Topic: Culture & Society

Various forms of media deserving to gain high level of independence for the reformist mechanism are in fact intimidated by an insidious strategy of the government that now is being viewed as commentary critical of the authorities as an attack on the national interest in Nepal. With the onset of the conflict situation in this country, reporters frequently find their access to state and other indigenous information blocked in the name of flimsy security grounds.

Editor's Note: The following is a transcript of a speech given by former Vice President Al Gore at Sierra Club's National Environmental Convention and Expo in San Francisco on September 9, 2005.

I know that you are deeply concerned, as I am, about the direction in which our country has been moving. About the erosion of social capital. About the lack of respect for a very basic principle, and that is that we, as Americans, have to put ourselves and our ability to seek out the truth because we know it will make us free. And then on the basis of truth, as we share it to the best of our abilities with one another, we act to try to form a more perfect union and provide for the general welfare and make this country worthy of the principles upon which it was founded.

"It's their own fault, really. Why didn't those people just evacuate when they had the chance?" I overheard one woman saying to another in the line at the grocery store. I shielded my face with a box of frozen waffles and pretended to read the National Enquirer while I eavesdropped some more.

Peace on earth will have to be found somewhere else, not on this planet, because as long as there are two different kinds of anything, there will be struggle, self-righteousness and a lack of humility; and because one has to be wrong and pay anyway, let's blame the French!

Los Angeles, summer of '72: a crowd of anti-establishment types gathered outside of the Wilshire Boulevard offices of CREEP, the Committee to Re-Elect the President, to hear Jane Fonda speak on the upcoming election. Mainly, this was pretty much a garden variety event for that era; “Nixon sucks,” “end the war now,” and “legalize pot” were the agenda of the day. The crowd was polite, but not overly enthusiastic.

In a way, the tragic events of 9/11 played right into the Administration's hand.

Although Bush's presidency was only in its seventh month, he was something of a lame duck when the twin towers fell. He had no clear mandate from the American people. In November, he'd lost the popular vote, and had only garnered enough electoral votes to claim victory by convincing the Supreme Court to accept the results of a questionable Florida election and vote count. The majority of American voters had not voted for him, and a sizable number thought he'd stolen the presidency.

Thirty years after the fact, Vietnam is still an open wound. If you listen to the pundits on conservative talk radio, you might come to the conclusion that it's only those who served in 'Nam, or those who supported the war, who continue to be bothered over our collective adventure in Southeast Asia. Nothing could be further from the truth, and John Kerry should wake-up to this fact if he wishes to save his failing campaign.

Editor's note: We received the following as an email, supposedly from President Bush, today. Although we seriously doubt that this actually came from the White House, we do feel that if our President were to tell the truth on the campaign trail, this is what we'd be hearing. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you know who still hasn't decided how they'll cast their vote.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN 2004

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Attempts have been made to sort mankind into hetero-, homo-, bi- and transsexuals. To assign some degree of normality to each category does little to clarify the nature of man as shown in the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis. But Christian Science explains why man's sexual identity is no part of the man found in Genesis I.

“America, love it or leave it,” was the rallying cry of right wing reactionaries during the bad old days of Vietnam, proudly proclaimed on bumper stickers, t-shirts and person-in-the-street interviews on the evening news.