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SHAME 02- 01

Women and children obliterated by Bush's illegal invasion force September 25, 2004 The Legacy of Bush VII: Massacre Number Three / Pravda.Ru

Thousands die each year in US because they lack health insurance 25 May 2002 By Jerry Isaacs More than 18,000 Americans die every year solely because they cannot afford private health care insurance. This is the finding of a new study entitled “Care without coverage: Too little, too late,” which compares the health of insured and uninsured adults in the US, where 30 million—or one out of every seven—working-age people lack health care coverage. The study, conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a private organization affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences, paints a chilling picture of the consequences of America’s for-profit health care system. More than 40 million people, including nearly 10 million children, have no health insurance, and the number continues to grow at a pace of about 1 million each year.Those without health insurance are more likely to have poorer health and die prematurely than those with insurance, the study found. wsws.org

June 3 For those at the bottom, the consequence of the new conservatism that dominates the US is to make life increasingly desperate - and with progressively less opportunity. Eligibility for income support and public assistance is being steadily withdrawn; cumulatively, it has halved from the levels of 20 years ago. Poorly educated and with negligible access to training programmes, the poor are locked into their status. The great achievements of conservatism - can only have one result. America is developing an aristocracy of the rich and serfdom of the poor and, and in so doing, threatening its own economic vitality.
Death on the tracks 3 June 2002 By Jeremy Johnson A young New Jersey couple’s tragic double suicide on May 13 has provided another glimpse into the desperation facing millions of people in the United States today. Caught in a web of drug abuse, recently evicted from their apartment, and wanted by the police for passing stolen checks, Theresa LaMarca, 22, and Damien Conners, 26, calmly walked together onto the railroad tracks at their neighborhood North Elizabeth station and sat down in front of an Amtrak express train coming through at 55 miles per hour. They were killed instantly. While the tabloid press in nearby New York City played up the incident with front-page headlines about “doomed lovers” and a “real-life Romeo and Juliet,” even a cursory examination of the circumstances reveals there was nothing romantic about the decision of these two young people to end their lives so abruptly. Rather, it speaks volumes about the dead-end lives facing so many young people. wsws.org

BUSH'S GENERAL EDUCATION May 31, 2002 It is said, that, before September 11, George W. Bush thought the Taliban were a Bavarian brass band. Now, thanks to his comprehensive knowledge, the most powerful man in the world has got into hot water again. "Do you have blacks in Brazil? Washington - It was Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor, who helped her boss out of the embarassing situation. During a conversation between the two presidents, George W. Bush, 55, (USA) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 71, (Brazil), Bush bewildered his colleague with the question "Do you have blacks, too?" Rice, 47, noticing how astonished the Brazilian was, saved the day by telling Bush "Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the USA. Some say it's the Country with the most blacks outside Africa." Later, the Brazilian president Cardoso said: regarding Latin America, Bush was still in his "learning phase". Washington - It was Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor, who helped her boss out of the embarassing situation. During a conversation between the two presidents, George W. Bush, 55, (USA) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 71, (Brazil), Bush bewildered his colleague with the question "Do you have blacks, too?" Rice, 47, noticing how astonished the Brazilian was, saved the day by telling Bush "Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the USA. Some say it's the Country with the most blacks outside Africa." Later, the Brazilian president Cardoso said: regarding Latin America, Bush was still in his "learning phase". gwbush.com

Bush Govt May Speed Telecom Deregulation December 19, 2000 By Martin Stone A research evaluation just released indicates that the administration formed by the president-elect, George W. Bush, will speed deregulation of the telecommunications industry, as the Republican government assumes a more hands-off approach to business. The report, by the Dataquest unit of Gartner Group, Inc., said some of the expansion of the telecom industry has been held back by the government's micromanagement and reluctance to encourage free-market dynamics. computeruser.com

Corporate America hit by Biggest Scandal in History June 26, 2002 by Chris Ayres in New York CORPORATE America suffered its biggest scandal to date last night when it was claimed that WorldCom, a telecommunications company founded by a devout Mississippi Christian, had lied about making about $3.85 billion (£2.6 billion) of profits over 15 months. The size of the alleged profits overstatement at WorldCom is more than double the previous record, set by the pharmacy chain Rite Aid, and makes the accounting irregularities at Enron Corporation look like a rounding error. WorldCom, already crippled by nearly $30 billion of debt, is now expected to go bust commondreams.org

Log cabin to White House? Not any more Sunday April 28, 2002 The Observer America is the most unequal society in the industrialised West. The richest 20 per cent of Americans earn nine times more than the poorest 20 per cent, a scale of inequality half as great again as in Japan, Germany and France. At the very top of American society, incomes and wealth have reached stupendous proportions. The country boasts some three million millionaires, and the richest 1 per cent of the population hold 38 per cent of its wealth, a concentration more marked than in any comparable country. This inequality is the most brutal fact of American life. Nor is it excused by more mobility and opportunity than other societies, America's great conceit. The reality is that US society is polarising and its social arteries hardening. The sumptuousness and bleakness of the respective lifestyles of rich and poor represent a scale of difference in opportunity and wealth that is almost medieval - and a standing offence to the American expectation that everyone has the opportunity for life, liberty and happiness. observer.co.uk

IRS Audits Increase for Low-Income Taxpayers as Examination Rate for Affluent Filers Falls Again!n April 15, 2002 By Albert B. Crenshaw Washington Post Staff Writer IRS tax-return audit rates increased slightly last year, almost entirely among low-income taxpayers who filed simple returns, according to a study released today. Audit rates were down for taxpayers with incomes of more than $100,000, continuing a decade-long decline in examinations of the returns of the wealthiest Americans, according to an analysis of Internal Revenue Service data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. washingtonpost.com

New Bush Proposals Would Make Welfare Mothers Work More Hours Than Average American Moms With No Child Care Help April 14 /U.S. Newswire / New analysis of U.S. Census Data by the Institute of Women's Policy Research (IWPR) reveals that only 36 percent of all mothers work year-round at 40 or more hours per week. This is much lower than the Administration's proposal requiring that 70 percent of TANF
recipients work 40 hours per week. usnewswire.com

April 13, Bush should tell the people exactly how much profit corporations will make for each American life sacrificed. The people deserve to see the dollar figure, so we will know how much each of us is worth to the regime.
White House Move on Toxic-Chemicals Pact Assailed April 13, 2002 By Eric Pianin Washington Post The Bush administration yesterday formally sought congressional approval of an international treaty to phase out a dozen highly toxic chemicals, but environmentalists accused officials of backtracking on a commitment to create a way to gradually add to the list of banned pollutants. "It's shameful that the Bush administration is attempting to only partially implement this important treaty to protect human health and the environment," said Jeremiah D. Baumann of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.) said he was "deeply disappointed" by the administration's action. He then introduced legislation that he said would "fulfill our obligations under the treaty." washingtonpost.com

Patriotic Liberal Americans Fighting For Our Country April 13, 2002 By the edtor "Reclaiming America" Is  their rallying cry. The Democrats mean 'reclaim' in the truest sence of the word, to take back something stolen. Leaders of 'Campaign for America's Future', part of a growing movement to restore legitimate government in America, gathered in Washington Thursday to plan an election-year strategy. Though the forces arrayed against the Democratis seem insurmountable, and the media and rigged polls say that we love bush, the Democrats are counting on the the will of the people and the power of truth. Dick Gephardt, House Minority Leader D-Mo, warns us that right wing extremism is silencing our two party system of government. "There is no collaboration, no communication, no inclusiveness, no 'let's work together, let's solve the problems together.' It's 'we know the way, you don't know anything, get in the back of the bus and we'll drive the bus', I guess right over the cliff."  Dick Gephardt, considering a presidential bid in two years attended the event, put on by 'Campaign for America's Future'. They wisely advise Democrats not to be intimidated by Bush's wartime popularity ratings, which have drastically fallen from 95 to 75 percent. They recommend fearlessly attacking the GOP as the party of greedy corporate special interests. "We cannot allow the conflict abroad to give Enron conservatives a free pass at home," said Robert Borosage, co-director of the 'Campaign for America's Future'. dickgephardt2002

April 6, While the media drones on endlessly about the war on terrorism they say precious little about another war. Bush is quietly stripping away work place protections so that his corporate friends can make a killing literally from our flesh and blood. The democrats are shouting that the long term costs to Social Security and Workman's Compensation funds will far outweigh any short term corporate profits. The republicans aren't worried a bit. Not only will they profit greatly from our suffering, but they will also receive a huge tax giveaway while bankrupting our Social Security trust funds. Since there wont be any Social Security money left to give people disabled in the work place, the problem is solved, it's a win, win, situation for Bush and his rich friends. editor
Gephardt Makes a Statement on the Bush Administration's Voluntary Ergonomics Proposal WASHINGTON, April 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following statement was released today by the office of House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt on the Administration's Voluntary Ergonomics: "The Bush Administration took the final step today in abolishing a vital ergonomic standard to protect workers from repetitive stress disorders in the workplace. The voluntary ergonomics proposal announced today at the Department of Labor tells the American people once again that pleasing corporate special interests is more important to the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans than protecting American workers. Under the Bush Administration's proposal, companies will have no responsibility to address the very serious problem of repetitive stress injury that harms 1.8 million workers and costs our economy $50 billion each year. In March 2001, House Republicans passed legislation that repealed the balanced ergonomics rule negotiated by the Clinton Administration. That vote began a process of betrayal of the American worker that culminated in the non-proposal announced today. When the Democrats regain control of the House in 2003, one of our first priorities will be to pass legislation to reinstate this important worker protection." usnewswire.com

John Walker Lindh, young American brutalized by one regime and then another, shown here at Camp Rhino. Where is Bush the compassionate conservative now? I see only brutality and vengeance against this American boy.
As legal case against American Taliban POW unravels Judge shows pro-government bias at hearing for John Walker Lindh  April 3, 2002 By John Andrews During a four-hour pretrial hearing, government prosecutors conceded they had no evidence that John Walker Lindh received terrorist training from Al Qaeda or fought against American troops. Nevertheless, they announced they were going forward with charges carrying a potential sentence of life imprisonment. Lindh, a 21-year-old native of northern California, was captured last autumn with a Taliban fighting unit in Afghanistan. He is being prosecuted by the US government for conspiring to commit murder and aiding terrorist organizations. The April 1 hearing in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, located nine miles from the Pentagon, concerned defense requests that the prosecution be required to specify its criminal allegations against Lindh and that it turn over more evidence to his legal team. For the most part, Judge T.S. Ellis III denied the defense motions. He only granted Lindh’s lawyers additional access to some narrow categories of information and held out the possibility that they could gain access to witnesses in the future. wsws.org

A different type of justice for the poor? I thought America was about equal rights? It seems that if you own your home and your grandson gets arrested with drugs five miles away from your house it's ok. If you are poor and living in public housing and your grandson is arrested, you, an innocent person, are punished by being evicted from your home. Any child can see that this is kangaroo court justice, leading one to wonder; Who are these people, and what incredible flaw in our system made them into Supreme Court judges?
High Court Allows Public Housing Drug Evictions March 28 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that public housing tenants can be evicted for any illegal drug activity by household members or guests, even if they did not know about it. In an opinion by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the high court reinstated the Department of Housing and Urban Development's ``One Strike and You're Out'' policy, which authorized public housing officials to evict innocent tenants. findlaw.com

Immigrants can live here and work here, but they are not human beings, they are slaves without rights? The more that I see decisions like this coming from the Supreme Court, the more I am convinced that our justices are selected for their lack of skill and understanding. They seem to be incapable of ruling fairly on basic of human rights issues.
Court Sides With Co. in Labor Dispute March 28 By GINA HOLLAND Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that illegal immigrants do not have the same rights as Americans when they are wrongly fired from U.S. jobs. The court split 5-4 on whether companies can be forced to give back pay to illegal workers when they mistreat them on the job. "Awarding back pay to illegal aliens runs counter to policies underlying" federal immigration laws, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote in the court's opinion. The Bush administration had argued that penalties are needed to keep employers from wronging illegal workers, considering the estimated 7 million undocumented workers in the United States. findlaw.com

Bush said that he "likes Mexico and the way things are done down there." Millions of the Mexican people live in shack cites with open running sewers, they work for a few dollars a day and have no health care and no Social Security.
Mind-Boggling Injustice March 23 - The republicans fully intend to raid what's left of the Social Security trust fund if they can win enough house and senate seats in the November election. The republicans realize if they begin the privatization-raid now it will mean their defeat. Of course, 95% of the American people are against this mind-boggling injustice, but the republicans aren't worried because they serve only the 5% at the top. If you are like most Americans, you're barely getting by, it's difficult or impossible to just simply "save your money" as Bush recommends. The fact is that Mr. Bush has always lived in a protective money bubble and does not understand life in the real world. An exodus will probably occur from America to Canada after Bush liquidates Social Security and Medicare. Life in Canada with it's liberal system of laws, free socialized medicine, dental care, and generous Social Security system will look quite appealing compared to our cruel corporate American hell world. Our land of the free and home of the brave is turning into the land of the rich, home of the slave. If you want to keep your Social Security system and retire some day, vote Bush and his republican den of thieves out of office now while you still have a chance. If the republicans gain enough seats in the House and Senate they will finish stealing Social Security, perpetrating the biggest corporate raid in history. Bush and his cronies have already produced a budget that takes $1.8 trillion from the Social Security trust fund giving it to the rich and the military industrial complex. After the November elections Bush plans on using the weakened financial state of the Social Security system as an excuse to raid the fund, moving to privatize it and hand over what's left to the Investment Banks and the Private Securities Industry. All that differentiates America from impoverished third world countries is our system of laws, our constitutional rights, and our Social Security trust fund, all of which have been under constant attack by the Bush administration. Bush has said that he "likes Mexico and the way things are done down there." Mexico is ruled by ten super rich families through a fascist puppet government. Millions of the Mexican people live in shack cites with open sewers. They work for a few dollars a day and have no health care and no Social Security. editor

Gephardt Statement on Social Security March 23 / WASHINGTON, U.S. Newswire The following is a statement of House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt: "According to a report in today's National Journal, the White House is going to delay a debate on proposals, put forward by the President's Commission on Social Security, to privatize the program and ultimately cut benefits for senior citizens. "This confirms our worst fears. Republicans want to delay the privatization debate until after the election denying the American people the opportunity to weigh in on this critical issue. "For weeks now, other Democrats and I have urged a free and fair debate on this issue in the Congress before the elections in November. The Republican House Majority has produced a budget that raids $1.8 trillion from the Social Security trust fund. The three proposals to privatize Social Security, according to the President's own Commission, will result in benefit cuts for seniors." usnewswire.com

Bush administration scraps consent forms in patient privacy rule 3/22/02 By LAURA MECKLER The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- Doctors and hospitals could disclose private information about patients and provide medical services without prior consent under proposed Bush administration revisions to Clinton-era patient privacy rules. Privacy advocates protested that the administration is stripping out a core element of the privacy rules. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., promised hearings and legislation to reinstate the mandatory consent forms. "The administration has come down on the side of major health corporations at the expense of individuals," Kennedy charged Friday from the Senate floor. nj.com

Bush should tell the people exactly how much money corporate America will make for each American life sacrificed. The American people deserve to see the dollar figure, and know how much each one of us is worth to them.
Bush Deletion of Clean Air Act Provision Proves Power of Money in Politics, Says Physicians Group WASHINGTON, March 19 /U.S. Newswire/ Despite overwhelming evidence that the health of millions of Americans will be adversely affected, the Bush administration has signaled its intention to move forward with its much anticipated roll back of key clean air provisions that are protective of human health and the environment. The Bush plan would allow new pollution to be emitted into the atmosphere without penalty by old coal-burning power plants, says Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). "President Bush and the EPA have consistently said that they support sound science in environmental legislation," said PSR's Executive Director and CEO Robert K. Musil, Ph.D., M.P.H. "The science couldn't be any clearer that pollution shortens thousands of American lives every year, and the administration seems to have made a judgment that the cost to industry outweighs the benefit of human lives that could be saved." usnewswire.com

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis -  March 8 - Sinclair Lewis wrote his now famous satirical political novel and in 1935 became the first American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Sinclair Lewis asked the question – what if an extremist right wing politician used a presidential election to make himself into a dictator? The hero, Doremus Jessup, a small-town newspaper editor in Vermont struggles with the new government’s attempts to censor his newspaper and ends up in a concentration camp. Buzz Windrip, the self-made dictator and one-time senator, rules America with the same cruel tactics he had practiced in his own state. The main ally of the fictional dictator is Bishop Peter Paul Prang, a popular right wing radio minnister who endorses Buzz Windrip’s campaign. Doremus Jessup for all his moderation in trying to get along with the right-wing dictatorship, finds himself part of the resistance movement. He blames himself because he did not take Buzz Windrip more seriously when there was still a chance to stop him. editor
AAPS: Unlimited Forced Drugging OK'd By Court; Physician Group Calls Ruling 'Shocking & Inhumane' WASHINGTON, March 8 /U.S. Newswire/ Defendants can be forcibly drugged even though they haven't been convicted of any charges and pose no danger to themselves or others. That's the ruling issued yesterday by the Federal Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in the case of United States vs. Charles Thomas Sell. (see uscourts pdf) The 2-1 split decision establishes government power to forcibly medicate a person with mind-altering drugs even before trial. "It's a shocking, inhumane decision. Now, all the government needs are allegations and a cooperative psychiatrist to forcibly drug any citizen," said Andrew Schlafly, general counsel for the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). That group filed an amicus brief opposing the government drugging. "It's unprecedented to allow prosecutors to drug peaceful defendants presumed to be innocent. Government cannot force citizens to pledge allegiance to the flag, but now can forcibly medicate them with mind-altering drugs," said Schlafly. usnewswire.com

Earthjustice: EPA Violates Clean Air Act; Agency Attempts to Delay Public Health Protections WASHINGTON, March 6 /U.S. Newswire/ The following was released today by Earthjustice: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved regulations yesterday that violate a key provision of the Clean Air Act. The agency's action will prolong and increase the public's exposure to hazardous air pollutants -- chemicals such as dioxins, mercury, and PCBs that, even in minute quantities, can cause cancer, birth defects, reproductive disorders, and other similarly devastating diseases. "Once again the Bush administration is paying back its friends at the expense of public health," said James Pew of Earthjustice. usnewswire.com

"We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed too," Fri, Feb. 15, 2002 Cox News Service JAY BOOKMAN - Pundit Ann Coulter told this month's meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference. "Otherwise they will turn out to be outright traitors." charlotte.com Prior to this incident the National Review dropped Ann Coulter after her column drew complaints. October 13, 2001, News-Journal wire services NEW YORK -- The National Review has dropped the column of conservative pundit Ann Coulter in a dispute over remarks she made after the terrorist attacks. "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," Coulter said in a column which appeared in The National Review Online. The Web site then refused to run two of her follow-up pieces, including one on airport security in which she referred to checking the passports of "suspicious-looking swarthy males." news-journalonline.com

O'Neill calls for the elimination of taxes on corporations and the abolition of Social Security and Medicare - June 13, 2001 In the interview, O'Neill called the current U.S. tax system "an abomination" that required changes to its "very structure." His preferred changes? O'Neill "absolutely" supports the elimination of taxes on corporations-- and the shifting of the tax burden to individuals, saying government would work better if it "collected taxes in a more direct way from the people." He also called for the abolition of Social Security and Medicare, on the grounds that "able-bodied adults should save enough on a regular basis so that they can provide for their own retirement, and, for that matter, health and medical needs. fair.org

Remember GOP monster, Paul O'Neill? He called for the elimination of taxes on corporations and the abolition of Social Security and Medicare. He now says the collapse of Enron illustrates "part of the genius of capitalism" February 7, 2002 O'Neill  "absolutely" supports the elimination of taxes on corporations-- and the shifting of the tax burden to individuals, saying government would work better if it "collected taxes in a more direct way from the people." He also called for the abolition of Social Security and Medicare, on the grounds that "able-bodied adults should save enough on a regular basis so that they can provide for their own retirement, and, for that matter, health and medical needs." O'Neill described the collapse of Enron which left thousands of workers holding worthless pension fund securities while top executives reportedly cashed out for hefty profits as "part of the genius of capitalism".  fair.org

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill cries like a teary eyed school boy at senate hearing and claims he "lived in a Ditch," Feb 7, A routine Senate hearing took a distasteful turn on Thursday when Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill was reduced to tears in an argument with Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving member of U.S. Congress, over who grew up poorer. The argument began when Byrd became offended by a tasteless cartoon in the Bush administration's unusual 2003 photo-filled glossy, red, white, and blue budget document, a departure from the usual plain white, released on Monday, showing Gulliver tied down by Lilliputians. Byrd labeled the cartoon as "nonsense" and said said it implied the interests of ordinary people were too minor to warrant consideration. An agitated Byrd, directing his remarks towards O'Neill said, "I've been here for 50 years, we're here to represent the interests of the people. A lot of us were here before you. You're not Alexander Hamilton." Hamilton was the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury, who served from 1789 until 1795 and who established basic economic policy for the United States." O'Neill, was clearly upset by Byrd's dressing down and had no explanation for the silly red, white, and blue budget document or the tasteless Gulliver cartoon. Like a teary eyed school boy O'neill indignantly rejected any implication that he lacked empathy for ordinary working Americans saying, "I started my life in a house without water or electricity so I don't cede the high moral ground to you of knowing what life was like in a ditch." Byrd quickly replied. "I started out in life without any rungs in the bottom of the ladder...I've had that experience and I can stand toe-to-toe with you," he said. The West Virginia Senator then made reference to O'Neill's reluctance to transfer his huge personal stock holdings into a trust when he was appointed Treasury Secretary. "I haven't walked in any corporate boardrooms," said Byrd, "I haven't had to turn millions of dollars into trust accounts -- I wish I had those millions of dollars. I grew up in a coal-miner's home and I married a coal-miner's daughter, so I hope you don't want to start down this road and talk about our backgrounds and how far back we came from."  As Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore), led O'Neill through a series of gentle questions he said he hoped the Treasury secretary hadn't felt "demeaned," Smith said that O'Neill clearly didn't need the job. Byrd quickly interjected. "I don't need to serve here either. I could retire and get more money." The exchange came at the start of O'Neill's fourth appearance on Capitol Hill this week to discuss and defend the Bush budget proposals. editor

Top Bush official savaged over Enron 'genius of capitalism' comment 14 Jan, US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has been savaged by leading members of Congress for describing the biggest corporate collapse in US history as "part of the genius of capitalism". Mr O'Neill and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans have distanced the Bush administration from the collapse of the company, which left thousands of workers holding worthless pension fund securities while top executives reportedly cashed out for hefty profits. Paul O'Neill, speaking on Fox News Sunday, said the President knew nothing of appeals for help from the company prior to its collapse, which he described as a textbook illustration of capitalism at work. abc.net