30 April 2005
1 dead, 14 injured in (possible) chem release in AR
DHS reports a possible poisoning at the Great Lakes Chemical Company in El Dorado, AR. One employee has died and fourteen others became sick on Thursday. The one fatality became paralyzed during a staff meeting around 0700 local time yesterday and was transported to the hospital. At the emergency room the employee reportedly went into convulsions.The cause of this incident is under investigation. Company officials report there was no known chemical release at the facility. Local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency are on scene investigating and monitoring the air. Nothing has been detected. The Great Lakes Chemical facility is a chemical processing plant that specializes in producing flame retardants and employs about 350 personnel. The principal chemical handled at the facility is bromine. The Washington Region Poison Control Center advises bromine exposure by inhalation or ingestion will cause eye irritation, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Paralysis and convulsions are not usual symptoms of exposure.
BBC on today's attacks in Cairo
"Our correspondent says the Egyptian authorities and Western governments fear the attacks represent a new generation of Islamic militants."
full story here
tyranny of the 'majority'
Political Wire gives today's "quote of the day" to Cuomo:
"The minority Democrats in the Senate actually represent more Americans than the majority Republicans do."
full text of Cuomo's address here
Are you a Republican?
go find out Mine was no surprise.
0% Republican. | "You're a complete liberal, utterly without a trace of Republicanism. You have the strength of ten because your heart is pure." |
LIAR
tons of rhetoric, abominably bereft in fact:
... on Thursday night, when he promised to improve benefits for the poor while limiting them for everyone else,Eric Martin deconstructs Tierney's silly column [Total Information Awareness: President Bush: A Man In Tights?]
In reality, the President's plan did not call for improving benefits for the poor, it just maintained what they would be getting if Social Security were left untouched. In the parlance of the day, somehow, that is transformed into an improvement. Under that rationale, I guess I get a raise every time I get a paycheck. Who knew? And the show continues. Tierney was duplicitously lauding a plan that has been described by some, especially Bush himself, as affecting social security benefits thusly: A slight benefit reduction for middle income and upper income earners, but with the lowest income earners benefits' left untouched - or "improved" if you will. In doing so, Bush was trying to portray himself as a compassionate conservative, and someone who cares for the poorest Americans - a dubious contention that could be shredded with even the most cursory examination of the changes to the tax code that have occurred over the past four years. But it will likely have its desired effect - at least in the hopelessly sycophantic corporate media.[update: Josh Marshall weighs in]
29 April 2005
28 April 2005
FT on the filibuster battle
and a point for you bozos who think the judicial confirmation battle is being fought on unfair footing because of threat of filibusters by Democrats... be careful what you ask for... and think about how badly you're going to want this "essential element of the Senate" intact, when Democrats undo all of the damage done by your incompetent and selfish decision making.
Country Reports on Terrorism: 2004
here Make sure not to miss Larry Johnson's contributions at Counterterrorism blog.
sonofa...
Eric Martin hits (another) homerun, responding to accusations made by Army Sgt. Erik Saar that interrogations at Guantanamo were staged for visiting dignitaries. These allegations were highlighted on last week's episode of 60 Minutes. Reuters has more here. Martin writes:
If true, this would mark yet another example of the Bush administration's willingness to manipulate perception in order to further their purposes. From government funded propaganda in the form of faux news segments aimed at misleading the public (even faux-er than Fox), hyped intelligence reports, paid pundits pushing the party line, to the intrusion on the non-partisan character of diplomatic vehicles like the Voice of America in order to inject a pro-Bush agenda, this administration is showing a frightening predilection for playing fast and loose with the facts. These actions are markedly undemocratic in their obfuscation of the truth - which in turn hinders the ability of the public and their representatives to make well-reasoned, informed decisions - a prerequisite for the healthy functioning of democracy.