The Loveshade Family Blog

"Breaking forcefully with Bush anti-terror policies, President Barack Obama ordered major changes Thursday that he said would halt the torture of suspects, close down the Guantanamo detention center, ban secret CIA prisons overseas and fight terrorism 'in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.'" (Link to article quoted is below).

What is this country coming to? Does Obama plan to make us a nation that doesn't torture people?  "The Obama administration said all terrorism suspects will be covered by standards set by the Geneva Conventions, something the Bush administration opposed." Is America now going to start following those international guidelines that America and virtually every civilized nation in the world agreed to? Is America going to start respecting fundamental human rights?

We hope so.

See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_rdp

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To see all entries about Guantanamo Bay Prison aka Gitmo, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=guantanamo

To see all entries about Barack Obama, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=obama

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

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Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at President George W. Bush as a protest, got a party in prison.

Al-Zeidi was arrested on Dec. 14 when he made the protest at a joint news conference between Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. After the arrest, thousands demonstrated for al-Zeidi's release.

The journalist could face up to 15 years in prison.  But at least he got a party from the guards for his 30th birthday.

We don't condone throwing shoes at world leaders (mostly because they might have us arrested if we did). But we also don't condone a world leader starting an unprovoked, murderous war that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people.  The war in Iraq has "liberated" a country that didn't want to be liberated, and left a high percentage of the population homeless.

Throw a shoe, go to prison.  Order the deaths of thousands of innocent people, retire with a nice pension.

As a Discordian, I have to admire the discord created by the throwing of the shoe.  Our own group, the Discordian Division of the Ek-sen-triks CluborGuild, recognizes used shoe seller Chao Tse-tung as a Discordian saint.  And as Mad Malik aka Joe Malik is a major Discordian figure, it seems appropriate this would happen in the presence of al-Maliki.

Maybe things would be a lot better if President George W. Bush has simply thrown a shoe at Iraqi President Saddam Hussein instead of invading Iraq.  Let the war mongers fling things at each other, and leave the rest of us alone.

See the story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28698294/?gt1=43001

For more on Discordia, see http://discordia.loveshade.org

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

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When I see and hear George W. Bush talk about sports, his face lights up, his eyes shine, and his words are confident, informed and sure. When I see and hear George W. Bush talk about politics, his face looks puzzled and his eyes read, "Am I saying this right?"

Bush has been characterized as stupid. I don't believe that's true. The evidence indicates that his overall IQ is significantly above average, meaning he's smarter than most of the people who voted for him.

But my IQ is significantly above average, and in some areas I am stupid. Anyone who hired me to be an auto mechanic would be a fool.

I'm obviously not alone in believing that Bush, supposedly independent captain of the ship of state, has actually been a puppet of others. Many reporters have called Karl Rove, Bush's advisor since before he was elected Texas governor, "Bush's Brain." There's even a book named Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential, and a documentary called Bush's Brain.

But that doesn't answer the question: why did Bush change? What happened that changed a more moderate governor into an extremist president? Was it the pressure of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, or was that a convenient opportunity for Bush--or his handlers--to move into an already existing secret agenda?

Right now we don't know. Rove abandoned the sinking ship, and in a few short days Bush and Cheney will leave it too. Barack Obama will take the helm, and will prove to be not as great as his most fanatical supporters believe, nor as bad as his strongest detractors fear.

The future will, of course, have its own view of our time and place. But, barring unforseen temporal technology, there's much about this current administration that we will never know.

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This entry originally appeared at http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/2318550/ShowThread.aspx?ArticleID=2204488#2318550  The photo of President George W. Bush and Karl Rove (behind the presidential podium) was taken on Rove's resignation on 13 August 2007 by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian.

Posted by Alden Loveshade at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

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Guantanamo Bay Prison, a place where "suspected terrorists" were being held indefinately, many without even being charged with anything, may soon be shut down.

President-elect Barack Obama, like his prime presidential rival Senator John McCain, had pledged to close Gitmo.  Both wanted to separate themselves in the eyes of voters from the policies of the George W. Bush Administration.  Many have called those policies violations of fundamental human rights.

Obama plans to make the proclamation to shut it down within his first week in office, which begins January 20.  His hope is to close it within his first 100 days, but bureaucratic delays and logistics may make that difficult.

The prison at Guantanamo Bay is seen in various parts of the world as evidence of American tyranny, cruelty and hypocricy.  Let's hope the closure begins a real change in American policy and will be more than just a symbolic jesture.

Posted by The Loveshade Family at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

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Marijuana use has long been associated with problems in short term recall.  Hey, did I say bud affects short term recall?

Ironically enough, weed may help prevent--and even reverse--the most notorious memory disease of all, Alzheimer's Disease.

The journal Neurobiology of Aging reported that a compound that works like marijuana's THC reduces brain inflammation and improves memory in senior citizen rats.

As always, more research will have to be done.  But the effects of chemicals on rats are amazingly similar to the effects on humans.

Could this be another nail in the coffin of out-dated anti-marijuana laws?  Hey, Grandpa, don't forget to smoke some grass!

See http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100230518&gt1=31036

Posted by Reverend Loveshade at 04:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

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