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December 29, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Sunday's Links
Activism
Food. You eat it, you feed it to your family, your guests, your pets. It's pretty fair to say that you need food to survive. The next wave of genetic engineering includes plants that have been altered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, and there are no safeguards for this. For example, "The heart of A Growing Concern is a technical report written by six agricultural experts commissioned by UCS to analyze the feasibility of growing corn and soybeans as pharma crops while ensuring virtually zero contamination of the food supply. They concluded that the current production processes and production areas for corn and soybeans cannot be used without substantial modification to completely protect human food and animal feed supplies from contamination." Yet nothing is being done about this. Send a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, encouraging closer federal oversight here. This directly impacts you, and although it may sound a little far-fetched, it should be taken seriously.
News
FDA Gets Put On Hold. A few months ago, Bush nominated Lester Crawford to head the Food and Drug Administration. Not so fast! Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have been vocal in their mistrust of Crawford, because he has yet to make a decision on Plan B, "an emergency contraception that may prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse." Democrats want the drug to become available over-the-counter (because of the 72 hour time limit, it would be more difficult for a woman to obtain a prescription in time), and Republicans are just as happy to leave it as a prescription medication, because wider availability would lead to "more promiscuity." But Crawford has not made a decision either way, leading Democrats to demand some sort of timetable (which he has said he will not do). This isn't a question of whether or not the drug is safe for you - it's already been approved by the FDA. It's a question of its availability, and since the drug has been available for years, it shouldn't be that difficult of a decision. However, as we've learned with Republicans, any decision that doesn't involve the words "Schiavo," "filibuster," or "pay raise and tax cuts for self" is rarely easy.
Bill Clinton's Legacy. Every comedian on the planet has taken shots at Clinton's personal life and problems. His infidelity captured the grotesque interests of this country with the same fervor usually reserved for the Brad and Jen breakup. Yet there's no denying (well, no factually denying) just how great of a president he was. His contrast to Bush couldn't be sharper. So, it's probably no surprise that when he attended the Pope's funeral, he was mobbed with chants and praise. Isn't that what you'd want out of a president? Foreign citizens' love of the president translates to love for the country, which makes international relations far easier. Political parties aside, we'd much rather have a promiscuous president who does what is best for the country, and doesn't lie to the country about his intentions regarding affairs of the state, than what we have now.
A History of Rick Santorum. With minimal reservations, we're going to say that Senator Rick Santorum's (R-PA) Senate seat is the most important for Democrats to pursue in 2006. Regular readers of Still Fighting know how much we loathe the Senator, from his outdated views on homosexuality to his take-no-prisoners pro-life attitude to his transparent attempts to appear bi=partisan. Mark Leibovich profiles Santorum, but (thankfully) doesn't make any partisan judgments. He lets you do that. As we gear up for Bob Casey's run against Santorum, it's important to know as much as possible about Santorum, to be able to counter any arguments about his effectiveness you may come across.
Editorials
The Case for the Draft. Philip Carter and Paul Glastris make an interesting and well-researched case for America reinstating the draft. Despite Rumsfeld's recent comments, we wish that we didn't even have to think about this. If Bush had not completely destroyed our international relations, we would have been able to handle all of Iraq with our international allies, thus lessening the burden on our military. (Of course, "if wishes were fishes," and all that). Instead, we have the overwhelming majority of troops stationed there, and if something were to happen at home, or in another part of the world, that would require us to deploy the military, we probably wouldn't be able to do it. And really, would other countries come to our aid? Given the way Bush has treated them, it's highly unlikely. So while we wish we could simply say that the above editorial is "interesting," we're afraid that it might become "factual."
It's a Sicilian Message. It Means Luca Brasi Sleeps With the Fishes. Digby writes about the mess Tom DeLay has made. Although this editorial is a few weeks old, it still rings true today. From Republicans being blackmailed into backing DeLay through this "time of trouble" to the recognition of God through the 10 Commandments, DeLay has really made a muddle. Regarding judges and God, though, Digby has the quote of the day. "Funny, I thought 'we the people' were the sovereign source of law, liberty and government. Silly me." And that sums it up nicely.
Eat the Rich. Max on why the "Death Tax" isn't as confusing as everyone makes it out to be. Now that the The Estate and Gift Tax is law, here's what you'll need to know about it. Max also has a link to a fantastic article by William G. Gale that goes into even more detail about the tax. Confused about what the Estate Tax is, and why it matters? You won't be, after you read these two articles.
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December 29, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Sunday's Links
Activism
Food. You eat it, you feed it to your family, your guests, your pets. It's pretty fair to say that you need food to survive. The next wave of genetic engineering includes plants that have been altered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, and there are no safeguards for this. For example, "The heart of A Growing Concern is a technical report written by six agricultural experts commissioned by UCS to analyze the feasibility of growing corn and soybeans as pharma crops while ensuring virtually zero contamination of the food supply. They concluded that the current production processes and production areas for corn and soybeans cannot be used without substantial modification to completely protect human food and animal feed supplies from contamination." Yet nothing is being done about this. Send a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, encouraging closer federal oversight here. This directly impacts you, and although it may sound a little far-fetched, it should be taken seriously.
News
FDA Gets Put On Hold. A few months ago, Bush nominated Lester Crawford to head the Food and Drug Administration. Not so fast! Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have been vocal in their mistrust of Crawford, because he has yet to make a decision on Plan B, "an emergency contraception that may prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse." Democrats want the drug to become available over-the-counter (because of the 72 hour time limit, it would be more difficult for a woman to obtain a prescription in time), and Republicans are just as happy to leave it as a prescription medication, because wider availability would lead to "more promiscuity." But Crawford has not made a decision either way, leading Democrats to demand some sort of timetable (which he has said he will not do). This isn't a question of whether or not the drug is safe for you - it's already been approved by the FDA. It's a question of its availability, and since the drug has been available for years, it shouldn't be that difficult of a decision. However, as we've learned with Republicans, any decision that doesn't involve the words "Schiavo," "filibuster," or "pay raise and tax cuts for self" is rarely easy.
Bill Clinton's Legacy. Every comedian on the planet has taken shots at Clinton's personal life and problems. His infidelity captured the grotesque interests of this country with the same fervor usually reserved for the Brad and Jen breakup. Yet there's no denying (well, no factually denying) just how great of a president he was. His contrast to Bush couldn't be sharper. So, it's probably no surprise that when he attended the Pope's funeral, he was mobbed with chants and praise. Isn't that what you'd want out of a president? Foreign citizens' love of the president translates to love for the country, which makes international relations far easier. Political parties aside, we'd much rather have a promiscuous president who does what is best for the country, and doesn't lie to the country about his intentions regarding affairs of the state, than what we have now.
A History of Rick Santorum. With minimal reservations, we're going to say that Senator Rick Santorum's (R-PA) Senate seat is the most important for Democrats to pursue in 2006. Regular readers of Still Fighting know how much we loathe the Senator, from his outdated views on homosexuality to his take-no-prisoners pro-life attitude to his transparent attempts to appear bi=partisan. Mark Leibovich profiles Santorum, but (thankfully) doesn't make any partisan judgments. He lets you do that. As we gear up for Bob Casey's run against Santorum, it's important to know as much as possible about Santorum, to be able to counter any arguments about his effectiveness you may come across.
Editorials
The Case for the Draft. Philip Carter and Paul Glastris make an interesting and well-researched case for America reinstating the draft. Despite Rumsfeld's recent comments, we wish that we didn't even have to think about this. If Bush had not completely destroyed our international relations, we would have been able to handle all of Iraq with our international allies, thus lessening the burden on our military. (Of course, "if wishes were fishes," and all that). Instead, we have the overwhelming majority of troops stationed there, and if something were to happen at home, or in another part of the world, that would require us to deploy the military, we probably wouldn't be able to do it. And really, would other countries come to our aid? Given the way Bush has treated them, it's highly unlikely. So while we wish we could simply say that the above editorial is "interesting," we're afraid that it might become "factual."
It's a Sicilian Message. It Means Luca Brasi Sleeps With the Fishes. Digby writes about the mess Tom DeLay has made. Although this editorial is a few weeks old, it still rings true today. From Republicans being blackmailed into backing DeLay through this "time of trouble" to the recognition of God through the 10 Commandments, DeLay has really made a muddle. Regarding judges and God, though, Digby has the quote of the day. "Funny, I thought 'we the people' were the sovereign source of law, liberty and government. Silly me." And that sums it up nicely.
Eat the Rich. Max on why the "Death Tax" isn't as confusing as everyone makes it out to be. Now that the The Estate and Gift Tax is law, here's what you'll need to know about it. Max also has a link to a fantastic article by William G. Gale that goes into even more detail about the tax. Confused about what the Estate Tax is, and why it matters? You won't be, after you read these two articles.
|
December 29, 2005
Food. You eat it, you feed it to your family, your guests, your pets. It's pretty fair to say that you need food to survive. The next wave of genetic engineering includes plants that have been altered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, and there are no safeguards for this. For example, "The heart of A Growing Concern is a technical report written by six agricultural experts commissioned by UCS to analyze the feasibility of growing corn and soybeans as pharma crops while ensuring virtually zero contamination of the food supply. They concluded that the current production processes and production areas for corn and soybeans cannot be used without substantial modification to completely protect human food and animal feed supplies from contamination." Yet nothing is being done about this. Send a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, encouraging closer federal oversight here. This directly impacts you, and although it may sound a little far-fetched, it should be taken seriously.
News
FDA Gets Put On Hold. A few months ago, Bush nominated Lester Crawford to head the Food and Drug Administration. Not so fast! Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have been vocal in their mistrust of Crawford, because he has yet to make a decision on Plan B, "an emergency contraception that may prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse." Democrats want the drug to become available over-the-counter (because of the 72 hour time limit, it would be more difficult for a woman to obtain a prescription in time), and Republicans are just as happy to leave it as a prescription medication, because wider availability would lead to "more promiscuity." But Crawford has not made a decision either way, leading Democrats to demand some sort of timetable (which he has said he will not do). This isn't a question of whether or not the drug is safe for you - it's already been approved by the FDA. It's a question of its availability, and since the drug has been available for years, it shouldn't be that difficult of a decision. However, as we've learned with Republicans, any decision that doesn't involve the words "Schiavo," "filibuster," or "pay raise and tax cuts for self" is rarely easy.
Bill Clinton's Legacy. Every comedian on the planet has taken shots at Clinton's personal life and problems. His infidelity captured the grotesque interests of this country with the same fervor usually reserved for the Brad and Jen breakup. Yet there's no denying (well, no factually denying) just how great of a president he was. His contrast to Bush couldn't be sharper. So, it's probably no surprise that when he attended the Pope's funeral, he was mobbed with chants and praise. Isn't that what you'd want out of a president? Foreign citizens' love of the president translates to love for the country, which makes international relations far easier. Political parties aside, we'd much rather have a promiscuous president who does what is best for the country, and doesn't lie to the country about his intentions regarding affairs of the state, than what we have now.
A History of Rick Santorum. With minimal reservations, we're going to say that Senator Rick Santorum's (R-PA) Senate seat is the most important for Democrats to pursue in 2006. Regular readers of Still Fighting know how much we loathe the Senator, from his outdated views on homosexuality to his take-no-prisoners pro-life attitude to his transparent attempts to appear bi=partisan. Mark Leibovich profiles Santorum, but (thankfully) doesn't make any partisan judgments. He lets you do that. As we gear up for Bob Casey's run against Santorum, it's important to know as much as possible about Santorum, to be able to counter any arguments about his effectiveness you may come across.
Editorials
The Case for the Draft. Philip Carter and Paul Glastris make an interesting and well-researched case for America reinstating the draft. Despite Rumsfeld's recent comments, we wish that we didn't even have to think about this. If Bush had not completely destroyed our international relations, we would have been able to handle all of Iraq with our international allies, thus lessening the burden on our military. (Of course, "if wishes were fishes," and all that). Instead, we have the overwhelming majority of troops stationed there, and if something were to happen at home, or in another part of the world, that would require us to deploy the military, we probably wouldn't be able to do it. And really, would other countries come to our aid? Given the way Bush has treated them, it's highly unlikely. So while we wish we could simply say that the above editorial is "interesting," we're afraid that it might become "factual."
It's a Sicilian Message. It Means Luca Brasi Sleeps With the Fishes. Digby writes about the mess Tom DeLay has made. Although this editorial is a few weeks old, it still rings true today. From Republicans being blackmailed into backing DeLay through this "time of trouble" to the recognition of God through the 10 Commandments, DeLay has really made a muddle. Regarding judges and God, though, Digby has the quote of the day. "Funny, I thought 'we the people' were the sovereign source of law, liberty and government. Silly me." And that sums it up nicely.
Eat the Rich. Max on why the "Death Tax" isn't as confusing as everyone makes it out to be. Now that the The Estate and Gift Tax is law, here's what you'll need to know about it. Max also has a link to a fantastic article by William G. Gale that goes into even more detail about the tax. Confused about what the Estate Tax is, and why it matters? You won't be, after you read these two articles.
