Jawaseri School Garden, Jordan

Dandelion Salad

photo by Dandelion Salad

Permasolutions
February 05, 2010

Geoff Lawton talks about a new school garden project that is a collaboration between the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia (PRI – http://www.permaculture.org.au) and KidsAreSweet (www.kidsaresweet.com). This project enables children in a small village with severe water shortages to learn how to build soil, maximise water retention, and create garden abundance.

Hoekstra: Stark Reality Will Cause Obama to Reconsider Gitmo and Enhanced Interrogation

Dandelion Salad

Sent to DS by the author, thanks, Cheryl.

by Cheryl Biren-Wright
crossposted at opednews.com and http://cherylbirenwright.wordpress.com
Dec. 12, 2008

This week, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence participated in a global conference call sponsored by The Israel Project.

Rep. Hoekstra, sizing up President-elect Obama’s security team, remarked “[They] are clearly starting to recognize that reality has a way of pushing out campaign rhetoric.”

He went on to suggest that Obama, who ran on a platform of change, may come to the sober conclusion that the controversial intelligence programs born of the Bush administration are best kept in place.

Hoekstra conceded that on day one President Obama could decide to “stop the terrorist surveillance program, he can stop the financial tracking program, he can close Gitmo, he can stop our enhanced, our enhanced interrogation methods.”

“I really believe,” Hoekstra predicted, ”that if he goes through that process and contemplates those decisions, he is going to reach the stark reality that ‘wow, these things actually work, they actually have enabled President Bush to keep America safe. That’s now my responsibility and I better be very, very careful because…I better be careful before I decide to terminate any of these programs because on noon of January 20, it’s now my responsibility and the track record is that the programs that have been in place whether rightly or wrongly have kept America’s homeland safe for seven and a half years and that’s now the track record that I have to match because there is no way you can beat zero tolerance.’ “

Additionally, CongressDaily’s Chris Strohm reported on Wednesday that Intelligence chair, Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) “recommended to Obama’s transition team that some parts of the CIA’s controversial alternative interrogation program should be allowed to continue.”

Reyes reportedly said “We don’t want to be known for torturing people. At the same time we don’t want to limit our ability to get information that’s vital and critical to our national security,” he added. “That’s where the new administration is going to have to decide what those parameters are, what those limitations are.”

It is worth remembering that an administration that unilaterally bypassed established laws first introduced us to “enhanced” or “alternative” interrogation methods – formerly known as torture. It appears we can now expect that every four years the world will sit in anxious anticipation while the new administration “decides” the méthodes du jour.

Remarkably, Reyes’ and Hoekstra’s remarks coincide with the release of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s “Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody.”

The report issued jointly by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ) determined that “The abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of ‘a few bad apples’ acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees. Those efforts damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority.”

Upon being reappointed as ranking member of the Intelligence committee this week, Pete Hoekstra issued a statement stressing “Just as we did for the Bush administration, Republicans on the Intelligence Committee will conduct aggressive oversight of the Obama administration’s intelligence efforts and encourage our Democratic colleagues to do the same.”

This begs the question just who will conduct aggressive oversight of them?

_______

For more on this subject see Ray McGovern’s recent article, Will Obama Buy Torture-Lite?

Writer/Photographer. Special interests in media reform, restoring/protecting the constitution, support for returning veterans, ending the Iraq occupation and improving relations with Iran. In the meantime, will settle for a vanilla latte and a keyboard while exposing those who promote ideologies like the Bush Doctrine that subvert our constitution, encourage terrorism and are morally and ethically corrupt. Writer and managing editor for OpEdNews.com. Contact info: cheryl[at]opednews.com cherylbirenwright.wordpress.com

see

The Daily Show: Matthew Alexander – How to Interrogate without torture

Mosaic News – 12/9/08: World News from the Middle East

Torturing Democracy

Ray McGovern: Will Afghanistan be Obama’s Vietnam?

Torture on Dandelion Salad

Obama-Barack

Gareth Porter: Potential Iranian Presidential candidates differ on nuclear policy

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

more about “Iranian factions debate nuclear negot…“, posted with vodpod

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Sent to DS from Taryn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2008
10:21 AM

CONTACT: The Real News Network
Taruna Godric, 416-916-5202, ex 414.
Email: smcommunications@therealnews.com
Website: http://www.therealnews.com

Iranian factions debate nuclear negotiations
Part 2 Gareth Porter: Potential Iranian Presidential candidates differ on nuclear policy

In the second segment of the Real News interview with historian and journalist, Gareth Porter, Porter discusses Iran’s nuclear intentions and how the upcoming Iranian presidential election should affect US policy toward the country.

Total Defeat for U.S. in Iraq By Patrick Cockburn

Dandelion Salad

By Patrick Cockburn
ICH
December 11, 2008 “Counterpunch“

It’s All Spelled Out in Unpublicized Agreement

On November 27 the Iraqi parliament voted by a large majority in favor of  a security agreement with the US under which the 150,000 American  troops in Iraq will withdraw from cities, towns and villages by  June 30,  2009 and from all of Iraq by  December 31, 2011. The Iraqi government will take over military responsibility for the Green Zone in Baghdad, the heart  of American power in Iraq, in a few weeks time. Private security companies  will lose their legal immunity. US military operations and the arrest of Iraqis  will only be carried out with Iraqi consent. There will be no US military  bases left behind when the last US troops leave in three years time and  the US military is banned in the interim from carrying out attacks on other  countries from Iraq.

Ray McGovern: Will Afghanistan be Obama’s Vietnam?

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

more about “Ray McGovern: Will Afghanistan be Oba…“, posted with vodpod

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Sent to DS from Joel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2008

10:00 a.m.

CONTACT: The Real News Network

Taruna Godric, 416-916-5202 ext. 414

E-mail: smcommunications@therealnews.com

Website: http://www.therealnews.com

Obama’s Vietnam?
Ray McGovern: Will Afghanistan be Obama’s Vietnam?

In our second segment with Ray McGovern, The Real News elaborates on Barack Obama’s appointment of Robert Gates to his cabinet. Ray McGovern is a retired CIA analyst who worked with Gates and conducted his fitness reports; reports that raised concerns with McGovern about Gates’ emphasis on his own ambition, not good intelligence.

Obama and Bush are supported by the corporate media in representing the surge in Baghdad as a success, McGovern feels that there is “a lack of objective information from..the fawning corporate media.” He feels the surge was succesful in it’s intended purpose which “prevented a definitive loss of the war..on Bush and Cheney’s watch,” but this is not how it is being reported in the corporate media.

He says the appointment of Gates demonstrates a continuation of the mentality that led the United States into war in Vietnam, Iraq, and now again, in Afghanistan, noting “Afghanistan, if Obama does this wrong, is going to be his Vietnam, it’s going to be his Iraq.”

While Obama campaigned and won on the idea of change his continued appointments are proving to be less in line with such change, seeming more like a continuation of the Bush protocols. According to McGovern, “Obama has really missed a good chance to get a thoughtful Secretary of Defense in there who would be open to new ideas and who would do things right.”

For complete coverage of this story visit our website:  http://therealnews.com/

see

Obama-Barack

Illinois Citizens Deserve Corrupt Government by Joel S. Hirschhorn

by Joel S. Hirschhorn
featured writer
Dandelion Salad
www.foavc.org
December 12, 2008

The current Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, recently charged with crimes by the federal government, just follows in the footsteps of previous convicted Illinois governors and a huge number of other Illinois officials convicted of crimes.  What is remarkable is that in the 2008 election Illinois voters had the opportunity to recognize that they needed to use their constitutional convention opportunity to reform state government.  They voted not to use it.

Which raises the question: How stupid or brainwashed are most Illinois citizens?

Iraqi elites fight for position

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

More at http://therealnews.com/t/in…

Leila Fadel: The fight for Iraqi wealth and power will intensify Pt.3

more about “Iraqi elites fight for position“, posted with vodpod

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see

The Iraqi view of the surge

Iraqis suspicious of pullout deal

Iraq

Mosaic News – 12/11/08: World News from the Middle East

Dandelion Salad

Warning

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This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

linktv

Mosaic needs your help! Donate here: http://linktv.org/contribute

“India has given Pakiatan list of 40 terrorists,” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
“New Fighting Erupts in Mogadishu,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“Press freedom increasingly under threat in France,” Dubai TV, UAE
“Israelis Demonstrate to Free Shalit,” IBA TV, Israel
“The Jerusalem settlement train,” Al Jazeera English, Qatar
“Gaza Runs Out of Cooking Gas,” Al Aqsa, Gaza
“Study shows Gulf Syndrome real,” New TV, Lebanon
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani.

more about “Mosaic News – 12/11/08: World News fr…“, posted with vodpod

Response to Financial Times Gideon Rachman’s ‘And now for a world government’ by Zahir Ebrahim

by Zahir Ebrahim
featured writer
Dandelion Salad
Zahir’s blog post
Project Humanbeingsfirst

12 December 2008

‘I have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible. A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already set up a continental government for 27 countries, which could be a model. The EU has a supreme court, a currency, thousands of pages of law, a large civil service and the ability to deploy military force. So could the European model go global? There are three reasons for thinking that it might. First, it is increasingly clear that the most difficult issues facing national governments are international in nature: there is global warming, a global financial crisis and a “global war on terror”.’ ( Gideon Rachman, And now for a world government, Financial Times, December 8 2008 )

2008 Holiday Reading List by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Dec. 11, 2008

It’s time for that Holiday reading period and here are some deserving but little publicized recommendations:

1. Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Spectre of Inverted Totalitarianism by Sheldon S. Wolin (Princeton Univ. Press, 2008). Princeton Professor emeritus Wolin examines how the pathology of concentrated corporate power and its control of government is shattering our democratic institutions and traditions. Brings the abstractions down to the hard earth of reality.

Time to Redefine the Economic Paradigm by Andrew Hughes

Dandelion Salad

by Andrew Hughes
Global Research, December 11, 2008

The World Bank today released it’s long awaited forecast for the World economic future. “The financial crisis is likely to result in the most serious recession since the Great Depression,” said Justin Lin, it’s Chief economist. The global economy is captured in a downward spiral as never witnessed before. Whereas before, economies were more localized and had more immunity to outside forces, now Globalization has ensured that one big failure in the machine can create a systemic event that brings down all the component parts. The inevitable failure of a few major banks has demonstrated just how much havoc can be wreaked from Alaska to Beijing.

Emerging markets, dependent on mature market consumption, are teetering on the edge of Bankruptcy as Private capital inflow has been drying up and is forecast to reduce by half next year. The volume of world trade is set to decrease by 2.1%, the biggest drop for 33 years. Oil exporting countries from Venezuela to Russia are seeing revenue crash as demand across the world decreases. Poor countries, on the other hand, have experienced a decrease in the cost of living as food and oil prices drop. In an unforeseen twist of fate, Globalisation has enriched poorer countries and impoverished richer ones.

End of the World as We Know It

Dandelion Salad

By Tony Davenport
http://healthafteroil.wordpress.com
October 14, 2008

[Editors Note: This article was originally published on page 16 of the S. African Sunday Independent on October 12, 2008]

It is not as bad as you might imagine – it’s worse, and before you bury your heads in the sands of collective denial, please consider how it is coming about. The truth will set you free, but first it will probably make you ill.

We have had it too easy with cheap energy for a century and the cheap part is going to disappear. Quickly. Energy is the ubiquitous part of everything we consume, and liquid fuel is getting scarce.

The easy part is to understand how we got to where we are. The difficult part is predicting how we can possibly manage to make our way out of this one. It will draw on our deepest resolve and wisdom, and probably require a “Copernican” shift in our thinking (Copernicus was the first astronomer to prove scientifically that the sun rather than the Earth was at the centre of our cosmic system).

We seem to have scientific prowess, but there’s no time for self-congratulation. This time the solutions are the cause of a much bigger problem. Our current pursuit of growth and the elevation of human material wants above all else are the raison d’être of the problem. We promote consumption and ignore efficiency. We live as though there is no tomorrow, and the way we are going there probably won’t be.

[...]

via End of the World as We Know It « Health After Oil

see

US: White House suppressed climate change testimony

Debunking the Anti-Global Climate Change Myths

Peak Food and Peak Water by Shepherd Bliss

The Most IMPORTANT Video You’ll Ever See (videos; Parts 1-4)

The Most IMPORTANT Video You’ll Ever See (videos; Parts 5-8)

How It All Ends: Your Mission (global warming; must-see videos)

How It All Ends (Global Warming; must-see video; links)

Global Warming

Food

Senate rejects auto bailout by David Rogers + GOP Willing to Kill the Auto Bailout and the UAW

Dandelion Salad

Updated: added video

by David Rogers
Politico.com
Dec. 11, 2008

A White House-backed bailout for ailing automakers collapsed in the Senate Thursday night, pushing General Motors Corp. closer to almost certain bankruptcy absent a major intervention by the Treasury Department.

The 52-35 roll call fell well short of the 60 needed to cut off debate, and appeared to doom any chance of legislative action until a new Congress convenes in January.

“We’re not going to get to the finish line,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid “I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow (Friday). It’s not going to be a pleasant sight.”

[...]

via Senate rejects auto bailout – David Rogers – Politico.com.

h/t: CLG

***

Updated

Countdown: GOP Willing to Kill the Auto Bailout and the UAW

heathr456

Keith talks to Daniel Gross about the GOP’s plan kill the deal on the auto bailout unless they can micro-manage the labor agreements and the emphasis by the Southern senators to kill off the UAW as a part of this deal.

more about “Countdown: GOP Willing to Kill the Au…“, posted with vodpod

see

Senate to Middle Class: Drop Dead …a message from Michael Moore h/t: CLG

Dennis Kucinich: Our Automotive Industry Is Necessary To National Security + Paul: How Much is This Really Costing!

Automakers would cede control in exchange for $15 billion in aid + video

Hit me Congress, One More Time: Bailing Out the Auto Industry by Walter Brasch

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

Mosaic News – 12/10/08: World News from the Middle East

Dandelion Salad

Warning

.

This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.

linktv

Mosaic needs your help! Donate here: http://linktv.org/contribute

“Pakistan Confirms Mumbai Arrests,” Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
“Mumbai Terrorists May Have Used Google Earth,” Al Arabiya TV, UAE
“UN Warns of Surge in World’s Hunger,” Nile TV, Egypt
“Iraqis Prepare for Provencial Elections,” Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq
“‘Dignity’ Ship Arrives in Gaza,” Dubai TV, UAE
“Gaza Truce Faltering,” IBA TV, Israel
“Carter Offers to Monitor Lebanese Elections,” NBN TV, Lebanon
“Mauritanians Celebrate Eid,” Al Jazeera English, Qatar
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani.

more about “Mosaic News – 12/10/08: World News fr…“, posted with vodpod

El Imperio and the Declaration of Human Rights by Cindy Sheehan + video

Cindy Sheehan for Congress

by Cindy Sheehan
Dandelion Salad
featured writer
Cindy Sheehan for Congress

December 11, 2008

Dear Lo,

Since my son, Casey was a victim of the US Military Empire in 2004, I have traveled the world and met with people in almost 20 countries that have also been victimized by the US.

Whether it was the First Nation people in Honolulu who could no longer fish or swim in their ancestral waters of Pearl Harbor because of the toxic contamination by the Navy, or my brothers and sisters in Daichuri, South Korea whose village was being destroyed so the nearby Army base, Camp Humphrey could build a golf course, I always walk away from these encounters with an extra steely resolve to try and confront the US Military Industrial Complex wherever I can, and to try and ease the suffering of so many people.