CBS officials have quietly issued a recall of a best-selling holiday toy, but have so far failed to use their mighty megaphone to actually inform consumers that there is a recall, or how to pursue a refund. Facing a storm of bad publicity, legal action, and government intervention, CBS has reportedly bowed to pressure from public health advocates and, after a delay of over three weeks, issued a quiet recall of its "CSI" Fingerprint Kit, after three independent labs confirmed that the best-selling holiday toy contains deadly asbestos. CBS Broadcasting has asked that all "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Fingerprint Examination Kits" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Field Kits" be pulled off toy store shelves nationwide. The toy is made in China, where many other recently recalled toys have been manufactured.

"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies."    Moshe Dayan

In his speech at Columbia University, Iranian President Ahmadinejad invited university faculty and students "to come and visit Iran, to speak with our university students":

"You're officially invited. University faculty and students that the university decides, or the student associations choose and select are welcome to come. You're welcome to visit any university that you choose inside Iran. We'll provide you with the list of the universities. There are over 400 universities in our country. And you can choose whichever you want to go and visit. We'll give you the platform. We'll respect you 100 percent. We will have our students sit there and listen to you, speak with you, hear what you have to say. Right now in our universities on a daily basis there are hundreds of meetings like this. They hear, they talk, they ask questions. They welcome it."  (translation from the Washington Post)

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal as well as the Independent Bloggers Alliance, The Peace Tree, Wild Wild Left and Worldwide Sawdust.

To paraphrase former President Ronald Reagan, conservatism is not the solution to the problem; conservatism is the problem. In the recently published book, The Conservatives Have No Clothes: Why Right-Wing Ideas Keep Failing (Wiley & Sons), policy expert and journalist Greg Anrig indicts right-wing ideology and examines their legacy of insipid governance.

It's a familiar tale of woe for liberals at this point. The conservative method over simplifies problems such as terrorism with misguided fear mongering about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Domestically conservatives will distort the root causes of why inner city schools fail by demonizing the entire public school system or make false claims that Social Security is poised for imminent collapse. In terms of obtaining and holding onto power the conservative method of marketing distortion has been highly effective in most national elections since 1968.

Early in this 21st century it has become pertinent that humanists get involved in the promotion and propagation of human rights in Africa

Humanism is an outlook that affirms the dignity and worth of all human beings.
And human rights stand for the inalienable entitlement of all individuals by the virtue of their being human. And they include the right to life, liberty and security of persons, freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.

Based on falling congressional approval ratings, Republicans have been publicly implying that Americans don't like Congress since the Democrats gained control in January. In fact, congressional Republicans have far lower approval ratings than Democrats.

Given the recent polling data, Republicans should stop speciously pointing fingers and start asking: 1) why do most Americans view us negatively, and 2) what can we actually do to change that?

Last week's Gallup poll found that more American's trusted Democrats over Republicans to do a better overall job and to handle national security and prosperity. The new Washington Post/ABC poll results contain similarly bad news for Republicans.

The bets are Olson will be the one named to succeed Gonzales as AG.

But Olson's just 1 more in a line of partisan warriors – not what the country desperately needs now for tarnished DoJ with its compromised attorney offices.

Captain Maria Ortiz was buried at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday afternoon.  If you were in Washington DC then, now you know why the city was drenched with the tears of angels.

Last month, noweasels covered the death of Capt. Maria Ortiz in a beautiful IGTNT piece, "She Was The Jewel".  There is little I can add to the story of her life.  Instead, I want to take this opportunity to thank Governor Corzine for his executive order to fly the flags in his state at half-staff in her honor because her family now lives in New Jersey.

I think all flags should be flown at half-staff every day a soldier dies in Iraq to honor their sacrifice and also to serve as a protest against an administration that refuses to recognize their sacrifice except as an excuse to throw more bodies into the meatgrinder. 

Today, we remember Maria Ortiz the way she will be remembered by her colleagues:

Her work wasn't finished until everybody was cared for.

We have unfinished business... 

Humanity faces severe challenges in the coming century.

• Are you fearful about Global Warming? I am.
  
  
• Peak Oil giving you the blues? Join me in concern.
  

Well, let me add to your worries -- as mine have been mounting.  Water, one of the most renewable of renewable resources, ranks right up there with Global Warming and Energy in terms of key 21^st century challenges.

Don't believe me? (Or, if you already think this but want a more holistic perspective ...) Well, perhaps it is time for you to spend some time with Fred Pearce and his wonderful When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century.

Today, the House Democrats will waltz into the mark-up of the Labor HHS Subcommittee and proudly present a bill that puts their stamp of approval on domestic abstinence-only-until-marri age programs--an ideological boondoggle that threatens the health and well-being of America's youth.

By James Wagoner

The most appalling aspect of this sell-out is that that the Democrats will not only fully fund the worst of the failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs--they'll give them a $27 million increase--the first in three years!

Global warming and Israel are two of my most important issues. I am an American Jew who was raised with the question, "Is it good for Israel," though we also were none too keen on the right wingers in Israel and the first invasion of Lebanon. I am an avid history buff, including, but not exclusively, Jewish history. Much of my historical reading leads me to the conclusion that my survival and my son's survival are improved significantly by the existance of Israel. That is important to me. But I also recognize that much of what I feel about Israel can apply to Palestine as well. I have written about this in the past and will not review it here. That is not my purpose.

ALL of us are faced with global warming. This will cut across all borders, all divisions, all people. We must all address it. United we have a chance. Excessively divided, we will find ourselves screwed by our own stupidity. THAT is what I am writing about: a more united approach to dealing with economic and environmental problems, with the ancient/modern land of Canaan as my focus.

Antonia Juhasz, an analyst working with the watchdog group Change International, has written a revealing book called" The Bush Agenda:  Invading the World, One Economy at a Time."

She wrote the most succinct paragraphs I have ever read regarding the real reasons why we are in Iraq in the New York Times editorial page on March 13.  A chief executive of Chevron, speaking to a San Francisco audience, observed, "Iraq possesses huge reserves of oil and gas - reserves I'd love Chevron to have access to."

Antonia Juhasz vividly explained:

"A new oil law set to go before the Iraq Parliament this month if passed, goes a long way toward helping oil companies achieve their goal.  The Iraq hydrocarbon law would take the majority of Iraq's oil out of the exclusive hands of the Iraqi government and open it to international oil companies for a generation or more."

"Islam doesn't have a Pope. So there isn't one guy who can say, 'This isn't kosher.'"

-- Fareed Zakaria

That's why I love Fareed.  He's got a grasp on the situation.  He can break it down for you in simple terms that make it clear where the problems are.  And he brings the funny.   Unfortunately, you have to work really hard to find the funny in Iraq these days.  

The recent reports of massive military operations are going to get all sorts of attention the next few weeks.  Early reports aren't doing anything to brighten my spirits.   However, it is still crucial we get a clear sense of the situation so we can see where the problems are, even if Dubya & Friends can't be bothered.

I know that the recent operation in Najaf is going to be played out as some sort of victory vindicating the Decider's New and Improved Strategy For Victory.  In reality, this is like trying to quell unrest in Northern Ireland by helping Protestants kill Catholics at the start of Lent.  

Actually, it is worse....

By Andrea Lynch

Not since the appointment of Dr. W. David Hager to the FDA's reproductive health drugs advisory committee have Americans been so abuzz about an anti-family planning zealot appointed by the Bush administration to a federal body responsible for providing family planning information and services. Just over two months into his tenure as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (where he administers $283 million annual budget of federal family planning grants), we are still uncovering evidence of "Doctor" Eric Keroack's staggering lack of credentials. The latest exhibit is "OXYTOCIN: Is this NANO-PEPTIDE a chemical type of HUMAN `SUPER-GLUE'?" (emphasis most definitely NOT mine), the PowerPoint presentation that sealed his infamy in the eyes of self-respecting scientists, physicians, and non-crazy people everywhere.

[originally posted at Daily Kos]

In our last installment "Go big or go home": Interview with Paul Jay, IWT/The Real News, Part 1, I introduced you to the fearless Paul Jay and his network Independent World Television (IWT), with its flagship show The Real News. I recommend that you read that diary to learn how I became involved with IWT/TRN. In this section of the interview, Paul will tell you exactly how IWT/TRN plans to go big.

Caveat: this excellent post was written by MBNYC. I'm posting it with his permission.

There have been a number of diaries posted here recently about a special election (and a related fundraiser/blograiser) scheduled to take place in New York's Seventh Senatorial District on February 6th. The contenders are Craig Johnson, the Democrat, and Maureen O'Connell, a Republican. A Democratic win in this election is considered predictive of whether the state Senate will flip to the Democrats for the first time, essentially, since 1932. The state Senate, which Theodore Roosevelt quipped was 'constitutionally Republican', is colloquially known here as 'the place where good legislation goes to die'.

More after the jump....