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Surrogate mothers offered everyone an "efficient embryo"

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Police are investigating an international "efficient embryo refining" syndicate after discovering 15 women who were allegedly inseminated and kept in a house during their pregnancies so an Internet-based company could sell their babies.

Photographs of "Oriental Selected Egg Donors" showed young, cute Asian women in coy poses on the Babe-101 Eugenic Surrogate website (Baby-1001.com website).

For at least $35,000 anyone could go online and rent a surrogate mother, which included a payment for sperm or an "ovum donor" of their choice who was either "Eastern race" or "Caucasian," with a selected "complexion" of either "Yellow," "Caucasian," "Brown," "African," or "Red."

The company was apparently administered on the island nation of Taiwan with surrogate homes in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

On Wednesday (March 2), the Public Health Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Vietnamese embassy, Thai Immigration Department, and Royal Thai College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists were coordinating how to respond.

Huge labor rally at the Ohio Statehouse

Harvey Wasserman interview with Amy Goodman
Ohio labor rallies

Civil resistance to the wars continues: Veterans return to the White House for March 19 Iraq invasion observance

"We should not think that the destruction and suffering unleashed by war is limited to Iraq and Afghanistan. Individuals and whole cities here at home have become 'collateral damage.' Millions of people are thrown out of their jobs and then out of their homes. Pressures cascade onto state and local governments as the stagnant economy and frustrated voters further decrease funds for essential services. Our infrastructure isn't bombed, it just slowly rots."

The imperial wars rage on. U.S. drones rain missiles down on innocents in Pakistan; hundreds of children die daily in Afghanistan because of the war; contrary to what the President says, the occupation in Iraq continues. The devastation and misery caused by these wars has not even begun to be addressed. Rather than bringing democracy and freedom to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. is destroying their countries — perhaps beyond repair.

The Push of Conscience and Secretary Clinton

It was not until Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked to the George Washington University podium last week to enthusiastic applause that I decided I had to dissociate myself from the obsequious adulation of a person responsible for so much death, suffering and destruction.

I was reminded of a spring day in Atlanta almost five years earlier when then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld strutted onto a similar stage to loud acclaim from another enraptured audience.

Introducing Rumsfeld on May 4, 2006, the president of the Southern Center for International Policy in Atlanta highlighted his "honesty." I had just reviewed my notes for an address I was scheduled to give that evening in Atlanta and, alas, the notes demonstrated his dishonesty.

I thought to myself, if there's an opportunity for Q & A after his speech I might try to stand and ask a question, which is what happened. I engaged in a four-minute impromptu debate with Rumsfeld on Iraq War lies, an exchange that was carried on live TV.

That experience leaped to mind on Feb. 15, as Secretary Clinton strode onstage amid similar adulation.

The Tunisia effect

On one weekend in February of 2003, an estimated 10 million people in 60 countries took to the streets to protest the looming Iraq war. Never before in history had there been such massive, public opposition to a war before it began. But the war began anyway and the people — their numbers misreported in much of the media by a factor of ten, their opposition seemingly irrelevant — went away.

Are they back now?

None of the world-shaking protests of recent weeks — in Tunisia and Egypt, in Libya, Bahrain, Iran, in Wisconsin and around the U.S. — ostensibly have anything to do with the wars on this planet, except the ones that governments, including those in various state capitals, are waging against select segments of their own populations. What makes the current protests different from the protests that briefly flickered around the globe eight years ago is that they aren’t really protests anymore. They’re acts of self-defense. And that’s the link between Cairo and Madison.

Humanitarian war vs. humanity

The idea that wars are waged out of humanitarian concern may not at first appear even worthy of response. Wars kill humans. What can be humanitarian about that? But look at the sort of rhetoric that successfully sells new wars:

"This conflict started Aug. 2, when the dictator of Iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbor. Kuwait, a member of the Arab League and a member of the United Nations, was crushed, its people brutalized. Five months ago, Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait; tonight, the battle has been joined."

Thus spoke President Bush the Elder upon launching the Gulf War in 1991. He didn't say he wanted to kill people. He said he wanted to liberate helpless victims from their oppressors, an idea that would be considered leftist in domestic politics, but an idea that seems to create genuine support for wars. And here's President Clinton speaking about Yugoslavia eight years later:

Equality Hawaii, Human Rights Campaign applaud Governor Neil Abercrombie for signing civil unions law: Hawaii becomes 15th US jurisdiction to provide same-sex couples equal rights under the law

HONOLULU - Equality Hawaii, the state's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, and the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization, today congratulated Governor Neil Abercrombie, the Hawaii legislature and the people of Hawaii for enacting civil unions into law. The legislation provides that equal rights and responsibilities of married couples in Hawaii be afforded to thousands of non-married couples in the state – including same-sex couples. The law takes effect January 1, 2012.

"Today is a truly momentous day in Hawaii and a great step forward in our struggle towards full equality,” said Alan Spector, co-chair of Equality Hawaii. "After nearly two decades of debate and sometimes hostile rhetoric, the people of Hawaii have spoken loud and clear, and their words ring true with hope and optimism. Equality Hawaii thanks Governor Abercrombie, the legislature, HRC and all those who have joined this fight for equal rights over the last two decades."

Contact your senator about Senate Bill 5

Thousands of workers and community members converged on the Statehouse yesterday to voice their opposition to Senate Bill 5 and Gov. Kasich's assault on working families and the middle class—but they were shut out. Yesterday, the doors were literally closed to thousands who were rallying in opposition to the bill. And now, they’re even rejecting our emails. That's right: the state legislature is preventing emails being sent by our members from reaching our state senators and representatives. Call toll-free today at 1-888-218-5931 and tell your state senator: I am a constituent who wants to see the Senate focus on jobs—not anti-worker bills like SB5 that will move Ohio’s economy backward.

The reason given for locking the doors Tuesday? They were supposedly “over capacity”—but as an AP story confirms, this argument holds no water. It wasn’t until Democratic lawmakers threatened legal action that the doors were opened at 4 p.m.

Sadly, this is just another example of the attempts to silence the voices of Ohioans who oppose anti-worker bills like SB 5:

Standing up to war and Hillary Clinton

It was not until Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked to the George Washington University podium last week to enthusiastic applause that I decided I had to dissociate myself from the obsequious adulation of a person responsible for so much death, suffering and destruction.

I was reminded of a spring day in Atlanta almost five years earlier when then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld strutted onto a similar stage to loud acclaim from another enraptured audience.

Introducing Rumsfeld on May 4, 2006, the president of the Southern Center for International Policy in Atlanta highlighted his “honesty.” I had just reviewed my notes for an address I was scheduled to give that evening in Atlanta and, alas, the notes demonstrated his dishonesty.

I thought to myself, if there’s an opportunity for Q & A after his speech I might try to stand and ask a question, which is what happened. I engaged in a four-minute impromptu debate with Rumsfeld on Iraq War lies, an exchange that was carried on live TV.

That experience leaped to mind on Feb. 15, as Secretary Clinton strode onstage amid similar adulation.

If households budgeted like the GOP

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