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POPSAre we a laughingstock on gun ownership? If a politician goes against the gun lobbies and the National Rifle Association's desire to lessen restrictions on gun ownership, they lose! We are a Pistol-packing mama and papa, gun toting SON OF A GUN, nation, for sure. (E J Dionee writes about the argument of - if everybody were carrying weapons, someone would have taken out the murderer and all would have been fine...This is a stupid argument, driven by the stupid politics of gun control in the U.S.. When Richard Reid showed that nasty things could be done with shoes on airplanes, airport security started examining shoes. If we can act pragmatically in the skies, why can't we be equally practical here on the ground?) The questions that should be asked is... Why is America so violent, are guns to blame? or How many more mass murders involving guns will it take?
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POPSIn Indonesia, life plays out in the shadow of fiery peaks "Death by volcano takes many forms: searing lava, suffocating mud, or the tsunamis that often follow an eruption. In 1883, Mount Krakatau (often misspelled as Krakatoa), located off Java's coast, triggered a tsunami that claimed more than 36,000 lives. The name became a metaphor for a catastrophic natural disaster."
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POPSNakba(h) day in pictures It was a day of grief for Palestinians, who refer to the founding of Israel as the Catastrophe, or al-Nakba. Thousands took to the streets to commemorate those exiled or killed in the conflict that followed the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled, their property was expropriated and they have not been allowed to return. Nearly 5 million Palestinians and their descendants still live in makeshift refugee camps across the neighbouring region.
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POPSThe New Face of Racism: Hilary Clinton Hillary Clinton may well be the youngest living Dixiecrat. Basically, her campaign strategy has come down to this: 1. There are lots of Americans who would vote against a person based on the color of his skin. (I bet you can't guess which color they "aren't quite ready for"!) 2. These people are so important to the Democratic Party that we should on no account offend their delicate sensibilities by fielding an, ehm, colored candidate. 3. By virtue of her being white, she has the key character trait that appeals to the DNC base, which is the ability to pander to the much vaunted "Racist Redneck" demographic. Are her values in line with the Democratic Party? They certainly don't represent me! In fact, I would prefer it if racists didn't vote for the candidate I support. After all, nobody is looking for the David Duke endorsement!
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POPSThe Way the Race Card Plays... For all the (disturbing) talk about how being black is bad for the Democratic party, nobody seems to be noticing that it also has its good sides. I mean, people worry about Obama's abilty to capture the working class white vote, but why doesn't anyone worry about Hillary's (rapidly diminishing) ability to capture the black vote? After all, by campaigning on the idea that a black man can't represent America, isn't she destroying her ability to get the black vote? (Not to mention white votes, like mine, that are really frightened by that kind of rhetoric?) What I love about an Obama McCain election is that it scrambles the map. Some blue states would definitely prefer McCain, while some red states are certainly leaning towards Obama. At last, we have a chance to break down America's polarization.
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POPSU.S. House Blocks War Funding--Congress Stands Up Good! Unjust and anti-constitutional undeclared wars have no obligation to be funded. Bring the troops home with the budget in place. Congress is a separate and equal branch of government with the Executive, not its foot stool.
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POPSCatastrophe. - Bush? Iraq? Palestine? Israel? Well, he's being wrong on everything for 7 years, why should he change now? Why does this simple statement not penetrate the brains of those fanatics that followed his every word only to find they were lying deceitful devil words? Why should those that no longer believe in WMD for their service persons deaths, still cling to his crap about Iran, Hamas, Hizbollah etc. When was he truthful? Is he the devil? Sorry if I've asked difficult questions of the very few who are not used to thinking for themselves. Where can they look now that the emperor has NO clothes al all. POW McCain? A WOMAN? A BLACK? Ask the pastor who said Bush? Mental meltdown! Brain seizure from lack of use!
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POPSMilitary Matters: Iraq state fantasy The truth about Iraq and 4GW conflicts that the GOP and the Pentagon (and their supporters) don't get: "Because there is no state in Iraq, there is also no government. Orders given in Baghdad have no meaning, because there are no state institutions to carry them out. The governmental positions of Iraqi leaders have no substance. Their power is a function of their relationship to various militias, not of their offices. Maliki has no militia, which means he is a figurehead. "
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POPSSir Porrett on Nuclear The head of UK's Sustainable Development commission was asked: You are well known for your anti-nuclear energy views. What are your main arguments against it?
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POPSThis is pretty big news Hmmm. I wonder how this was overlooked? Could it be that the media did not know about this? Amazing. It is the will of the people against Washington, the media, foreign influence, corporate totalitarians, and socialist greenazis.
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POPSKnitted Dissected Frog... I know...it's strange. I don't know whether to call it ingenious, artistic, funny, or somebody has too much time on their hands. The internet reveals some very odd people. :~) Did it make you smile?