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HAMDAN v. RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, et al.

No. 05-184. Argued March 28, 2006--Decided June 29, 2006
Pursuant to Congress' Joint Resolution authorizing the President to "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed or aided" the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorist attacks (AUMF), U. S. Armed Forces invaded Afghanistan. During the hostilities, in 2001, militia forces captured petitioner Hamdan, a Yemeni national, and turned him over to the U. S. military, which, in 2002, transported him to prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. MORE

Key suspects' wives held radical views

Wives of four of the central figures arrested last month were among the most active on the website, sharing, among other things, their passion for holy war, disgust at virtually every aspect of non-Muslim society and a hatred of Canada. The posts were made on personal blogs belonging to both Mr. Amara and Ms. Farooq, as well as a semi-private forum founded by Ms. Farooq where dozens of teens in the Meadowvale Secondary School area chatted MORE

Hillary talks religion

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Appearing before a religious conference earlier this week, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) told the audience that as a child attending Sunday school she would baby-sit the children of migrant workers so that their older siblings could join their parents at work.
"I was fortunate that at an early age, through my church, I was given the opportunity to expand my horizons,"
MORE

Supreme Court Blocks Bush, Gitmo War Trials

By GINA HOLLANDAssociated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.
The ruling, a strong rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions. MORE

Will Gilad Shalit Cause WW III ?

By Richard Beeston and Ian MacKinnon
UNTIL he was captured by Palestinian militants last Sunday there was little to distinguish Gilad Shalit from the thousands of other teenagers doing military service in the Israeli army. MORE

New welfare rules designed to reduce rolls

By Richard Wolf USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Liberals and conservatives agree that new welfare regulations issued by the Bush administration Wednesday will further reduce the nation's welfare rolls. They disagree, however, on whether that's good or bad:
•Conservatives, such as Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution say tough new requirements for many of the 1.9 million families remaining on welfare will force them to get the skills they need to get private-sector jobs.
•Liberals, such as Sharon Parrott of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, say the rules are likely to push more families into deep poverty by making welfare harder to get and by encouraging states to cut caseloads further. MORE

Redneck Prom

PRO-ANOREXIA websites

Pro-Ana Links
On this page I'll include links to other pro-ana sites. If you notice any broken links, let me know. Also if you know of any other quality pro-ana sites, click "Contact the Grotto" and drop me a note!
** NOTE: recently it was noticed that several sites linked have been changed to ANTI-Pro-ana sites and/or gone dead/silent/offline. The list has been seriously purged and we are in need of new links in keeping with the mission of this site. Please contact us with some! MORE

Anorexics find Posh a 'thinspiration'

The mother of three and former Posh Spice is cited by many suffererers from the eating disorder as the celebrity they would most like to look like - and she has been hailed on pro-anorexia websites.
Gallery: • See photos of Victoria's shrinking figure MORE

When sexism claims are a real hoot

You've probably heard of Hooters -- the restaurant chain known for attracting male customers by hiring waitresses who are well-endowed and dressed to show it.
The firm now employs more than 30,000 people. Some would consider this a success story, but our government didn't. Not because Hooters is using sex to sell -- but because its waitresses are -- get ready -- women!
"Discrimination!" cried the federal government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). MORE

Americans Top Patriotic Nation

When it comes to national pride, Americans are No. 1 In the U.S., "the two things we rank high on are what we think of as the political or power dimension," said Tom W. Smith, a researcher at the university. "Given that we're the one world superpower, it's not that surprising." MORE

U.S. rejects limits on personal guns

NEW YORK -- The United States will oppose any international effort to limit access of U.S. civilians to legal firearms but supports stronger controls on arms imports and exports, a senior State Department official said yesterday. "The United States believes it is important for all of us to speak with one voice concerning the grave matter of the international illicit trade in small arms and light weapons," MORE

Dobbs: No summer vacation for our failing schools

For just about a third of all high school students in this country, summer brings no respite from the failure of our public education system. Those students have already dropped out of high school, and they have left behind nearly all hope of furthering their education and assuring individual prosperity. MORE

AP Wrongly Cites Scientists in Support of Al Gore's Movie

The June 27, 2006 Associated Press (AP) article titled “Scientists OK Gore’s Movie for Accuracy” by Seth Borenstein raises some serious questions about AP’s bias and methodology.
AP chose to ignore the scores of scientists who have harshly criticized the science presented in former Vice President Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth.”
In the interest of full disclosure, the AP should release the names of the “more than 100 top climate researchers” they attempted to contact to review “An Inconvenient Truth.” MORE

Geeks on Caffeine

A Pill for Everything

Mexico's Missing Prosperity

By Robert Samuelson
WASHINGTON -- The subtext for the United States' immigration debate is Mexico. Why doesn't its economy grow faster, creating more jobs and higher living standards? That's the question that inevitably confronts the winner of this Sunday's Mexican presidential election, but it is also a critical question for Americans. A more prosperous country would not be sending so many of its poorest citizens north. Since 1990, about 20 percent to 25 percent of U.S. immigrants have come from Mexico.
Here is an illuminating comparison. In 1970, average incomes in South Korea were about half those of Mexico. By 2004, average per capita Korean incomes ($19,148, expressed in constant "2000 dollars'') were more than twice Mexico's ($9,178). MORE

Representative Chris Cannon (UT)

Voting Record

Ruling may affect global warming

By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press June 27, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court plunged yesterday into the debate over global warming and whether the government should regulate ``greenhouse" gases, especially carbon dioxide from cars. The ruling could be one of the court's most important ever on the environment.
Spurred by states in a pollution battle with the Bush administration, the court said it would decide whether the Environmental Protection Agency is required under the federal clean air law to treat carbon dioxide from automobiles as a pollutant that is harmful to health MORE

Kerry Calls for 'Energy Independence'

By Dan BalzWashington Post Staff WriterTuesday, June 27, 2006; Page A03
Decrying political timidity in Washington and denouncing the Bush administration as anti-science and pro-Big Oil, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) yesterday outlined a program to combat climate change and move the United States toward energy independence, including mandates to cut consumption of foreign oil.
Kerry decried more than two decades of government inaction to lessen dependence on Middle East oil. MORE

Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR

CAIR Fifth Columnists and Multiculturalists
By Joe KaufmanFrontPageMagazine.com June 27, 2006
In the realm of terrorism, the threat to America is not just concerning dirty bombs and terror cells. It’s not just about planes flying into buildings or suicide vests. No, the threat is a lot greater than that – a solid infrastructure finely cultivated into our society, paid for, at least in part, by Saudi royalty. It was created not to promote the values of our nation, but, instead, to impose Islamic law. A large part of that infrastructure is the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR. On one fine spring day this month, two institutions that we as Americans rely on – one from each of America’s coasts – gave CAIR the things that it so ardently craves and needs to survive -- cover and legitimization.

Time Magazine Massacres the Truth

Thanks to Time and Rep. John Murtha, the name "Haditha" has gained signature status as an American atrocity, even though the facts are not in. Haditha has even been compared to the My Lai massacre, in which U.S. forces killed a group of Vietnamese, during the Vietnam War. But as a media story, "Haditha" is beginning to look more like Operation Tailwind, a story that sounded sensational and damaging to U.S. forces before it was exposed as a fraud. The Haditha massacre story could turn out to be as phony as the Bush National Guard documents that scandalized CBS News. MORE

Gore’s Global Warming Snow Job

Gore’s indulgent exercise in doomsaying has morphed from a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation into the feature film, An Inconvenient Truth. While the man who would be President deftly handles his self-portrayal of a con-artist and the Main Stream Media eagerly accept the role of his shills, we, the crowd, get to pay our silver to be mystified and astounded. MORE

Utah vote could decide immigration plan's future

WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH - As Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon rode in the back of a pickup in the West Fest Parade last weekend, just ahead of the float carrying Miss Samoa, the conservative lawmaker knew that for every voter who waved back, there may have been another who was angry with him over immigration.
In this GOP stronghold, advocates of further restrictions on immigration have targeted Cannon for defeat in today's Utah primary because he favors a broad immigration plan similar to President Bush's. MORE

Jailed Immigrants: Our Families Suffering

PHOENIX (AP) -- The five men knew their two-day walk across the Arizona desert could end with the Border Patrol swiftly returning them to Mexico.
But they never thought they would spend three months in a county jail under a novel interpretation of an Arizona immigrant smuggling law that calls for charging customers of human traffickers as conspirators to the crime. MORE

Retired cop says Mexican drug cartels rig elections

WASHINGTON – Rep. Tom Tancredo's charge that Mexican drug cartels are buying up legitimate businesses in U.S. cities to launder money and using some of the proceeds to win local mayoral and city council seats for politicians who can shape the policies and personnel decisions of their police forces, has been backed up by a veteran gang investigator. MORE In fact, he cited first-hand experience in investigating attempts to take over seven cities in Los Angeles County – Southgate, Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens and Huntington Park.

Latinos Look to Flex Political Muscle

County Board member Walter Tejada joined elected Latino officials from across the region last week to announce the start of a voter registration drive, with the goal of getting tens of thousands of Spanish-speaking citizens to the polls this November for the first time. MORE

No Neutral Ground in This Internet Battle

Net neutrality, which is shorthand for network neutrality, is one of two possible answers to the following legislative question: Should cable and telephone companies be allowed to charge add-on fees to others for access to their networks? MORE

cool video....Hitchcock, eat your heart out

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How to write good

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.) MORE Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

Prostitution Arrest Photos

Bartz, Diana Jean Home: Saint Paul, MNAge: 42Height: 5-02Weight: 165Arrested: East sideDate: 01/31/2006Vehicle: On Foot MORE

Flag-Burning Debate

WASHINGTON -- For 17 years, Daniel S. Wheeler has worked to get Congress to pass an antiflag-burning amendment to the Constitution. WASHINGTON -- For 17 years, Daniel S. Wheeler has worked to get Congress to pass an antiflag-burning amendment to the Constitution. MORE

Separatism 101

The public school system in Seattle is a case in point. The Seattle Public Schools recently made headlines after bloggers and columnists noticed some interesting definitions on the district’s official Equity and Race Relations website. The website defined assimilation as “the wholesale adoption of the dominant culture at the expense of the original culture.” Translation: Assimilation is inherently oppressive, so minority students should think of themselves as victims. MORE

Another List Steve Failed To Make !!!!

The Mexica Movement, an Indigenous Rights Educational Organization, is calling for an immediate international boycott against The Walt Disney Company and all of its holdings. We are asking for this boycott because Disney has made a habit of hiring talkshow hosts who spread the Minutemen white supremacist racist agenda against the Mexican and Central American communities in the United States [Mexican and “Central American” descent people are in their vast majority an Indigenous people (Full-blood and Mixed-blood)]. MORE

Fire Crew Bosses Who Can't Speak Spanish Can Lose Jobs

Officials are now having to lay off some of the bosses who manage those firefighting crews because the bosses are not bilingual. Many of the newer hires in Oregon only speak Spanish.
"What we do know is 85 percent of the crew makeup is of Hispanic descent," said Jim Walker, with the Oregon Department of Forestry. So why couldn't the state require that these crew members speak English? The state doesn't have a clear answer. MORE "If you have one Spanish guy on the crew, as an English crew boss, you can no longer be a crew boss. You have to step back to a squad boss, which is a demotion,"

Appeals Court Backs N.C. in Bill of Rights

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A federal appeals court agreed Thursday that North Carolina was entitled to reclaim the state's original copy of the Bill of Rights, seized three years ago from two men in Connecticut.
The document had been missing since it was stolen from the state Capitol at the end of the Civil War and privately sold to various people for nearly 140 years until antiques dealer Wayne Pratt and businessman Robert Matthews bought it in 2000 for $200,000 MORE George Washington sent it to North Carolina in 1789 as an inducement to the hesitant colony to join a new union.

Kerry called timetable 'cut and run' in 2003

In a December 2003 speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, the Massachusetts Democrat said he feared that "in the run-up to the 2004 election, the administration is considering what is tantamount to a cut-and-run strategy," notes Townhall.com writer Tim Chapman.
"Their sudden embrace of accelerated Iraqification and American troop withdrawal dates, without adequate stability, is an invitation to failure," Kerry said in his 2003 speech. "The hard work of rebuilding Iraq must not be dictated by the schedule of the next American election." MORE

Tancredo Republicans

What might well cost all of them their seats is the growing perception that this Congress hasn't achieved much of anything. If Republicans want a precedent, they might recall what happened to Democrats who failed to pass a crime bill in the summer of 1994. Already in trouble on taxes at the time, Democrats looked feckless on crime and health care and went down to crashing defeat. Immigration could do the same for Republicans, who have been flogging the issue for months as a grave national problem. Doing nothing about it now risks alienating even those conservatives who merely want more border police. MORE

Mexica Movement

U.S.A. Schooling the Communist Way

Starting in 1992, the transformation of America’s schools into vocational centers greatly accelerated. T.G. Stict, who served under Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, has observed, “Many companies have moved operations to places with cheap, relatively poorly educated labor. What may be crucial, they say, is the dependability of a labor force and how well it can be managed and trained, not its general education level.” In other words, as long as we can control people, who cares what they know? MORE

7 Arrested in Sears Tower Plot

MIAMI (AP) - Inside a city warehouse, authorities believe, a group was hatching the early stages of a widespread terror plot - one that targeted Chicago's Sears Tower, an FBI office in Miami and other U.S. buildings. MORE The law enforcement official told The Associated Press the seven were mainly Americans with no apparent ties to al-Qaida or other foreign terrorist organizations. He spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the news conferences.

Iraq: WMD report

Foxit Reader is a free reader for PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. You can view and print PDF documents with it.

The Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction report PDF format

Soldier loses leg in search for missing soldiers

LANDSTUHL, Germany — Find the missing soldiers and get to them before the worst could happen.
That’s what was going through the mind of Spc. Joshua Gutierrez late Friday and early Saturday as he was driving a Bradley fighting vehicle during a mission to locate Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore. MORE

TOTALLY addictive video game

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GODLESS' CAUSES LIBERALS TO PRAY

... FOR A BOOK BURNING....June 21, 2006I dedicate this column to John Murtha, the reason soldiers invented fragging. In response to the arguments of my opponents, I say: Waaaaaaaaaah! Boo hoo hoo! If you're upset about what I said about the Witches of East Brunswick, try turning the page. Surely, I must have offended more than those four harpies. Wait 'til you get a load of what I say about liberals in the rest of the book! You haven't seen the half of it. MORE

North Korea Cannot Be Allowed to Test Missile

By Ashton B. Carter and William J. PerryThursday, June 22, 2006; Page A29
North Korean technicians are reportedly in the final stages of fueling a long-range ballistic missile that some experts estimate can deliver a deadly payload to the United States. The last time North Korea tested such a missile, in 1998, it sent a shock wave around the world, but especially to the United States and Japan MORE

San Andreas fault waiting to explode

Yuri Fialko, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at La Jolla, California, said that given average annual movement rates in other areas of the fault, there could be enough pent-up energy in the southern end to trigger a cataclysmic jolt of up to 10 meters (32 ft).
"The observed strain rates confirm that the southern section of the San Andreas fault may be approaching the end of the interseismic phase of the earthquake cycle," he wrote in the science journal Nature. MORE

Global warming - it's the Sun that's to blame

Global warming has finally been explained: the Earth is getting hotter because the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research. MORE

Senate rejects calls on Iraq troop pullout

"Withdrawal is not an option. Surrender is not a solution," declared Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who characterized Democrats as defeatists wanting to abandon Iraq before the mission is complete.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, in turn, portrayed Republican leaders as blindly following
President Bush's "failed" stay-the-course strategy. MORE

Censored Valedictorian May Sue

A constitutional attorney is denouncing a Las Vegas school district for pulling the plug on a Christian student's commencement speech because it referred to her faith in Jesus Christ. At a recent graduation ceremony, Clark County School District (CCSD) officials cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb after she began reading a speech that contained Bible verses and references to God. MORE

Diocesan Screenings for Abusers Give Slack to Undocumented

Not wanting to lose illegal immigrant volunteers, the Los Angeles and Orange Roman Catholic dioceses have quietly backed away from a pledge to root out pedophiles by running fingerprint background checks on anyone who works with children. MORE