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July 17, 2006 The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State of the United States of America U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Madam: We, the undersigned, are the citizens of Vietnam who, on April 8, 2006, have proclaimed the Manifesto 2006 which calls for democracy and freedom in Vietnam. We call ourselves Group 8406. According to the information that we received from Vietnam’s Ministry of External Affairs and the U.S. Department of States, we understand that you’ll be visiting Vietnam by the end of this month. We will be happy to welcome you here...

FMA Posted by ro @ 8:59 pm in Uncategorized I am sure the troops in Iraq, the forgotten victims of Katrina, the people being gauged at the gas pumps are grateful that President Bush is focusing on the central issue facing our nation: how to bar gay Americans from someday maybe getting the right to obtain a civil marriage license. Bush first announced Federal Marriage Amendment in feb 2004 – since that day 1,943 American soldiers were killed in Iraq. Total dead - 2476 Total wounded - 15,271 Fool me once… ------------------- fonda Posted by ro @ 11:57 pm in...

One of the most recognizable women of our time, Jane Fonda—actress, activist, feminist, workout guru, entrepreneur, and philanthropist—examines her “life so far”. As Fonda relates her story, what emerges is a full portrait that transcends the many labels that have been used to define her as well as a cultural history of our nation’s last forty years as her life has woven through our times. “Coming to see my various individual struggles within a broader societal context enabled me to understand that much of my journey was a universal one for women. …. I’m proof that you teach what you...

The sponsor of an effort to honor Jane Fonda in the Georgia state Senate withdrew her resolution Thursday, after a rocky reception from some colleagues and a phone call from the actress' office. Sen. Steen Miles, D-Decatur, said a representative for Fonda, who is out of the country, asked that she avoid the controversy the effort had stirred. "This, ladies and gentlemen, should not be occupying our time," said Miles. The resolution cites the Atlanta resident's work as founder of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, donations to Atlanta-area universities and charities and role as goodwill ambassador with the...

Senator Susan Collins introduced legislation on Aug. 3 to help crack down on illegal sales of tobacco to children by banning the shipment of cigarettes and other tobacco products through the U.S. mail. Specifically, the bill would add cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to the U.S. Postal Service's list of restricted, non-mailable products. A first violation of mailing such a product would be liable for a civil penalty of up to $5,000 or 10 times the estimated retail value of the tobacco products, including all federal, state, and local taxes, whichever is highest. Civil penalties of up to $100,000 would...

An attendee of the “Stop the Terror Rally” sponsored by the Council for America-Islamic Relations – Ohio held at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on Friday July 28 says she was twice assaulted by CAIR’s National Vice-Chairman, Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, when she asked too many questions about the organization’s apparent support for Hezbollah terrorists. Fortunately, she caught it all on tape and has put the video online so the public can see the reaction of one of CAIR’s top officials. The alleged assault victim, who chooses to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, but who posts under her...

A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED - COULD THIS BE TRUE? This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do not remember, and didn't have to bear the burden that our fathers, mothers and older brothers and sisters had to bear. Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the "100 Women of the Century." BY BARBRA WALTERS Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Jane Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during Vietnam. The first part of this is from...

She really was a traitor A TRAITOR IS ABOUT TO BE HONORED KEEP THIS MOVING ACROSS AMERICA This is for all the kids born in the 70's who do not remember, and didn't have to bear the burden that our fathers, mothers and older brothers and sisters had to bear. Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the "100 Women of the Century" BY BARBRA WALTERS Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during Vietnam. The first...

WASHINGTON -- Quietly leaving his post as surgeon general, Dr. Richard Carmona said he would judge himself successful if he had persuaded one student to make good health choices or one mother to stop smoking. Carmona's report condemning secondhand smoke was a hallmark of his tenure as the nation's 17th surgeon general.

The issue is no longer just about smoking. Passing a state law outlawing smoking in most public places was, by this comparison, the easiest thing to do. The law was not required to address the inevitable hardships such a bill was destined to inflict. There was clapping and backslapping on the floor of the state Senate the afternoon it passed there. But none of that really matters now, when the issue is one of how it impacts people's lives. They are men and women who once ran tiny, yet prosperous, packed-to- the-kegs establishments, who now tend mostly empty bars. The...

They're making one last attempt to force the City of Beaumont to continue to allow smoking in bars and restaurants. Opponents of a ban on smoking in public buildings say they don't have enough signatures right now, but they plan to work hard in the next 24 hours getting the support they need. Lee Melton/Comedy, Texas "I own a business and pay a lot of Taxes and now I can't smoke in my own building." Smoking ban opponents say they are not quitting when it comes to getting enough signatures on this petition. Lee Melton/Comedy, Texas "Four ladies on...

Revenue from video lottery terminals in New Brunswick declined last year, in part because of the province's ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation says.The lottery corportation's 2005-06 annual report shows that money generated by VLTs fell by almost $8 million, or six per cent, from the previous year.ALC spokesman Robert Bourgeois said a province-wide smoking ban imposed in October 2004 was one of the major reasons for the decline."There were other factors as well, such an increase in competition from unregulated internet sites," Bourgeois said Friday. "But definitely, the smoking ban would have been one of the factors."The...

Nearly 300 union workers will be laid off by Casino Windsor due to declining revenues caused by Ontario's new smoking ban, casino officials said Wednesday. The casino, which has nearly 4,000 employees, will lose 297 union workers over the next two weeks and immediately terminate 32 salaried employees, officials said, who also cited an unfavorable exchange rate and high gas prices for the decrease. The law, which went into effect May 31, bans smoking in all public facilities, including bingo halls, bars, restaurants, sporting venues, stores, office buildings and Casino Windsor. "This is a day that no one takes...

Poor Heather Crowe, the Ottawa waitress who recently died of lung cancer and had lent her persona to the anti-smoking lobby as the typical victim du jour. Crowe was said to be a "typical" restaurant worker who spent 40 years working in Ottawa restaurants, all the while breathing the second-hand smoke that’s said to have claimed her life.There are so many things wrong with Heather Crowe’s case that it begs for an official inquiry, but like all politically correct causes the anti-smoking lobby can do no wrong. Crowe, who really did die of lung cancer, was anything but a typical...

Concerned Women for America (CWA) says that if the Marriott hotels care so much about their customers, as indicated in their recent decision to ban smoking from hotel rooms, they should stop offering hard-core porn in their hotel rooms. “Creating a smoke-free environment demonstrates a new level of service and care for our guests and associates,” said J.W. Marriott Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “Our family of brands is united on this important health issue and we anticipate very positive customer feedback. … Demand for nonsmoking rooms continues to rise with new information from the...

Cops in North Platte won’t be busting anyone for exposing children to secondhand smoke in motor vehicles.Lincoln County Attorney Jeff Meyer says he personally doesn’t like the idea of smoking around children, but it is not barred by law and doesn’t qualify as child abuse. Police Chief Martin Gutschenritter sought the county attorney’s advice based on a recent national study, reporting on the danger of secondhand tobacco smoke. Gutschenritter wanted to know if police could ticket people, who smoke when children are in their vehicles, for child abuse. ”Generally, acts that are not specifically proscribed against by statute do not...

A conservative nonprofit organization called grassfire.org has put up a billboard on Tucson's Southside that says, "Stop the Invasion. Secure our borders." This billboard went up Friday and will be up for 30 days. You can see it from Interstate 10 at the 6th Avenue exit. Steve Elliott, president of grassfire.org says, "I think those six words express the sentiment of literally millions of people and I would say the vast majority of people in Tucson." Grassfire raised roughly $150,000 to put 12 of the billboards in 7 states. Elliott says the purpose is to educate. He says, "In fact,...

The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association has thrown its support behind a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants, bars, casinos and private clubs. So why couldn't we find any local establishments who agree with them? Admittedly, we used a small sample, but when staff writer Jeff Pikulsky talked to owners of Mon Valley clubs and restaurants last week, he found angry opposition to the proposed ban. Monessen Elks Club Steward Marcy Zites estimated that 70 percent of her club patrons smoke and feared that a ban would be bad for business. Those sentiments were echoed at the Foster House in North...

The Surgeon General showed up very regal looking to provide a press release rehashing the tired old argument that secondhand smoke is deadly and must be banned. And with his next statement: Separate "no smoking" sections DO NOT protect you from secondhand smoke. Neither does filtering the air or opening a window. It seemed a feable attempt to pre-empt any action short of a total smoking ban.....as if to confirm that pro-smoking ban activists' credibility in the public is failing miserably. Well I am sorry to report that the American Cancer Society conducted air quality testing at several smoking...

If President Bush announced that secondhand smoke kills more Americans than the Iraqi insurgency, AIDS, drunken drivers and Katrina put together, would we nod in agreement — or look to Bellevue, if not to impeachment? Comes now Richard Carmona, the surgeon general of the United States, telling us that secondhand smoke kills 49,000 Americans a year — and there's no outcry, no notion that maybe this is nuts. Instead, the mass media buys it without question, and so apparently do the people.Does anybody out there know anything about Carmona, or even that he's the surgeon general? In 2003, he...

Everyone knows the traditional reasons why Maine is a great place to take a vacation - it has ocean, mountains, lakes and lobsters.Now the state is promoting one more inducement for people to visit: No smoking is allowed in Maine's public buildings.The state is putting up five signs at various points this week along the Maine Turnpike and Interstate 95 that advertise the fact."Breathe easy, you're in Maine," said the blue signs with white lettering. "All indoor public places are smoke-free."Dr. Dora Anne Mills, who heads the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Maine may be "the...

First they came for the workplace, then for people's homes and cars, and then the great outdoors.Now the anti-tobacco jihadists, having helped ban smoking in most public and many private places, have turned their attention to the most private space of all — the womb.  That very personal place where humans incubate could be the next battlefield between smokers and those who have never uttered the words: “It's none of my beeswax.” This latest brainstorm comes from Arkansas, where Rep. Bob Mathis successfully shepherded legislation making it unlawful to smoke in cars in which small children are passengers. Apparently...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A trade group that represents liquor retailers is mounting a legal challenge to Springfield's new indoor smoking ban for public places. The Illinois Licensed Beverage Association filed a lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court Wednesday, seeking an injunction to prevent the ban from taking effect Sept. 17 in all indoor workplaces. The association has also asked the court to nullify the sections of Springfield's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance that apply to bowling alleys and taverns, saying state law does not give the city the authority to include such establishments in its definition of "public places." "We have...

Psst! Hey kid! Come over here and jump off this bridge! All the cool kids've done it 'n you're the only one left! It won't hurt, it'll be fun. Anyhow, if ya don't do it, I'm gonna come back 'n bugya, 'n bugya, 'n bugya forever till ya do. With that sort of reasoned discourse in the background, accompanied by taunts of "You smell like an ASHTRAY!", Philadelphia finally jumped on the bandwagon and banned smoking. Well, sorta. They banned it unless you're a bar that agrees not to feed its customers anything healthy, one that's well-off enough to have...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of Steamboat Springs' controversial municipal smoking ban, but local businesses that once catered to the smoker's dollar have no reason to celebrate.  Mike Miller, owner of Sun�--pie's Bistro, thinks the city's ordinance goes too far, banning smoking anywhere within the restaurant or bar's liquor license boundaries. "It's almost impossible to enforce," Miller said about enforcing a ban that encompasses Sunpie's entire 5,000-square-foot outdoor seating area along the Yampa River. "You can be 150 feet from being indoors, and you're not allowed to smoke. You can inform customers of the law and...

A German businessman has founded an airline dedicated to smokers.Smintair, or Smokers' International Airways, aims to cater for smokers who feel excluded in an age when all major airlines have banned the habit.A Dusseldorf-Tokyo service is due to begin in October and is expected to serve mainly Japanese businessmen.Smintair's founder, Alexander Schoppmann, a 30-a-day man, said: "There are no laws banning smoking on board. The airlines have made these rules themselves because no-smoking planes are cheaper. It means you don't have to change the air filter system so regularly."

While some say the introduction of the statewide smoking ban next Saturday will level the playing field, a group of restaurants and bar owners are fuming over what they say are unfair exemptions.Smokers who travel to Colorado’s casinos and Denver International Airport will be able to light up.Puffing on a Basic Ultra Light last week over a game of bingo at Loveland Elks Lodge 1051, Frank Bustos said the law is unfair. “They shouldn’t hold the bar and pool hall owners back,” said Bustos, who has been a smoker for 53 of his 65 years. “Bars are traditionally a...

The state moved to expand its pursuit of tax dollars from smokers who buy cigarettes over the Internet. The Department of Revenue — at a cost of $88,000 — sent tax bills late last year to 7,500 smokers who bought cigarettes online without paying Oregon’s tax of $1.18 a pack. Roughly 33 percent of the people who received letters paid their taxes, generating $686,000. On Thursday, a subcommittee of the Legislative Emergency Board gave preliminary approval to the Department of Revenue to spend another $240,000 to send letters to people listed on another 23,000 invoices. The full Emergency Board,...

The poll found that 63% of all Britons had a favourable opinion of Muslims, down slightly from 67% in 2004 . . . Attitudes in Britain were more positive than in the US, Germany and Spain (where the popularity of Muslims has plummeted to 29%), and about the same as in France. Less than a third of British non-Muslims said they viewed Muslims as violent, significantly fewer than non-Muslims in Spain (60%), Germany (52%), the US (45%) and France (41%) . . . only 32% of Muslims in Britain had a favourable opinion of Jews, compared with 71% of French...

Sportsmen's Action Needed to Stop U.S. Postal Service from Promoting HSUS- (06/22) The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is allowing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to place its anti-animal use rhetoric on postage stamps, and use money gained from the sale of the stamps to further its anti-hunting, anti-animal use mission. Sportsmen’s action is needed immediately to stop this outrage. Zazzle.com, the company offering the HSUS stamps, reports that through its Community Giving Program 20 percent, or more, of the sales of the HSUS stamps goes to the HSUS. Earlier this year, Congress amended an 1872 law that...

But for most, a missile was too distant, too unlikely a threat to interrupt their daily lives. ``A better question is when's the next earthquake,'' Ernie De Matteis said as he flipped through a newspaper in San Francisco.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea is far along in its preparations for testing a long-range ballistic missile but the United States would not necessarily use its missile defense system to shoot it down, U.S. officials said on Thursday. After a week in which unnamed American officials had stoked alarm about activities at a missile site in eastern North Korea, the U.S. government appeared ready to ease tensions somewhat. White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said it remained uncertain if North Korea actually planned to test-fire the missile, an act which Washington has warned would be seen as a provocative...

Sir! No Sir! Just saying no Release Date: 2006 Ebert Rating: *** BY ROGER EBERT / Jun 9, 2006 Quick question: When Jane Fonda was on her "FTA" concert tour during the Vietnam era, who was in her audience? The quick answer from most people would probably be, "anti-war hippies, left-wingers and draft-dodgers." The correct answer would be: American troops on active duty, many of them in uniform. "Sir! No Sir!" is a documentary that about an almost-forgotten fact of the Vietnam era: Anti-war sentiment among U.S. troops grew into a problem for the Pentagon. The film claims bombing was...

MONROE TWP. -- About a half dozen American Legion members sat around an old picnic table behind Post 252 Friday, despite the humid heat. Inside, the air conditioner was keeping the bar cool -- but out here, they can smoke. Thanks to new state legislation prohibiting smoking in all public places but casinos, this American Legion post lost approximately $5,000 in bar income during the month of May, said Commander Joe Reed. The post has a gaming license that allows them to operate a couple of Pull-Tab gambling machines, and the income from them is down about the same...

Heads up !!! This is not a joke, it is for real. Please make the call to Governor Schwarzenegger's office. This took less than a minute and you don't have to talk to a soul. The governor needs to hear from us. Just follow the instructions to vote against this deviant lifestyles propaganda they want to include as MANDATORY, in school text books, and as curriculum. -Thanks, For the sake of our children and our schools, PLEASE take a moment to CALL... You may know about a piece of legislation that is pending in Sacramento. It is SB 1437. If...

The owners of Batavia Downs say they are going to move ahead with plans to put 50 video lottery terminals (VLTs) in a new smoking room. Right now, Batavia Downs does have a room where patrons can legally smoke. That room has 18 VLTs. The plan is to create a larger room with fifty terminals, because those “smoking” terminals get twice the play of others at the track. The project still needs approval from state lottery officials.

ST. CLOUD -- What seemed to many like a good idea several years ago has gone up in smoke. St. Cloud's ban on hiring employees who use tobacco, which was enacted in 2002, has been revoked by the City Council. "Number one, it never did do what it was supposed to do -- help on insurance," City Manager Tom Hurt said. "And it put a cramp on hiring." With more jobs to fill as the city grows, there was a shrinking pool of workers to fill the jobs. Osceola's unemployment rate for the 12 months ending in April was...

AUGUSTA - Maine's attorney general called for congressional action Monday after the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld a ruling that invalidated a significant portion of a 2003 state law aimed at preventing youth access to tobacco from Internet and mail-order sales. A three-judge panel of the appellate court in Boston on Friday agreed with a federal judge in Maine and ruled that Maine's law interfered with timely delivery procedures by private delivery firms such as United Parcel Service. Attorney General Steven Rowe is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, his spokesman Chuck Dow said...

BANGOR - A majority of Maine residents - 79 percent - are nonsmokers, a statistic provided by the Smoke-Free Coalition of Maine on Thursday to local policy-makers, tenants and landlords to get them involved in making their public and private housing facilities smoke-free. The coalition's conference, attended by nearly 50 people, was designed to reduce the involuntary exposure of tenants to secondhand smoke, which can seep through ventilation systems, walls and electrical outlets. The coalition hosted a similar conference on Wednesday in Portland. Twenty-eight percent of Maine's housing is renter occupied, Jim Bergman, keynote speaker and co-director of Smoke-Free...

As a physician who has devoted 21 years to advocacy in tobacco control, conducting research and publishing a number of studies on the hazards of secondhand smoke, it is not surprising that I favor a wide range of anti-smoking measures. But anti-smoking tactics adopted by some municipalities, companies and organizations do not serve smokers or the public. The methods are mean-spirited, unsupported by science and attempt to stamp out smoking by punishing and marginalizing smokers. They go too far. The City Council in Calabasas, Calif., recently enacted an ordinance - supported by several anti-smoking groups - that bans smoking in...

That big cloud of smoke you see leading out of Champaign-Urbana could be the trail of smokers driving to restaurants, bars and bowling alleys in neighboring communities.City and village leaders in Gibson City, Gifford, Mahomet, Monticello, Paxton, Philo, Rantoul, Savoy, St. Joseph, Tolono and Villa Grove all say they have no plans to follow Champaign's lead in passing a comprehensive smoking ban, which will be effective Aug. 1 if Urbana approves a similar ordinance in the next several weeks.Meanwhile, business owners in the surrounding communities say Champaign-Urbana smokers will be welcome there. They anticipate increased sales from C-U smokers looking...

This comes after we showed you video on Thursday night of elderly and disabled residents, risking their lives, shuffling across a busy street. On the other side was the new designated smoking area. Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne discovers our video has revved-up interest in scaling back the state's tough smoking ban. Our new law clearly says you can smoke inside your residence, but there is not an exemption for people residing at assisted living centers. As our cameras found out, that means smokers, already in poor health, may have to brave dangerous conditions to light up. Some legislators say that...

A group of elderly and disabled cigarette lovers say Washington's smoking ban has become extremely hazardous to their health. Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne found them dodging traffic in wheelchairs and walkers. Folks are starting to get used to seeing "no-smoking" signs at bars, restaurants and public buildings. But, what happens when a nursing home bans smoking without making any accommodations for residents? Crossing the street in front of the Bremerton Health and Rehabilitation Center is not for the faint of heart, but that's exactly where we found the faint of heart traveling. No matter their disability, if residents like...

HONOLULU -- Hawaii lawmakers have approved one of the strictest smoking bans in the country. The bill prohibits smoking in almost every public space. The governor is expected to approve the bill. She is a former smoker herself and has always been openly in favor of legislation to encourage smokers to give it up and to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. The bill prohibits smoking in all public places including: bars, restaurants -- even open air restaurants -- office buildings and any place workers would be affected by smoke. "I think this is a huge step forward for public health...

Milwaukee's proposed smoking ban is smoldering in a Common Council committee and not likely to go anywhere.Last month Alderman Terry Witkowski, who represents the 13th Aldermanic District, suggested any action on the proposed ban be held at the Common Council's Public Safety March 2 committee hearing. No action will be taken until the committee's chair, Alderman Bob Donovan of the Eighth Aldermanic District, schedules it for a meeting.Donovan said he does not plan on bringing the issue up again because he is opposed to the ordinance. "I think it's an individual choice issue, a business choice issue and I don't...

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana restaurant patrons who want an after-dinner smoke should be forced to leave the dining room before lighting up, the full Senate decided today. Senators approved Sen. Rob Marionneaux’s plan to prohibit smoking in all restaurants’ dining areas but allow smoking in bars and casinos, cigar shops, and hotel and motel rooms. Marionneaux cited several polls conducted by anti-smoking groups showing that a majority of residents in Louisiana’s cities support such a ban. “Let’s afford our citizens the right to have dinner with their families without the bother of second-hand smoke,” said Marionneaux, D-Livonia. The...

FRANKFORT, Ky. City leaders in Frankfort are asking restaurants to ban smoking. The Frankfort city commission adopted a resolution 4-to-one this week that would request restaurants and other businesses that serve food to voluntarily ban smoking. The resolution is a request and is not enforceable. The city is studying the need for a smoking ban ordinance. Commissioner Rodney Williams voted against the measure on Monday, saying he could not vote to ban something that is legal.Several other Kentucky cities and counties -- including Lexington and Louisville -- have enacted or are considering some form of smoking ban. 

While a growing majority of Americans favor smoking restrictions in public places, many adults still expose their children to significant health risks by puffing tobacco at home, a Mississippi State University researcher reports. In a scientific paper presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco, Robert McMillen, MD cites changes in adult attitudes and behaviors over the past six years regarding secondhand smoke. McMillen’s report, “Changes from 2000 to 2005 in U.S. Adult Attitudes and Practices Regarding Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoke,” stems from his comprehensive 2000 National Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control....

Victoria residents continued to receive phone calls on Friday regarding the May 13 smoking ban election - this time from a mysterious group calling themselves "Texas Judicial Watch" - and even though there does not appear to be much Victorians can do about the calls, two Victoria men said mass-canvassing campaigns would not influence their votes. A message left on resident Marvin Williamson's answering machine Friday said that people should vote against the smoking ordinance, because the Texas Supreme Court would strike down any citywide ban, costing the city money. Williamson said he had received several calls this week...

435 cases of smokes, more than $1.3 million in cash, property seized in raids.Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property, cash and contraband cigarettes have been seized as a result of raids this week across Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario. At a press conference at the Quebec provincial police Gatineau detachment, investigators today provided more detail about Project Bleutte, which was first announced Thursday after raids were conducted throughout the region. Police said today the raids netted 435 cases of contraband cigarettes and they seized: 37 vehicles allegedly used for smuggling and distribution of the smokes, $600,000 in real...