How Propaganda Poisons the Mind - and Our Discourse

Last week, on January 3, The Guardian published a scathing Op-Ed by James Richardson blaming WikiLeaks for endangering the life of Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the democratic opposition in Zimbabwe. Richardson -- a GOP operative , contributor to RedState.com, and a for-hire corporate spokesman -- pointed to a cable published by WikiLeaks in which American diplomats revealed that Tsvangirai, while publicly opposing American sanctions on his country, had privately urged their continuation as a means of weakening the Mugabe regime: an act likely to be deemed to be treasonous in that country, for obvious reasons. By publishing this cable, "WikiLeaks may have committed its own collateral murder," Richardson wrote. He added: "WikiLeaks ought to leave international relations to those who understand it – at least to those who understand the value of a life."

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Let This Tragedy Be A Wake Up Call. Given Socio-Political Conditions, Many More Violent Acts On the Way.

Most reporting on the tragic shooting carried out by Jared Loughner in Arizona this past weekend has missed a critical point. After reading many commentaries from both the “left” and “right,” I am reminded of the crucial role that these partisan groupthink reactionaries play in the continued decline of American society. As much as I despise partisan rhetoric, I don’t believe that even the most belligerent Republican or Democratic propagandists are to blame. They definitely influence opinions and voting patterns, which is significant, but, in my opinion, there isn’t anything a media personality or politician can say that is going to make a person commit mass murder. It takes deeper sociological and personal psychological issues to drive someone to carry out a massacre.

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An Important Update on IV Vitamin C

After our Action Alert on the FDA’s move against intravenous vitamin C, a number of rumors have sprung up. Today we want to sort through the confusion. As we reported to you last week [1], the US Food and Drug Administration recently sent a warning letter [2] to McGuff Pharmaceuticals, ordering it to stop manufacturing and distributing intravenous vitamin C. The warning letter lists several issues, but the issue of concern falls under the subheading Unapproved New Drug and Misbranding Violations. The FDA letter tells the firm, “You manufacture and market unapproved new drugs in violation of sections 505(a) and 502(f)(1) [21 U.S.C. §§ 355(a) and 352(f)(1)] of the Act”—that is, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FD&C.

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GE Alfalfa’s Devastating Environmental Impact Statement—and USDA Still Wants to Deregulate!

The USDA is ready to deregulate GE alfalfa, even though the EIS raises grave concerns. There’s still time to stop it—if we act quickly!

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The Real Truth from Andrew Wakefield – Is it the British Health Ministry, Brian Deer and the American Media who are Frauds?

http://vaccineliberationarmy.com/parents-of-andrew-wakefields-research-kids-speaks-out/

We have an opportunity here not only to support a great and courageous hero in our hearts, but we can do something more. We can put Dr. Wakefield's book, Callous Disregard, on the BEST SELLERS LIST.

Wakefield provides the facts, an explanation of the problem that confronted him and his colleagues 15 years ago.  He does this in a detailed forensic analysis of the lies, obfuscation, cover ups, and dystopian science and medicine that panders to commercial interest at the expense of our children. 

Andrew Wakefield on PRN, February 12, 2009

From Transcript of panel discussion (w./ David Kirby, Barbara Lo Fisher, and Robert Krakow) – only Andrew’s comments are below from broadcast on February 12, 2009

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Even Lost Wars Make Corporations Rich

Power does not rest with the electorate. It does not reside with either of the two major political parties. It is not represented by the press. It is not arbitrated by a judiciary that protects us from predators. Power rests with corporations. And corporations gain very lucrative profits from war, even wars we have no chance of winning. All polite appeals to the formal systems of power will not end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must physically obstruct the war machine or accept a role as its accomplice.

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Canadian Study Sees Global Warming for Centuries

Carbon dioxide already emitted into the atmosphere will keep contributing to global warming for centuries, eventually causing a huge Antarctic ice sheet to collapse and lift sea levels, Canadian scientists said on Sunday. Even the complete abandonment of fossil fuels and halt to emissions cannot prevent devastating ocean warming in Antarctica as well as increasing desertification in North Africa, the research finds.

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Spinning Unemployment Figures in a Collapsing Empire

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday that the economy gained only 103,000 new jobs in December--not enough to keep up with population growth--but the rate of unemployment (U.3) fell from 9.8% to 9.4%. If you are confused by the report, you are among the many.

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Explaining Why Meditators May Live Longer

The image of the ancient but youthful-looking sage meditating on a mountaintop might be closer to reality than you think, according to a new study that found that after a three-month stay at a meditation retreat, people showed higher levels of an enzyme associated with longevity. The study is preliminary and didn't show that meditation actually extends life, but the findings suggest a possible means by which it could. Researchers led by Tonya Jacobs of the University of California-Davis compared 30 participants at a meditation retreat held at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado with matched controls on a waiting list for the retreat. Participants meditated six hours per day for three months. Their meditation centered on mindfulness — for instance, focusing solely on breathing, in the moment — and on lovingkindness and enhancing compassion towards others.

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