The Culture Wars Are Over

So at another site today, the forums got a bit lively about abortion and same-sex marriage with the clever and subtle title of No liberal cause is defended with more dishonesty than abortion.

I posted two replies

The First

If it was us guys who could get pregnant, abortion would be legal, Governement funded with paid counseling to deal with any psychological aftereffects

It's a woman's body, it's a woman's choice, it's that simple

Don't want an abortion, simple, don't have one

NO male would EVER stand for letting the state tell him what he could or could not do with his genitals

That abortion ban in South Dakota?

Kiss it goodbye come November, and quite a few of those idiot legislators who voted to make women 3rd class citizens by trying to push them back into the dark ages, hopefully, they'll get their worthless hides booted out of office as well

Why is it the supposed/alleged "right to lifers" are against birth control, and abortion, yet also want no welfare benefits for single, jobless mothers the second the fetus is born?

And one CANNOT be "pro-life" and in favor of the Death Penalty, not logically

The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade will be the death knell for the GOP and it's theological extremist base

Want proof?

How'd injecting the national leadership of the party into the Terri Schiavo affair pay off in a positive way for the GOP?

Oh, that's right, it didn't

The GOP AND the religious extremists determined to keep Terri Schiavo alive against her wishes got a harsh smack in the face and backed off with nothing more powerful than whimpers when it became apparent that the overwhelming majority of the US public strongly disagreed with the GOP and the supposed/alleged "right to lifers", but DID agree with Michael Schiavo

The Culture Wars are over, the effect may be delayed, as it is with same sex marriage, but the rightwing, as it was with slavery, is on the wrong side of history by opposing same sex unions

The younger adults in our society are much more tolerant of homosexuality, and that acceptance will only EXPAND with time, not decrease

The culture wars are over, make peace with it and move on

And the second, with the comments I was responding to

The culture wars are over? The secular humanists have finally triumphed over the Christian conservatives?

Have you spent much time talking to folks from the great middle of this country (that generally includes anyone outside the ultra-liberal coastal enclaves of LA, SF, Seattle, Boston, NY, etc.)? They still support the death penalty and are against church-based gay marriage with a vengeance. They still oppose gun control, and believe that schools that sponsor freak dances and rap music festivals should not muzzle the voices of Christan students.

The culture wars are far from over.


My reply

Churches can marry whomever they wish, but a Justice of the Peace would have to marry any of-age couple with the proper document-a wedding license

The playing of the "poor Christian believers are so persecuted these days" card is nothing more than a complete joke, they help the GOP control the White House, Senate and Congress, how persecuted can they possibly be?

Show me one Christian arrested and imprisoned for living up to Christ's Ideals, and I'm referring specifically to the Christ in the New Testament

Show me a Christian officially sanctioned by the Government solely for their faith if it affects them alone-As long as their choice affects themselves only-and not, say, Christian Scientists refusing to allow life-saving medical care for their children, and denied solely for the parents' religious beliefs

The right got smacked around regarding Terri Schiavo

And how'd that gay-bashing Constituional Amendment go over in the Senate again?

Oh, that's right, since the last time the issue was pushed in the Senate, only one more Senator joined the CA club, and even then it wasn't a majority, hell, the count hasn't even reached 50 yet

And the fact is that trying to play the gay-bashing card like Karl Rove favors did NOT inflame most of the country, not even close

There is NO logical, ethical or material reason for homophobia

Show me how gay marriage takes money out of the pockets of heterosexuals, or stops straights from putting food on the table

Try using logic to show how same-sex unions pose ANY kind of a threat to heterosexual marriages-It can't be done

And if one wishes to use the bible to gay-bash, then every single other biblical law/canon that requires death on the part of the lawbreaker must be followed just as strongly and vociferously as those punishing homosexuality

Otherwise, what's being preached is nothing but hypocrisy on the part of the anti-gay rabble, willful ignorance that's an affront to the same God who gave us the power of mind and abstract thought

All those laws against Same-Sex Unions, enshrined in state constitutions?

They'll ALL be overturned or invalidated, EVERY SINGLE ONE, just as surely as all the laws against race-mixing were eventually & rightly scrapped on history's rubbish heap

Abortion is another issue the religious right refuses to acknowledge they'll never win

Locking up Dr's and women involved in undergoing an abortion is nothing but a pipe-dream that the vast majority of the citizens in this country will never stand for, that's why the issue of jailing or punishing women for undergoing an abortion is NEVER proposed by even the hardest of anti-choice zealots

The Culture Wars come down to nothing more than off-key caterwauling by those miserable unless others not of their faith are suffering more. These stands are pushed by those whose faith-in a God or themselves-is so weak the only validation it brings is to force unbelieving others to acknowledge its supremacy and legitimacy as the one sure way to "truth"

I would bet within 10-20 years, TOPS, there will be no more blather & nonsense about same-sex unions, they'll be legal in every locale in the country

When it comes to abortion and "pro-life", very few of us are consistent. I'm against the Death Penalty in all but a minute percent of cases offered, but have no problems with abortion in the least, at any time for any reason

My sister, she's against abortions in most cases AND is against the Death Penalty as well

And that's the only way one can logically and ethically refer to themselves as "pro-life"

There are still splutters of rightwing outrage, but in the end, the culture wars are going to end with the religious right finally losing any & all claims to represent the mainstream of US politics & society

We saw that with Terri Schiavo

We're seeing that with Gay Marriage, it's not even an issue for most conservatives as well, as This Nifty FOX News Poll from early May of this year points out

Notice, particularly, Question #14 on the pdf., the one dealing with the top 20 concerns of those polled by FOX News, then notice which issues are NOT even listed

That's right, Same-Sex Unions & Abortion

Now if there's one thing Fox News cannot be accused of logically or with a straight face, it's that Fox is a liberal media outlet

Karl Rove's attempt to play the gay-bashing card in this election, which was successful in 2004, will not work this time, there's far too much negative news out there that hits the majority of US citizens trying to get by these days, especially with the middle class and working poor

Somehow, same-sex unions don't seem so threatening when gas is over $3.00 a gallon and rising, tens of millions of US citizens have no health care coverage and an unnecessary war is draining the military and treasury in terms of lives, limbs, blood, minds and money, staggering amounts of money

The Culture Wars are already over because real-world issues and unpleasantness take far more precedence for the vast majority of people as opposed to following a tiny minority of those who claim a certain brand of religious faith, a lifestyle choice if there ever was one

The sooner Dobson, Sun Myung Moon, Falwell, Robertson and Phelps admit to themselves the battles are lost and it's time to move on, the better off they, and this country, will be, and the more they can follow Jesus teachings to give away all they have to the poor

If they're so convinced God's on their side, then God will surely provide for these types were they to follow Christ's exhortations in terms of giving all to the poor, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable

Matthew 23 shows that there's only one group Christ ever got angry enough with to denounce publicly and loudly, and that would be the Pharisees and their pious hypocrisy

That's an eruption of anger that applies just as well today when aimed at the theological bullies making up the extreme far right base of the GOP

If I were those individuals, I'd start trying to atone for all my arrogance in stating that God's creations-homosexuals-are an abomination in the eyes of the same God that created them in the first place

Genentech's Culture Of gBuzz Bingo

So the last post dealt with Genentech's gouging the blind in Britain by trying to stop the cheap and effective "off-label use" of their wonderdrug Avastin, and calling them on their avarice by pointing out that actually encouraging the use of a drug for which it hasn't been officially approved is something Genentech itself, and it's CEO Art Levinson, have encouraged more than once

But by far the most interesting link was the unbelievably fawning puff-piece Fortune did on Genentech and it's CEO, Art Levinson, when it rated the company as the best to work for

Genentech: The best place to work now

Domagoj Vucic didn't come to Genentech for the rich stock options or the free cappuccino or the made-to-order sushi or the parties every Friday night. He came from the University of Georgia seven years ago because he believed Genentech could help him answer a burning question: What is it that keeps caterpillars infected with baculovirus alive for an entire seven days before they explode into a gooey puddle? Figuring that one out could, believe it or not, be a big step toward curing cancer. Doctor-scientist Napoleone Ferrara didn't come for the perks either. He joined Genentech in 1988 because the company would allow him to pursue an obsession: the study of the formation of blood vessels that feed, say, a tumor, and the search for an antibody to disrupt the process.

It's not just the bio-scientists. Ask Cynthia Wong, a mother of two, why she chose to settle at Genentech after working at Citibank and Towers Perrin, and she doesn't even mention the onsite day care or the concierge service that can pull off a birthday party on a moment's notice. Instead the senior manager quotes a breast-cancer patient who had visited her sales department a day earlier. "She has two little girls," Wong says, getting tears in her eyes all over again. "She wants to see them in braces. She wants to be there when they pick out their prom dresses." With the help of a Genentech drug called Herceptin, she probably will.

Work that really matters -- it's what makes Genentech the Best Company to Work For in 2006.

Ironically enough, upon closer examination the fawning is actually nothing of the sort, and in spite of the images Genentech likes to present-that science is more important than profits, that a culture of individualism is encouraged more than "go along to get along"-the reality is quite different

Genentech pours tremendous energy into hiring people with that kind of passion. In fact, it can take five or six visits and 20 interviews to snag a job. The process is meant partly to screen out the free agents -- people preoccupied with salary, title, and personal advancement. If candidates ask too many such questions, "Boom, wrong profile," says Levinson.

So one has to almost grovel for a job with great perks.

Apparently Genentech wants strong, confident employees who won't aggressively push for the best terms they can get

And I'm sure Levinson's attorneys would NEVER be insistent about salary or perks when his contract is renegotiated after it's expired

And what's even weirder is that Genentech's desire for strong willed individuals is logically at odds with the CEO's desire to paint those same individuals as a chain's weakest links

The gantlet is also designed to let job candidates know exactly what they're getting themselves into. "We're extremely nonhierarchical," Levinson says. "We're not wearing ties. People don't call us doctor. We don't have special dining rooms." (They aren't even assigned parking spaces, and it's hell in the morning to find a spot.) Executive job seekers from Big Pharma, especially, find that a jolt, he says. "A lot of them say, 'But I like being different! I like being special!' Well, you're not going to be special here. If that's important to you, that's fine. But you won't be happy here."

Strong-willed lackeys, quite the corporate combination for success

And what can the newbies expect?

Well, it sure reads like the term "loyalty oath" applies, especially with the last sentence

New-hire orientation includes patient lectures, history lessons by Boyer and other old-timers, in-depth sessions on the company's goals, its science -- and the fact that the place works "because of all the thousands of little decisions that are made every day," says HR vice president Denise Smith-Hams. The company polls its workers weekly to ferret out complaints and monitor whether all the new parties are aligned with Genentech's goals.

At this point, a comment about "Genentech's goals", besides increasing profits in the double-digit range, from Levinson would have been helpful, as would a fleshed out definition of that term "monitor whether all the new parties are aligned with Genentech's goals"

Something else about Levinson jumped out during the article, namely that he's one of those types who likes to instigate, stir things up, and push/bully others when he's got a "BRILLIANT" idea that he's unwilling to perform on his own

Here status is conveyed not by snagging the fanciest title or the biggest office (CEO Levinson's measures about 9 feet by 12 feet and is done up with low-end metal office furniture). It's defined by matching wits and taking chances. Or seeing who can take the dare. At Genentech nobody dresses up, except on Halloween. This past Halloween, Desmond-Hellmann spent the day as Snow White, and Levinson and the rest of the management team dressed as the Six Dwarfs (minus Dopey). They were en route to hand out candy at another office across town when their SUV convoy drove by archrival Amgen. Levinson hailed the driver to stop and told the group he wanted to have their picture taken on the Amgen front lawn, posed around the Amgen sign. They did, but Levinson was not entirely satisfied. What he really wanted, he told them, was a picture of Snow White and the Dwarfs inside the Amgen lobby.

Some of the Dwarfs chickened out, and Snow White was about to -- until Levinson goaded her. "Oh come on, Sue, don't be a weenie." They entered through the revolving doors and got a shot before security guards began to arrive and they had to abort and flee. "We know the names of our patients, and a lot of them die, and I think that's part of our loopiness," explains Walter Moore, VP of government affairs. Like Apple and Google, Genentech, despite the fun and games, is anything but relaxed.

If it was such a wonderful idea for a picture in the lobby, why couldn't Levinson have just done the bit himself?

Instead, it looks like Levinson doesn't want to take any chances all on his own if the result could end up in failure, although I doubt he'd be as quick to involve others if a success could be portrayed as his alone

And one other sentence made no sense, there was no background to give it any context

"We know the names of our patients, and a lot of them die, and I think that's part of our loopiness," explains Walter Moore, VP of government affairs.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

How does ANY of that tie into Levinson wanting a group picture in a rival corps lobby?

And Levinson seems to delight in denigrating others when it comes to corporate culture, especially as that culture relates to profit margins and market share

When Levinson sees signs of culture atrophy, he pounces, as he did in an e-mail to senior managers in December about "the spread of unintelligible, gibberish-laden PowerPoint presentations.... I have recently sat through several presentations that were simply incomprehensible -- mind-numbing, bloated discourses that were full of buzzwords and otherwise devoid of meaningful content. This is a serious problem, and the worst part is that it's spreading like the disease it is." (His abhorrence of corporate-speak helps explain why Levinson loathes consultants. "They suck you dry," he says.)

Mr Levinson, you mean buzzwords like THIS CEO used?

And if he REALLY wanted to stop the problem of mind-numbing powerpoint displays and presentations, perhaps a memo to ALL the employees who have this responsibility-as opposed to senior managers only-would cut down on this cataclysm befalling Levinson ever again

Otherwise, Levinson will play the underlings off against each other, and the more public the humiliation, the better

In case the memo alone doesn't do the trick, Levinson invented a game called gBuzz Bingo. Here's how to play: From the company intranet, download a bingo card featuring terms like "actionable," "traction," "value-added," and "winwin." Take the card to any meeting where you expect the worst. Check off boxes as the words are uttered. First to complete a line wins, which of course requires that you shout out: "gBuzz!"

The winner receives the smug satisfaction of silencing the b.s. And DNA by the Bay, as Genentechers call their company, keeps its magic -- for one more meeting, at least.

All very well & good, but what happens after the silencing?

How does the meeting continue if, God Forbid, EVERY speaker could fill up a gBuzz Bingo card with their own presentations?

Read the whole article for an idea of the benefits Genentech offers-And considering the price of success is to be as big a corporate suckup as possible at Genentech, material gain is the absolute least Levinson can offer his workers

Genentech's Crocodile Tears

Sick, evil, greedy, thieving bastards, it just doesn't get much more anger inducing than this

Let's give some background here

Genentech: Calm And Cool Under Fire

Just about every drug company in the world is now gunning for Genentech and its breakthrough cancer-drug, Avastin.

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Genentech is hoping Avastin, already a top-selling colon cancer treatment, will be approved for lung cancer and breast cancer by next October and November, respectively.

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Sutent, like Avastin, targets angiogenesis or the growth of tumor-supplying blood vessels, as does Wyeth's Temsirolimus, an experimental kidney-cancer treatment.

In fact, things are going so gangbusters for Genentech, Fortune declared it "The Best Company To Work For in 2006", and a more fawning piece of rhetoric would be hard to find anywhere

Genentech: The best place to work now

Wanted: Brainiacs with passion for science and contempt for business-speak.

But fawning in this case actually presents a ruthless portrait of the place called "The Best Company To Work For", and if anything, Genetech's passion for science is now viewed as less important than "business speak", as becomes obvious with CEO Art Levinson's mindset

At Genentech, every milestone calls for a party and a commemorative T-shirt -- and on very big occasions, very big celebrity bands. A year and a half ago, after an unusual run of FDA approvals, the parking lot in front of Building 9 became the site of a rock concert featuring Elton John, Mary J. Blige, and Matchbox 20.

All this would be way too dot-com to make business sense if it weren't for another performer who took the stage that day -- and who got about as much applause as the bands. That would be Art Levinson, Genentech's impish, brilliant scientist CEO, dressed for the occasion in tennis shoes and a black CLONE OR DIE T-shirt. The 55-year-old Levinson, who once bet his colleagues that five of them could fit inside an ice machine (they did), has made mostly right bets for the company ever since he took the helm in 1995 -- championing its science, creating a stream of new drugs, and winning over employees by making clear to all that there would be no butt-covering culture at Genentech.(Fortune)

Actually, the culture Levinson's enthralled by is much more focused on the color of money, but blatant hypocrisy bears large on Genentech's other uses regarding Avastin

Drugs firm blocks cheap blindness cure

Company will only seek licence for medicine that costs 100 times more

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Ophthalmologists around the world, on their own initiative, are injecting tiny quantities of a colon cancer drug called Avastin into the eyes of patients with wet macular degeneration, a common condition of older age that can lead to severely impaired eyesight and blindness. They report remarkable success at very low cost because one phial can be split and used for dozens of patients.

But Genentech, the company that invented Avastin, does not want it used in this way. Instead it is applying to license a fragment of Avastin, called Lucentis, which is packaged in the tiny quantities suitable for eyes at a higher cost. Speculation in the US suggests it could cost £1,000 per dose instead of less than £10. The company says Lucentis is specifically designed for eyes, with modifications over Avastin, and has been through 10 years of testing to prove it is safe.(G.U.)

In Britain, there's a bureaucratic loophole that allows Genentech to add even more leverage to jacking up the price to even more ungodly levels

Unless Avastin is approved in the UK by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) it will not be universally available within the NHS. But because Genentech declines to apply for a licence for this use of Avastin, Nice cannot consider it. In spite of the growing drugs bill of the NHS, it will appraise, and probably approve, Lucentis next year.

Although Nice's role is to look at cost-effectiveness, it says it cannot appraise a drug and pass it for use in the NHS unless the drug is referred to it by the Department of Health. The department says its hands are tied.(G.U.)

And why is Avastin so important to those afflicted with WMD?

With Avastin, many patients get their sight back with just one or two injections.(G.U.)

And ironically enough, it wasn't even an employee for Genentech who started it's usage for those suffering with WMD

Avastin was first used on human eyes by Philip Rosenfeld, an ophthalmologist in the US, who was aware of animal studies carried out by Genentech that showed potential in eye conditions. This unlicensed use of Avastin has spread across continents entirely by word of mouth from one doctor to another. It has now been injected into 7,000 eyes, with considerable success.

Professor Rosenfeld has published his results and a website has been launched in the US to collate the experiences of doctors from around the world. But although the evidence is good, regulators require randomised controlled trials before they grant licences, which generally only the drug companies can afford to carry out.(G.U.)

True innovation takes guts. Industry-wide, new drugs on average cost about $800 million and take up to 12 years to develop. More than 90 percent of the drugs in clinical development never reach the market, including half of those that make it to late-stage clinical trials. That's why so many big drug companies are running out of new drugs. For a long time it was easier and lucrative enough to pursue what Vishva Dixit, vice president of research, calls the "detergent" strategy -- creating me-too drugs in big established markets as if they were laundry soap, and then spending big bucks on marketing to steal share from rival pharmas.(Fortune)

Sorry, but as we see shortly, Genentech is about the last group that can or should get to play the "Oh poor us, it's so expensive" card

From Genentech's 2005 Annual Report

In terms of our financial performance in 2005, we continued to deliver strong top- and bottom-line growth over 2004, including: a 44 percent increase in total operating revenues, a 55 percent increase in non-GAAP² net income, and a 54 percent increase in non-GAAP² earnings per share compared to 2004. We also set record sales across our product portfolio in 2005, with all of our products showing an increase in sales and total U.S. product sales growing to more than $5 billion. In particular, we are very pleased with the performance of Avastin® (bevacizumab) — sales topped $1 billion in 2005 — and with its future potential.

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In the intellectual property arena, we are committed to protecting the significant investments we make in novel research and development technologies, and our efforts continue to serve us well. Our patents relate to all aspects of our technologies, including products and product candidates, therapeutic targets, methods of making products and methods of treatment. We currently have approximately 5,500 non-expired patents worldwide and approximately the same number of patent applications pending.(GAR)

And there's something even more interesting in the part of that paragraph not shown, detailed shortly as 415 Cabilly

And just to give a better look at the finances

But there's plenty else to like about this low-key, high-tech biotech located just north of San Francisco International Airport. For starters, 29-yearold Genentech is not just the very first biotech; it's the brightest star in a promising industry that has chronically under-delivered. The company's yearend revenues should come to $6.6 billion, according to Wall Street estimates, triple what Genentech pulled in four years ago. Its stock price has doubled in the past year, to $95 a share. At one point in December it had a market cap of $102 billion, making it the 20th-most-valuable company in the U.S., ahead of Merck, Lilly, and every other pharmaceutical company except Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. "There is only one drug company that has really come from nowhere to be a major force in this industry, and that is Genentech," says Peter Tollman, a senior vice president and biopharmaceutical expert at Boston Consulting Group. "It is the only drug company in the world that has created that much value without a merger."(Fortune)

Since it's obviously not the finances that Genentech can spin regarding the off-label use for Avastin, then the next scenario involves "consumer/patient safety", and this is a charge Genentech is least entitled to play ethically or logically or in any other manner of defending itself

About 20,000 people are diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in the UK each year. "From the patient's point of view, if they have an eye condition that deteriorates very quickly, there is no question of waiting," said Professor Wong. "We're talking about days and weeks, rather than months. The question is should we do nothing and say there is no randomised controlled trial to prove Avastin is of value?" He called for primary care trusts to agree to pay for the planned phasing-in of new drugs for the condition.

Last night Genentech said its main concern over the use of Avastin to treat eye conditions was patient safety. "While there are some small, single-centre, uncontrolled studies of Avastin being performed, safety data on patients who are treated with Avastin off-label is not being collected in a standard or organised fashion," said a spokeswoman for the company.(G.U.)

Well, there is some legitimacy to Genentech's knowledge of off-label use of medications not officially cleared by the Govt itself

Drug firm served subpoena

Analysts said it's possible that investigators are looking into whether Genentech improperly touted Rituxan for so-called off label uses that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Although doctors are free to prescribe drugs for any purpose that might help a patient, drug companies are required to limit their marketing to the uses approved by the government.

In 1999, Genentech agreed to pay $50 million to settle an FDA probe into allegations that it improperly encouraged doctors to proscribe a growth hormone drug, Protopin, for short children who didn't qualify for the narrow, official use of the drug.

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It's unclear whether the U.S. attorney contacted Genentech as part of a broad industry sweep or is acting on evidence that the company violated the law. It's also possible that federal investigators are looking into some other type of violation, such as exaggerating the drug's effectiveness or underplaying its dangers.

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In the case of Rituxan, Genentech acknowledged Tuesday that doctors commonly prescribe the drug to cancer patients in ways that haven't officially been approved by the FDA.

For instance, the drug is supposed to be used for only for one form of cancer, called indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, after chemotherapy and other treatment methods have failed.

But Genentech says some doctors recommend the drug as a frontline defense, before chemotherapy. The company is negotiating with the FDA to get the drug approved for this purpose.

In addition, some doctors also prescribe the drug for other forms of cancer, including a type of leukemia and a more aggressive form of non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. Genentech plans to ask the FDA next year to approve the drug for use with the more aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's.

Genentech has also sponsored studies showing the drug has potential to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but the company said it hasn't tracked whether physicians are already prescribing the drug for that purpose.

Hmmmm, maybe patient safety isn't the card to play when regarding the off-label usage of Avastin after all, not when such claims were used and endorsed by Genentech itself in the very recent past

And then there's always the altruism-rather a strange sentiment for such an organization that's seeking to suddenly eliminate a very cheap and effective treatment for a form of blindness

In addition to remaining a great place to work, we are committed to ensuring patient access to our products and to playing a positive role in our communities. In 2005, we donated drugs with a total market value of approximately $200 million to more than 18,000 uninsured patients as part of our Access to Care Foundation. To further support patient access to therapies for various diseases, we donated more than $21 million to various independent public charities that offer co-pay assistance to eligible patients. In addition, we provided approximately $15 million in financial support to a variety of nonprofit organizations in our local communities. Through philanthropic support, as well as through Genentech employee volunteerism, we worked to help improve health science education and strengthen many other educational, civic and community-based groups located in South San Francisco, Vacaville, and Oceanside, California, as well as Porriño, Spain. Finally, given the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina, Genentech and the Genentech Foundation donated in excess of $2.5 million toward relief and long-term recovery efforts.(G.A.R.)

Sorry Levinson, there's no way for Genentech to positively or logically push their spin regarding why they don't want Avastin used as a cheap form of treatment for WMD

See, as it turns out, one of the ways all the pharmceuticals make money on their products is to extend, whenever possible, the life of their patents so only that company can make and market a certain drug, with no worry about a cheaper, generic version being available

And wouldn't you know it?

Genentech provides such a perfect example of extending the almost officially expired patent for another double-digit number of years

415 Cabilly

For background, on March 25, 1983, Celltech filed in the United Kingdom a patent application directed to methods of making recombinant antibodies and antibody fragments, together with vectors and host cells useful in these processes. Celltech filed a related patent application in the United States, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 4,816,397 ("the Boss Patent"). On April 8, 1983, about two weeks after Celltech’s original U.K. filing, Genentech filed a United States patent application directed to similar technology, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 4,816,567 ("the Cabilly Patent"). The Boss Patent and the Cabilly Patent issued on the same day, and both were scheduled to expire on March 28, 2006.

The USPTO ultimately revoked the Boss Patent and issued a new United States patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,331,415 to Genentech ("the New Cabilly Patent"). All the claims originally issued in the revoked Boss Patent subsequently issued in the New Cabilly Patent. As a result, while the disputed invention was originally scheduled to pass into the public domain in 2006 upon expiration of the Boss Patent, it is now owned exclusively by Genentech until 2018, which is when the New Cabilly Patent is scheduled to expire.

A 12 year extension on a patent that was to expire earlier this year, not a bady day's work at all

The only motive that fits Genentech's sudden desire to play by the "clinical trials" rules it's ignored in the recent past and keep Avastin's off-label use from being used to help people at a cheap price is a financial component

At Genentech, using market data or return-on-investment analysis to drive the science is strictly taboo. "At the end of the day, we want to make drugs that really matter," says Levinson. "That's the transcendent issue."(Fortune)

Yeah, you wouldn't want to focus on finances more than medicines like THIS CEO did here

Levinson's words completely undercut any altruism Genentech tries to spin to offset the bad image people will have of trying to kill off-label usage of Avastin as it relates to cheaply treating Wet Macular Degeneration

Apparently for Genentech, true altruism comes with a pricetag

Part II Next-More About Levinson and the Genetech Corp Culture

Blatant

No, no, no connection between the Smithsonian & GM, not in the least

Smithsonian removes electric-car exhibit

Just weeks before the release of a movie about the death of the electric car from the 1990s, the Smithsonian Institution has removed its EV1 electric sedan from display.

The National Museum of American History removed the rare exhibit yesterday, just as interest in electric and hybrid vehicles is on the rise.

The upcoming film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" questions why General Motors created the battery-powered vehicles and then crushed the program a few years later. The film opens June 30th.

GM happens to be one of the Smithsonian's biggest contributors. But museum and GM officials say that had nothing to do with the removal of the EV1 from display.

A museum spokeswoman says the museum simply needed the space to display another vehicle, a high-tech SUV.

The Smithsonian has no plans to bring the electric car back on view. It will remain in a Suitland storage facility.

Wonder if it's okay to take pictures of it if someone actually tracks it down?

Which Is More Important For President Jr-Siding With The Insurgents Or The US Troops?

If the new Govt of Iraqi PM Maliki doesn't formally press for the extradition of US troops accused of War Crimes against Iraqi Civilians, there's still a BIG problem heading for the self-professed "War President"

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Iraq Amnesty Plan May Cover Attacks On U.S. Military

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday proposed a limited amnesty to help end the Sunni Arab insurgency as part of a national reconciliation plan that Maliki said would be released within days. The plan is likely to include pardons for those who had attacked only U.S. troops, a top adviser said.

Maliki's declaration of openness to talks with some members of Sunni armed factions, and the prospect of pardons, are concessions that previous, interim governments had avoided. The statements marked the first time a leader from Iraq's governing Shiite religious parties has publicly embraced national reconciliation, welcomed dialogue with armed groups and proposed a limited amnesty.

Reconciliation could include an amnesty for those "who weren't involved in the shedding of Iraqi blood," Maliki told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. "Also, it includes talks with the armed men who opposed the political process and now want to turn back to political activity."

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Maliki's security crackdown and talk of amnesty and reconciliation came a day after President Bush's unannounced visit to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Bush came with what he said were twin messages for Maliki: The United States would not abandon Iraq, but Iraq needed to do more to tackle its problems.

And one of the big problems Maliki has been forced to respond to are numerous instances of Iraqi civilians being killed, wrongly or deliberately, by US forces.

Maliki has insisted that Iraq will conduct it's own investigations into these incidents, and one reason for that is as a way to undercut the simmering and explicit anger when these deaths occur

Which brings us back to the Amnesty proposal

The Arab League on Wednesday postponed a reconciliation conference for Iraq that had been set for August. Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, a top adviser to Maliki, said the conference was delayed in part so Iraq could decide who might be eligible for any amnesty. It was not clear how the government would verify which insurgents have been responsible for which types of attacks.

"The government has in mind somehow to do reconciliation, and one way to do it is to offer an amnesty, but not a sort of unconditional amnesty," Kadhimi said in a telephone interview. "We can see if somehow those who are so-called resistance can be accepted if they have not been involved in any kind of criminal behavior, such as killing innocent people or damaging infrastructure, and even infrastructure if it is minor will be pardoned."

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Asked about clemency for those who attacked U.S. troops, he said: "That's an area where we can see a green line. There's some sort of preliminary understanding between us and the MNF-I," the U.S.-led Multi-National Force-Iraq, "that there is a patriotic feeling among the Iraqi youth and the belief that those attacks are legitimate acts of resistance and defending their homeland. These people will be pardoned definitely, I believe."

And what better way than an amnesty for killing US troops is there for Maliki to try and undercut the insurgents, militias and death squads currently wreaking carnage on an already brutalized populace and presenting such a clear threat to his fledgling Administration?

Unfortunately for President Jr, he's left himself very little wiggle room if this proposal actually comes to pass

The Iraqi people have expressed their desires, and now it's up to the government to follow through.

Does that "follow through" include the amnesty for Iraqis who have targeted and killed US Troops Mr President?

The policy of the United States government is to stand with this new government and help them succeed, and we will do what it takes to help them succeed.

And will "helping them succeed" include enthusiastically signing off on the amnesty proposal should it come to pass Mr President?

The Prime Minister's plan to bring militias and other armed groups under government control is moving forward, and we talked about that plan. He understands how important it is to rein in these militias. Many militia members will be demobilized and integrated into the Iraqi security forces, where they'll be dispersed among different units and, obviously, monitored closely by the government.

Mr President, did you and PM Maliki discuss this amnesty proposal in your oh-so-brief stopover in the Green Zone, and if not, why?

And then there's this

Prime Minister Maliki is working to build confidence in the Iraqi security forces, and he has a plan to do that. To assist him, we'll continue embedding coalition transition teams in Iraqi army and police units. We've deployed advisory teams to assist Iraq's new ministries of -- Ministers of Defense and Interior, both of whom I met. We want to help them build the command and control capacity of their ministries.

So, Mr President, just how will that amnesty proposal fly with the friends and families of US troops-embedded with Iraqi army & police units-killed by insurgents, how does backing an incentive that results in further dead and maimed US troops-amnesty for their attackers-show any Administrative support for those US troops YOU sent into battle?

The President knows exactly what's coming his way here in the US if this amnesty proposal comes to pass, and he knows it's a no-win scenario for both himself and the GOP come the November elections

Q What are your feelings about discussions in the new Iraqi government of amnesty for insurgents?

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The other part of the question?

Q Possible amnesty for insurgents.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes -- I talked to the Prime Minister about -- his question is, possible amnesty. The Prime Minister I think would say "reconciliation." This is an issue that is on the minds of a lot of the folks there in Iraq. In other words, they're trying to figure out how to reconcile an ugly past with a hopeful future. And part of that is reconciliation. I'm not exactly sure how you would -- what you mean by -- if somebody has committed a crime, I don't know whether or not they'll be that lenient, frankly.

Why, Mr President, LOGICALLY, would the Maliki govt punish those Iraqis who have attacked, killed and maimed US troops, seeing as how no US troops have been turned over to the Iraqis for trial regarding alleged US atrocities committed against Iraqi civilians?

President Jr was insistent on launching this invasion and occupation of a country that presented absolutely NO threat to the US in any way, shape or form

The more rabid of his rapidly dwindling starry-eyed true believers/lackeys/sheeple bleat that any criticism of the President, his military policies and strategies, shrieking that any critics undermine troop morale and energize those attacking the US troops in Iraq

Well now, the time is drawing near when the extremely unpleasant reality is about to force them all to choose sides

If they truly support this nascent Iraqi Govt, then they'll have to back any amnesty proposal that rewards those who have attacked, killed and maimed the US Troops the President, Administration and it's backers claim to stand for

If those same people are against this amnesty, then all that lip service about standing with the Iraqis is nothing but the most base and hollow of self-serving rhetoric

And just how does anyone think, logically, those US troops currently or in the future stationed in Iraq should or will react to this proposal, especially if the Administration ends up going along with this amnesty proposal for those who attack, kill and maim US troops?

If anyone is able to show how this President can logically satisfy both the Iraqis and US Troops regarding this amnesty, and further show how it will help the GOP going into the November elections, then please give it a shot

PS

If this proposal becomes a reality in Iraq, does anyone think it won't be sought for in Afghanistan?

Zarqawi's Death Won't Make A Difference In Iraq

As we saw with the capture of Saddam Hussein, the violence level in Iraq will not subside with the death of Zarqawi-if he's really dead

Undoubtedly, the Administration will play this up, and just as undoubtedly, within a short time, the glow will wear off with the next suicide bombing that kills multiple civilians, or the next IED that kills US Troops

Zarqawi's death will not automatically equip all US troops or their vehicles with enough efficient body & vehicle armor

This will not stop the IED attacks

This will not suddenly result in the finding of the lost $9 Billion the US can't account for in Iraq

This will not bring back one single Iraqi civilian killed since the conflict began

And since Zarqawi wasn't unleashed until this war based on flat-out lies was brought about, then I see no reason to celebrate the death of the monster we helped bring about, not when bringing forth that monster was responsible for so much misery, pain and anguish for people already brutalized by the US Backed Saddam Hussein

Celebrating will not change all the damage wrought by the invasion and the unleashing of the monster in the first place

No Iraq invasion, then no people beheaded by Zarqawi, and no troops underequipped with enough efficient body & vehicle armor killed with IED's

This will not magically end the spiraling violence, nor will it bring the US Troops home one minute sooner

In short, killing Zarqawi will not justify invading and occupying Iraq in the first place, it will only serve to remind everyone that the real gangster, the one who gave the go ahead for the September 11 strikes, Usama bin Laden, is still free and walking around

This is a very pyrrhic victory-at best-for the Administration

Once Again, Rightwing=Cowards

In this case specifically, BitchBully Laura Ingraham, BitchBoi Sean Hannity, and just plain Bitch Ollie North

These W-fawning, ivory tower elitists and moral relativists have the nerve, the gall to accuse the press in Iraq of not showing us the good side of the daily carnage & violence

They blather about journalists who post their dispatches from "balconies inside the green zone", while trhey themselves rarely venture to Iraq outside that same green zone, and they certainly NEVER travel ouside the supposedly safe areas with lots of bodyguards and firepower

In short, all those on the right criticizing the lack of good news from Iraq are nothing but ChickenHawks to the same character and degree as their Glorious Leader, W

How many times have these worthless fucks griped and complained everytime funding for veterans benefits is cut by this Administration?

So here's the challenge for these human parasites, these ticks, these vermin

Take a look at this picture of someone who DID operate outside the Green Zone, CBS cameraman Paul Douglas, then blather your nonsense to his loved ones, his family & friends

Of course, they won't do that, that would require actual courage, a trait and quality seemingly in permanent short supply with the rapidly dwindling number of True W lackeys

There's A Brick Wall Rushing President Jr's Way

With the horror show that Iraq has now become, due to militias, insurgents, terrorists in training, and death squads, the issue gaining more public traction are at least three separate massacres & killings that allegedly involve US troops going on rampages that take innocent lives, including that of children deliberately gunned down at close range in incidents that contradict the military's initial version of events

And if it plays out to the scenario I see, then President Bush Jr is very likely to broken by the decision he's going to have to make, and sooner rather than later, BEFORE the elections in November

First up, the dead Iraqis as Ishaqi, and the military's clearing the US troops of any wrongdoing is not, predictably, going over well with those who lost their family & friends in the raid on a suspected insurgent

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U.S. Backs Soldiers' Actions in Raid

U.S. defense officials pushed back Friday against the latest reports claiming military wrongdoing in Iraq, denying accounts that American soldiers had deliberately killed a dozen civilians in a March raid while acknowledging that more noncombatants died than the military first reported.

Iraqi police and other witnesses charged immediately after the March raid that U.S. forces had killed as many as 13 civilians in the hamlet of Ishaqi near the city of Balad, tying up some and shooting them in the head.

The Associated Press said Friday that video shot by one of its cameramen and broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corp. this week showed some bodies, including those of several children, with deep head wounds that the AP said could have been caused by bullets or shrapnel.

The U.S. military initially reported that four people, a suspected insurgent and three civilians, were killed in the March 15 raid. But Friday, officials acknowledged that nine other noncombatants had been killed, calling the additional casualties "collateral deaths."

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The investigation cleared the U.S. troops of wrongdoing in the Ishaqi operation, and the report said the commander had increased firepower appropriately to respond to hostile fire.

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The new questions about the military's account arose this week in the wake of other allegations of misconduct by U.S. troops. In one, a squad of Marines is suspected of killing two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians in November in Haditha, an incident under investigation both for the troops' actions as well as the way in which it was handled by the Marine Corps, which has been accused of a coverup.

In another incident, a group of Marines and a Navy corpsman could face charges in the April death of a civilian in Hamandiya, including murder and other counts involving a possible attempt to cover up the killing.

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The controversial civilian deaths brought expressions of anger this week from Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who called Friday for new ways to minimize harm to Iraqi civilians. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said President Bush shared Maliki's concerns.

And there's one of the signs of what's headed W's way, the new Iraqi Prime Minister is beset on all sides with corruption, violent sectarian feuding and doing with less reliable supplies of water, power, fuel, security and sanitation than existed before the US invasion & occupation

What better way to rally the populace than by making demands of the occupying military power?

Iraq Lawyer Blasts U.S. Reaction to Deaths

On Thursday, Iraq said it was launching its own probe into the Haditha killings, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sharply criticizing the conduct of U.S. troops in Iraq.

His comments were unusually harsh, suggesting to some that he might be using the incident to bolster his image as a national unity leader at a time of rising sectarian tensions. Al-Maliki is a Shiite, while the Haditha victims were Sunni Arabs, the minority that is the backbone of Iraq's insurgency.

An adviser to al-Maliki, Adnan al-Kazimi, denied Saturday that the announcement was a public relations exercise, saying an Iraqi investigation into the killings was popular among all Iraqis.

Al-Maliki will announce the makeup and mandate of the investigating committee in the next few days, al-Kazimi told The Associated Press. It will be made up of officials from the ministries of defense, interior and human rights and will report directly to al-Maliki, he said.

That Maliki is demanding the US turn over it's investigation results is significant in that the Administration has agreed with little prodding to do so

But as the violence level rises in Iraq, as the sectarian warfare gets worse and the blood rises to drowning levels, how long will it be until at least one of the factions maliki has to contend with, if not Maliki himself, finally voices the demand that this Administration fears more than anything else?

The demand that the Administration turn over the US Troops involved to the Iraqis for trial and punishment in the Iraq legal system

Well, that demand has already been voiced, and it came out of the mouth of a very angry child no less

Iraqi Survivor Wants U.S. Troops Executed

An Iraqi whose brother and other relatives were killed in a U.S. attack on a suspected terrorist hideout north of Baghdad condemned a military investigation Saturday that cleared forces of wrongdoing.

A 9-year-old survivor of an alleged massacre by U.S. forces in the western city of Haditha, meanwhile, demanded that those responsible be executed, as anger mounted over accusations that Iraqi civilians have been killed by Americans without provocation.

"We did not do anything to them," said Iman Walid Abdul-Hameed, who lost her parents, a brother, her grandparents and two uncles in the shootings. She said only she, her brother and a sister survived.

"Because they hurt us, we want the Americans to be executed," said Abdul-Hameed, wearing a violet striped shirt and headband as she sat on a couch at a cousin's home, where she is now living. She and her brother Abdul-Rahman were slightly injured during the shootings.

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The hospital director, Walid Abdul-Khaleq al-Obeidi, said bodies of the 24 victims, including those of eight women and five children, were brought to the hospital by the Marines at 11 p.m., about 14 hours after witnesses said the last gunshot was heard at the scene of the shootings. He said the bodies had gunshot wounds to the chest and head, and one body was burned.

The New York Times reported Saturday that commanders learned within two days that civilians in Haditha were killed by gunfire and not a roadside bomb, quoting a senior Marine officer it did not name. The officer said officials had no information suggesting the civilians had been killed deliberately and saw no reason to investigate further.

The enormous damage this incident, and others like it, can do the President and the Administration cannot be downplayed

If the President gives in to the demand when it comes from Iraq Officials-especially those Iraqi officials the US is counting on the most during its occupation-make no mistake, he'll be absolutely crucified by critics from all sides in the US, conservatives to liberals, hawks to doves, Dems & Repubs alike, W's Administration will be all but officially over in terms of any kind of an agenda

If W doesn't give in, then expect major propaganda pushes from all those forces opposed to the US occupation in Iraq, and expect the plaque of violence to unify those currently warring-forces, with spikes in the number of attacks on US Troops the most likely result, and likely more spectacular strikes in the forms of suicide bombers against US troops-in fortified US territory, as happened with a mess hall attack in Mosul, December 2004


Regardless of the decision he ultimately makes when the demand for those US Troops is shouted by the Iraqi Leadership and power-broker Mullahs, this is a decision that has the ability to completely shatter this President mentally, emotionally and spiritually

That some propaganda-hungry political/religious entity in Iraq hasn't yet clamored for the US to turn over those troops involved in these massacre allegations is due more to dumb luck for W than deliberately overlooking the issue from those in Iraq who have been looking for just such a way to highlight just how badly the Administration has planned and carried out military strategy in the run up, invasion and US occupation of Iraq

And incidents like the following only make it far easier for those calls to go out and find a receptive audience in terms of volunteers to fight the US occupiers-If this was happening on US Soil to US citizens at the hands of a foreign, occupying military power, nobody's sense of patriotism would let these incidents occur without a payback of some kind

Shooting of pregnant Iraqi touches nerves

The shooting death of a pregnant Iraqi, apparently by U.S. troops, as she was rushing to a hospital threw an intense spotlight Wednesday on the troubling issue of Iraqi civilian deaths.

Iraqi police and witnesses said the troops gunned down the woman and her cousin in their car. The U.S. military said the car entered a clearly marked prohibited area but failed to stop despite repeated signals; shots were fired to disable the vehicle, it said.

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But on Tuesday, Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, a 35-year-old pregnant woman, and her cousin Saliha Mohammed Hassan, 57, became the latest victims of what many Iraqis think is the American troops' disregard for life.

Jassim's brother, Khalid Nisaif Jassim, said he was speeding to get to a maternity hospital in Samarra when shots were fired at his car. He said the shooting happened on a side road that the U.S. military closed two weeks ago. News of the closure, he said, was slow to reach the rural area just outside Samarra where his family lives.

The cousins' bodies were taken to Samarra General Hospital, where relatives said doctors struggled to save Jassim's baby but failed.

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Nabiha Nisaif Jassim is survived by a husband, 36-year-old Hussein Tawfeeq, and two children, Hashimayah, 2, and Ali, 1. Tawfeeq was waiting at the hospital for his wife when she was shot.

``May God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here,'' Jassim's brother told the AP. ``People are shocked and fed up with the Americans. People in Samarra are very angry with the Americans not only because of Haditha case but because the Americans kill people randomly, especially recently.''

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``The loss of life is regrettable and coalition forces go to great lengths to prevent them,'' the military said of the Samarra shooting.

But many Iraqis say they are fed up.

Speeding toward U.S. military checkpoints, convoys or living next door to a suspected insurgent hideout has cost many Iraqis their lives since U.S. troops invaded in 2003. Although figures are not available, it is commonly believed by Iraqis that hundreds of people may have died this way.

Following incidents similar to that in Samarra, the U.S. military has offered financial compensation to the victims' families and a verbal apology delivered by an officer.

Most accept the money. But in some cases relatives refuse, viewing the cash offer as an insult. U.S. personnel are in some cases met by angry relatives shouting abuse.

Anti-U.S. sentiments are whipped up by incidents like Samarra. In addition to Haditha, major abuse cases such as the scandal at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison or the alleged bombing by U.S. warplanes of a wedding in western Iraq in 2004 that killed about 45 people also foster rage at American troops.

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The circumstances surrounding the (Haditha) killings appear to match the charges Iraqis never tire of repeating about the behavior of American troops in the immediate aftermath of an attack or a bombing, particularly when they suffer casualties.

Iraqis consistently speak of random shootings and arbitrary arrests. The U.S. military routinely denies such allegations, but others have also suggested that anger may have played a role in events in Haditha.

And here's exactly where the various factions in Iraq could point to the Administration's disastrous occupation planning being responsible for getting lots of US Troops & innocent Iraqis killed, maimed & traumatized, as NONE of these events would have ever taken place without the Iraq Invasion and Occupation

With nearly 2,500 servicemen killed and many thousands more wounded, American troops have been battling a stubborn and brutal insurgency. They also must cope with language and cultural barriers.

Some U.S. troops are now on their third deployment in Iraq, and the stress of combat in a country where almost anyone is a potential enemy can be immense. The Marine unit involved in the alleged Haditha killings was on its third tour in Iraq.

Sooner rather than later, the President is going to have to confront the foolishness, the folly, of his desire to expunge from his memories and deepest reaches of his soul by deceiving himself that a war launched on flat-out lies in any way makes W an effective & competent "War President"

He's almost at that point now, and how ironic would it be if it was the Iraqis-brutalized by their own dictator with torture and mass graves, then by the country which propped up their criminal overlord-who finally shattered the arrogance of the Blundering Blind-To-All-Unpleasant-Reality King George IV

And when W finally cracks mentally, not only with the Iraqi demands for the US troops to be turned over to Iraq's legal system, but also under the ever-increasing strain of a growing and virulent despisement directed his way by an expanding majority of the US public, the results will be much like the mental collapse of King Lear, when only at the end does he recognize all the evil, pain, grief and anguish his decisions have brought about

The Biggest Threat To US Lives & Property Is President Bush Jr

W obviously delights in watching US citizens die and property get destroyed, that's the only logical explanation for the Dept of Homeland Security's decision to cut funding levels for targets at risk from terrorism or natural disasters

4 stories examined here, with each differentiated at the end of the paragraph or text block, and with the NY Times & Washington Post stories, click the newspaper's name for the link that bypasses registrations

NY Times:Security Cuts for New York and Washington

Washington Post:Anti-Terror Funding Cut In D.C. and New York

Associated Press:N.Y., D.C. to get less anti-terror funds

So to keep us safe from future terrorist attacks, the Administration is CUTTING DHS grants to help centered on counter terrorism and natural disasters

The two cities targeted in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks will receive far less counter terrorism money this year in what the
Homeland Security Department described Wednesday as an effort to spread funding to other communities facing threats.(AP)

After vowing to steer a greater share of antiterrorism money to the highest-risk communities, Department of Homeland Security officials on Wednesday announced 2006 grants that slashed money for New York and Washington 40 percent, while other cities including Omaha and Louisville, Ky., got a surge of new dollars. (NYT)

The Department of Homeland Security yesterday slashed anti-terrorism money for Washington and New York, part of an immediately controversial decision to reduce grant funds for major urban areas in the Northeast while providing more to mid-size cities from Jacksonville to Sacramento.

The announcement that the two cities targeted on Sept. 11, 2001, would suffer 40 percent reductions in urban security funds prompted outrage from lawmakers and local officials in both areas, who questioned the wisdom of cutting funds so deeply for cities widely recognized as prime terrorist targets. The decision came less than five months after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff unveiled changes in the grants plan intended to focus funding on areas facing the gravest risk of attack.

Potential targets outside the Northeast also took painful hits, including New Orleans, San Diego and Phoenix. New Orleans's grants for security and disaster preparedness were cut in half even as it struggles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

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New York's grant plummeted from about $207 million to $124 million. A DHS risk scorecard for the city asserted that the home of the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge has "zero" national monuments or icons.(WPost)

Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York, who is chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the allocation formula was flawed.

"This is indefensible," Mr. King said. "It's a knife in the back to New York, and I'm going to do everything I can to make them very sorry they made this decision."

He said senior department officials who had briefed him about the grants made clear that they were unimpressed with the city's plan.

For example, New York spends a large share of its grant money to cover overtime costs for police officers who are guarding high-risk targets, like bridges or the subways, a recurring expense.

New York, in the coming year, also intended to spend about $80 million in grants to install a security camera system in the Wall Street area, allowing the police to monitor details as small as license plates, an approach similar to the so-called Ring of Steel in London, said Paul J. Browne, the deputy police commissioner.

But the emphasis on spending on recurring costs — like overtime — was cited as a factor in the relatively low rating the city's application received, one federal official said.

New York officials were given a one-page tally that explained, in part, how the region's risk-based standing was calculated. The document said the region had no "national monuments or icons," four banking or financial firms with assets of over $8 billion, 28 chemical or hazardous material sites, as well as nearly 7,000 other possible important, high-risk targets, like hospitals or major office buildings, a tally that some city officials said had major omissions or errors.

"It's outrageous that these bean counters don't think the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge are national monuments or icons," said Jordon Barowitz, a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg.(NYT)

So, according to DHS, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty and the NY Subway System aren't national monuments or icons, and New York, already struck twice by terrorists, shouldn't worry it's pretty little head about getting hit again

That attitude is so mind-boggling, so at odds with reality, that by itself, it completely undercuts the very existence of DHS itself

And overtime for cops guarding high-risk targets is apparently thought of as a luxury, and since it's not a one-time only expense, apparently those who decided about these grants feel it's a waste of money

Is there any logical way to spin this Administrative attitude as actually INCREASING protection from terrorism or natural disasters for those in NYC & DC?

Of course not, it's yet another example of breath taking hypocrisy from an Administration filled with the most unethical and spineless hypocrites in US history

It also is apparent that other cities which were connected to the September 11 Attacks aren't considered to be high-level target potential

In addition to Washington and New York, the grant decisions included a 46 percent drop for San Diego, where several of the Sept. 11 hijackers lived; a 61 percent decrease for Phoenix, where an FBI agent suspected that terrorists were taking flight training; and a 30 percent reduction for Boston, the point of origin of the two jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center.

Phoenix Mayor Phillip Gordon called the grant reduction from $10 million to $3.9 million "outrageous." He said that Phoenix, the nation's fifth-largest city, includes a network of dams, a nuclear power plant and numerous other potential targets.

"Shame on them," Gordon said. "They are literally stripping the ability to protect this area by actions that are incomprehensible."(WPost)

But surely, if no other city does, New Orleans will get a big boost in funding, seeing as how it's still looks as dismal now as it did immediately after Katrina struck, right?

Well.....

Potential targets outside the Northeast also took painful hits, including New Orleans, San Diego and Phoenix. New Orleans's grants for security and disaster preparedness were cut in half even as it struggles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.(WPost)

"At the end of the day our job is to make sure that we apply resources in an appropriate manner across the full breadth of this nation so that we get the maximum benefit out of those dollars," Homeland Security Undersecretary George Foresman told reporters in Washington.

State and local officials also need to budget for disaster preparations, Foresman said, calling the federal grants "designed to help us address the extraordinary, not the ordinary."

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Hurricane-ravaged New Orleans will receive half of what it got last year — $4.6 million, down from $9.3 million — although Homeland Security said the money was to help cities grapple with catastrophic disasters from Mother Nature and terrorists alike.(AP)

For those who survived Katrina with no thanks to the Govt at any level, the description of DHS funds being spent "to address the extraordinary, not the ordinary" must be absolutely galling to read and hear

But really, why should those in New Orleans worry about Hurricane Season, just because it starts today and because the city was almost wiped off the map last year while President Jr dithered about on a fund-raising vacation for an additional three days while New Orleans drowned and people died?

Obviously, since it's happened before, the Administration thinks it won't happen again, ala the old chestnut canard of "lightning never strikes twice in the same place"

Perhaps another look at one statement above will be helpful here, especially as it relates to DHS's financial stewardship

"At the end of the day our job is to make sure that we apply resources in an appropriate manner across the full breadth of this nation so that we get the maximum benefit out of those dollars," Homeland Security Undersecretary George Foresman told reporters in Washington.(AP)

Then pay no attention to FEMA wasting unGodly sums of Katrina relief funds, that would only undercut further any Administrative claims of being better prepared to handle another major disaster, natural or deliberate

And definitely pay no attention to the Administration's massive amount of missing funds in Iraq, as that would also call into question ANY part of this Administration talking about spending funds "in an appropriate manner" "to get maximum benefit of those dollars"

Look at that galling paragraph again, then note the next stand-alone sentence

State and local officials also need to budget for disaster preparations, Foresman said, calling the federal grants "designed to help us address the extraordinary, not the ordinary."

The money generally pays for training and equipment for emergency first responders.(AP)

Let's understand that the MAJOR problem from the 9-11 attacks, and also a big problem in New Orleans after Katrina was the lack of a single communications system

From the 9-11 Commission Report

Radio Communication Challenges:The Effectiveness and Urgency of Evacuation Instructions. As discussed above, the location of the NYPD ESU command post was crucial in making possible an urgent evacuation order explaining the South Tower's full collapse. Firefighters most certainly would have benefited from that information.

A separate matter is the varied success at conveying evacuation instructions to personnel in the North Tower after the South Tower's collapse. The success of NYPD ESU instruction is attributable to a combination of (1) the strength of the radios, (2) the relatively small numbers of individuals using them, and (3) use of the correct channel by all.

The same three factors worked against successful communication among FDNY personnel. First, the radios' effectiveness was drastically reduced in the high-rise environment. Second, tactical channel 1 was simply overwhelmed by the number of units attempting to communicate on it at 10:00. Third, some firefighters were on the wrong channel or simply lacked radios altogether.

It is impossible to know what difference it made that units in the North Tower were not using the repeater channel after 10:00. While the repeater channel was at least partially operational before the South Tower collapsed, we do not know whether it continued to be operational after 9:59.

Even without the repeater channel, at least 24 of the at most 32 companies who were dispatched to and actually in the North Tower received the evacuation instruction-either via radio or directly from other first responders. Nevertheless, many of these firefighters died, either because they delayed their evacuation to assist civilians, attempted to regroup their units, lacked urgency, or some combination of these factors. In addition, many other firefighters not dispatched to the North Tower also died in its collapse. Some had their radios on the wrong channel. Others were off-duty and lacked radios. In view of these considerations, we conclude that the technical failure of FDNY radios, while a contributing factor, was not the primary cause of the many firefighter fatalities in the North Tower.209

The FDNY has worked hard in the past several years to address its radio deficiencies. To improve radio capability in high-rises, the FDNY has internally developed a "post radio" that is small enough for a battalion chief to carry to the upper floors and that greatly repeats and enhances radio signal strength.210

The story with respect to Port Authority police officers in the North Tower is less complicated; most of them lacked access to the radio channel on which the Port Authority police evacuation order was given. Since September 11, the Port Authority has worked hard to integrate the radio systems of their different commands.(9-11 Official Report)

Washington's deputy mayor for public safety, Edward D. Reiskin, said possible cutbacks will include $25 million planned for communications infrastructure and $10 million for "mass care shelters" to house people displaced from their homes.

"I think it's shortsighted for the federal government to cut funds this way," Williams said at his weekly news briefing. "We remain a target area."(WPost)

So the quickest way to develop an easily-accessible single communications system for use by the first responders is to cut back on precisely such funding for New York, DC and New Orleans?

Better communications, ESPECIALLY a single communications system that can be accessed by all first responders-as opposed to the patchwork of such systems used on September 11-mean more lives saved, which means it's not something the Administration should try to fund on the cheap

Apparently, that view makes perfect sense to the Administration and those running the DHS

And with this Administration the most secrecy-obsessed in US History, apparently DHS thinks the "Just trust us" excuse should be a sufficient answer to any question about how this funding was arrived at and decided upon

Homeland Security's grant programs have drawn criticism from cities both large and small; many have felt slighted by what they maintained was a haphazard and unfair distribution plan. This year's round of grants was supposed to ensure that enough money goes to areas at highest risk of terrorist attack by employing risk scores, effectiveness tests and 17 "peer review" panels consisting of homeland security professionals from 47 states.

But department officials struggled yesterday to defend the latest outcome even as lawmakers in both parties denounced them. Most experts and many government officials had expected that the new review process would lead to more money, rather than less, for major terrorist targets such as Washington and New York.

Tracy A. Henke, assistant secretary for grants and training, told reporters that the new funding distribution was the result of a better review process and does not indicate lesser risk for cities such as Washington or New York. Officials noted that Congress had cut the program by about $125 million in 2006, to $711 million, and that New York, Washington and other major cities still would receive the largest shares.

"We have to understand that there is risk throughout the nation," Henke said. "We worked very hard to make sure that there was fairness in the process."

The department refused to release the names of panel members or other details about the review boards.(WPost)

Who you gonna believe, the Administration or your own lyin' eyes?

And lets take a look at those numbers regarding DHS grants

Breakdown: Homeland Security grants

The Homeland Security Department divided $740 million among 46 cities Wednesday as part of a $1.7 billion counter terrorism grant fund for 2006. While each state will get some money, the grants for cities make up the largest chunk of the funding, which has always been the subject of fierce lobbying by local leaders and members of Congress.

A state-by-state look at what the cities got this year, compared to 2005:

ARIZONA. Phoenix: $3.9 million in 2006, $9.9 million in 2005.

CALIFORNIA. Anaheim/Santa Ana: $11.9 million, down from $19.8 million; San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose-Bay Area: $28.3 million, $33 million; Los Angeles/Long Beach: $80.6 million, $69 million; Sacramento: $7.3 million from $6 million; San Diego: $7.9 million from $14.7 million.

COLORADO. Denver: $4.3 million, down from $8.7 million.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (encompasses the National Capital Region, including Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs). $46.4 million from $77.5 million.

FLORIDA. Ft. Lauderdale: $9.9 million, from zero; Jacksonville: $9.2 million, from $6.8 million; Miami: $15.9 million, from $15.8 million; Orlando: $9.4 million, from zero; Tampa: $8.8 million, from $7.7 million.

GEORGIA. Atlanta: $18.6 million, down from $13.1 million.

HAWAII. Honolulu: $4.7 million, from $6.4 million.

ILLINOIS. Chicago: $52.2 million, from $45 million.

INDIANA. Indianapolis: $4.3 million, from $5.6 million.

KENTUCKY. Louisville: $8.5 million, from $5 million.

LOUISIANA. Baton Rouge: $3.7 million, from $5.2 million; New Orleans: $4.6 million, from $9.3 million.

MASSACHUSSETS. Boston: $18.2 million, from $26 million.

MARYLAND. Baltimore: $9.6 million, from $11.3 million.

MICHIGAN. Detroit: $18.6 million, from $17 million.

MINNESOTA. Minneapolis/St. Paul: $4.3 million, from $5.7 million.

MISSOURI. Kansas City: $9.2 million, from $8.2 million; St. Louis: $9.2 million, from $7 million.

NORTH CAROLINA. Charlotte: $8.9 million, from $5.4 million.

NEBRASKA. Omaha: $8.3, from $5.1 million.

NEW JERSEY. Jersey City/Newark: $34.3 million, from $19 million.

NEVADA. Las Vegas: $7.7 million, from $8.4 million.

NEW YORK. Buffalo: $3.7 million, from $7.2 million; New York City: $124 million, from $207 million.

OHIO. Cincinnati: $4.6 million, from $5.8 million; Cleveland: $4.7 million, from $7.3 million; Columbus: $4.3 million, from $7.5 million; Toledo: $3.8 million, from $5.3 million.

OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma City: $4.1 million, from $5.5 million.

OREGON. Portland: $9.3 million, from $10.3 million.

PENNSYLVANIA. Philadelphia: $19.5 million, from $22.8 million; Pittsburgh: $4.8 million, from $9.6 million.

TENNESSEE. Memphis: $4.2 million, from zero.

TEXAS. Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington: $13.8 million, from $24 million; Houston: $16.6 million, from $18.5 million; San Antonio: $4.4 million, from $5.9 million.

WASHINGTON. Seattle: $9.1 million, from $11.8 million.

WISCONSIN. Milwaukee: $8.5 million, from $6.3 million.

In the name of beefing up security "Fighting them over there so we don't fight them here", in the name of more efficient rescue & relief operations due to natural disasters, in the name of better disaster preparedness, most of the cities and locations get their funding cut

Since I live in Texas, those are the funding cuts that stood out in terms of W's sheer disinterest as it relates to using the enormous power of his bully pulpit to move all manners of Heaven & Earth to repair the damage wrought by Katrina & Rita

All three cities listed have their 2006 funding cut from their 2005 levels, a hell of a way to say "Thanks" to the people that twice elected him Governor.

For President Jr, apparently having the White House branch in Crawford is enough "Thanks" the State of Texas should ever expect to receive