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Archives for September, 2004

September 14, 2004 08:11 AM

Behind a growth in anti-Semitism across the US

By John Amato
After years of decline, anti-Jewish groups seem to be on the rise again, feeding on 9/11 theories and US policy.
By Brad Knickerbocker | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
When a cable TV program in Manchester, N.H., included offensive Jewish stereotypes this summer, some in the area weren't surprised when, a few days later, a local synagogue was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti. Or when, around the same time, extremist groups distributed hate literature in several other New Hampshire communities.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that such incidents are on the rise across the country. In Westchester County, N.Y., for example, there were 26 anti-Semitic incidents last year, up from seven in 2002. read on...
Tags: 9/11, Cable, cable TV, Christian, extremist, extremist group, Extremist groups, Hate, jewish, literature, New Hampshire, Offensive, Science, surprise, Uncategorized

September 14, 2004 08:08 AM

New poll shows Bush bounce fading

By John Amato
By Liz Marlantes | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON – More than a week after the Republican National Convention - and in the wake of new questions about President Bush's National Guard service - the race for the White House is once again tightening, just as pollsters and strategists for both campaigns had predicted it would
A new Monitor/TIPP poll finds Mr. Bush and Sen. John Kerry currently tied among likely voters nationwide, with each receiving 47 percent of the vote in a two-man race, and each receiving 46 percent when independent candidate Ralph Nader is added to the ballot. The poll of 674 likely voters was conducted Sept. 7-12, and has a margin of error of 4 percent.
Tags: bush, campaigns, HOUSE, John, John Kerry, national c, national guard, President, President Bush, race, Ralph Nader, Republican, Republican National Convention, Science, Uncategorized, voter, Voters, White House

September 14, 2004 08:04 AM

3 years after 9/11, most first responders' radios not linked

By John Amato
By Gail Russell Chaddock, The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON — When the NYPD helicopter pilot circling the World Trade Center warned that "large pieces" of the South Tower looked about to topple, the report never got to the firemen inside: Their radios couldn't communicate with those of the police.

It seemed an obvious problem to fix — just as it had after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999. Yet three years after 9/11, the goal of compatible and adequate communication among the nation's first responders is nearly as remote as ever. Read on...

Tags: bombing, Christian, columbine, Columbine High School, helicopter, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City bombing, pilot, school, Science, shootings, trade, Uncategorized, world, World Trade Center

September 14, 2004 07:55 AM

Plan isn't a takeover, despite Bush claims

By John Amato

By William M. Welch, USA TODAY

•President Bush's charge: Taking aim at one of the Democrats' favorite issues, Bush charges that John Kerry's plan to improve health care coverage amounts to a federal takeover of the nation's health care system.

"A massive, complicated blueprint to have our government take over the decision-making in health care" was the way Bush described Kerry's plan this week. It would, Bush said, "have bureaucrats become the decision-makers."

•Democrats' response: Kerry structured his plan to extend health-insurance coverage to more Americans in a way intended to avoid just the charge Bush levels. He would make it easier for middle-income Americans to purchase private- insurance coverage and expand existing government programs providing coverage for children and the poor.

"All Kerry is saying is that the nation has a moral responsibility to make sure families have access to health care," said Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. read on

Tags: bush, Charles Rangel, democrat, Democrats, Government, health, health car, health care, HOUSE, insurance, insurance co, John, John Kerry, President, President Bush, The House, This Week, TODAY, Uncategorized

September 13, 2004 05:14 PM

Professor says Bush revealed National Guard favoritism

By John Amato

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A business school professor who taught George W. Bush at Harvard University in the early 1970s says the future president told him that family friends had pulled strings to get him into the Texas Air National Guard.

Yoshi Tsurumi, in his first on-camera interview on the subject, told CNN that Bush confided in him during an after-class hallway conversation during the 1973-74 school year.

"He admitted to me that to avoid the Vietnam draft, he had his dad -- he said 'Dad's friends' -- skip him through the long waiting list to get him into the Texas National Guard," Tsurumi said. "He thought that was a smart thing to do."

Tags: 1970s, air national guard, bush, conversation, During, family, future, George W. Bush, harvard, interview, national guard, New York, President, school, Texas, Texas Air National Guard, Uncategorized, vietnam

September 13, 2004 10:08 AM

Lies move Democrats to dig up dirtSUSAN ESTRICH

By John Amato

When I see Suzy suck up to Sean Hannity regularly on FNC, it makes my stomach churn, but recently something has got into here via the print media. Could it be her conscience?

Tags: Hannity, Sean Hannity, Uncategorized

September 13, 2004 09:40 AM

Bush-Kerry Race Tied As RNC Bounce Fades

By John Amato

Bush-Kerry Race Tied As RNC Bounce Fades, New IBD Survey Shows

BY IBD STAFF

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

A new IBD/TIPP poll put President Bush and Sen. John Kerry in a dead heat, suggesting Bush's post-convention bounce is quickly disappearing.

In IBD/TIPP's first poll of likely voters, conducted Sept. 7-12, both men garnered 47% in a two-man race and 46% in a three-way race. In the latter scenario, independent Ralph Nader would take just 3% of the vote.

Among registered voters, Kerry holds a two-point edge over Bush, with or without Nader, the poll found.

Tags: bush, Investor's Business Daily, John, John Kerry, kerry, President, President Bush, race, Ralph Nader, Uncategorized

September 13, 2004 09:37 AM

Endorsement:

By John Amato

Five 9/11 Widows to Endorse Kerry

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Five outspoken Sept. 11 widows on Tuesday will publicly endorse John Kerry (news - web sites) for president, The Associated Press has learned, throwing their weight behind the Democratic challenger in a heated campaign debate over who is best suited to defend the nation from another terrorist attack.

Some, including Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown, N.J., and Monica Gabrielle, of West Haven, Conn., also have agreed to make campaign appearances for the Democratic senator, campaign sources told the AP.

"We will be speaking from the heart, and speaking from our conscience," Breitweiser said Monday. She would not elaborate. Breitweiser is by far the most visible and outspoken of the Sept. 11 family advocates, and has been highly critical of the government's reform efforts to date.Some relatives, including Breitweiser, have promised to create a watchdog list to track any lawmakers who oppose reforms proposed by an independent, bipartisan commission that investigated the attacks. Let me explain. These are the Jersey widows who pushed for the 9/11 commission and most of whom husbands worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. They have been among the most outspoken advocates for the families and endorsing Kerry is no small deal. And I doubt these were long time liberal activists.

These women literally forced Bush's hand on the Commission and forced Condi Rice to testify. And since tomorrow is Kitty Kelley day, well, Bush won't be happy for two reasons.

But this is a good thing for Kerry and be sure to tell your wavering friends that the same women who pushed for the 9/11 Commission are now campaigning for Kerry. They don't think Bush can make you safer. And if they don't, why do you?

Tags: 9/11, 9/11 widow, Associated Press, bush, cantor, condi, Condi Rice, Debate, democratic, Government, John, John Kerry, liberal, monica, reform, Terrorist, Terrorist Attack, throwing, Time, Uncategorized, Women

September 13, 2004 09:35 AM

"One Version Of The Truth"....Knight Ridder

By John Amato

ran a very good story this weekend about the genesis of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and its founder, retired Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann. Here are the key paragraphs:

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was registered with the IRS on April 23. Its early expenditures included money for a Dallas-area private investigator, Tom Rupprath. Hoffmann said Rupprath's job was to find vets and collect their stories so that a single account could be presented to the public.

"If everyone was saying something different it could be confusing. We wanted one version of the truth," Hoffmann said.

....In a defining moment, on July 9 and 10, dozens of veterans, the group's top advisers and a film-making crew descended on a Marriott hotel in Rosslyn, Va., to film raw material for later commercials.

"The admiral helped me to see in hindsight what was really going on with Kerry," Thurlow said.It's a work of high art — if political assassination can be called high art. The only question is how these guys can still bear to look at themselves in the mirror when they wake up every morning.

Tags: admiral, assassination, CREW, film, genesis, Money, Really, swift, swift boat, This Week, truth, Uncategorized, veterans, Vets, weekend

September 13, 2004 09:31 AM

Confirmation of the Story of W doing coke at Camp David

By John Amato
from Rain Storm
Something I missed a couple days ago. You remember the accusation in Kitty Kelley's new book on the Bush family, the one where Sharon Bush, the former wife of the president's brother Neil and a central source for the book, says that George W. Bush used to do nose candy at Camp David when Poppy was president?

When the book came out, Sharon denied that she ever said it. Only problem was, there was one other person there when Kitty was listening to Sharon. According to the New York Times (registration required):

Doubleday, the book's publisher and part of the Random House division of Bertelsmann, said it stood by Ms. Kelley's reporting. The publisher said in a statement that Ms. Kelly met with Ms. Bush for a four-hour lunch on April 1, 2003, where an unnamed third party heard the conversation, and that Ms. Kelley's editor, Peter Gethers, discussed the same material with Ms. Bush over the phone.

Lou Colasuonno, a former publicist for Ms. Bush, confirmed that he was the third party at the lunch and contradicted her denial. "I have not seen the book, I have only seen news reports," Mr. Colasuonno said. "According to what I have seen, what has been reported, I would not dispute that."

I guess the only question that remains is, how big a bill was flightsuit boy rolling up to do his Camp David toots? Thanks to Jusiper for picking up the NYT's piece.
Tags: bill, book, brother, bush, Bush family, candy, George W. Bush, guess, HOUSE, kitty, Lunch, New York, New York Times, news, Peter, Rain, registration, The New York Times, Third Party, Uncategorized