Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
On 6/15/05, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dang. Putting OS X on a Dell would be Way Cool from where I sit > > Julia > > near Round Rock, Texas Exactly what I was thinking. - Except I was also thinking of setting up a partition on this system for Redhat or SuSE soon. I also saw the references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards to your system upgrades. -- Gary Denton Easter Lemming Blogs http://elemming.blogspot.com http://elemming2.blogspot.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Batman Begins - no spoilers
Saw Batman Begins tonight, and it is flat out the best Batman movie so far. There were a couple of slow parts while we learned about his personal angst and motivations, but it was great. Christian Bale made a good Batman, Michael Caine made a good Alfred, Katie Holmes was ok... and Gary Oldman was almost unrecognizable.. There were no cartoonish aspects to this movie, and they definitely set themselves up for many sequels. Gotta have one of those Batmobiles :-) Gary __ If you can't stand the heat, don't tickle the dragon. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [SPAM] Batman Begins - no spoilers
Gary Nunn wrote: > Saw Batman Begins tonight, and it is flat out the best Batman movie so far. > There were a couple of slow parts while we learned about his personal angst > and motivations, but it was great. Christian Bale made a good Batman, > Michael Caine made a good Alfred, Katie Holmes was ok... and Gary Oldman > was almost unrecognizable.. > > There were no cartoonish aspects to this movie, and they definitely set > themselves up for many sequels. - Ebert and Roeper gave it two very enthusiastic "Thumb's Up," stating pretty much what you did. They said they finally got it right! George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Discovery Channel's "Greatest American"
On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:35:30 -0700, Warren Ockrassa wrote: >Hey Leonard, what's up with the attributions in your replies? If I >hadn't known what I wrote yesterday, I never would have been able to >find your reply or separate it from my own comments... ___ Sorry Warren, I have no explanation except gross incompitence. I allways told 'em, in a world of "Publish or Perish" (source unknown) you'd better either give me a good editor or a sharp razor. Here's the whole bit in it's entirety just for fun- LeonardM On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 21:19:22 -0400 "John D. Giorgis" wrote: If you think that's bad, the TV ads for the duimb thing mentioned Madonna. JDG _ Lenaord Matusik wrote Mon, 13 Jun 2005 17:31:51 -0400 How silly, Madonna belongs to the "Greatest Italians" club; doesn't she? I mean, she has that statue thingy set up in her home town and all? [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 17:31:51 -0400 I think she should be greatest Jew On Jun 14, 2005, at 4:03 AM, Leonard Matusik wrote: > Naw , the greatest Jew was that carpenter guy... Justin, Joshua, > Joey something like that. Either him or that Schindler fella from WWII. Tue, 14 Jun 2005 14:35:43 -0700Warren Ockrassa Fred. Fred Howard Christ. Worked in marketing, not carpentry. Pretty good guy. Or do you mean his brother? (Um, I believe you'll find Oskar Schindler was not Jewish.) Wed, 15 Jun 2005 04:16:11 Leonard Matusik wrote: Um, I believe you'll find Oskar Schindler is an honorary Jew (though I think it's only because of his brother Fred Howard Christ; over in marketing):) (Now, here is where Warren is SUPPOSED to reply: "Wow, I hope he did it pro-bono, I'll bet the overhead bill on a job like that is murder.") ** Claro? Leonard J Matusik [EMAIL PROTECTED] "If no one is laughing at your jokes, you're probably only amusing yourself" --Ralph Mildew Emerstoy (& you can quote me) "Comedy is not pretty"- Steve Martin - Discover Yahoo! Get on-the-go sports scores, stock quotes, news & more. Check it out! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
At 05:20 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: I also saw the references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards to your system upgrades. Meaning? -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Batman Begins - no spoilers
Gary Nunn wrote: There were no cartoonish aspects to this movie, and they definitely set themselves up for many sequels. They are already signing contracts to get started on Batman Begins 2 with the first one having just been released to theaters... -- --Max Battcher-- http://www.worldmaker.net/ Support Open/Free Mythoi: Read the manifesto @ mythoi.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Plans B
Many in the US opposition have claimed that the Bush Administration is dumb and had no Plans B. They just failed. But suppose the opposite. Suppose they are smart but have different values. Then look at their history: Plans B have succeeded. * `It is not how you play the game, it is whether you win or lose.' The Bush Administration has succeeded during the past three elections. Presumably, Plan A was to win without being perceived as depending on judges, voting machine owners, and election officials. (Obviously, a political group intending to transfer tax revenue from one part of the country to another does does not want too many votes, since that means increasing dependence. The least expensive win gains sufficiently over half the votes that none perceive improper behavior, but gains few enough votes that they cost minimally.) Plan B meant the next lowest cost operation, which involves a perceived dependency on judges, voting machine owners, and election officials. * Afghanistan: many think that Plan A involved a pipeline from central Asia through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Plan B meant a country with US bases in it and a government that can do little effective about the growth of poppies which are converted to heroin that is sold to administration enemies. * Iraq: many think that Plan A involved obtaining and selling oil through US interests. Plan B meant an increase in the value of assets owned by US supporters of the Bush Administration, such as those who own tar sands, oil shales, and coal because of a loss of several percent of daily, internationally traded oil. [I also think the Bush Administration acted to intimidate others. That explains why the US forces have become known for torturing people rather than for effective intelligence gathering. [According to the June 2005 Atlantic Monthly, in World War II the US found out how to gather intelligence from an enemy with different beliefs, a different culture, and with soldiers willing to commit suicide. Torture was not the solution; that produced unreliable intelligence. [Since the current Administration has not acted as the US did in 1944 we must presume that the current methods have a different purpose than reliable intelligence gathering. The purpose would be an example of a Plan to intimidate. [There are two motivations for this Plan to intimidate: the first presumes that the Plan A to obtain and sell Iraqi oil succeeded, which it did not. The purpose is to intimidate people and governments in other light oil producers and to win against rivalrous consumers. [The second motivation presumes that Plan A in Iraq failed, as it did. Then the purpose continues to involve the intimidation of those who might rival the US. In addition, it involves higher asset values for those who own tar sands, oil shales, and coal. Higher asset valuation does not require new technology. The methods for extracting and upgrading tar sands, oil shales, and coal to liquid fuel for operating current internal combustion engines is well known: old-technology nuclear produced steam for tar sands and oil shales and hydrogen for upgrading. So long as technological advance is sufficiently suppressed, the increase in asset valuation is a `sure thing'. [Those who support technological advance, such as reasonably inexpensive, sustainable, alternative technologies are neither Bush Administration supporters nor confident of their costs.] * US government domestic: many think that Plan A for Social Security involved Bush Adminstration supporters selling assets to those who would be required by law to purchase something of the sort, assets which the current owners expect to lose value within the next generation. Plan B meant that the debate over the long-term future of Social Security was distraction from a debate over much larger, short-term government deficits. -- Robert J. Chassell [EMAIL PROTECTED] GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Faith crimes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4098172.stm "Children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa and used for human sacrifices, a confidential report for the Metropolitan Police suggests. Children are being beaten and even murdered after being labelled as witches by pastors, the report leaked to BBC Radio 4's Today programme said. Police face a "wall of silence" in investigations because of fear and mistrust among the groups involved. It follows the case of a girl tortured by her guardians for being a witch. Three people, including the girl's aunt, were convicted of trying to "beat the devil out of" the un-named 10-year-old - originally from Angola. The report was commissioned by the Met after the death of Victoria Climbie in February 2000 and because of concerns over so-called faith crimes." -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." -- Ken Olson, President, Chairman and Founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Faith crimes
On 6/16/05, William T Goodall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4098172.stm > > "Children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa and used for > human sacrifices, a confidential report for the Metropolitan Police > suggests. > Children are being beaten and even murdered after being labelled as > witches by pastors, the report leaked to BBC Radio 4's Today > programme said. > Police face a "wall of silence" in investigations because of fear and > mistrust among the groups involved. > It follows the case of a girl tortured by her guardians for being a > witch. > Three people, including the girl's aunt, were convicted of trying to > "beat the devil out of" the un-named 10-year-old - originally from > Angola. > The report was commissioned by the Met after the death of Victoria > Climbie in February 2000 and because of concerns over so-called faith > crimes." > > -- > William T Goodall Human sacrifices? Mass hysteria sparked by one case? Color me skeptical, but this sounds suspiciously like the Satanism hysteria in the US some years back. ~Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
It checks the contents of your hard drive and the software you have to decide if you are authorized to be using Windows or MicroSoft software. I have heard from a number of people who have had to make that call to Redmond to turn their software back on . Gary Denton On 6/16/05, Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > At 05:20 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: > >I also saw the > >references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards to > >your system upgrades. > > > Meaning? > ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
On Jun 16, 2005, at 9:39 AM, Gary Denton wrote: It checks the contents of your hard drive and the software you have to decide if you are authorized to be using Windows or MicroSoft software. I have heard from a number of people who have had to make that call to Redmond to turn their software back on . Good. This is just like the right-wing idiots ramping up the noise. As long as power-mad neo-fascists keep exposing themselves to the public, they'll keep falling short of their total world domination goals. -- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
On 16 Jun 2005, at 5:00 am, Julia Thompson wrote: KZK wrote: With Macs and Windows machines sharing the same hardware platform, users could theoretically install any software on the PCs, running Windows on a Mac or OS X on a Dell. But Apple has stated that it would prevent users from installing OS X on non-Mac hardware. Dang. Putting OS X on a Dell would be Way Cool from where I sit Julia You're not alone in that thought... "If Apple decides to open the Mac OS to others, we would be happy to offer it to our customers," - Michael Dell -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Those who study history are doomed to repeat it. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Faith crimes
On 16 Jun 2005, at 4:39 pm, Maru Dubshinki wrote: On 6/16/05, William T Goodall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4098172.stm "Children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa and used for human sacrifices, a confidential report for the Metropolitan Police suggests. Children are being beaten and even murdered after being labelled as witches by pastors, the report leaked to BBC Radio 4's Today programme said. Police face a "wall of silence" in investigations because of fear and mistrust among the groups involved. It follows the case of a girl tortured by her guardians for being a witch. Three people, including the girl's aunt, were convicted of trying to "beat the devil out of" the un-named 10-year-old - originally from Angola. The report was commissioned by the Met after the death of Victoria Climbie in February 2000 and because of concerns over so-called faith crimes." -- William T Goodall Human sacrifices? Mass hysteria sparked by one case? Color me skeptical, but this sounds suspiciously like the Satanism hysteria in the US some years back. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4294417.stm "Black church and community leaders are calling for action to protect children from the effects of exorcisms. A spokeswoman for Africans Against Child Abuse (Afruca) said church leaders who believe in possession needed education on child protection. A BBC investigation suggests only a third of London's local authorities are addressing the issue seriously. The Newsnight probe suggests some children are being beaten by parents trying to drive out evil spirits. Afruca spokeswoman Debbie Ariyo said she was not surprised by the findings because the driving out of demons was known to be a widespread practice within the African churches. "It's part and parcel of what churches do in terms of freeing people from what they see as the stranglehold of the devil." -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ "It is our belief, however, that serious professional users will run out of things they can do with UNIX." - Ken Olsen, President of DEC, 1984. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Gulags
On Jun 13, 2005, at 2:35 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 08:28 PM Sunday 6/12/2005, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 6/11/2005 5:52:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: How does procreation have to do with homosexual rape among prisoners and how to prevent it, which is what this discussion was originally about? We are animals (I mean that in no pejorative way). Our sex drive is an adaptation that insures that we will procreate. Men don't have sex to have babies directly but the drive for sex is founded in procreation. Initially, maybe, but all along our evolutionary branch there are abundant examples of penile play and penetration used to do many things *other than* procreate. Some are pleasant and probably reinforce social bonds. Some are not so much so and seem to reinforce social *hierarchy*. Reducing sex to something as simple as a drive to procreate (in humans) seems as sensible to me as attributing sexual orientation to a "gene". So the persons the men who want sex most are young men because this makes for more babies and they want to have sex with young women. With gay sex the object of diesire is changed but the diesire for youth is not Oy. Not quite sure where to start on this one... For most of our evolutionary history, few of our species ever made it past 30 or so. If there's any inherited component to sexual attraction, this is surely a factor that cannot be overlooked. But I think you might be overlooking something significant, in much the same way that a fish doesn't notice water: Culture. In the US for certain, a LOT of value is artificially placed on youth. In the midst of our "look-young-or-die" culture, drawing conclusions about sex partners that claim to be anchored solidly in biology seems a tad risky. We'd need a major longitudinal study of many cultures before we could look for something like biological causes to behaviors as complex as sexuality. But all of this is apart from prison rape, which doesn't seem to be about social bonding; it seems more like a way of enforcing superiority on others, doesn't it? So the procreative aspects of sexuality are completely abrogated here; it's the social enforcement aspects of penetrative intercourse that are coming into play. -- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Trust in me...
> Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > >This article expands on the actual experiment: http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4032629 > > > >*And* it mentions my favorite voles! > > > The fundamentalist Mormon ones? Well, there _are_ the polygamous mountain ones, but the plains kind are monogamous...so which would be fundie-morms? ;-} Debbi Kaa The Hypnotizing Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
William T Goodall wrote: On 16 Jun 2005, at 5:00 am, Julia Thompson wrote: KZK wrote: With Macs and Windows machines sharing the same hardware platform, users could theoretically install any software on the PCs, running Windows on a Mac or OS X on a Dell. But Apple has stated that it would prevent users from installing OS X on non-Mac hardware. Dang. Putting OS X on a Dell would be Way Cool from where I sit Julia You're not alone in that thought... "If Apple decides to open the Mac OS to others, we would be happy to offer it to our customers," - Michael Dell Well, I drive by his house once in a while, and I drive by 2 different Dell facilities on a regular basis (my favorite grocery store is across the highway from Dell HQ) so maybe it's something in the air around here. :) Or maybe it's just a good idea. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Gulags
At 01:25 PM Thursday 6/16/2005, Warren Ockrassa wrote: [snip] But all of this is apart from prison rape, which doesn't seem to be about social bonding; it seems more like a way of enforcing superiority on others, doesn't it? So the procreative aspects of sexuality are completely abrogated here; it's the social enforcement aspects of penetrative intercourse that are coming into play. Yes. Right now, we have a prison system where the inmates are in charge and do pretty much whatever they want to other inmates. How do we get things back(?) to where the ones who should be in charge are in charge, and the weaker inmates or those who happen to be the wrong color or who don't belong to the right gang are protected from the other inmates? -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
At 11:39 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: On 6/16/05, Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > At 05:20 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: > >I also saw the > >references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards to > >your system upgrades. > > > Meaning? > It checks the contents of your hard drive and the software you have to decide if you are authorized to be using Windows or MicroSoft software. I have heard from a number of people who have had to make that call to Redmond to turn their software back on . Gary Denton So what caused their software to be turned off? Running any non-M$ applications on a Windows machine? Or what? -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
- Original Message - From: "Ronn!Blankenship" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:19 PM Subject: Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium > At 11:39 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: >>On 6/16/05, Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > >> > At 05:20 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: >> > >I also saw the >> > >references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards >> > >to >> > >your system upgrades. >> > >> > >> > Meaning? >> > >>It checks the contents of your hard drive and the software you have >>to >>decide if you are authorized to be using Windows or MicroSoft >>software. I >>have heard from a number of people who have had to make that call to >>Redmond >>to turn their software back on . >> >>Gary Denton > > > So what caused their software to be turned off? Running any non-M$ > applications on a Windows machine? Or what? > Making too many changes on an existing system in too short a period of time can do it. Such as changing out boards and adding new software. I've never seen it happen, but I have heard of it and have read the Windows page concerning this activity. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. xponent Let Me Protect Myself Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Faith crimes
William T Goodall submitted: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4294417.stm "Black church and community leaders are calling for action to protect children from the effects of exorcisms. A spokeswoman for Africans Against Child Abuse (Afruca) said church leaders who believe in possession needed education on child protection. A BBC investigation suggests only a third of London's local authorities are addressing the issue seriously. The Newsnight probe suggests some children are being beaten by parents trying to drive out evil spirits. Or, just maybe, these people are beating up these kids coz they're psycopaths who enjoy it (or derive some missing feeling or power or whatever), and then suddenly start talking religion and devils when they get caught ? Call me cynical... Cheers Russell C. --- This email (including any attachments) is confidential and copyright. The School makes no warranty about the content of this email. Unless expressly stated, this email does not bind the School and does not necessarily constitute the opinion of the School. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and notify the sender. --- <<<>>> ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Plans B
> "Robert J. Chassell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Many in the US opposition have claimed that the Bush > Administration is > dumb and had no Plans B. They just failed. But > suppose the opposite. > Suppose they are smart but have different values. > Then look at their history: Plans B have succeeded. > > * `It is not how you play the game, it is whether > you win or lose.' > The Bush Administration has succeeded during the > past three elections. > * US government domestic: many think that Plan A > for Social Security > involved Bush Adminstration supporters selling > assets to those who > would be required by law to purchase something > of the sort, assets > which the current owners expect to lose value > within the next generation. > > Plan B meant that the debate over the long-term > future of Social > Security was distraction from a debate over much > larger, short-term government deficits. Absolutely. Especially since Medicare & Medicaid are in much bigger trouble. And nobody seems to be talking about that. Indeeed, the entire US healthcare system is in serious disarray. In the 14 years since I finished residency, I have seen considerable deterioration in the quality of care given, primarily because of increasing work load (for nurses and techs esp.), with a simultaneous decrease in professional grade (frex having "medical assistants" do what RNs or LPNs used to perform). A recent AMA survey found that a whopping 90+% of doctors practice "defensive medicine" i.e. CYA. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-05-31-malpractice-suits_x.htm Fear of getting sued leads an alarming number of doctors to practice "defensive medicine," such as ordering unnecessary tests and avoiding risky procedures, a survey found. The practice has been around for decades, and is no secret to many patients. But the survey of 824 Pennsylvania doctors suggests it is surprisingly common, researchers said. A separate study found that caps on malpractice damages and other changes in liability law appear to have less effect on the nation's supply of doctors than ardent supporters of tort reform contend. The studies were published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Ninety-three percent of the Pennsylvania doctors [from high-liability specialties] surveyed in 2003 said they sometimes or often practiced "defensive medicine" because of malpractice concerns. "That means they engaged in unsound practices that exposed patients to potential harm," said Dr. Peter Budetti, a physician-lawyer and public health professor at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He called the numbers staggering. "Perhaps the greatest irony is that defensive medicine may be counterproductive and actually might increase malpractice risk," said Budetti, who wrote an accompanying editorial. Examples include performing breast biopsies in women with lumps unlikely to be cancer, hospitalizing low-risk patients with chest pain, and eliminating high-risk procedures or abandoning the practice of medicine altogether. The prevalence of "defensive medicine" is surprising and troubling, said Dr. William Sage, a Columbia University law professor and co-author of both studies. Sage said the practice is probably widespread, especially in states "with unstable malpractice environments." The other study found that the supply of doctors increased throughout the nation from 1985 to 2001, even in states with no malpractice reform laws. Government data show there were 497,140 professionally active doctors, excluding osteopaths, in 1985, and 709,168 in 2001. Compared with no-reform states, the supply increased about 3% more in states with reforms such as malpractice award caps, the analysis found. That small increase runs counter to arguments from "some of the most rabid tort reformers," who predict "a flood of wonderful doctors just because we capped damages," Sage said. The supply study also found little evidence that doctors are leaving one state for another with a more favorable liability climate. That, too, contradicts what some advocates of tort reform have been saying. Both studies suggest a need for comprehensive malpractice reforms rather than just capping damage awards or other piecemeal approaches, Sage said. The Pennsylvania survey was done shortly after several liability insurers had left the state and premiums charged by the remaining insurers had risen dramatically. The survey was completed by 65% of the doctors it was mailed to, all physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits, including obstetrics and general surgery. But even if the 35% who did not respond said they never practiced defensive medicine, the numbers who did would still be alarming, said Budetti, who was not involved in either study. Both studies were funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05152/513653.stm "...While the new studies lend some credence to both s
Civilian in military court?
Well, I say she's got big titanium ovaries...and my prior decisions to limit documentation to frex "Spent 30 minutes discussing severe mental distress from sexual abuse" are s justified (although that's more because of my distrust of A. insurance companies and B. secured access for records kept electronically). http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2804826 Under ordinary circumstances, Colorado Springs therapist Jennifer Bier would seem to have powerful allies in her fight to keep a client's rape-counseling records confidential. There's the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1996 that therapy records were protected from disclosure in a civil lawsuit because the mental health of the nation's citizens is "of transcendent importance." And there's the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled in 2002 that such records are off-limits even to judges in criminal cases, citing the state's strong therapist-patient privilege law. But Bier's case is far from ordinary. Because her client, Jessica Brakey, was an Air Force service member when she sought treatment, the civilian counselor finds herself squeezed between two court systems - military and civilian - as well as the rights of Brakey and her alleged attacker. Federal courts, military or otherwise, have never heard a case involving a civilian therapist's treatment of an armed-services member, and the military's own rules governing privilege have never faced an appellate challenge. And while some state supreme courts, district courts and appellate courts have protected therapists' records from disclosure in past criminal cases, the U.S. Supreme Court hasn't answered the basic question posed by the Bier case: Whose rights are more important, the criminal defendant's right to confront witnesses or the alleged victim's right to keep therapy records private?... ...For now, Denver's 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - a civilian federal court, where Bier has sought to block a warrant for her arrest issued by an Air Force judge - is considering the case based on a combination of military and federal law. But that court could decide to send the case back into military courts for a decision. Whatever happens, the upward paths of both federal systems eventually intersect at the U.S. Supreme Court. After a U.S. District Court judge declined to block Bier's arrest week, her lawyers won an emergency stay from the 10th Circuit late Friday, keeping her free for now while the panel decides whether to take the case... ...A landmark decision occurred in 1996, when the U.S. Supreme Court, in Jaffee vs. Redmond, recognized a powerful federal therapist-patient privilege in the civil lawsuit, ruling that it served the greater public interest. "Effective psychotherapy depends upon an atmosphere of confidence and trust, and therefore the mere possibility of disclosure of confidential communications may impede ... successful treatment," the opinion stated, adding that it overrides the "likely evidentiary benefit..." ...A ruling last year by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could serve as a key debating point. Newton vs. Kemna tackled the very issue of whether a defendant's Sixth Amendment "confrontation clause" right gives him access to a witness' psychotherapy records. In the case, a defendant convicted of murder attempted to gain access to the therapy files of the crime's only witness. In deciding the issues, the court ruled that the Jaffee ruling was "absolute" and that not even an inspection by the judge is allowed... The article is much longer. Oddly, I couldn't get anything from a Dogpile search, but had to go to the local paper's website. Debbi Sometimes Local Is Best Maru Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
At 04:42 PM Thursday 6/16/2005, Robert Seeberger wrote: - Original Message - From: "Ronn!Blankenship" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 4:19 PM Subject: Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium > At 11:39 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: >>On 6/16/05, Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > >> > At 05:20 AM Thursday 6/16/2005, Gary Denton wrote: >> > >I also saw the >> > >references to the next Windows OS being worse than XP in regards >> > >to >> > >your system upgrades. >> > >> > >> > Meaning? >> > >>It checks the contents of your hard drive and the software you have >>to >>decide if you are authorized to be using Windows or MicroSoft >>software. I >>have heard from a number of people who have had to make that call to >>Redmond >>to turn their software back on . >> >>Gary Denton > > > So what caused their software to be turned off? Running any non-M$ > applications on a Windows machine? Or what? > Making too many changes on an existing system in too short a period of time can do it. Such as changing out boards and adding new software. So IOW when you buy a new computer with that OS and start installing everything that was on the old machine onto the new one so you can get back to where you were with the old machine and can get back to work as usual, you get screwed because you've made too many changes? Sheesh . . . -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Church and State at the Air Force Academy
Yet another story out of Colorado Springs: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2804739 ..."I remain cautiously optimistic that the military professionals, and in particular Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, who have stewarded this task force, will come to the conclusion that there have been serious breaches of the constitutionally mandated wall separating church and state," Mikey Weinstein, a 1977 academy graduate who has sent two sons to the school, said Wednesday. The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he is optimistic the report will be "a very clear recognition of the severity of this problem." The Air Force ordered the investigation of alleged religious intolerance of the academy after Lynn's group delivered a report saying evangelical Christians were harassing cadets who do not share their faith. It is one of at least four probes of religious proselytizing at the school. Last week, officials disclosed that the Air Force is investigating improper-conduct allegations against Brig. Gen. John Weida, a born-again Christian who has been criticized for including religious comments in e-mails and other communications... ...Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-New York, said he would introduce legislation creating a presidential commission to look into religious freedom in the military. The Republican majority rejected an amendment Israel introduced in the Armed Services Committee last month requiring the Air Force secretary to develop a plan to ensure that coercive religious intimidation is halted at the academy. The House Appropriations Committee subsequently added an amendment to the defense appropriations bill with similar language. I seem to be finding a lot to be angry with enough to post...and that's just the local news! Debbi Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition Maru >:/ __ Discover Yahoo! Find restaurants, movies, travel and more fun for the weekend. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/weekend.html ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Pesticides and Children
Oh, by all means, let's go on to national items![although this was accentuated locally] Here is your Bush Administration's appointee at work: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2804799 Stephen Johnson, the new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has defended a controversial study that would have exposed children to pesticides as "ethically and scientifically sound," agency employees said. Johnson reportedly made the statement during a June 2 [2005] tour of the Denver-based EPA Region 8 headquarters. The EPA administrator was pressured into canceling the study that almost derailed his appointment to head the agency. In his Denver comments, Johnson reportedly said the cancellation was "an unfortunate result of public misunderstanding..." ...Johnson made the comments about the now-defunct Children's Health and Environmental Exposure Research Study, or CHEERS, which was designed to analyze the effect of pesticides on children. As part of the study, the EPA planned to offer $970 and a video camera to low-income Florida families who used indoor pesticides and were willing to tape their children's behavior... http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=653815 [April 2005] ...The aim of the study, Johnson said, was to fill data gaps on children's exposure to household pesticides and chemicals. He suspended it last November after ethical questions were raised by scientists within EPA and by environmentalists. Over the study's two years, EPA had planned to give $970 plus a camcorder and children's clothes to each of the families of 60 children in Duval County, Fla., in what critics of the study noted was a low-income minority neighborhood. EPA also had agreed to accept $2 million for the $9 million "Children's Health Environmental Exposure Research Study" from the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that represents chemical makers. "I have concluded that the study cannot go forward, regardless of the outcome of the independent review. EPA must conduct quality, credible research in an atmosphere absent of gross misrepresentation and controversy," Johnson said Friday. "I am committed to ensuring that EPA's research is based on sound science with the highest ethical standards..." http://www.epa.gov/adminweb/administrator/biography.htm "...Mr. Johnson also received the EPA?s Excellence in Management Award, seven bronze medals, and the silver medal for superior service as well as the >Vice President?s Hammer Award for streamlining the pesticide registration program...< Golly, *who* might benefit from the easing of introduction of new pesticides...? Debbi Monsanto And Dupont Fer Twa Maru __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Apples Adventures in TCPA / Palladium
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: So IOW when you buy a new computer with that OS and start installing everything that was on the old machine onto the new one so you can get back to where you were with the old machine and can get back to work as usual, you get screwed because you've made too many changes? Sheesh . . . That's EXACTLY what happens - if you make the changes *after* Windows validates itself with Redmond. If you have a better soundcard and a firewire card and some extra disks you bring over from the old machine, and maybe you add a bit of memory, the Microsoft database in Washington thinks you've pirated the Windows onto a different machine. You can delay the OS from "activating" or submitting its configuration/registration to MS for a couple of weeks, but after that you're in trouble. In this regard, the new Palladium type stuff should actually improve things, because they can tie the OS to a specific computer, rather than a specific configuration. Cheers Russell C. --- This email (including any attachments) is confidential and copyright. The School makes no warranty about the content of this email. Unless expressly stated, this email does not bind the School and does not necessarily constitute the opinion of the School. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and notify the sender. --- <<<>>> ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Civilian in military court?
Deborah Harrell wrote: Well, I say she's got big titanium ovaries...and my prior decisions to limit documentation to frex "Spent 30 minutes discussing severe mental distress from sexual abuse" are s justified (although that's more because of my distrust of A. insurance companies and B. secured access for records kept electronically). Excuse my ignorance, but what stops this practitioner from creating documentation like your example, and then releasing it as the record of therapy? (Assuming of course, that she has not previously conceded the existence of a more comprehensive document). I guess the principle (that patients can talk freely because it won't be revealed) is still compromised by this approach. I wonder if you were subpoena'd one day and produced the one liner record, would they believe you had complied with the court's instruction, or would the court assume you were trying to thwart them. Cheers Russell C. --- This email (including any attachments) is confidential and copyright. The School makes no warranty about the content of this email. Unless expressly stated, this email does not bind the School and does not necessarily constitute the opinion of the School. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and notify the sender. --- <<<>>> ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Civilian in military court?
> Russell Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >Deborah Harrell wrote: > >Well, I say she's got big titanium ovaries...and my > >prior decisions to limit documentation to frex > "Spent > >30 minutes discussing severe mental distress from > >sexual abuse" are s justified (although that's > >more because of my distrust of A. insurance > >companies and B. secured access for records kept > >electronically). > Excuse my ignorance, but what stops this > practitioner from creating > documentation like your example, and then releasing > it as the record of therapy? > (Assuming of course, that she has not previously > conceded the existence > of a more comprehensive document). Interestingly, I _have_ heard of therapists who have 2 records for each patient: the official (subpoenable) one, and the 'extended version' for just such a contingency. I think that if you tried to make a new record, they could date the ink/paper; our computer experts might know if you could insert such a record electronically without detection. > I guess the principle (that patients can talk freely > because it won't be > revealed) is still compromised by this approach. > I wonder if you were subpoena'd one day and produced > the one liner > record, would they believe you had complied with the > court's instruction, or would the court assume you > were trying to thwart them. In my case, since I did locum tenens rather than had a personal private practice, I would have had no access to those records in years. My personal stance is that unless another person was endangered*, what a patient told me was confidential. Period. *If someone says they want to kill another, frex, my duty to the intended victim outweighs that to the patient; STDs and other communicable diseases like TB have long been considered as dangerous enough to potential infectees that the right of the patient to privacy is overriden by the danger to those around them. Other conditions qualify as well. I was stunned in my early clinical days to find that a patient whose depression I had documented _lost part of her insurance coverage_ because of it. (Well, they wanted a higher premium and she couldn't afford it, so had to opt for less coverage.) Debbi who learned the hard way Yahoo! Sports Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
More on Children and Research
Big university hospitals are not exempt from (possibly) taking advantage of some children: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8245349/ The government has concluded at least some AIDS drug experiments involving foster children violated federal rules designed to ensure vulnerable youths were protected from the risks of medical research. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services? Office of Human Research Protections [OHRP] concluded that Columbia University Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, where several foster children were enrolled in drug studies in the 1990s, failed to obtain and evaluate whether it had proper consent, information and safeguards for the foster kids... ...The Associated Press reported May 4 that federally funded researchers in New York, Illinois and several other states tested AIDS drugs on hundreds of foster children since the 1980s, often without providing the children with special advocates to protect their rights and interests... ...Several of the research institutions, including Columbia Presbyterian, told AP last month that they did not believe they needed to provide the advocates because their experiments held the promise of improved health for the children. Medical ethicists disagreed, saying the foster kids were vulnerable and required the added protection. Other states, like Wisconsin, said they wouldn?t even consider using foster children in such medical testing because of their vulnerabilities. Foster care agencies and frontline researchers who enrolled foster kids said they did so in an effort to get them cutting-edge drug treatments not available in the marketplace during the AIDS crisis of the early 1990s and that their efforts helped kids live longer... ...OHRP?s ruling is the first that federal research involving AIDS drugs and foster children violated federal protections. It was prompted by a complaint filed last year by the Alliance for Human Research Protection, an advocacy group in New York which raised concerns about a New York Post story documenting AIDS drug testing at a Catholic charity foster home in the city. The federal agency is withholding a decision on whether Columbia Presbyterian should have provided the foster children with independent advocates until it receives more information. But it criticized the hospital for not collecting enough information to even make decisions on what regulations it needed to comply with to protect the children. The investigation ?revealed no evidence? that the hospital?s review board ?considered and made the required findings when reviewing this research involving children,? OHRP concluded. Debbi Teach Your Children Well Maru __ Yahoo! Mail Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour: http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Gulags
On Jun 16, 2005, at 2:12 PM, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 01:25 PM Thursday 6/16/2005, Warren Ockrassa wrote: [snip] But all of this is apart from prison rape, which doesn't seem to be about social bonding; it seems more like a way of enforcing superiority on others, doesn't it? So the procreative aspects of sexuality are completely abrogated here; it's the social enforcement aspects of penetrative intercourse that are coming into play. Yes. Right now, we have a prison system where the inmates are in charge and do pretty much whatever they want to other inmates. How do we get things back(?) to where the ones who should be in charge are in charge, and the weaker inmates or those who happen to be the wrong color or who don't belong to the right gang are protected from the other inmates? For some reason it seems castration isn't considered a viable response. That leaves us with more intense enforcement and control on the parts of guards; and possibly with some kind of counseling or therapy sessions attended by the prisoners themselves, I suppose. Reducing crowding would probably help too; crowding can cause stress, and that gets vented in lots of unhealthy ways. And of course doing away with Draconian federal guidelines regarding mandatory minimum sentencing -- particularly on drug charges -- might also be of merit. How to deal with ex-cons socially is probably another factor. What do we do for them on release to help ensure they don't offend again? Those caught in the stupid overzealous web of drug hysteria can't even get federal student assistance for higher education, which helps ensure they end up with fewer future options. That doesn't make much sense to me, nor does the way ex-cons are required to expose their histories when applying for jobs. At what point do we decide it's OK for them to aim higher than dead-end minimum wage soul-sucking employment? Frankly the mess is probably intricate and sourced in several problems. Without really having a background in the way prisons are run and operated, I don't think I can comment in depth about how to fix anything. All I've got are vague notions, and that's not really enough to base serious suggestions upon. I have a sense that increased awareness might help; I have a sense that reducing the number of incarcerated might help as well. But that's about it. Some time ago I somehow got the idea that it might be useful to set up prison farms. Each con gets maybe two acres, and he gets his own one-bedroom house as well. He farms the soil organically and is responsible for seeing to it that his plot of land thrives. The idea was, I suppose, that the prisoner would be doing something productive, would be in an environment probably completely other than the one in which he'd learned to be a criminal, and would have ample opportunity for reflection and soul-searching without having to deal with the constant pressure of living in a dense population of hardened criminals. It's probably a seriously fuzzy-headed idea, but there's something about it that I find appealing as well. Can't say for sure if it would work or not, but we know there are lots of things we're doing right now that do *not* work. What the heck; we aren't really using Kansas or Iowa for much right now anyway... ;) -- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Faith crimes
On Jun 16, 2005, at 3:25 PM, Russell Chapman wrote: Or, just maybe, these people are beating up these kids coz they're psycopaths who enjoy it (or derive some missing feeling or power or whatever), and then suddenly start talking religion and devils when they get caught ? Call me cynical... It might be the other way around. Sadistic people with delusions of inadequacy might be using religion as an excuse for torture. -- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Plans B
Deborah Harrell wrote: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-05-31-malpractice-suits_x.htm Fear of getting sued leads an alarming number of doctors to practice "defensive medicine," such as ordering unnecessary tests and avoiding risky procedures, a survey found. The practice has been around for decades, and is no secret to many patients. But the survey of 824 Pennsylvania doctors suggests it is surprisingly common, researchers said. A separate study found that caps on malpractice damages and other changes in liability law appear to have less effect on the nation's supply of doctors than ardent supporters of tort reform contend. The studies were published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Ninety-three percent of the Pennsylvania doctors [from high-liability specialties] surveyed in 2003 said they sometimes or often practiced "defensive medicine" because of malpractice concerns. "That means they engaged in unsound practices that exposed patients to potential harm," said Dr. Peter Budetti, a physician-lawyer and public health professor at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He called the numbers staggering. "Perhaps the greatest irony is that defensive medicine may be counterproductive and actually might increase malpractice risk," said Budetti, who wrote an accompanying editorial. [rest snipped by Julia] So, I'm wondering something now about my own most interesting experience in a hospital I gave birth to twins almost 21 months ago. 10 days before I gave birth, an ultrasound was performed for the purpose of determining the position of each fetus. They were both head-down, and I'd given birth to a fairly large baby (with a huge head!) previously, so my doc and I were on the same page, vaginal delivery. I was induced (and if you want a screenful about pitocin + ruptured amniotic membrane, all you have to do is ask) and the first baby, the one who'd been lower down for at least a couple of months at that point, was born without any major incident. She had a really good scream (and never lost it) and an incredible 1-minute Apgar of 9, IIRC. (At least, that's incredible for one of *my* babies Both the others had lower 1-minute Apgars.) Then it was time to deliver the second twin. SOP in this case seems to be, rupture the amniotic sac and deliver. Well, he was in prime position for delivery, just needed to get a little closer to the cervix -- and then when his sac was ruptured, he decided he didn't like the position he'd been in for entirely too long. Attempts to turn him manually failed, so the doc was left with 2 choices: breech delivery or quick, unplanned c-section. She opted with the breech delivery, and apparently shocked the rest of the medical personnel in the room; apparently, that just isn't *done* at that particular hospital. Now, I think it was the best thing for everyone directly involved -- it was over more quickly, once she made the decision, I didn't have an incision in my abdomen to recover from, and I think it carried less risk to the baby, given that she'd had some experience in breech deliveries (just hadn't done it lately). My son's 1-minute Apgar was 4, but he caught up to his sister at the 5-minute mark, matching her 9 (both had blue feet for a couple more hours, no biggie), and while there was concern for awhile that all that stuff might have hurt him, the only medical problems he's had had nothing to do with his birth. (Reflux. We're working on slowly weaning him off the Prevacid now) So, in that case, what would be the "defensive" action? The breech delivery or the c-section? Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pesticides and Children
On 6/16/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Golly, *who* might benefit from the easing of > introduction of new pesticides...? > > Debbi > Monsanto And Dupont Fer Twa Maru > The other day Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a passionate speech here in Houston denouncing the Bush administration, the current GOP leadership, and corporate polluters who are united in greed. No surprise there. But it was very effective probably because it was passionate and heartfelt and all framed in a pro-capitalist, pro-free market, pro-Christian, pro-patriotic American and bipartisan manner. Like many he feels that Bush has been worse than a disaster for our country. A mp3 download of the 1-hour Houston Progressive Forum Pacifica radio program includes the speech here for 59 days. http://www.kpftx.org/archives/kpftsignal/mp3/050616_190001pf.MP3 It might be considered a more effective update of articles and speeches and a book he has written on the Bush environmental record. His earlier article "Crimes Against Nature" is here: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1120-01.htm -- Gary Denton http://www.apollocon.org June 24-26 Easter Lemming Blogs http://elemming.blogspot.com http://elemming2.blogspot.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Are you prepared for what occupation brings?
Disturbed by torture? Prepare for more as the price of Empire. COMMENTARY Torture's Part of the Territory . By Naomi Klein Brace yourself for a flood of gruesome new torture snapshots. Last week, a federal judge ordered the Defense Department to release dozens of additional photographs and videotapes depicting prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. The photographs will elicit what has become a predictable response: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will claim to be shocked and will assure us that action is already being taken to prevent such abuses from happening again. But imagine, for a moment, if events followed a different script. Imagine if Rumsfeld responded like Col. Mathieu in "Battle of Algiers," Gillo Pontecorvo's famed 1965 film about the National Liberation Front's attempt to liberate Algeria from French colonial rule. In one of the film's key scenes, Mathieu finds himself in a situation familiar to top officials in the Bush administration: He is being grilled by a room filled with journalists about allegations that French paratroopers are torturing Algerian prisoners. Based on real-life French commander Gen. Jacques Massus, Mathieu neither denies the abuse nor claims that those responsible will be punished. Instead, he flips the tables on the scandalized reporters, most of whom work for newspapers that overwhelmingly support France's continued occupation of Algeria. Torture "isn't the problem," he says calmly. "The problem is the FLN wants to throw us out of Algeria and we want to stay…. It's my turn to ask a question. Should France stay in Algeria? If your answer is still yes, then you must accept all the consequences." His point, as relevant in Iraq today as it was in Algeria in 1957, is that there is no nice, humanitarian way to occupy a nation against the will of its people. Those who support such an occupation don't have the right to morally separate themselves from the brutality it requires. Now, as then, there are only two ways to govern: with consent or with fear. Most Iraqis do not consent to the open-ended military occupation they have been living under for more than two years. On Jan. 30, a clear majority voted for political parties promising to demand a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. Washington may have succeeded in persuading Iraq's political class to abandon that demand, but the fact remains that U.S. troops are on Iraqi soil in open defiance of the express wishes of the population. Lacking consent, the current U.S.-Iraqi regime relies heavily on fear, including the most terrifying tactics of them all: disappearances, indefinite detention without charge and torture. And despite official reassurances, it's only getting worse. A year ago, President Bush pledged to erase the stain of Abu Ghraib by razing the prison to the ground. There has been a change of plans. Abu Ghraib and two other U.S.-run prisons in Iraq are being expanded, and a new 2,000-person detention facility is being built, with a price tag of $50 million. In the last seven months alone, the prison population has doubled to a staggering 11,350. The U.S. military may indeed be cracking down on prisoner abuse, but torture in Iraq is not in decline — it has simply been outsourced. In January, Human Rights Watch found that torture within Iraqi-run (and U.S.-supervised) jails and detention facilities was "systematic," including the use of electroshock. An internal report from the 1st Cavalry Division, obtained by the Washington Post, states that "electrical shock and choking" are "consistently used to achieve confessions" by Iraqi police and soldiers. So open is the use of torture that it has given rise to a hit television show: Every night on the TV station Al Iraqiya — run by a U.S. contractor — prisoners with swollen faces and black eyes "confess" to their crimes. Rumsfeld claims that the wave of recent suicide bombings in Iraq is "a sign of desperation." In fact, it is the proliferation of torture under Rumsfeld's watch that is the true sign of panic. In Algeria, the French used torture not because they were sadistic but because they were fighting a battle they could not win against the forces of decolonization and Third World nationalism. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein's use of torture surged immediately after the Shiite uprising in 1991: The weaker his hold on power, the more he terrorized his people. Unwanted regimes, whether domestic dictatorships or foreign occupations, rely on torture precisely because they are unwanted. When the next batch of photographs from Abu Ghraib appear, many Americans will be morally outraged, and rightly so. But perhaps some brave official will take a lesson from Col. Mathieu and dare to turn the tables: Should the United States stay in Iraq? If your answer is still yes, then you must accept all the consequences. Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news3/latimes92v.htm -- Gary Denton http://www.apollocon.org June 24-
