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January 2006

Cindy Sheehan Arrested

Sheehan, who was invited to attend the speech by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., was charged with demonstrating in the Capitol building, said Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider. The charge was later changed to unlawful conduct, Schneider said. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Sheehan had worn a T-shirt with an antiwar slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat. Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said.

The T-shirt bore the words “2,245 Dead — How Many More??” in reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, protesters told NBC News.

Capitol Police arrest antiwar activist Sheehan - Politics - MSNBC.com

Posted by Coffeerooms January 31, 2006

State of the Union

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The following is a transcript of the full text of President Bush's State of the Union address, released by the White House before the delivery of the speech: CNN.com - Text of Bush's State of the Union speech - Jan 31, 2006

Posted by Coffeerooms January 31, 2006

DeLay Steps Down

DeLay is battling campaign finance charges in Texas and was forced to step aside temporarily as majority leader last fall after he was charged in his home state. He has consistently maintained his innocence and said he intended to resume his leadership post once cleared.

His about-face came amid growing pressure from fellow Republicans who were concerned about their own political futures in the wake of this week's guilty pleas by lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

DeLay Steps Down as House Majority Leader - New York Times

Posted by Coffeerooms January 07, 2006

It's Not Just Your Phone That's Being Monitored

WASHINGTON - In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has known and corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines he never had any reason to suspect that their friendship was anything but spectacularly ordinary.

But now he believes that the relationship has somehow sparked the interest of the Department of Homeland Security and led the agency to place him under surveillance.

Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words “by Border Protection” and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.

Homeland Security opening private mail - U.S. Security - MSNBC.com

Posted by Coffeerooms January 07, 2006

Armed Forces Medical Examiner Study Body Armor

A secret Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to their upper body could have survived if they had extra body armor. That armor has been available since 2003 but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials.

The Times delayed publication of this article for more than a week until the Pentagon confirmed the veracity of its report. Pentagon officials declined to discuss details of the wound data, saying it would aid the enemy.

Extra Armor Could Have Saved Many Lives, Study Shows - New York Times

Posted by Coffeerooms January 07, 2006