DRINKOMETER
How much Alcohol have you consumed? How much has it cost you?
(Suggested by Joel Sogol)

AT WHAT PRICE?
Government officials have typically responded to terrorist attacks by enacting "antiterrorism" legislation designed to assuage public fears by making "the dubious claim that they can prevent terrorism by curtailing the privacy and civil liberties of the people."
(CATO)

US BLOCKS EFFORTS BY US TROOPS TO RECOVER DAMAGES
"The Bush administration is seeking to block a group of American troops who were tortured in Iraqi prisons during the Persian Gulf war in 1991 from collecting any of the hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen Iraqi assets they won last summer in a federal court ruling against the government of Saddam Hussein."
(NYT)

CONSUMER LEVEL ANTI-SURVEILANCE
This is an interesting piece of spam that I just got. It's the answer to the ubiquitous mini video cam, a device that can "detect the presence of a hidden camera or any device that emits an electronic signal". Supposedly can also "detect wireless audio transmitting devices commonly used for wiretapping, perfect for security checks prior to any sensitive meetings and discussions."

WAS IT GOOD FOR YOU?
How does the other sex experience pleasure ? You've always wondered how the other sex experiences an orgasm... Do you want to see the difference? Then try this Orgasmic Simulation.
(Suggested by Beth Adams)

I'M JUST THINKING OF YOU DEAR
"Women who perform the act of fellatio and swallow semen on a regular basis, one to two times a week, may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent, a North Carolina State University study found. "
(CNN, unearthed by Tommy Bealle)

BUSH BAITING
"HAVANA: US linguist and political dissident Noam Chomsky said on Thursday (NZT) that President George W Bush will have to 'manufacture' another threat to American security to win reelection in 2004 after US failure in occupying Iraq. "
(STUFF, unearthed by CubaNews Digest)

JUSTICE DESSERTS
"'We do not directly control the number of inmates that enter into our prison system,' wrote Mr. Ashcroft. 'An overall reduction of the magnitude included in the Senate bill — approximately $270 million below the request — would have a dramatic adverse impact on the staff and inmate safety at existing facilities.' (emphasis supplied by TALKLEFT)"
And, from one of TalkLeft's most astute readers:
Gee, John, do you think that perhaps the Department's history of pushing for increased sentencing guidelines, fighting departures, mandatory minimums, etc., might have something to do with the number of inmates in the prison system? The chickens come home to roost.
(TALKLEFT, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

CUBA TRAVEL BILLS MIGHT BE JEOPARDIZED
The Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill, with the Cuba travel amendment, is going into conference committee (to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill) in the next few days. The Cuba amendment will face stiff opposition from the Republican leadership. Based on quotes in the media over the last week, these leaders are gearing up to delete the Cuba travel provision in conference and keep it from arriving at the President’s desk. The conference committee should obey congressional rules and follow the will of the majorities in the Senate and House who have voted to lift the travel ban. (CLICK ON ARTICLE TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO!
(LAWG)

RECORD "HIGH"
"Marijuana Arrests For 2002 Near Record High Despite Feds' War On Terror, FBI Report Reveals
Pot Smokers Arrested In United States At A Rate Of One Every 45 Seconds"
(TALKLEFT, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

GOP PROBE OF AGENT OUTTING: INFIGHT OR COVERUP?
"The Justice Department and FBI have broadened their criminal investigation of who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to include subsequent Bush administration efforts to discredit her and her diplomat husband, according to two administration officials familiar with the probe.
Of particular interest, the two sources said, were contacts between White House officials and the Republican National Committee during the burgeoning scandal. Probers are interested in how the Bush administration and party officials strategized to stymie negative press and to counter public criticism by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV of the leak of his wife's status as a CIA officer. "
(VILLAGE VOICE)

AND TO GEORGE BUSH, I LEAVE.......
From an obituary published in The Times-Picayune, New Orleans on 10/2/2003:
Word has been received that Gertrude M. Jones, 81, passed away on August 25, 2003, under the loving care of the nursing aides of Heritage Manor of Mandeville, Louisiana. She was a native of Lebanon, KY. She was a retired Vice President of Georgia International Life Insurance Company of Atlanta, GA. Her husband, Warren K. Jones predeceased her. Two daughters survive her: Dawn Hunt and her live-in boyfriend, Roland, of Mandeville,LA; and Melba Kovalak and her husband, Drew Kovalak, of Woodbury, MN. Three sisters, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren, also survive her. Funeral services were held in Louisville, KY. Memorial gifts may be made to any organization that seeks the removal of President George Bush from office.
(unearthed by Frances Black and Donna Soto)

CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON!
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote as early as today, October 28, on a bill (H.R. 2359) that would extend and expand the Basic Employment Verification Pilot Program. Contact your member of Congress to urge a "no" vote.
H.R. 2359 would:
1. Expand the basic pilot program from six to 50 states, disregarding the findings of a GAO report that recommended that the program should not be expanded because of flaws in both its design and implementation.
2. Include an expansion of the program that would allow state and local governments to use the program to check the citizenship and immigration status of workers, and take the first steps to a national ID program.
Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.
(Suggested by Boyd Campbell)

SHOOTING THE BIRD NOT A CRIME IN TEXAS
"'the middle finger jerk was so popular among the Romans that they even gave a special name to the middle digit, calling it the impudent finger: digitus impudicus."
(HOUSTON CHRONICLE, unearthed by Bill Messick)

NRA BLACKLIST
Here's an interesting blacklist compiled by the NRA of "anti-gun" individuals, including authors, professional groups, actors, etc. Your pediatrician's group is on it!
(stopNRA.com unearthed by Joel Sogol)