that my higher brain functions such as cognition, memory, and self-awareness are truly gone, please do not waste resources on me. Take me off the tubes and pull out the needles and dump me out of the bed, and use those resources to save someone who still has a life.

6. However, if by some miracle the only person on the planet who might need those resources is Randall Terry or some other Fetus Person, keep me hooked up as long as possible. It's what they would want, I'm sure.

7. Also, before carrying out request #5, get a second opinion.

8. To my family, know that whatever decision you make is OK with me, so don't beat yourself up over it.

9. In the unlikely event I leave an estate, use some of the money to throw a really outrageous party and make a large donation to any respectable organization working to provide single payer health care for all Americans.

10. Otherwise, if you check under the sofa cushions and the kitchen cabinet drawer under the microwave, you might find enough loose change to buy a six-pack. Enjoy.