Blah, blah, blah

While U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama leads rival Hillary Clinton in the polls, Palestinians in Gaza are launching their own attempt to boost his campaign.

Isn’t this support a bit bizarre? Obama has made considerable effort over the last year to demonstrate his allegiance to Israel. And in his appeal to U.S. Jewish communities, the deputy speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Josh Shapiro proclaimed Obama’s “100 percent voting record on Israel issues.”

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During her bid for the democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton has been ardently denying her support of NAFTA - an epic disaster for U.S. and Mexico workers - but MSNBC has pulled up some of her earlier statements during her hubby’s term when she expressed clear and strong support of trade deal.

Not that Barack Obama hasn’t lied in his campaign, but come on, Clinton, this is ridiculous.

Clinton Surprise: “I’m Stepping Aside for Obama”
Hillary Clinton shocked the nation this April Fool’s Day by announcing early this morning that she was pulling out of the Democratic presidential race and throwing her support to Barack Obama. “I cannot in good faith continue my candidacy when the math says I cannot win,” Clinton stated, surprising a crowd of supporters at a breakfast event in Philadelphia.
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Israel is increasingly turning away sick Gazans who seek medical treatment. Several Palestinians die each month because Israel refuses to let them leave Gaza for necessary medical care.

In the last five months, 32 people have died while waiting for travel permits. “All these tragedies could have been easily avoided,” said Ambrogio Maneti, WHO’s head of office for the West Bank and Gaza.

Egypt has allowed some Gazans in for treatment but has agreed with Israel to keep its border largely closed.

A Palestinian carries his sick son as they make their way to Egypt after crossing the destroyed section of the border wall between the Gaza Strip and Egypt January 24, 2008. Reuters

Palestinian medical officials in Gaza say more than 100 Gazan patients have died since June after Israel denied them permits to seek medical treatment. That’s really sick.

A medical officer points to a wound on the head of a newborn Palestinian baby, who Palestinian medics said was killed by Israeli forces gunfire, in the central Gaza Strip March 4, 2008. Reuters

Doesn’t it make you want to cry?

After receiving permits through a maze of government offices, graffiti artists organized a large community art project to decorate an ugly 10,000 square foot block of concrete along the L.A. river. Six months later city officials now want the project organizers to whitewash it or pay a $70,000 fine.

“It would be beautiful if the river went back to its natural state and was actually a river and a park,” said Alex Poli, a graffiti artist, gallery owner and an organizer of the art project. “But right now we have concrete walls, so the next best thing is to beautify it with art.”

How sad that the city would destroy art.

Wal-Mart has ended its ridiculous effort to collect more than $400,000 in health-care reimbursement from a former employee, Deborah Shank, who suffered brain damage in a traffic accident. The corporation was seeking a refund of the medical expenses it paid because Shank also collected damage money from the trucking firm of the driver that hit her.

Finally. What bullshit to try that.

And I can’t believe we still don’t have universal health care. We’re such fools for not having it. Pawns of the corporate lobby.