The people of Myanmar (Burma) have suffered for centuries as one rouge state after another invaded them. Britain, the US and China have all killed tens of thousands of Burmese citizens while forcing hundreds of thousands into slavery.

The United States and European Union currently have trade embargoes against Burma but both the US and the EU are allowing oil companies loopholes. In 2006 Uniocal was sued in US courts for the murder, rape, torture and enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Burmese citizens. Today, with the aid of the Chinese Army and the Army of Myanmar, Chevron continues the ethnic cleansing that has been going on in Burma since before anyone reading this was born.

Aid organizations are attempting to send aid the Burma but Burmese officials-- with the full support of the Chinese Military-- are restricting aid in an effort to keep foreign aid workers and western media out of the country.

When Uniocal was sued in US courts, President George Bush lobbied Congress to protect Uniocal and other US and International corporations from litigation but was unsuccessful.

The Myanmar Times hasn't published the news since November 26, 2006. The Burmese Government banned the Internet in 2006.

I'm not saying the cyclone and the Burmese death toll is a good thing but it could turn out to be a better thing than the Burmese people have had at the hands of their own government, the US, EU, Britain and China.

My best to the suffering masses of Myanmar.

It appears the good doctor's life wasn't wasted after all. Dr Mary Johnson, the Asheboro, North Carolina pediatrician who was blackballed and slandered by local government and the local medical establishment for saving the life of a baby and blowing the whistle on those who almost caused the death of the child is having her story told in the Washington, DC area.

In the end the good doctor wins.

Well you can now be pretty damned sure the firing of Greensboro Police Chief, David Wray, by Greensboro City Manager, Mitch Johnson, was based on nothing but lies. I say this because David has been hired to be Federal Security Director for eastern Tennessee for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. This comes after 2 years of state and Federal investigations that have turned up nothing on Chief Wray.

David, I don't know you well but I know you and trust you. Good luck with all the Mitch Johnson's the Feds throw at you as I know they've a few of their own.

And to the Greensboro City Council: It's now time to ditch Mitch and your so-called "legal department."

Update: I just learned that Sam beat the local newspaper to the story. Imagine that?
 

Poets, bloggers and many others around the world are uniting with the Dali Lama in support of Tibet against Chinese invaders who have held Tibet in bondage and enslaved her people for decades.

China may not give a damn about human rights, liberty or freedom but loosing face is very important to the Chinese government so by signing the petition  and letting China know where you stand you send a signal to the Chinese government butchers who had hoped to keep their deeds secret from most of the world.

Link via Splashhall.

I really don't know what to say about this except, "Yeah!" Or as Laurie put it, "I'll be damned."

There is some evidence to suggest that GMO crops and more likely, nicotine-based insecticides called, neonicotinoid pesticides are causing Colony Collapse Disorder which wipes out wild and commercial honey bees in record numbers.

Already the price to rent hives of honey bees to pollinate crops has doubled as 70% of America's commercial honey bees and over 99% of wild bees are lost. When honey bees become extinct the human race dies with them.

Now I'm no expert and I can't provide any facts but it would seem prudent to me to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides until the answers can be found. After all, better safe than sorry.

Neonicotinoid pesticides are also found in many household products such as pet flea and tic treatments and for termites. While most bulk use of neonicotinoid pesticides is in rural areas they are often used on parks, golf courses and sometimes on residental properties.

The following UPI news story that puzzles me. An Ohio high school assistant principal named, Karl Perkins, writes poetry of an erotic but not pornographic nature while using a pseudonym and is suspended from his job? For what? For writing poetry? Either the school system is wanting to get sued big time or there's some shoddy reporting going on here. I suspect both.



Since when is poetry labeled as erotic and not pornographic against the law? And where were the parents hiding while this child was downloading the poetry from the Internet? Do people still not know it is the parents' responsibility to raise their children?

More here.

Communities everywhere worry about "blue light bandits" who use illegally possessed police blue lights in their personal cars to stop unsuspecting women and do no telling what to them. Well here in Greensboro, North Carolina our local "blue light bandit" might be a real cop and as usual Ben Holder beats all the local media outlets to the story.

Which, by the way, is something Ben does on a regular basis and is almost never wrong. How is it one lone blogger with no financial backing and no room full of "reporters" can always get the story before the rich, local MSM and why do the media outlets never quote Ben as the first source of their stories? What part of "journalistic integrity" do our local media outlets not understand? I mean, really, if you're not honest enough to admit that Ben beat you to the story then how do you expect the public to believe ANYTHING you tell us?

I guess everyone who has ever read a poem is supposed to know what P.E.I. stands for. Probably has something to do with poetry. Anyway, they announced a new poet laureate last month and they're willing to pay us to post their story so here goes.



Looks like Canadian journalist have the same afflictions as their American counterparts. Do any of my Canadian readers know what P.E.I. stands for or must I forever remain in the dark?

Anyway, congratulations to David Helwig on being selected.

It seems the government no longer considers us to be people. From Blogsboro.com's own Danny Bayer:

"Which leads me to only one conclusion: we, the rank and file, are no longer citizens of this country. We have become "consumers," and the only thing expected of us is to continue to shop until we drop. Our opinions are no longer wanted or needed when it comes to the foreign policy of this nation, nor will we be heard on any other issue of great import. No, as President Bush said in the wake of 9/11, our duty is to go quietly about spending money we don't have on things we don't need at prices we can't afford. Goodbye Thomas Jefferson, say hello to Mickey Mouse." Please continue reading Time for consumers to go on strike?