Peace on Earth

Happy Holidays!

My main holiday wish right now is summed up pretty well by the phrase "Peace on Earth, goodwill to Man." Unfortunately, it all seems farther and farther away.

This year I thought I'd look for a quote about peace for my New Year's cards. Here's one I found that I wanted to share here.

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
-- Hermann Goering

More information on this quote at Snopes

License to Publish?

From
Foreign dissidents facing U.S. hurdles to publishing
By Scott Martelle
Los Angeles Times

In an apparent reversal of decades of U.S. practice, recent federal Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations bar American companies from publishing works by dissident writers in countries under sanction unless they first obtain U.S. government approval.

The restriction, condemned by critics as a violation of the First Amendment, means that books and other works banned by some totalitarian regimes cannot be published freely in the United States.

There's more. Read the whole thing.
I think I'll go be sick now.

Show them the money...

There are sites out there now that tell you what political donations were made by a company's PAC and employees. One is Choose the Blue and another is Buy Blue.

These sites have an obvious bias, but the information is there for both democratic-donating and republican-donating companies.
If you want to keep voting, you now have tools to help you vote with your money.

Who's Next?

Area legislator wants bill to encompass state-funded institutions
by Nick Beadle
Metro/State Editor
December 02, 2004

William Shakespeare. Ernest Hemingway. Oscar Wilde. Geoffrey Chaucer.

These men are not just widely renowned writers, but authors whose work could be barred from Alabama public libraries and schools if an anti-gay lifestyle bill posed by a Tuscaloosa-area state representative becomes law.

In a Tuesday news conference in Montgomery, Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, unveiled an anti-gay lifestyle bill that prohibits state money from being used on books and other materials and programs that would "sanction, recognize, foster or promote" homosexuality and similar activities that violate state law.


Full story can be found here

Sexism one of the "facts" taught in public school sex ed

Federally-funded abstinence programs full of wrong information

Perhaps the most offensive part of this story is the final paragraph:

Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright (sic), but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess."

Check out the article to learn what else is in this "educational" program.

Free speech?

A bus driver in Grand Island, NY, was fired for quoting stem cell statistics to students and asking them to discuss it with their parents. The driver had told them that Mel Gibson said in an article that embryonic stem cell research had not produced a single human cure in 23 years. The driver is quoted as saying, "I learned that free speech is definitely not free."

The entire story is here.

I'd be very curious about your reactions to this story, so please comment!
How did you react to the story? Would your reaction be different if the comment had been about evolution, or creationism, or some other hot topic you feel strongly about? Would it be different if you agreed or disagreed with the sentiment? Is it really a free speech issue?