The South Bank Beacon
A Publication by: The Michael W. Connett - LIVING Trust"
"If Liberty means anything at all,
It means the Right to tell People
What they do not want to Hear."
George Orwell
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Today's Quote "Questioning the emperor's new economics" in the Financial Times
"...the more important lesson in all of this is how utterly out of touch
with economic reality those on the ideological Republican right have become.
They now regard the most obvious and widelyu accepted nostrums of fiscal
economics as tantamount to treason. Over the last two years they have been
engaged in one of those psychological exercises where if you say something
patently false enough times you eventually start to believe it. Deficits do not
matter. they do not matter because, if you cut taxes, you will raise economic
activity by enough to raise the total tax take... Some day, at great cost to the
American taxpayer and the economy, someone will have to deal with the
consequences of this lunacy."
Gerard Baker, 06-Mar-03
Commissioners to hold retreat
...!?!?
By Mike Rutledge
Post staff reporter
Covington city commissioners have chosen one of Northern Kentucky's most romantic locations as the place they will spend Valentine's Day together.
They'll hold their annual retreat on Feb. 14 at the new Drees Pavilion in Devou Park, which is known for its spectacular views of Covington and downtown Cincinnati. The $2 million, 10,000-square-foot building won't make its public debut until March, but already is becoming known as a prime location for weddings and wedding receptions. The commissioners' meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mayor Butch Callery said officials are still working on the day's agenda. "One (item) will be planning, definitely. What I want to do is get some feedback from commissioners, and we'll look at big picture items, such as planning, things like that.
"We'll have each of the commissioners give us a couple of items, and then we'll discuss those," Callery said.
The City Commission last year broke its tradition of holding retreats in Lexington after the state attorney general's office ruled that all commission meetings must be held within city limits.
It was Presidents Day -- not Valentine's Day -- that determined when the meeting would be held, Commissioner Craig Bohman explained, when asked if he and his colleagues didn't have a better way to spend Valentine's Day.
In past years, commissioners used to take retreats the January weekend that preceded Martin Luther King Day to travel to Lexington.
But with the Drees Pavilion still under construction, they waited until the next weekend with a Monday holiday, Feb. 16, when Presidents Day falls, Bohman said.
"Since we're at home, I do not see how that will interfere in any way with any personal obligations commissioners may have," Bohman said, laughing.
One reason the commissioners choose three-day weekends is because city staffers have to be present to discuss issues throughout the day, and the day off on Monday makes up for the work on Saturday, said Bohman.
U.N. considers sexual orientation resolution
The landmark motion--the first of its kind in U.N. history--makes clear that abuses on the basis of sexual orientation are human rights violations. The resolution encourages governments to take a more active role to prevent discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation such as murder, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention. It also works to ensure the protection of victims and help bring perpetrators of violence against sexual minorities to justice.
"This resolution would be the first United Nations Commission on Human Rights resolution to connect the full range of human rights to sexual orientation and to condemn discrimination on its basis," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director.
Last April the Brazilian delegation to the commission introduced this historic--and unexpected--resolution. After prolonged debate, the commission voted to postpone further discussion on the resolution to the 2004 commission session.
According to Susana Fried, IGLHRC program director, the resolution is "a key building block in the global understanding of human rights. It could be invoked to call on states to end all discrimination based on sexual orientation in economic and social rights, such as access to health, education, and housing."
By The Associated Press...
A summary of President Bush's proposed 2005 budget.
_Receipts: $2.036 trillion.
_Outlays: $2.4 trillion.
_Deficit: $-364 billion.
_Discretionary outlays: $914 billion.
_Mandatory outlays: $1.308 trillion.
_Interest: $178 billion.
Highlights of the 2005 U.S. Budget
Some numbers from the $2.4 trillion budget for 2005 that President Bush will release on Monday, as described by Republican officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
_Overall 2005: Spending $2.399 trillion, receipts $2.036 trillion, deficit $363 billion.
_Deficits: 2004 $521 billion, 2005 $363 billion; 2006 $267 billion; 2007 $241 billion; 2008 $239 billion; 2009 $237 billion.
_Overall discretionary spending, the money Congress approves annually: $787 billion 2004, $818 billion 2005. Figures exclude extra money approved for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for this year and that administration says it expects to request early next year.
_Some categories of discretionary spending:
Natural resources and environment: $30.4 billion 2004, $28 billion 2005;
Energy $3.6 billion 2004, $3.5 billion 2005;
Community development: $15 billion 2004, $13.2 billion 2005;
International affairs: $26.8 billion 2004, $31.6 billion 2005;
Defense (includes Pentagon, Energy Department's nuclear weapons programs): $393.5 billion 2004, $420.7 billion 2005;
Education, job training: $78 billion 2004, $80.4 billion 2005.
8
challengers vie for Covington seats
Post staff reporter
Eleven Covington men will vie for four City Commission seats -- and the first cut will happen May 18, when primary balloting will determine the eight candidates who move on to the Nov. 2 general election.
Among the latest challengers for seats are former Covington school board member Hensley Jemmott, former assistant commonwealth attorney Rob Sanders, barber Thomas Schadler and food-manufacturing manager Jonathan Thurman.
Also hoping to win seats are real-estate agent Neil Blunt, supermarket technology manager Jeff Sewell, retired investment-firm chief financial officer Jerry Stricker and former Kenton County surveyor Jimmy Williams.
Three of the four incumbent commissioners are seeking re-election: Jerry Bamberger, Alex Edmondson and Bernie Moorman.
A newcomer will fill at least one seat because Commissioner Craig Bohman announced this month he would not seek re-election. He expects to become a father in June and is planning to open a new religious bookstore in Latonia.
Mayor Butch Callery also will have opposition in the fall: political newcomer Jeffrey M. Fletcher of 23 E. 24th St.
The deadline to file for city offices was Tuesday afternoon.
The challengers, starting with most recent to file:
• Sanders, 31, of 1009 Russell St., was an assistant commonwealth attorney for two years under Don Buring and now works in the firm of Sanders Tismo and Associates.
"In the last few years we have had some commissioners that basically refused to get along with others," he said, pledging to cooperate with whoever is elected.
• Schadler, 59, of 13 E. 40th St., for five years has operated Tom's Barbershop at 804 Scott Blvd. For about 30 years, he worked on Madison Avenue.
"I'd like for the people to be heard," said Schadler, who ran for the commission twice previously. "I've got some ideas I'd like to discuss, see if we can put them in motion."
Schadler, a father of six grown children and 21 grandchildren who has lived in the city 39 years, said he did not want to reveal those ideas yet. "From what I see, we have a great riverfront development here, and all our oars are in the water, concentrating more or less to one area. And Covington is a large city, and there's some areas of it that are kind of overlooked, just passed by."
• Jemmott, 83, of 1039 Russell St., moved to Covington in 1989 after retiring as an educator in New York City and Buffalo, N.Y.
"I'm running because I think that it's possible to make a contribution and assist the city fathers in improving a lot of citizens in Covington," he said.
Jemmott served on Covington's school board five years and is a first vice president of the Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP. He is among activists who have pushed to rename 12th Street after Martin Luther King Jr.
• Sewell, 36, of 2316 Center St., moved to Covington from Indianapolis about seven years ago.
"It seems like we recycle people (in political office) over and over again," said Sewell, a technology manager for the Kroger Co.'s manufacturing arm. "That was a good part of my motivation. I think just a new set of ideas -- a little different perspective -- and being somebody that's actually fairly new to Covington, I think I tend to see things a little differently."
• Thurman, 24, of 18 Sterrett St., No. 1, a manager at Schwan's Food Manufacturing, ran a couple years ago for Williamstown's city council before moving here.
"I've got like five, six issues I want to work on, to get done," he said.
He wants to convert Scott Boulevard and Greenup Street to two-way traffic to restore the neighborhood feel around them. He also wants to promote family businesses and increase police presence in the city.
He wants more stringent enforcement of nuisance laws, such as loud music and barking dogs at night, and he wants to bolster street and sidewalk improvements across the city. He also wants to "clean up all the corners of Covington."
• Stricker, 67, of 1 Riverside Place, a retired chief financial officer of Gradison & Co., served on the commission for nine months in 2000 after he was appointed to fill a vacancy.
"With my financial expertise I can help the city with their budgeting and accounting and tax, because I have a lot of experience in those fields," he said.
Stricker served on the airport board 11 years, including one as its chairman, and served from 1995-99 on the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, an appointment by President Clinton that required Senate confirmation. He also served in 1990-2000 on the board of the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. and was on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees for 4½ years in the late 1980s.
• Blunt, 62, 340 Wallace Ave., a Realtor with Coldwell Banker/West Shell, wants to create a comprehensive five-year plan for development of the city.
"I think some things get done, but at a very, very slow pace," he said.
• Williams, 44, of 3322 Watson Ave., is a maintenance worker for Sagamore Parking, which operates several area lots, including city garages. Williams is a member of the Covington Human Rights Commission.
"I'm a common person. I relate to people. I'm a working person," he said.
The mayoral candidate, Fletcher, was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
Bamberger blasted over
MSVA
By Mike Rutledge
Post staff reporter
As the MainStrasse Village Association, or MSVA, prepares for next month's
Mardi Gras celebration -- the first with City Commissioner Jerry Bamberger
serving as the business association's executive director -- some Covington city
employees are complaining about what they consider a conflict of interest with
Bamberger's dual roles.
Bamberger has been ironing out details of the Feb. 20-21 pre-Lenten festival, including an extension of alcohol-serving hours, with city safety officials and the city manager. The event was controversial in past years because of public drunkenness by patrons.
News of possible longer alcohol-serving hours was disappointing to MainStrasse resident Sandy Arnold, who had not heard about the possibility that alcohol would be served until 12:45 a.m. when told by a reporter.
"My biggest concern when he took the position was the whole conflict of interest, with him being both a commissioner and a director of the MSVA," Arnold said.
"Obviously, festivals are a big conflict, because I as a taxpayer expect him to look out for my best interests," Arnold added. "And I don't think he can do that if he's trying to plan a function to raise money for the organization that pays his income."
City employees also have complained about what they see as conflicts between his MSVA position -- his primary employment -- and the city post.
"It's a clear conflict of interest," said one city employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Employees complain that for Bamberger to discuss festival events with City Manager Greg Jarvis, who has the ultimate say on the permits, puts Jarvis in an awkward position because the City Commission hires and fires city managers.
City Attorney Jay Fossett said he has not written any opinions about the matter because he did not want to write anything that might conflict with rulings by the city's Ethics Board, which has received no complaints about Bamberger.
"We've got the Ethics Board in place, and if somebody thinks I'm doing something unethical or against any ethics, they've got the opportunity to file a violation with the Ethics Board, and I'll be glad to respond to them," Bamberger said.
"That way we can get this over with, or maybe appease these people," Bamberger said.
Bamberger and Fossett said they consulted with the Kentucky League of Cities about the matter. That organization saw no problem, but wrote no opinion, they said.
"It's not appropriate for us to make that decision," Fossett said. "It's up to the (ethics) board to make a decision."
Bamberger has excused himself from votes involving MainStrasse during commission meetings, but employees say the larger potential conflict is in the influence he could exert while negotiating terms of such matters as how much police are paid while staffing festival events and how long alcohol is served.
Jarvis said he made it very clear when Bamberger accepted the MainStrasse position in March that he would not be swayed.
"We had a frank discussion when he took that job," said Jarvis, who said he told Bamberger: "I'll tell them no or modify anything they ask for" as quickly as he would for anybody else, he said.
Jarvis also said he told Bamberger he would tell him immediately if he had any concerns about something Bamberger was requesting.
"That has not been a problem," Jarvis added this week.
The city's ethics ordinance states, "No officer or employee of the city or any city agency shall represent any person or business, other than the city, in connection with any cause, proceeding, application or other matter pending before the city or any city agency."
Under the ethics ordinance, a business must be a for-profit enterprise. The MSVA is a non-profit organization.
"I filled out permits for the Holy Cross festival for years, and I've done that also. And I've never thought anything of it," he said. "The association puts the permit request in, too. This one, here, I didn't sign it. There's no signature on it. (Administrative coordinator) Donna Kremer is the primary contact person."
However, Bamberger said he has met with police and with Jarvis to discuss the event.
"I feel like I've tried to do what's right for everybody, and I don't think I've done anything wrong," Bamberger said.
The 2000 Mardi Gras was so controversial -- and police so concerned about public safety at that event -- that there was none in 2001.
The MSVA needed all its persuasive powers to make a tamer 2002 event happen, with earlier ending times, because city officials' memories and those of residents remained strong about the 2000 Mardi Gras that drew 60,000 during unseasonably warm weather.
Last year's event was praised for its peacefulness, with about 30 arrests. Only 6,000 tickets will be sold for each night this year, Bamberger said.
"The permit went in, I think it was from 7 (p.m.) until 12:45 (a.m.)," Bamberger said. "At the recommendation of the police department, they think if they ran the hours longer, it'd be easier, because when the people leave at 1 (a.m.), they'll go on home."
In 2002 and 2003, beer sales were cut off inside the tent at 11:30 each night, but festivalgoers were allowed to stay past midnight as a way to avoid a mass exodus from the event.
"The final permit's not approved yet," Bamberger said. "When it's approved, that's what we'll do."
Covington police Lt. Bryan Allen, president of Covington FOP Lodge 1, said he didn't feel much awkwardness in dealing with Bamberger.
"Well, I think at first there might have been, but he's like me: I'm a lieutenant on the department and I take off my lieutenant's hat and put on my FOP hat when I have to," Allen said. "He takes off his commissioner's hat and puts on his director of MainStrasse operations hat when he has to. We've worked well with him."
Covington's ethics ordinance specifically permits city employees to negotiate with the city as part of labor unions.
Others have cited two examples of what they consider preferential treatment for MSVA:
• Its Mardi Gras permit was not filed until Thursday, well after the minimum of 60 days required by city statutes. Jarvis said the city frequently allows organizations to file their permits after that and the city is not stringent about it.
Also, the application wasn't filed earlier because the process of working out details for large festivals are better worked out before the permit is filed, Bamberger and Jarvis said.
• In an example of what critics say demonstrates the kind of pull someone in Bamberger's position might have, the MSVA two years ago was billed about $40,000 for providing police staffing at Mardi Gras. The organization later negotiated that bill down to $35,000, said Bob Due, city finance director.
That was a year before Bamberger was hired, and he had no part in that decision.
A contract between MSVA and the city called for the organization to pay $35,000. But when the bill went out, "I think the actual billing was close to $40,000," Due said. "But I think in subsequent negotiations it was determined that some of that overtime that was included in that bill was included in error.
There were some other non-Mardi Gras activities that were included in there, that were backed out.
"When all was said and done, $35,000 was accepted as full payment for
the event," Due said. Gary Dirheimer, who at the time was the festival's
chairman, wrote letters, negotiating with the city, Due said.
According to UNAIDS estimates there were 37 million adults and 2.5 million children living with HIV at the end of 2003, and during the year 5 million new people became infected with the virus.
Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.
95% of the total number of people with HIV live in the developing world. But HIV still remains a threat to people of all ages and nationalities.
The RAW Truth
Conversations with Young Adults show that Knowledge of HIV Issues is Missing In Action
After years of vigilant HIV prevention efforts on the part of government agencies and local nonprofit organizations, statistics show that large numbers of young people are abandoning - or are misinformed about - the lessons learned by their predecessors on safer sex. Chris, a muscular 24-year-old retail clerk, sips coffee in a trendy internet cafe located in Chicago's Lakeview area. Equipped with a laptop computer, Chris taps the buttons of his keyboard, giving him access to the local "men for men" chat room. Within seconds, an instant message appears: "You sound hot, buddy, do you play raw?"
In a clear sign of trouble on the horizon, raw has become fashionable for many young gay men. Pointing to the computer, Chris, a self-described fitness enthusiast, explains that "raw means condomless sex. It's the rage!" As the instant messages continue to arrive, some contain invitations to group sex parties where condoms are optional and drugs are plentiful. "At these parties," Chris says, "nobody asks your status - nobody cares. We just play raw and have a good time. I'll probably go to one tonight."
Some of the messages contain terms in what has become part of the everyday vernacular for Chris. "See these letters BB and PNP?" Chris asks. BB means bareback, and PNP means party and play."
In a testament to the need for stronger, widespread messages that speak pointedly about the truth of HIV infection and anti-HIV medications, Chris adds, "All my friends do it. Those new drugs," he says referring to antiretrovirals, "keep you from dying, and if you do get HIV, you don't have to worry about playing safe anymore." Pointing toward his computer again, he remarks, "Look at this guy's profile! He is 28 years old, works out every day, is into raw, and he thinks he's HIV-negative! Sounds like a match!"
This trend toward condomless sex is not restricted to gay men. Kristine, a 23-year-old straight female living in a blue-collar Chicago suburb, offers her input. "AIDS? Do straight people get that? When I hook up with a guy, the last thing we talk about is rubbers! None of my girlfriends make a guy wear them. In fact, I can't remember the last time a guy pulled one out. One guy told me he doesn't like them because it doesn't feel right." Kristine goes on to say, "And with the Internet, you can basically find sex without a problem."
It is thought the Internet has contributed to this movement toward unsafe sex. Quinn Tyler Jackson, Ph.D., an author and researcher who has followed societal changes relating to interpersonal technologies, says, "There is clearly a link between access to the Internet and the sexualization and personal boundary setting of youth, and this very likely carries from keyboard to daily life choices. If there were no link, why have I spent the past six years helping develop software that controls the use of computers by youth - even those standing in full view in public libraries?"
A similar view comes from Mark Simpson, project coordinator for the nonprofit agency Better Existence with HIV, based in Evanston, Ill., a Chicago suburb. "The Internet has made connections possible for the purposes of sex in a less threatening environment," he says. "The false story being told on the Net is that HIV basically is no big deal anymore and having it is glamorous."
Simpson, who conducts HIV prevention outreach at schools, bathhouses, and bars, has struggled to fight the problem. "There was a time at outreach events when we ran out of condoms," he says. "We couldn't pass enough of them out. Now nobody wants them, and offering them meets resistance. People are thinking this thing is cured, and they are tired of living in fear."
It is particularly poignant to learn that the raw-sex rage has moved from the Internet into the mainstream. "Where there once was a subculture of people on the Internet engaging in this activity," says Simpson, "it has now spread to such a degree that I fear unsafe sex has become the norm for many people."
The problem may be more widespread than suspected. "There is no sense of urgency anymore," Simpson says. "Younger people are clearly not getting the message. With the proliferation of drugs, including GHB, crystal(meth), and ecstasy, people are throwing caution to the wind and mixing unsafe sex with dangerous drugs. Recently I conducted an outreach at a bathhouse and spoke with a guy who was no older than 25. He told me that he wanted to get HIV because he thought it would place him with the in crowd. This guy thinks getting HIV is chic! I wish some of these kids could come to the hospital and see the people I see lying in a bed dying from AIDS."
According to a four-year government study, there is cause for concern. In September 2000 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released surveillance data analyzed from 25 states with integrated HIV and AIDS reporting systems. According to the data, young people (ages 13-24) accounted for a much greater proportion of HIV infections than AIDS cases. The data also showed that even though AIDS incidence was declining, there was no comparable decline in the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among youth. Trying to head off a possible crises, the CDC recommends sustained prevention efforts for young gay and bi-sexual men and increased efforts by community-based programs. For some, there is concern as to whether these recommendations will ever be acted upon with Tom Coburn's appointment as cochair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, back at the Internet cafe the ignorance about HIV lives on as well. Says Chris, "The HIV genie is out of the bottle, and people just don't fear it anymore."
John D. Moore in HIV Plus - April/May 2002
HIV
testing is one of the best ways to reduce the spread of the AIDS virus, but
public health experts estimate that as many as 300,000 Americans do not know
they carry HIV because they have not been tested. National HIV Testing
Day—being held this year on Thursday, June 27, 2002—aims to raise awareness
about the importance of early HIV testing and to encourage people to take
advantage of voluntary HIV testing options to help prevent the epidemic’s
spread.
The annual event, organized since 1995 by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), is a public awareness campaign that coordinates community events nationwide to educate the public about HIV counseling, testing, and treatment and to encourage those who are at risk of infection to get tested. For events in your area or to find out how to get involved, see the NAPWA link in the sidebar.
Not surprisingly, the campaign focuses on populations at high risk of HIV infection, including African American and Latino communities, adolescents, young homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered men, women of childbearing age, and people who share needles to inject drugs. In the population at large, many people are unaware that they are at risk of HIV infection, and others may be aware of the risk but afraid of finding out that they are HIV-infected.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommend HIV testing for:
People attending sexually transmitted disease clinics and drug treatment
clinics;
People who have had multiple partners and had unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal
sex;
Partners of injection drug users, i.e., spouses, sex partners, or needle-sharing
partners;
Women of childbearing age;
Tuberculosis (TB) patients;
People who received transfusions of blood components between early 1978 and
mid-1985; and
All pregnant women.
HIV testing is vital for both HIV treatment and prevention. Testing can identify HIV-infected individuals who could benefit from treatment and counseling and reduce the risk of their transmitting the virus to others. In addition, early medical care can help people with HIV to remain healthy for many years. Testing can also identify uninfected people who are engaging in high-risk activities such as unsafe sex or needle-sharing and would benefit from risk reduction counseling.
Because HIV-infected people can look and feel healthy for as long as 10 years before developing AIDS, testing late—or not getting tested at all—increases the likelihood that people will inadvertently pass the virus on to others. An HIV test is used to detect whether the body contains certain antibodies that try to fight off HIV infection. The presence of these antibodies in the blood can confirm that HIV infection has occurred. Most people will develop detectable HIV antibodies within three months of initial infection, the average being 25 days. In rare cases, it can take up to six months to develop HIV antibodies. For this reason, the CDC currently recommends testing six months after the last possible exposure to the virus.
Most people are tested by private physicians, at local health department facilities, or in hospitals. Many states also offer anonymous testing. It is important to seek testing at a place that also provides counseling about HIV/AIDS.
amfAR has compiled a detailed question-and-answer guide to HIV testing. To access it, see the sidebar. For further information, the CDC’s National AIDS Hotline can answer questions about HIV testing and refer you to testing sites in your area. Operators are available toll-free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at:
1-800-342-2437 (English)
1-800-344-7432 (Spanish)
1-800-243-7889 (TTY/deaf access)
|
© 2001 American Foundation for AIDS Research |
|
All Rights Reserved |
"He who conceals his disease cannot expect to be cured."
an Ethiopian Proverb
What has Bush done since he was
inaugurated in 2000?
The List:
1) He cut a half a BILLION dollars from the Environmental
Protection
Agency's budget. Who needs to look after the environment when there's all
that oil drilling going on?
2) He approved a bill that denies financial aid to students convicted of
misdemeanor drug charges (though convicted murderers are still eligible for
financial aid).
3) He recently sent a delegation to the UN children's summit to declare that
the use of condoms is not a valid way to fight AIDS and that abstinence is
the only solution. This is the view shared by some other countries such as
Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Syria, and the Vatican. It seems that his policy
of, "No child shall be left behind" has a whole new meaning.
4) He wouldn't sign the Kyoto Protocol agreement on global warming, which
was ultimately signed by 178 other countries. He also told the entire
European community that he would listen to their arguments, but he would not
change his mind, effectively treating Europe like an 8 year old child. This
may have something to do with why most of the world hates the US.
5) He rejected an international accord to enforce the 1972 treaty banning
germ warfare. Of course that would mean that the US would have to stop
producing biological agents too.
6) And talk about the fox watching over the hen house, he nominated former
mining company executive Dan Lauriski as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine
Safety and Health.
7) He allocated only 3% of the amount requested by Justice Department
lawyers in the governments continued litigation against tobacco companies.
8) He prohibited any financial aid from going to international family
planning organizations that provide abortion counseling, referrals, or
services with their own funds.
9) He provided every member of the Bin Laden family living in the U.S. a
chartered plane shortly after 9/11 to fly back home to Saudi Arabia without
questioning them. One of GW's first petroleum venture was partnered with the
Bin Laden family and George Sr. has been getting filthy rich selling defense
contracts to the Bin Ladens. These are just some examples of the many ties
the Bush family has with the Bin Ladens.
10) He officially withdrew from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty,
gutting the landmark agreement-the first time in the nuclear era that the US
renounced a major arms control accord.
11) Refused to join 123 nations pledged to ban the use and production of
anti-personnel bombs and mines, February 2001
12) September 2001: withdrew from International Conference on Racism,
bringing together 163 countries in Durban, South Africa
13) Over the past 10 years, the US prison population has more than doubled.
This is mainly due to unfair three strikes laws, and harsher drug penalties.
OK so maybe W. wasn't behind this one, but the Republicans are.
14) International Plan for Cleaner Energy: G-8 group of industrial nations
(US, Canada, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, UK), July 2001: the US
was the only one to oppose it.
15) George replied, "Ken who?" when asked about his relationship
with
Kenneth Lay, the CEO of Enron, during the federal bankruptcy hearings. This
was after Enron gave him their company jet to use for his presidential
campaign. George and Kenny were such good friends that Ken was actually seen
giving wedgies to the president in the oval office. Yet he still replied,
"Ken who?"
Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth." --Aesop
|
True
patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else. |
 |
|
||
 |
||||
Those who in times of Great Moral Crises
MAINTAIN Their NEUTRALITY...
DANTE