George Harrison of the Beatles has died.

Harrison’s family has released a statement saying, “He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and at peace, surrounded by family and friends. He often said, ‘Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait, and love one another.”’

What a wise statement for the day. Everything else can wait except the search for God, and to love one another.
posted by J.M. Branum at 5:23 PM | link

Spaceshipnofuture.org has a good selection of file sharing links

Check out the Twang channel on www.accuradio.com
posted by J.M. Branum at 6:39 PM | link

• Wash Post: Most Americans Back U.S. Tactics, Poll Finds Little Worry Over Rights - Read this disgusting excerpt:
  
  "If we keep going the way we're going with civil liberties, other countries are going to see us as a patsy," said Marta Salcedo, manager of a dental office in Manhattan. "You have to change with the times."
  

  Salcedo said she had little regard for the rights of suspects held in connection with the attacks. "They should torture them," she said. "Sometimes you have to do things that are uncivilized."

I am convinced that a sizeable number of Americans are like Ms. Salcedo... pathetic.

These pathetic people are giving "up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety" (in the words of Ben Frankly, see his quote at the top of this page), and "deserve neither liberty or safety. Nor, are they likely to end up with either."

If the Constitutionally protected due process rights of suspected terrorists are in jeapardy, everyone's rights are in jeopardy. Here is a quote from a victim of Nazi oppression that says this better than I could:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.


Pastor Martin Niemöller

• Matthew Edgar's Daily Thoughts and Commentary - another interesting news/opinion blog. He seems to take a Conservative leaning Libertarian viewpoint and is very pro-war. I encourage my readers to read him to get a different perspective on some of the issues I discuss.
  

• Google.com/news is an excellent listing of news websites.
  

• Newslink.org's listing of US Alt-news weeklies
  

• MSNBC: Prison holdouts shoot aid workers: 2 wounded as they try to remove bodies; video shows ambush of CIA agents
  

• Ashcroft adds inducement to arsenal for terror fight: Foreigners who provide tips on terrorists will get government aid in gaining U.S. citizenship - This is the first glimmer of hope I've seen from fascist AG Ashcroft. It's a good first step, but he's still a fascist in my book until he gets rid of the secret military tribunals.
  

• Reuters (via NY Times): Bush Defends Military Courts (or my headline, Bush reveals that he is a fascist too.)
  

  Here is an excerpt:
  

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush vowed on Thursday to use U.S. military tribunals to put suspected terrorists on trial, saying they were justified for those who would ``commit mass murder'' against America.
  

  Bush appeared before a gathering of new U.S. attorneys with Attorney General John Ashcroft to give the federal prosecutors their marching orders for working on what he called the front line of war.
  

  He gave Ashcroft a ringing endorsement against criticism that anti-terrorism measures put in place by him and Bush threaten civil liberties, saying the staunch conservative and lightning rod for criticism was showing ``leadership that is good for America.''
  

  ``I guess we call you General,'' Bush told him to laughter, then referred to the crowd. ``That means you all are in the Army. And I am glad you are" . . .

  
  

I found some cool links from the Brave Saint Saturn website:

• Scum of the Earth - a church for the tattooed and pierced freaks.

• MSNBC: Policing the academy: A growing campaign for patriotic correctness on campus - by Eric Alterman

• NY Times: Al Qaeda Link Seen in Only a Handful of 1,200 Detainees
  

• NY Times: 2 Parties Embrace New York and Look to '04 Conventions - I think this is a great idea. Down right innovative compared to the ideas that the tired old parties ussualy come up with.
  

• NY Times: ABC's 'Millionaire' May Not Last Much Longer
  

• New Daily Newspaper Is Planned in New York City for 2002 - I wish there was a new daily in Oklahoma City. Of course, OKC needs a new "neo-conservative" daily like a hole in the head, but ANYTHING would be an improvement over Gaylord's Daily Dissapointment.
  

• Chicago Tribune: Let's take away your freedom - by Dianne Donovan
  

• NY Times: An Alternate Reality - by Paul Krugman
  

posted by J.M. Branum at 10:47 PM | link

NY Times: Hunks and Brutes by Maureen Dowd

Here is an interesting excerpt...

Mrs. Bush hit that note again yesterday, meeting at the White House with 11 women exiled from Afghanistan. "I hope that one principle of that new government will be human rights, and that includes the rights of women and children," she said.


The first lady was asked by Charlie Gibson on "Good Morning America" why the administration wasn't pressing Saudi Arabia to give women the right to drive and Kuwait to give women the right to vote.


"Well, at least one good thing is that women are educated in that country, and we all know how important education is for the success of any country," she replied.


Just because you can recite Shakespeare to yourself in the back seat of the car doesn't make being relegated there any easier.


If the U.S. can bomb a path to victory for the Northern Alliance, we can lay down some terms for what women can attain in the new Afghanistan. And if the U.S. can go to war to protect Saudi Arabia and liberate Kuwait, we can move up the bar a notch for women there, too.


So why on earth don't we?

Am I the only one who thinks that Laura Bush's stand for the Afghani women is hypocrisy unless she is willing to speak against the Saudi & Kuwai abuse of womens' rights?
posted by J.M. Branum at 6:18 PM | link

Here's the latest from my hero Alina Lebedeva (a.k.a. The 'Flower Terrorist').

• The Free Alina website
  
• A bio-type story on Alina from the South African Press Association
  

Also, here is a story from The Moscow Times:

Wannabe Bin Laden


KIEV (AP) ? A Ukrainian woman known for anti-U.S. actions appealed to have her name changed to Osama bin Laden, an official said Thursday.


Olena Solod asked authorities in the city of Zaporizhia to change her first name to Bin, her patronymic to Laden and her surname to Osama, a representative of the district registry office said.


Solod submitted her appeal Nov. 13, but the process may take up to three months, said the official, who requested anonymity.


If police determine that Solod has not been prosecuted, is not under surveillance and has no formal debts, nobody can refuse her appeal, the official added.

• NY Times: Obstacles begin to show in Afghanistan
  

• Justices ponder online porn law
  

• Justice Dept. Lawyer Defends Detention in Terror Investigation
  
  One of those detained, Mohdar Mohamed Abdoulah, a 23-year-old San Diego college student from Yemen, originally was held as a material witness, meaning he might have information important to the investigation. He was arrested and taken to New York City for grand jury testimony about his acquaintance with a Sept. 11 hijacker.
  

  Abdoulah was returned to San Diego and charged with immigration violations. While a federal magistrate has granted Abdoulah his release on $500,000 bail, he remains in custody because property pledged for bail money is still $125,000 short, said his lawyer, Kerry Steigerwalt.
  

  Steigerwalt has his own problems in defending his client. ``The evidence has not been totally revealed by prosecutors,'' he said. ``I don't know the strength of the case.''
  

  The lawyer's job is further complicated because of a new Justice Department policy to monitor conversations between detainees and their lawyers.
  

  ``There is a camera position right above us recording our entire encounter,'' Steigerwalt said of his meetings with Abdoulah in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego. ``This certainly has had a chilling effect on what we discussed.''

  
  

• NY Times: Census Said to Misplace Many Prisons and Dorms
  

• Star Tribune: Senate DFLers present revised redistricting plan - In a discussion in this article on redestricting in Minnesota, I found this interesting quote: "For instance, it keeps two Indian reservations in northwestern Minnesota in the same district, as requested by tribal leaders. And it creates a district in Minneapolis that stands a good chance of being represented by a candidate from the Green Party, Pogemiller said." - Woohoo! We need more districts for the Greens!

If you enjoy politics, check out the exitzine.com Politics Roundtable. It is a group blog that I participate in.

Also, while you're at it, check out Exitzine.com
posted by J.M. Branum at 5:46 PM | link

Peets.com sells coffee, tea, and advertizes on Blogger.com. You gotta love companies that support free speech.

ICQ has just released a new web-based ICQ Lite. I think I like Lite better than the regular version thus far.
posted by J.M. Branum at 12:42 AM | link

I'll be leaving early tomorrow from Newcastle. I'll drive over to the farm near Pine Ridge, OK to check on things and do some watering, and then I'll head south 8+ hours to San Marcos, TX. I'll be there until Dec. 17.

Also, my phone isn't working right now. If you need to get in touch with me, you can leave me voice mail at 1-800-MY-YAHOO, X-405-326-5910.
posted by J.M. Branum at 12:39 AM | link

• Sunspot.net: Foes turn up heat on Ashcroft by Jules Witcover
  

• Boston Globe Editorial: Freedom from Torture - If true, I'm saddened to hear that Kenneth Starr is supporting torture for criminal suspects. However, the context of this op-ed piece makes it unclear if Starr really supported what they say he supported.
  

• NY Times: Kangaroo Courts- By William Safire
  

• Yahoo: Ashcroft defends not naming detainees - Ashcroft's lies smell worse than being downwind of an Panhandle hog farm. If you think he is withholding the names of the detainees for their own benefit, then I have some oceanside property in Oklahoma to sell you. I can't believe Ashcroft thinks the American people are so dumb.
  

• MSNBC: Prom Mom released from prison - What seems whack to me is that this girl murdered her own baby boy by strangling him so she could go back out and enjoy her prom, and yet only get 3 years. Why is it that cold-blooded murder merits 3 years, but CDS possession will often net you much more. This is major whack.
  

• Yahoo: New Process May Aid Cancer Patients
  

• MSNBC: Decision of major league baseball not likely
  

• Yahoo: Italy's envoy to Saudi Arabia converts to Islam
  

• AP: US recession began in March - The poor could have told them this months ago.
  

• NY Times: As attacks' impact recedes, a return to religion as usual
  

Am I the only person who thinks than there is a scandal in the making between Bush and this turkey?
posted by J.M. Branum at 11:14 PM | link

For all Blog authors, check out these useful trouble-shooting sites:

• philor.tripod.com/archivescripts
  
• archives.blogspot.com
  

• MSNBC: Bush issues strong warnings to Iraq
  

• MSNBC: Bush welcomes freed aid workers
  

• NY Times: Bush wants human cloning ban
  

• BBC: Nepal emergency declared

Today (via a micro-ad on Blogger) I found Newsrack.

Newsrack is a very useful listing of media sources, that includes a well-written news/opinion blog similiar to what I am trying to do with JMBzine.com.

I do not agree with the author on many points (He is way too pro-war for my tastes.) but I recommend him to my readers. His views (even when I disagree with them) are very well thought-out, and I appreciate his inclusion of European news sources.

I do have two suggestions for Newsrack. One, I would redesign the site. The standard Blogger template is kinda boring to me; and second I would get a domain name. The content for Newsrack is so good, it really should have it's own domain name. (especially since you get them for $15 at Directnic.net)

posted by J.M. Branum at 3:59 PM | link

• NY Times: Marines Joining Ground Fight; Detained Taliban Stage Revolt
  

• NY Times:Ashcroft to Face Tough Senate Grilling on Tribunals - I'm glad to hear the Senate is going to do something about Ashcroft.

Opinions worth reading

• NY Times: Uncivil Liberties? by Maureen Dowd
  
  But even as we cut the guy some slack, we have to be really skeptical about his assertions of power. It was telling that the first resistance to his edict to interview 5,000 Middle Eastern men came from police chiefs objecting to racial profiling. We're trying to trust someone whose instincts once did not inspire universal trust to rethink the way civil liberties will be treated for a generation.
  

  In the middle of our terrorism war, Mr. Ashcroft did, after all, find time to meddle with the right of the terminally ill in Oregon to take advantage of the state's assisted suicide law.

• Bush welcomes jailed aid workers - I have two observations from this story. One is that I have noticed that most of the mainstream media sources omit the spiritual aspects of how the girls spent their time in prison in Afghanistan, but find time to note that they killed flies. To me it was significant taht the girls composed hymns while in captivity, but I guess fly killing is more noteworthy.
  

  Also, I question the wisdom of the big-Bush welcoming. Certainly it is an honor for the girls, but it will also hurt their credibility as missionaries in closed countries if they come off as endorsing Bush's war policies. It would be far better for them to have maintained a more neutral stance, and to not let Bush use them for political purposes.