An ex-producer for "Judge Judy" is claiming that he was canned for complaining that black litigants were being 86'd from the show.
The lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court by former Senior Producer Jonathan Sebastien, alleges that Randy Douthit -- a supervisor -- told staffers, "We're not doing any more black shows," and "I don't want to hear black people arguing."
Sebastien claims when he complained about the alleged whitewashing, he says Douthit commanded his fellow producers to book "white upscale, pretty people" for Judge Judy, and to send black litigants to the "Judge Joe Brown" show. Brown's show is produced by the same company as "Judy."
Sebastien claims after he objected to the policy, his boss "berated and mocked him," and fired him on March 30. He is seeking unspecified damages from the show and CBS Paramount.
Judge Judy Sheindlin herself isn't named as a defendant. A rep for CBS Paramount tells TMZ, "CBS Paramount does not comment on pending litigation." A staffer from "Judge Judy" -- who did not want to be identified -- says the suit has "no merit" and that the claims are being being made by "a disgruntled former employee who was fired for cause."
Source
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Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 Deadliest for US Troops in Iraq
The second half of 2007 saw violence drop dramatically in Iraq, but the progress came at a high price: The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed.
American commanders and diplomats, however, say the battlefield gains against insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq offer only a partial picture of where the country stands as the war moves toward its five-year mark in March.
Two critical shifts that boosted U.S.-led forces in 2007 -- a self-imposed cease-fire by a main Shiite militia and a grassroots Sunni revolt against extremists -- could still unravel unless serious unity efforts are made by the Iraqi government.
Iran also remains a major wild card. U.S. officials believe the neighboring country has helped quiet Iraq by reducing its flow of suspected aid to Shiite fighters, including materials needed for deadly roadside bombs.
But Iran's apparent hands-off policies could come under strain as Shiite factions -- some favoring Iran, others not -- battle for control of Iraq's oil-rich south.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, will increasingly look to the uneven Iraqi security forces to carry the load in 2008 as demands for an American exit strategy grow sharper during the U.S. election year.
Britain, the main U.S. coalition partner in Iraq, is gradually drawing down its forces and other allies, including Poland and Australia, are contemplating full-scale withdrawals in the coming year.
Read More Here
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It's a shame these guys and girls will not get to see 2008 because of lies told by George Bush and Co.
American commanders and diplomats, however, say the battlefield gains against insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq offer only a partial picture of where the country stands as the war moves toward its five-year mark in March.
Two critical shifts that boosted U.S.-led forces in 2007 -- a self-imposed cease-fire by a main Shiite militia and a grassroots Sunni revolt against extremists -- could still unravel unless serious unity efforts are made by the Iraqi government.
Iran also remains a major wild card. U.S. officials believe the neighboring country has helped quiet Iraq by reducing its flow of suspected aid to Shiite fighters, including materials needed for deadly roadside bombs.
But Iran's apparent hands-off policies could come under strain as Shiite factions -- some favoring Iran, others not -- battle for control of Iraq's oil-rich south.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, will increasingly look to the uneven Iraqi security forces to carry the load in 2008 as demands for an American exit strategy grow sharper during the U.S. election year.
Britain, the main U.S. coalition partner in Iraq, is gradually drawing down its forces and other allies, including Poland and Australia, are contemplating full-scale withdrawals in the coming year.
Read More Here
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It's a shame these guys and girls will not get to see 2008 because of lies told by George Bush and Co.
CAN YOU SPOT THE TERRORIST?
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I guess it depends on what side you're supporting in the fight.
Top Ten Signs Your Country May Be Going Fascist
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Americans better wake up and keep a close eye on the elites who are running this country. Don't get sidetracked by the corporate media and all of the nonsensical television programs they have you loosing your mind over, I know American Idol new season starts next year but we also have a very important presidential election next year. Do your civic duty and vote for the candidate that represents your interest the most. A candidate that's anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-war is what I'm looking for.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Latino gang accused of targeting blacks in Los Angeles
In a murderous quest aimed at "cleansing" their turf of snitches and rival gangsters, members of one of Los Angeles County's most vicious Latino gangs sometimes killed people just because of their race, an investigation found.
There were even instances in which Florencia 13 leaders ordered killings of black gangsters and then, when the intended victim couldn't be located, said "Well, shoot any black you see," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.
"In certain cases some murders were just purely motivated on killing a black person," Baca said.
Authorities say there were 20 murders among more than 80 shootings documented during the gang's rampage in the hardscrabble Florence-Firestone neighborhood, exceptional even in an area where gang violence has been commonplace for decades. They do not specify the time frame or how many of the killings were racial.
Los Angeles has struggled with gang violence for years, especially during the wars in the late 1980s and early '90s between the Crips and the Bloods — both black gangs. Latino gangs have gained influence since then as the Hispanic population surged.
Evidence of Florencia 13, or F13, is easy to find in Florence-Firestone. Arrows spray-painted on the wall of a liquor store mark the gang's boundary and graffiti warns rivals to steer clear.
The gang's name comes from the neighborhood that is its stronghold and the 13th letter of the alphabet — M — representing the gang's ties to the Mexican Mafia.
******
Read More
There were even instances in which Florencia 13 leaders ordered killings of black gangsters and then, when the intended victim couldn't be located, said "Well, shoot any black you see," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.
"In certain cases some murders were just purely motivated on killing a black person," Baca said.
Authorities say there were 20 murders among more than 80 shootings documented during the gang's rampage in the hardscrabble Florence-Firestone neighborhood, exceptional even in an area where gang violence has been commonplace for decades. They do not specify the time frame or how many of the killings were racial.
Los Angeles has struggled with gang violence for years, especially during the wars in the late 1980s and early '90s between the Crips and the Bloods — both black gangs. Latino gangs have gained influence since then as the Hispanic population surged.
Evidence of Florencia 13, or F13, is easy to find in Florence-Firestone. Arrows spray-painted on the wall of a liquor store mark the gang's boundary and graffiti warns rivals to steer clear.
The gang's name comes from the neighborhood that is its stronghold and the 13th letter of the alphabet — M — representing the gang's ties to the Mexican Mafia.
******
Read More
Bin Laden Issues Warning on Iraq, Israel
Osama bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting al-Qaida and vowed to expand the terror group's holy war to Israel in a new audiotape Saturday, threatening "blood for blood, destruction for destruction."
Most of the 56-minute tape dealt with Iraq, apparently al-Qaida's latest attempt to keep supporters in Iraq unified at a time when the U.S. military claims to have al-Qaida's Iraq branch on the run.
The tape did not mention Pakistan or the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, though Pakistan's government has blamed al-Qaida and the Taliban for her death on Thursday. That suggested the tape was made before the assassination.
Bin Laden's comments offered an unusually direct attack on Israel, stepping up al-Qaida's attempts to use the Israeli-Arab conflict to rally supporters. Israel has warned of growing al-Qaida activity in Palestinian territory, though terror network is not believed to have taken a strong role there so far.
"We intend to liberate Palestine, the whole of Palestine from the (Jordan) river to the sea," he said, threatening "blood for blood, destruction for destruction."
"We will not recognize even one inch for Jews in the land of Palestine as other Muslim leaders have," bin Laden said.
In Iraq, a number of Sunni Arab tribes in western Anbar province have formed a coalition fighting al-Qaida-linked insurgents that U.S. officials credit for deeply reducing violence in the province. The U.S. military has been working to form similar "Awakening Councils" in other areas of Iraq.
Bin Laden said Sunni Arabs who have joined the Awakening Councils "have betrayed the nation and brought disgrace and shame to their people. They will suffer in life and in the afterlife."
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said bin Laden's tape shows that al-Qaida's aim is to block democracy and freedom for all Iraqis.
"It also reminds us that the mission to defeat al-Qaida in Iraq is critically important and must succeed," Fratto said. "The Iraqi people every day, and in increasing numbers are choosing freedom and standing against the murderous, hateful ideology of AQI. And we stand with them."
Read More
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Now, somebody is lying because according to Benzar Bhutto Bin Laden is dead.
George Bush Sr. May Face Charges: Conspiring to Kidnap and Murder Political Activists
Former military dictator Jorge Rafael Videla and 16 other military leaders in Argentina will be prosecuted on charges of conspiring to kidnap and kill political activists in a scheme known as Plan Condor, developed by Henry Kissinger and George Bush Sr., head of the CIA at the time. Dictators in Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina killed opponents in the 1970s and 80s under the plan, also known as Operation Condor. The United States and Latin American military governments developed Operation Condor as a a transnational, state-sponsored terrorist coalition among the militaries of South America. In Argentina alone some 30,000 people were disappeared as result, leaving loved ones to seek justice decades later.
Coordinating Terror with U.S. support
Plan Condor began with the U.S. supported military coup against Chile's democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. Allende's government was targeted as a threat to U.S. strategic policy in Latin America early on. White House tapes reveal that on Sept. 14, 1970, then-President Richard Nixon ordered measures to force the Chilean economy into bankruptcy. "The U.S. will not accept a Marxist government just because of the irresponsibility of the Chilean people," declared Henry Kissinger, Nixon´s secretary of State.
Declassified U.S. Department of State documents have provided evidence to Plan Condor's broad scope. The Operation was an ambitious and successful plan to coordinate repression internationally. FBI special agent intelligence liason to the Southern Cone countries Robert Scherrer (now deceased) sent the letter to the U.S. embassy in Argentina on September 28, 1976: "'Operation Condor' is the code name for the collection, exchange and storage of intelligence data concerning so-called 'leftists,' communists and Marxists, which was recently established between cooperating intelligence services in South America in order to eliminate Marxist terrorist activities in the area."
The memo also specified Argentina's enthusiasm over the plan. "Members of 'Operation Condor' showing the most enthusiasm to date have been Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The latter three countries have engaged in joint operations, primarily in Argentina, against the terrorist target." Operation Condor has been difficult to investigate, due to the selectivity of victims and lack of official declassified documents from the CIA and Department of State. Many of the documents that have been released have been heavily censored. However, following an extensive investigation by Argentine courts beginning in 1999 and the decade long work of human rights groups to collect forensic evidence, 17 military leaders will be put on trial for their participation in the illegal persecution of social activists.
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Source
Coordinating Terror with U.S. support
Plan Condor began with the U.S. supported military coup against Chile's democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. Allende's government was targeted as a threat to U.S. strategic policy in Latin America early on. White House tapes reveal that on Sept. 14, 1970, then-President Richard Nixon ordered measures to force the Chilean economy into bankruptcy. "The U.S. will not accept a Marxist government just because of the irresponsibility of the Chilean people," declared Henry Kissinger, Nixon´s secretary of State.
Declassified U.S. Department of State documents have provided evidence to Plan Condor's broad scope. The Operation was an ambitious and successful plan to coordinate repression internationally. FBI special agent intelligence liason to the Southern Cone countries Robert Scherrer (now deceased) sent the letter to the U.S. embassy in Argentina on September 28, 1976: "'Operation Condor' is the code name for the collection, exchange and storage of intelligence data concerning so-called 'leftists,' communists and Marxists, which was recently established between cooperating intelligence services in South America in order to eliminate Marxist terrorist activities in the area."
The memo also specified Argentina's enthusiasm over the plan. "Members of 'Operation Condor' showing the most enthusiasm to date have been Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The latter three countries have engaged in joint operations, primarily in Argentina, against the terrorist target." Operation Condor has been difficult to investigate, due to the selectivity of victims and lack of official declassified documents from the CIA and Department of State. Many of the documents that have been released have been heavily censored. However, following an extensive investigation by Argentine courts beginning in 1999 and the decade long work of human rights groups to collect forensic evidence, 17 military leaders will be put on trial for their participation in the illegal persecution of social activists.
*********
Source
A People’s Revolution in New Orleans - So begins the Civil War in the United States
"The New Orleans City Council has unanimously voted to move ahead with the demolition of 4,500 units of public housing. Under the plan, the city’s four largest public housing developments will be razed and replaced with mixed-income housing. Hundreds of people were turned away from the City Council meeting with pepper spray and tasers. Many were arrested."
Hillary vs Obama, the American dilema
Only days before the Iowa primary, Obama, Hillary and Edwards are running neck and neck on the stretch to the finish line. As a betting observer, I put my money on Obama to win, Edward to place and Hillary to show.
The campaign rhetoric has been hot and negative mostly from the Hillary camp. The lady was dubbed the inevitable candidate to win the democratic nomination by a partial and manipulative media influenced by the Clinton political machine. The Des moines Register is an example. Every body would have swallowed the propaganda, matched along like sheep, just waited in the end to crown her majesty Hillary the president except, Barack Obama and the smart people of Iowa have something to say about it.
This race has come down to Hillary vs. Obama and it presents a serious challenge to the American voters starting with the Iowa primary. The dilemma facing voters is the choice between a fresh thinking and capable leader like Barack Obama and a crafty and divisive political opportunist like Hillary Clinton. Let's examine the two candidates carefully before casting the critical vote to turn this country around or continue in the path of national suicide.
Wordtodawise's diary :: ::
Barack Obama is a very fine presidential specimen. He is highly intelligent, intuitive, eloquent, charismatic and inspirational. He has methodically crafted himself, guided by great vision and inner strength into a very successful family man and influential politician. In a word, he is a great achiever.
Contrast Obama to Hillary Clinton and the difference is quite remarkable. Hillary simply doesn't posses the endearing qualities of Obama. She has ridden the coat tail of Bill Clinton to political stardom. Much has been made of her experience but this claim is weak considering that Hillary was no VP nor did she hold any political position in the White house.
Hillary flunked the only meaningful healthcare assignment that Bill gave her. She voted for the war in Iraq, and then supported the dumb declaration of the revolutionary guard of Iran as terrorist. She said we are safer now but not safe enough. She said she would not communicate with the leaders of the three axis of evil thus planning to maintain the failed Bush doctrine. It’s ironic that she has supported critical bush positions yet is a very vocal critic. Such opportunism reflects a very serious character flaw.
Hillary's report card is full of failures even without going into her personal life, something republicans delight in. This writer loathes that tactic and deplores it. Now, would you trust the judgment of Hillary Clinton as your leader if your money and life depended on it? The obvious answer is no. So, why should she be president of the United States?
Obama and Hillary should be judged by their performance in this campaign. Hillary started on third base, backed by an ex president and the full weight of special interest groups and their media. Obama started at first base and is now on third base while Hillary panics and sweats and we all see it.
Obama has clearly demonstrated superior organization, management and political skills. What better credentials can there be to qualify for the job of being president. No body from history has presidential experience because they never occupied the office prior to being elected. They are elected president because voters speculate on their strengths, character, likeability and fit.
About the issue of experience, no democrat should be elected to the White House simply because they have the experience of beating off miserable republicans in personal wars. The country has no need for such divisive encounters. If Hillary was nominated and became president, the country will be rocked with furious political and social wars and nothing will be accomplished in the next four pitiful years.
This is the time for real change and Barack Obama is the real deal. A vote for Hillary will be the third coming of George W Bush. No, please no, spare the nation the agony and the horror. Keep the Clintons away from the White House.
Link
The campaign rhetoric has been hot and negative mostly from the Hillary camp. The lady was dubbed the inevitable candidate to win the democratic nomination by a partial and manipulative media influenced by the Clinton political machine. The Des moines Register is an example. Every body would have swallowed the propaganda, matched along like sheep, just waited in the end to crown her majesty Hillary the president except, Barack Obama and the smart people of Iowa have something to say about it.
This race has come down to Hillary vs. Obama and it presents a serious challenge to the American voters starting with the Iowa primary. The dilemma facing voters is the choice between a fresh thinking and capable leader like Barack Obama and a crafty and divisive political opportunist like Hillary Clinton. Let's examine the two candidates carefully before casting the critical vote to turn this country around or continue in the path of national suicide.
Wordtodawise's diary :: ::
Barack Obama is a very fine presidential specimen. He is highly intelligent, intuitive, eloquent, charismatic and inspirational. He has methodically crafted himself, guided by great vision and inner strength into a very successful family man and influential politician. In a word, he is a great achiever.
Contrast Obama to Hillary Clinton and the difference is quite remarkable. Hillary simply doesn't posses the endearing qualities of Obama. She has ridden the coat tail of Bill Clinton to political stardom. Much has been made of her experience but this claim is weak considering that Hillary was no VP nor did she hold any political position in the White house.
Hillary flunked the only meaningful healthcare assignment that Bill gave her. She voted for the war in Iraq, and then supported the dumb declaration of the revolutionary guard of Iran as terrorist. She said we are safer now but not safe enough. She said she would not communicate with the leaders of the three axis of evil thus planning to maintain the failed Bush doctrine. It’s ironic that she has supported critical bush positions yet is a very vocal critic. Such opportunism reflects a very serious character flaw.
Hillary's report card is full of failures even without going into her personal life, something republicans delight in. This writer loathes that tactic and deplores it. Now, would you trust the judgment of Hillary Clinton as your leader if your money and life depended on it? The obvious answer is no. So, why should she be president of the United States?
Obama and Hillary should be judged by their performance in this campaign. Hillary started on third base, backed by an ex president and the full weight of special interest groups and their media. Obama started at first base and is now on third base while Hillary panics and sweats and we all see it.
Obama has clearly demonstrated superior organization, management and political skills. What better credentials can there be to qualify for the job of being president. No body from history has presidential experience because they never occupied the office prior to being elected. They are elected president because voters speculate on their strengths, character, likeability and fit.
About the issue of experience, no democrat should be elected to the White House simply because they have the experience of beating off miserable republicans in personal wars. The country has no need for such divisive encounters. If Hillary was nominated and became president, the country will be rocked with furious political and social wars and nothing will be accomplished in the next four pitiful years.
This is the time for real change and Barack Obama is the real deal. A vote for Hillary will be the third coming of George W Bush. No, please no, spare the nation the agony and the horror. Keep the Clintons away from the White House.
Link
A stink on the White House
President Bush and his crime syndicate have put a stink on the White House and on government itself. By failing to cleanse the foul odors with the fire of
impeachment, the Democrats have put the stink on themselves.
The Democrats appear to be playing politics. They claim that with a Democrat as president over a Demo-
cratic Congress, they will finally be able to address the grave misdeeds and misgovernance of the past seven years. But there is no evidence that Democratic rule will be a Constitutional Rule.
There is nothing to prevent a Democratic president from exercising the same illegal, unconstitutional and
tyrannical powers asserted by the Bush government. In fact, since the Democratic Congress served as towel-holders and enablers of a manifestly criminal Republican president, what leads any of us to suppose that a Democratic Congress would enforce the law under a president of their own party? How naïve! Let me know how that works out...
The stink of President Bush is particularly foul and it is impossible to ignore -- unless you are a Democratic member of Congress. Bush's crimes are well documented and public knowledge. They include:
• Torture and extra-judicial killings of suspects.
• Illegal domestic spying and warrantless searches.
• Treasonous conspiracy to disclose the identity of a deep-cover CIA operative who was working to stop weapons of mass destruction proliferation pertaining to Iran, followed by obstruction of justice, and a self-serving pardon of the only man brought to justice, "Scooter" Libby (which establishes the precedent that unless Congress exercises its right to impeach, a president can commit virtually any crime and then freely issue pardons as part of a cover-up).
• Repeated violations of First Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens (remember the "Free Speech Zones" and protest cages?).
• Illegally -- and stupidly -- starting a war with Iraq based on cooked intelligence and telling lies to the American public.
• Losing that war(!) and getting the US bogged down in a desert quagmire costing $200 billion a year.
• Rampant corruption and unabashed cronyism with phony "privatization" schemes involving no-bid contracts and government officials or ex-government officials (especially Cheney and Halliburton).
• The destruction of New Orleans.
There is much more, but if this list of crimes is not considered "impeachable" by the Democrats in Congress, then there is no point in continuing the list. In fact, Congress itself should be impeached at the same time, if that were legally possible! The Bush stink is rancid, like a skunk in an outhouse in summer. And that stink covers Congress and the government itself.
We know that many "Democrats" in Congress are active players in the Bush Regime -- Senators Lieberman, Feinstein and Reid are major players, along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, but there are many, many more Democrats who have collaborated with Bush-Cheney in their crimes. Only a handful of Democrats and Republicans believe the myth of "Constitution" any longer. The rest must be smoked out of their hidey holes by voters during the coming years.
Source
impeachment, the Democrats have put the stink on themselves.
The Democrats appear to be playing politics. They claim that with a Democrat as president over a Demo-
cratic Congress, they will finally be able to address the grave misdeeds and misgovernance of the past seven years. But there is no evidence that Democratic rule will be a Constitutional Rule.
There is nothing to prevent a Democratic president from exercising the same illegal, unconstitutional and
tyrannical powers asserted by the Bush government. In fact, since the Democratic Congress served as towel-holders and enablers of a manifestly criminal Republican president, what leads any of us to suppose that a Democratic Congress would enforce the law under a president of their own party? How naïve! Let me know how that works out...
The stink of President Bush is particularly foul and it is impossible to ignore -- unless you are a Democratic member of Congress. Bush's crimes are well documented and public knowledge. They include:
• Torture and extra-judicial killings of suspects.
• Illegal domestic spying and warrantless searches.
• Treasonous conspiracy to disclose the identity of a deep-cover CIA operative who was working to stop weapons of mass destruction proliferation pertaining to Iran, followed by obstruction of justice, and a self-serving pardon of the only man brought to justice, "Scooter" Libby (which establishes the precedent that unless Congress exercises its right to impeach, a president can commit virtually any crime and then freely issue pardons as part of a cover-up).
• Repeated violations of First Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens (remember the "Free Speech Zones" and protest cages?).
• Illegally -- and stupidly -- starting a war with Iraq based on cooked intelligence and telling lies to the American public.
• Losing that war(!) and getting the US bogged down in a desert quagmire costing $200 billion a year.
• Rampant corruption and unabashed cronyism with phony "privatization" schemes involving no-bid contracts and government officials or ex-government officials (especially Cheney and Halliburton).
• The destruction of New Orleans.
There is much more, but if this list of crimes is not considered "impeachable" by the Democrats in Congress, then there is no point in continuing the list. In fact, Congress itself should be impeached at the same time, if that were legally possible! The Bush stink is rancid, like a skunk in an outhouse in summer. And that stink covers Congress and the government itself.
We know that many "Democrats" in Congress are active players in the Bush Regime -- Senators Lieberman, Feinstein and Reid are major players, along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, but there are many, many more Democrats who have collaborated with Bush-Cheney in their crimes. Only a handful of Democrats and Republicans believe the myth of "Constitution" any longer. The rest must be smoked out of their hidey holes by voters during the coming years.
Source
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Vermont town seeks Bush, Cheney arrests
President Bush may soon have a new reason to avoid left-leaning Vermont: In one town, activists want him subject to arrest for war crimes.
A group in Brattleboro is petitioning to put an item on a town meeting agenda in March that would make Bush and Vice President Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit the southeastern Vermont community.
"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence, and it draws on that tradition in claiming a universal jurisdiction when governments fail to do what they're supposed to do," said Kurt Daims, 54, a retired machinist leading the drive.
As president, Bush has visited every state except Vermont.
The town meeting, an annual exercise in which residents gather to vote on everything from fire department budgets to municipal policy, requires about 1,000 signatures to place a binding item on the agenda.
The measure asks: "Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictment for consideration by other municipalities?"
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. The press office did not immediately respond to an e-mail.
Read More
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I guess people are turning it up a notch, when the complicit congress wont do anything about the abuses by the Bush administration then it's up to the people to take matters into their own hands. Go Vermont!
A group in Brattleboro is petitioning to put an item on a town meeting agenda in March that would make Bush and Vice President Cheney subject to arrest and indictment if they visit the southeastern Vermont community.
"This petition is as radical as the Declaration of Independence, and it draws on that tradition in claiming a universal jurisdiction when governments fail to do what they're supposed to do," said Kurt Daims, 54, a retired machinist leading the drive.
As president, Bush has visited every state except Vermont.
The town meeting, an annual exercise in which residents gather to vote on everything from fire department budgets to municipal policy, requires about 1,000 signatures to place a binding item on the agenda.
The measure asks: "Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictment for consideration by other municipalities?"
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. The press office did not immediately respond to an e-mail.
Read More
******
I guess people are turning it up a notch, when the complicit congress wont do anything about the abuses by the Bush administration then it's up to the people to take matters into their own hands. Go Vermont!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Bin Laden is Dead According to Benazir Bhutto
The lady who new too much, who really killed Benazir Bhutto? Now if you look at the video, 2:20 into it she states that Bin Laden was Murdered. You can call me a conspiracy nut or whatever but I think some intelligence agency was behind the assassination cause she new a little too much. This whole so called war on terror is bogus, the official story of 9/11 is suspect. The light is about to be shined and these cockroaches (the government officials) that are involved are getting desperate.
Giuliani's Official Advocates Ethnic Cleansing of all Muslims
This has already gotten some attention, but it deserves a lot more.
The Guardian of London is conducting video documentaries up in New Hampshire. And they did a segment on Rudy in which they got a very off-kilter quote about Muslims from a Rudy campaign official in the state. The Guardian identifies him as John Deady, the co-chair of state Veterans for Rudy.
Deady -- and the key here is that he is a Rudy campaign official -- says that Rudy should be our President because he has what it takes to tackle one of our "most difficult problems," which he identifies as the "rise of the Muslims." Deady adds that we need to "chase them back to their caves" or otherwise "get rid of them."
Here's the quote:
"He's got I believe the knowledge and the judgement to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history and that is the rise of the Muslims, and make no mistake about it, this hasn't happened for a thousand years. These people are very dedicated and they're also very very smart in their own way. We need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them."
Source
****
Rudy Giuliani is one old creepy sick bastard, all he talks about is continuing and starting more wars. He must be desperately trying to get the southern racist voters. I think the international community is sitting back to see who we will pick to lead this country for the next 4 to 8 years and if we are dumb enough to pick another war monger I don't think China and Russia is going to sit back allow us to continue this "Cowboy" foreign policy of shoot first and ask questions later. I really think they will make moves to oppose and contain us.
The Guardian of London is conducting video documentaries up in New Hampshire. And they did a segment on Rudy in which they got a very off-kilter quote about Muslims from a Rudy campaign official in the state. The Guardian identifies him as John Deady, the co-chair of state Veterans for Rudy.
Deady -- and the key here is that he is a Rudy campaign official -- says that Rudy should be our President because he has what it takes to tackle one of our "most difficult problems," which he identifies as the "rise of the Muslims." Deady adds that we need to "chase them back to their caves" or otherwise "get rid of them."
Here's the quote:
"He's got I believe the knowledge and the judgement to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history and that is the rise of the Muslims, and make no mistake about it, this hasn't happened for a thousand years. These people are very dedicated and they're also very very smart in their own way. We need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them."
Source
****
Rudy Giuliani is one old creepy sick bastard, all he talks about is continuing and starting more wars. He must be desperately trying to get the southern racist voters. I think the international community is sitting back to see who we will pick to lead this country for the next 4 to 8 years and if we are dumb enough to pick another war monger I don't think China and Russia is going to sit back allow us to continue this "Cowboy" foreign policy of shoot first and ask questions later. I really think they will make moves to oppose and contain us.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Pats-Giants Game to be Simulcast on NBC, CBS
The Saturday night game in which the New England Patriots will be trying to set an NFL record by finishing the regular season with an undefeated record will be simulcast on CBS and NBC, the NFL has just announced.
Originally the 8:15 p.m. game against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., was scheduled to be carried only on the NFL Network. Because of a dispute with Time Warner and Comcast, that network is available in fewer than 40 percent of the nation's homes that have televisions.
"We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement. "What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever."
This will be the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and is the first simulcast of any kind for the NFL since Super Bowl I (between the AFL and NFL) on CBS and NBC on Jan. 15, 1967.
The Patriots-Giants simulcast will be the NFL Network's feed, featuring broadcasters Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth.
Of course, the game isn't exactly interrupting Must-See TV; the Saturday night lineup is traditionally one of the weakest for over-the-air networks. Here's what was scheduled for CBS and NBC on Saturday:
NBC -- "Dateline NBC" and "Law & Order: SVU"
CBS -- "Good Night and Good Luck" (the 2005 George Clooney movie) and "48 Hours Mystery."
Originally the 8:15 p.m. game against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., was scheduled to be carried only on the NFL Network. Because of a dispute with Time Warner and Comcast, that network is available in fewer than 40 percent of the nation's homes that have televisions.
"We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement. "What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever."
This will be the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and is the first simulcast of any kind for the NFL since Super Bowl I (between the AFL and NFL) on CBS and NBC on Jan. 15, 1967.
The Patriots-Giants simulcast will be the NFL Network's feed, featuring broadcasters Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth.
Of course, the game isn't exactly interrupting Must-See TV; the Saturday night lineup is traditionally one of the weakest for over-the-air networks. Here's what was scheduled for CBS and NBC on Saturday:
NBC -- "Dateline NBC" and "Law & Order: SVU"
CBS -- "Good Night and Good Luck" (the 2005 George Clooney movie) and "48 Hours Mystery."
The Oligarchy Has Picked Its Candidate!
The wreckage caused by the Republicans and the Bush Administration is even too much for the corporate oligarchy to take. Although Republicans have usually been their favored party, they now want a Democrat in the White House and they want that Democrat to be Hillary Clinton.
The Hillary-Bill combo has worked for the oligarchy before and will work for it again. They've been tried, tested, and vetted to carry forward the oligarch agenda. Our two-party system pays close attention to the dressing of democracy; there always has to be a choice, a Tweedledee and a Tweedledum and always a way to vote for a lesser of two evils -- which, unfortunately, becomes the evil of two lessers. Through the strategy of triangulation, the Clintons have achieved the strangulation of the democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Where are you, Dick Morris, now that the Clintons need you again?
The running dogs (the fourth estate) have gotten the message and you can hear the slow build of their howl. They can stage a mighty convincing horse race. But the election is already being fixed, as it was stolen in 2000 and 2004.
That's capitalism, for you. Its nature is to show the appearance of democracy, masking the actuality of oligarchic control, while robbing the working class of the surplus value it creates. The Clintons have proven they can do the oligarchy's dirty work when called upon to do it. They will get the prize money for services rendered.
So, let's follow the money.
Read more...
The Hillary-Bill combo has worked for the oligarchy before and will work for it again. They've been tried, tested, and vetted to carry forward the oligarch agenda. Our two-party system pays close attention to the dressing of democracy; there always has to be a choice, a Tweedledee and a Tweedledum and always a way to vote for a lesser of two evils -- which, unfortunately, becomes the evil of two lessers. Through the strategy of triangulation, the Clintons have achieved the strangulation of the democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Where are you, Dick Morris, now that the Clintons need you again?
The running dogs (the fourth estate) have gotten the message and you can hear the slow build of their howl. They can stage a mighty convincing horse race. But the election is already being fixed, as it was stolen in 2000 and 2004.
That's capitalism, for you. Its nature is to show the appearance of democracy, masking the actuality of oligarchic control, while robbing the working class of the surplus value it creates. The Clintons have proven they can do the oligarchy's dirty work when called upon to do it. They will get the prize money for services rendered.
So, let's follow the money.
Read more...
Juvenile Justice in America
On any given day more than 7,500 juveniles are held in adult jails and prisons across the country. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says youths who are tried as adults and housed in these facilitates are more likely to commit suicide, be sexually assaulted and or be attacked with a weapon than their counterparts in juvenile facilities. Back in 1974, Congress signed the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection Act, the act was to provide federal funding to improve states' juvenile justice systems and provide protection for youth offenders going to adult jails. Recently, Congress held its first hearing on the act in more than seven years – with critics charging that children in the juvenile justice system need protection now more than ever before. FSRN's Karen Miller has more.
Source
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A true sign a country has lost it's moral compass is when it gives up on it's youth.
Source
******
A true sign a country has lost it's moral compass is when it gives up on it's youth.
Is the GOP party an evil organization?
Since the New Deal, Republicans have been on the wrong side of every issue of concern to ordinary Americans; Social Security, the war in Vietnam, equal rights, civil liberties, church- state separation, consumer issues, public education, reproductive freedom, national health care, labor issues, gun policy, campaign-finance reform, the environment and tax fairness. No political party could remain so consistently wrong by accident.
The only rational conclusion is that, despite their cynical "family values" propaganda, the Republican Party is a criminal conspiracy to betray the interests of the American people in favor of plutocratic and corporate interests, and absolutist religious groups.
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Hmmm, it does make you wonder.
The only rational conclusion is that, despite their cynical "family values" propaganda, the Republican Party is a criminal conspiracy to betray the interests of the American people in favor of plutocratic and corporate interests, and absolutist religious groups.
***********************************************************************************
Hmmm, it does make you wonder.
Pakistan's Bhutto killed in attack
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday by an attacker who shot her after a campaign rally and then blew himself up. Her death stoked new chaos across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
At least 20 others were killed in the attack on the rally for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections where the 54-year-old former prime minister had just spoken.
At least nine people were killed across the country in rioting that broke out in the aftermath of the assassination. In the southern port city of Karachi, angry Bhutto supporters shot at police and burned a gas station.
At the hospital where Bhutto died, some supporters smashed glass and wailed, chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf blamed Islamic extremists for her death and said he would redouble his efforts to fight them.
"This is the work of those terrorists with whom we are engaged in war," he said in a nationally televised speech. "I have been saying that the nation faces the greatest threats from these terrorists. ... We will not rest until we eliminate these terrorists and root them out."
In the U.S., a tense looking President Bush strongly condemned the attack "by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy." White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Bush spoke briefly by phone with Musharraf.
Read More
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Whoever was really behind the killing is anybodies guess, it just seems like any corrupt government around the world today can do any evil thing they want and just blame it on Al-Quaida. The extemist group has become a useful scapegoat for evil regimes including the Bush Administration.
At least 20 others were killed in the attack on the rally for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections where the 54-year-old former prime minister had just spoken.
At least nine people were killed across the country in rioting that broke out in the aftermath of the assassination. In the southern port city of Karachi, angry Bhutto supporters shot at police and burned a gas station.
At the hospital where Bhutto died, some supporters smashed glass and wailed, chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf blamed Islamic extremists for her death and said he would redouble his efforts to fight them.
"This is the work of those terrorists with whom we are engaged in war," he said in a nationally televised speech. "I have been saying that the nation faces the greatest threats from these terrorists. ... We will not rest until we eliminate these terrorists and root them out."
In the U.S., a tense looking President Bush strongly condemned the attack "by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy." White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Bush spoke briefly by phone with Musharraf.
Read More
***********************************************************************************
Whoever was really behind the killing is anybodies guess, it just seems like any corrupt government around the world today can do any evil thing they want and just blame it on Al-Quaida. The extemist group has become a useful scapegoat for evil regimes including the Bush Administration.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
B2K Manager: Sexual Abuse Claims are Crap
Chris Stokes (center), who managed the band B2K before they broke up, is vehemently denying allegations he sexually abused former member Demario "Raz-B" Thorton (right) and his brother, Ricardo aka Ricky Romance (left).
The allegations, which surfaced on YouTube, include improper touching and outright molestation. Interestingly, both alleged victims can be heard generally accusing Stokes, but for the most part their statements lack specifics.
Stokes released this statement:
"The accusations that Demario "Raz B" Thorton and Ricardo Thorton have made are vehemently false and hold no merit. I have recently stopped financially supporting both individuals along with assisting them with their criminal and legal matters which leads me to believe they are resentful and looking to benefit financially from this."
The statement continues: "My family is my first priority and the reason why I have been so supportive of them. In bringing these false claims, they have not only slandered me, they have also put me in a position to ensure that the truth is known and I will take all legal routes to protect myself, my family and my four children ... It's also quite ironic that these statements were made only 2 weeks after they were denied admittance by a venue for an event I hosted in Beverly Hills."
Source
End police misconduct or risk loss of 2016 Olympic bid?
Rev. Al Sharpton led a group of Chicago area lawyers and community activists in threatening to lobby the International Olympic Committee to remove the city from consideration as host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games if immediate action is not taken to address claims of brutality and misconduct involving members of the Chicago police department.
“The Olympics can be a point of leverage for people in this city that have not been able to get direct action by the city (officials) to say that the world must know the kind of city this is,” said Rev. Sharpton at a press conference at City Hall on Dec. 10.
Rev. Sharpton said a planning and action committee will meet here Dec. 29. If Mayor Richard M. Daley and city officials have not taken “definite concrete steps” to deal with police misconduct an escalation in activities may occur, including contacting members of the IOC to inform them of police abuses that include false arrest, harassment, unlawful detainment and unjustified deaths.
“I think you have police problems everywhere, but never have I seen a city where it is so blatant that nobody ever gets prosecuted.I mean nobody,” Rev. Sharpton told The Final Call. “You just pay, but there is no crime,” he added.
*****
Critics of Mayor Daley suggest his cozy relationship with the police department is connected to his tenure as Illinois states attorney, which includes the infamous reign of Commander Jon Burge. Commander Burge, according to the sworn testimony and complaints by victims and court records, used torture techniques such as cattle prods, electrical shocks to the ears, arms and genitalia of suspects, handcuffed suspects to hot radiators and suffocated suspects with plastic bags in the late 1970s.The suspects, mostly Black males, were subjected to torture to coerce confessions.
Read More Here
“The Olympics can be a point of leverage for people in this city that have not been able to get direct action by the city (officials) to say that the world must know the kind of city this is,” said Rev. Sharpton at a press conference at City Hall on Dec. 10.
Rev. Sharpton said a planning and action committee will meet here Dec. 29. If Mayor Richard M. Daley and city officials have not taken “definite concrete steps” to deal with police misconduct an escalation in activities may occur, including contacting members of the IOC to inform them of police abuses that include false arrest, harassment, unlawful detainment and unjustified deaths.
“I think you have police problems everywhere, but never have I seen a city where it is so blatant that nobody ever gets prosecuted.I mean nobody,” Rev. Sharpton told The Final Call. “You just pay, but there is no crime,” he added.
*****
Critics of Mayor Daley suggest his cozy relationship with the police department is connected to his tenure as Illinois states attorney, which includes the infamous reign of Commander Jon Burge. Commander Burge, according to the sworn testimony and complaints by victims and court records, used torture techniques such as cattle prods, electrical shocks to the ears, arms and genitalia of suspects, handcuffed suspects to hot radiators and suffocated suspects with plastic bags in the late 1970s.The suspects, mostly Black males, were subjected to torture to coerce confessions.
Read More Here
Satan himself is preferable to Hillary Clinton
It is time to speak of pragmatics in the upcoming presidential election, now, before the primaries. In my opinion, if in fact Hillary Clinton is selected as the Democratic candidate, then -- even if Satan himself is the Republican candidate -- we ought to vote for the Republican, if he has a chance of beating Hillary!
There are two reasons for this. First is that Hillary is a Republican running as a Democrat. In college she even joined the Young Republicans club on campus, and to this day she is pro-war and corporate owned.
Not to mention the fact that she is a scheming, Machiavellian, B.S. "artiste" who will say anything to get elected. Her most recent fabulosities are that a) the price of oil will drop as soon as she is elected, and b) that she was actually "co-president" during the Bill Clinton presidency.
The reality on the ground is that scientists working on nanotechnology and synthetic biology are well on the way to commercializing affordable alternative energy products, without Hillary's benevolent, guiding hands.
And Hillary's stories about her 35 years of "experience" and her co-presidency for 8 years are a joke. Her actual experience consists of being a do-nothing New York senator.
The second reason why non-Republican voters should vote against Hillary by voting for the Republican nominee is that it is time to expose the lie of the Democratic party. It is time to rub their wet brown noses in their messes!
During the Bush Presidency the Democrats have been enablers and facilitators of every idiotic, unpatriotic, illegal, corrupt monstrosity that Bush and Cheney have put forward. Even with majorities in the House and Senate since 2006 they have followed the Bush-Cheney lead, apparently with the "vision" that by not alienating Republican voters that one day the Democrats would return to power and rule.
But because the Democrats have misused the power of change which they were given in November of 2006, even what little power they have ought rightly be taken away. Better that the country continue with divided leadership than to have both Congress and the Executive Branch controlled scurvy, opportunistic, lying Democrats.
The Democratic Party sought to trade off our liberties, our Constitution, our national wealth, and our good name in the world for political expediency. They really ought to be punished if they attempt to propel Sen Mrs Clinton into the Oval Office. If she is the nominee it won't be an election, it will be a selection. It will be more Bush agenda except with some degree of competence.
Hillary Clinton represents the Big Money, American Empire, Police State, Military-Industrial complex America. A vote for Hillary means voting to disempower yourself.
Do the math. It isn't enough to just not vote for Hillary. That alters the vote count by just one. To effect a two-vote swing you need to take your vote from Hillary and give it to the candidate with the best chance of defeating her. And remember: more than half of eligible voters won't show up, so your vote counts double. So if you vote for the leading opponent of Hillary in the general election you provide a four-vote swing in the totals.
If neither John Edwards nor Barack Obama is nominated by the Democrats then I will vote for Satan Himself if he is the Republican nominee and appears to have a chance of beating her.
And hey, the difference between Satan's leadership and GWB's is microscopic. In effect, a vote for Satan means a vote for continuity of leadership.
And you Red Staters want to take America to Hell, with more of the last seven years? Ok, do it! Let's go, baby -- you first...
Source
There are two reasons for this. First is that Hillary is a Republican running as a Democrat. In college she even joined the Young Republicans club on campus, and to this day she is pro-war and corporate owned.
Not to mention the fact that she is a scheming, Machiavellian, B.S. "artiste" who will say anything to get elected. Her most recent fabulosities are that a) the price of oil will drop as soon as she is elected, and b) that she was actually "co-president" during the Bill Clinton presidency.
The reality on the ground is that scientists working on nanotechnology and synthetic biology are well on the way to commercializing affordable alternative energy products, without Hillary's benevolent, guiding hands.
And Hillary's stories about her 35 years of "experience" and her co-presidency for 8 years are a joke. Her actual experience consists of being a do-nothing New York senator.
The second reason why non-Republican voters should vote against Hillary by voting for the Republican nominee is that it is time to expose the lie of the Democratic party. It is time to rub their wet brown noses in their messes!
During the Bush Presidency the Democrats have been enablers and facilitators of every idiotic, unpatriotic, illegal, corrupt monstrosity that Bush and Cheney have put forward. Even with majorities in the House and Senate since 2006 they have followed the Bush-Cheney lead, apparently with the "vision" that by not alienating Republican voters that one day the Democrats would return to power and rule.
But because the Democrats have misused the power of change which they were given in November of 2006, even what little power they have ought rightly be taken away. Better that the country continue with divided leadership than to have both Congress and the Executive Branch controlled scurvy, opportunistic, lying Democrats.
The Democratic Party sought to trade off our liberties, our Constitution, our national wealth, and our good name in the world for political expediency. They really ought to be punished if they attempt to propel Sen Mrs Clinton into the Oval Office. If she is the nominee it won't be an election, it will be a selection. It will be more Bush agenda except with some degree of competence.
Hillary Clinton represents the Big Money, American Empire, Police State, Military-Industrial complex America. A vote for Hillary means voting to disempower yourself.
Do the math. It isn't enough to just not vote for Hillary. That alters the vote count by just one. To effect a two-vote swing you need to take your vote from Hillary and give it to the candidate with the best chance of defeating her. And remember: more than half of eligible voters won't show up, so your vote counts double. So if you vote for the leading opponent of Hillary in the general election you provide a four-vote swing in the totals.
If neither John Edwards nor Barack Obama is nominated by the Democrats then I will vote for Satan Himself if he is the Republican nominee and appears to have a chance of beating her.
And hey, the difference between Satan's leadership and GWB's is microscopic. In effect, a vote for Satan means a vote for continuity of leadership.
And you Red Staters want to take America to Hell, with more of the last seven years? Ok, do it! Let's go, baby -- you first...
Source
American economy hijacked by corruption
Well, so far I have not heard any of the financial talking heads, or for that matter any of the candidates running for election in 2008, putting the blame of our rapidly disintegrating economy on the root cause, so-called "free trade".
This criminal money-making scheme, imposed upon the peoples of the world by the supporters of Globalism and their fellow conspirators on Wall Street and in Washington, has been a monumental failure right from the start. Designed to undermine organized labor by outsourcing both union and non union jobs to Third World nations, and by lowering or keeping stagnant the wages of those Americans still working,
the net result is that the rich are getting richer, and the poor getting poorer.
This is nothing new, as the rich and powerful have always been constantly at odds with the working man for as long as history has been recorded. What is different is the complete and total support for these destructive trade policies by those elected representatives of the people, the President, the Congress, and the Senate, who with few exceptions, are taking no action to head off the economic fiasco which now is bearing down on our hapless nation.
The unwillingness of our elected representatives to act upon the coming economic disaster can only be defined as treason, pure and simple. This sellout of the American worker began in earnest with Ronald Reagan firing the air traffic controllers during his term the White House, and it has continued under the subsequent administrations of GHW Bush and Bill Clinton.
While it was not surprising that the Republicans, with their traditional ties to big business, were hostile to the American labor force, it was a shock when Clinton, a Democrat, whose political party at one time enthusiastically supported labor in America, refused to veto NAFTA despite its obvious implications for the American worker.
Clinton's sellout to Wall Street and the Globalists began a stampede of businesses and manufacturers across the border into Mexico as soon as it was signed into law. Since Clinton's treason, the flow of American jobs out of the country has become a tidal wave, with most jobs formerly done by Americans now gone forever.
Indeed, It has not taken long for America to go into economic tailspin once the Wall Street conspirators and their political lackeys in Washington decided to stab their countrymen in the back. By supporting the voodoo economics practiced by the evil high priests of Wall Street, and conspiring with the backers of a Globalist New World Order, the corrupt and treasonous imposters who claim to represent the best interests of the American people have, so to speak, opened the gates of the nation to the depredations of modern day economic vandals.
With the burst of the housing bubble, the first of what will be many of the economic dominos to fall, and despite the infusion of billions of dollars by the Fed and billions from private investment banks, nothing is going to stave off the inevitable collapse so long as the fraud known as "free trade" remains in place.
The architects of this scam knew right from the get go that "free trade" would never work to the benefit of the masses. It was only but an opportunity for short-term looting and plunder of the economies of the world by the wealthy and powerful under the guise of legitimate economic planning.
However, like their co-conspirators in government with regard to foreign policy, concerning the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in particular, the Wall Street crooks do not have an exit plan to disengage once things start to go wrong. Therefore we the people will be forced unfairly to bear the brunt of the economic hardship initiated by a small group of traitors and criminals who have through greed and corruption hijacked a healthy and vibrant economy and replaced it with war, debt, inflation, growing unemployment, and the implementation of a police state.
Should we the people ever regain our Constitutional right to once more govern ourselves, those individuals who did their best to destroy our nation and to render us powerless must not be allowed to get away with it. Like the trials of the Nazi war criminals after WWII, the perpetrators of this coming economic calamity must be brought to justice for the harm they are bringing down upon the American people, and to those they have exploited around the World as well. We must not allow them to escape with their loot to live the rest of their lives in luxury -- they must face punishment for what they have done.
The Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials attempted to defend their horrendous actions by saying they were just following orders. That did not wash. The Wall Street executives and Washington politicians are already trying to justify their crimes against their country and the world as simply doing business. Sorry, but that is not going to wash either. Actions speak louder than words.
Source
This criminal money-making scheme, imposed upon the peoples of the world by the supporters of Globalism and their fellow conspirators on Wall Street and in Washington, has been a monumental failure right from the start. Designed to undermine organized labor by outsourcing both union and non union jobs to Third World nations, and by lowering or keeping stagnant the wages of those Americans still working,
the net result is that the rich are getting richer, and the poor getting poorer.
This is nothing new, as the rich and powerful have always been constantly at odds with the working man for as long as history has been recorded. What is different is the complete and total support for these destructive trade policies by those elected representatives of the people, the President, the Congress, and the Senate, who with few exceptions, are taking no action to head off the economic fiasco which now is bearing down on our hapless nation.
The unwillingness of our elected representatives to act upon the coming economic disaster can only be defined as treason, pure and simple. This sellout of the American worker began in earnest with Ronald Reagan firing the air traffic controllers during his term the White House, and it has continued under the subsequent administrations of GHW Bush and Bill Clinton.
While it was not surprising that the Republicans, with their traditional ties to big business, were hostile to the American labor force, it was a shock when Clinton, a Democrat, whose political party at one time enthusiastically supported labor in America, refused to veto NAFTA despite its obvious implications for the American worker.
Clinton's sellout to Wall Street and the Globalists began a stampede of businesses and manufacturers across the border into Mexico as soon as it was signed into law. Since Clinton's treason, the flow of American jobs out of the country has become a tidal wave, with most jobs formerly done by Americans now gone forever.
Indeed, It has not taken long for America to go into economic tailspin once the Wall Street conspirators and their political lackeys in Washington decided to stab their countrymen in the back. By supporting the voodoo economics practiced by the evil high priests of Wall Street, and conspiring with the backers of a Globalist New World Order, the corrupt and treasonous imposters who claim to represent the best interests of the American people have, so to speak, opened the gates of the nation to the depredations of modern day economic vandals.
With the burst of the housing bubble, the first of what will be many of the economic dominos to fall, and despite the infusion of billions of dollars by the Fed and billions from private investment banks, nothing is going to stave off the inevitable collapse so long as the fraud known as "free trade" remains in place.
The architects of this scam knew right from the get go that "free trade" would never work to the benefit of the masses. It was only but an opportunity for short-term looting and plunder of the economies of the world by the wealthy and powerful under the guise of legitimate economic planning.
However, like their co-conspirators in government with regard to foreign policy, concerning the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in particular, the Wall Street crooks do not have an exit plan to disengage once things start to go wrong. Therefore we the people will be forced unfairly to bear the brunt of the economic hardship initiated by a small group of traitors and criminals who have through greed and corruption hijacked a healthy and vibrant economy and replaced it with war, debt, inflation, growing unemployment, and the implementation of a police state.
Should we the people ever regain our Constitutional right to once more govern ourselves, those individuals who did their best to destroy our nation and to render us powerless must not be allowed to get away with it. Like the trials of the Nazi war criminals after WWII, the perpetrators of this coming economic calamity must be brought to justice for the harm they are bringing down upon the American people, and to those they have exploited around the World as well. We must not allow them to escape with their loot to live the rest of their lives in luxury -- they must face punishment for what they have done.
The Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials attempted to defend their horrendous actions by saying they were just following orders. That did not wash. The Wall Street executives and Washington politicians are already trying to justify their crimes against their country and the world as simply doing business. Sorry, but that is not going to wash either. Actions speak louder than words.
Source
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
R. Kelly: Take My Pic, Go to Jail!
In the irony to end all ironies, a woman was sentenced to five days in jail for snapping a pic of R. Kelly in court (big no-no!). Meanwhile, he hasn't even gone to trial yet over child porn charges -- and it's been over five years. Objection!
Jean Johnson, 49, used her cellphone camera to snap pictures of R. Kelly during a recent hearing. She plead guilty to contempt of court and was sentenced to the five days, but was released for time served.
Johnson claims that she is Kelly's "biggest fan," however, there are no pictures or video to prove it.
Source
Israel says their use of cluster bombs was legal
Excerpt
Israeli military prosecutors have determined that Israel's use of cluster bombs during last year's war in Lebanon did not violate international humanitarian law, the army said Monday, closing an investigation into a practice that has drawn heavy criticism from the United Nations and international human rights groups.
The investigation determined that Israel's use of the weapons, which open in flight and scatter dozens of bomblets, was a "concrete military necessity." No legal action would be taken against anyone in connection with use of the weapons, it said.
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of dropping about 4 million cluster bomblets during its 33-day war against the Hezbollah guerrilla movement. As many as 1 million bomblets failed to explode, according to the United Nations and the rights groups, and now endanger civilians. More than 30 people have been killed by cluster-bomb and land-mine explosions in Lebanon since the 2006 summer war.
Amnesty International has harshly criticized Israel for bombing civilian areas and using cluster bombs during the fighting. It also has criticized Hezbollah for firing nearly 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities and towns....
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Israeli military prosecutors have determined that Israel's use of cluster bombs during last year's war in Lebanon did not violate international humanitarian law, the army said Monday, closing an investigation into a practice that has drawn heavy criticism from the United Nations and international human rights groups.
The investigation determined that Israel's use of the weapons, which open in flight and scatter dozens of bomblets, was a "concrete military necessity." No legal action would be taken against anyone in connection with use of the weapons, it said.
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of dropping about 4 million cluster bomblets during its 33-day war against the Hezbollah guerrilla movement. As many as 1 million bomblets failed to explode, according to the United Nations and the rights groups, and now endanger civilians. More than 30 people have been killed by cluster-bomb and land-mine explosions in Lebanon since the 2006 summer war.
Amnesty International has harshly criticized Israel for bombing civilian areas and using cluster bombs during the fighting. It also has criticized Hezbollah for firing nearly 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities and towns....
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Barack Obama - Stand Up
Man B-Rock gives a powerful and inspiring speech, his oratorical skills are unmatched.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Our nation is now in a life and death struggle between the Ameican people and resurrected neo Nazis
Politics is for enablers and TV sitcomers. It now has nothing to do with anything.
In the early 20th Century, the German people (for a time) thought the same thing. The tsunami of Hitler Nazism was approaching, but they played meaningless political games, thinking they would solve everything. And the fruit of this Duh-brained silliness was the monstrous 3rd Reich of the 20th Century.
That's an EXACT parallel with what's now happening in American. The dems are the pugs and the pugs are the dems. End of conversation. The only quasi political distinction that now means anything is between fascists and liberals, but none of this has anything to do with establishment politics, i.e., the pugs are the dems and the dems are the pugs.
What's ACTUALLY happening in our rapidly dying Democratic Republic (maybe it's already dead) is now crystal clear: The American people are in ultimate conflict with an American version of a neo Nazi Party. Call this fascism if you wish, but it would be well to remember that another member of the Royal Bush Family, Prescott Bush (the grandfather of G.W.) tried to sell America to the Nazis in the 30's. Historically, the Bush's and Nazis have always been loving bedfellows. And one wonders if there's a swastika or two in those Skull and Bones secret society rooms at Yale -- whose members always included the Bush's.
But didn't the Nazis cease to exist after WW2? Clearly not! They had pockets all over the planet (Argentina comes to mind) in which, like cancer in remission, they kept their satanic flames alive, waiting, waiting, waiting . . .
But waiting for what? Waiting for George W. Bush. Waiting for ANOTHER chance to get a Bush to sell out America.
All that was missing in the year 2000 stolen election was for the fascist thugs of the elites who trashed the election centers to be wearing Nazi brown shirts.
And ever since that date, we have been playing catch up to the "big picture" of what is really happening to our country. Mostly, we thought it was politics, but then gradually, gradually we began to realize that the elite financed crime that dominated Washington had very little to do with the traditional Republican Party.
No, something else was taking over our country, murdering Mother Nature, bloating the elites, and turning our magnificent Constitution into toilet paper.
And gradually, gradually we began to realize that what was happening wasn't politics as usual, no matter how far you pushed the envelope.
So what was (is) this NON political "something else"? If it's not the traditional Republican Party of pre year 2000, than what is it?
It's a resurrected version of the Nazi Party! Period. Everything else is window dressing. The M.O. is identical. Propaganda (the Judas press), probable assassinations, the Bush middle man, the list goes on and on. And 9/11? Well, according to ALL the polls, most American's think the Bush/fascist version is b.s. to the skies -- and its historical common knowledge that the textbook Nazi modus operandi was to terrorize the public into thinking that only absolute fascist control of the country would “protect” its citizens. Sound familiar?
There's something liberating about seeing that politics is now totally moot. Hillary Clinton (the DLC presidential candidate and biological clone of George W. Bush) will do NOTHING about ANY of this if she's elected (God forbid!). Give us a break -- the woman doesn’t even know how to “spell” liberal.
No, the game rules have changed 100%
Our only hope left is that politics-transcending power of the people strategies and passions will save our nation from turning into the first 21st Century Nazi dictatorship.
Politics may still have to be the mechanism, but not (and never) establishment politics, which merely distracts us (like it did the Germans) from the horror which is stalking our beloved country.
Politics, yes, but not politics as the dog, but politics as the tail. The dog is the American people and politics must be the obedient tail. Thus, the ultimate conflict of our lives is between the AMERICAN PEOPLE and the first menacing resurgence of satanic neo Nazism in this century.
And why did the Nazis pick us? Ask the Bush Family.
If we ever needed Tiny Tim, we need him now: God bless us all every one.
Source
****************************************************************************
Americans better wake up before it's too late. And for those 25-30% who still support George Bush, we should give up trying to convince them and start treating them like the enemy.
In the early 20th Century, the German people (for a time) thought the same thing. The tsunami of Hitler Nazism was approaching, but they played meaningless political games, thinking they would solve everything. And the fruit of this Duh-brained silliness was the monstrous 3rd Reich of the 20th Century.
That's an EXACT parallel with what's now happening in American. The dems are the pugs and the pugs are the dems. End of conversation. The only quasi political distinction that now means anything is between fascists and liberals, but none of this has anything to do with establishment politics, i.e., the pugs are the dems and the dems are the pugs.
What's ACTUALLY happening in our rapidly dying Democratic Republic (maybe it's already dead) is now crystal clear: The American people are in ultimate conflict with an American version of a neo Nazi Party. Call this fascism if you wish, but it would be well to remember that another member of the Royal Bush Family, Prescott Bush (the grandfather of G.W.) tried to sell America to the Nazis in the 30's. Historically, the Bush's and Nazis have always been loving bedfellows. And one wonders if there's a swastika or two in those Skull and Bones secret society rooms at Yale -- whose members always included the Bush's.
But didn't the Nazis cease to exist after WW2? Clearly not! They had pockets all over the planet (Argentina comes to mind) in which, like cancer in remission, they kept their satanic flames alive, waiting, waiting, waiting . . .
But waiting for what? Waiting for George W. Bush. Waiting for ANOTHER chance to get a Bush to sell out America.
All that was missing in the year 2000 stolen election was for the fascist thugs of the elites who trashed the election centers to be wearing Nazi brown shirts.
And ever since that date, we have been playing catch up to the "big picture" of what is really happening to our country. Mostly, we thought it was politics, but then gradually, gradually we began to realize that the elite financed crime that dominated Washington had very little to do with the traditional Republican Party.
No, something else was taking over our country, murdering Mother Nature, bloating the elites, and turning our magnificent Constitution into toilet paper.
And gradually, gradually we began to realize that what was happening wasn't politics as usual, no matter how far you pushed the envelope.
So what was (is) this NON political "something else"? If it's not the traditional Republican Party of pre year 2000, than what is it?
It's a resurrected version of the Nazi Party! Period. Everything else is window dressing. The M.O. is identical. Propaganda (the Judas press), probable assassinations, the Bush middle man, the list goes on and on. And 9/11? Well, according to ALL the polls, most American's think the Bush/fascist version is b.s. to the skies -- and its historical common knowledge that the textbook Nazi modus operandi was to terrorize the public into thinking that only absolute fascist control of the country would “protect” its citizens. Sound familiar?
There's something liberating about seeing that politics is now totally moot. Hillary Clinton (the DLC presidential candidate and biological clone of George W. Bush) will do NOTHING about ANY of this if she's elected (God forbid!). Give us a break -- the woman doesn’t even know how to “spell” liberal.
No, the game rules have changed 100%
Our only hope left is that politics-transcending power of the people strategies and passions will save our nation from turning into the first 21st Century Nazi dictatorship.
Politics may still have to be the mechanism, but not (and never) establishment politics, which merely distracts us (like it did the Germans) from the horror which is stalking our beloved country.
Politics, yes, but not politics as the dog, but politics as the tail. The dog is the American people and politics must be the obedient tail. Thus, the ultimate conflict of our lives is between the AMERICAN PEOPLE and the first menacing resurgence of satanic neo Nazism in this century.
And why did the Nazis pick us? Ask the Bush Family.
If we ever needed Tiny Tim, we need him now: God bless us all every one.
Source
****************************************************************************
Americans better wake up before it's too late. And for those 25-30% who still support George Bush, we should give up trying to convince them and start treating them like the enemy.
Jay-Z to step down as President of Def Jam
The Jigga's up...and out the door.
Jay-Z will be having lots more time to spend with Beyoncé this New Year's after it was announced Monday that he would be stepping down as president of Def Jam effective Jan. 1.
He took over the reins at the famed hip-hop factory in 2005 shortly after he announced his brief retirement from recording.
During his two-year tenure, Jay-Z has signed the likes of Rihanna and Ne-Yo and overseen blockbuster releases by himself and Kanye West.
Universal Music, the parent of Def Jam, says the rapper will continue to record for the label.
Last month, the 38-year-old rap kingpin, whose real name is Shawn Carter, saw his latest album, American Gangster, open on top of the pop charts. That gave him 10 number one albums in 10 years and tied him with Elvis Presley for the most chart toppers by a solo artist. Hova and Presley trail only the Beatles, who have 19 number one albums.
He is also up for five Grammy Awards, while he helped steer Def Jam to a total of 26 nods.
In August, Jay-Z was tapped as the top Hip-Hop Cash King by Forbes magazine, pocketing $34 million the previous year.
Before taking over at Def Jam, Jay-Z cofounded Roc-A-Fella Records and several spinoff companies, including the Rocawear fashion label, which he has since sold for $204 million.
Link
Rapper Yung Joc Arrested on gun charges
Rapper Yung Joc has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon, after cops say they found a loaded semi-automatic gun in his carry-on bag at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. It's goin' down!
Joc, whose real name is Jasiel Robinson, was arrested around 6:15 AM Sunday morning, before boarding a Delta flight. He was attempting to go through a regular security checkpoint when police say they found the handgun and ammunition. Cops say the rapper told them he didn't know the weapon was there. Oops!
He was arrested without incident, is now free on $50,000 bail and will be arraigned Wednesday.
His attorney told the AP, "Yung Joc maintains his innocence. He would appreciate privacy as he addresses these allegations."
Link
Joc, whose real name is Jasiel Robinson, was arrested around 6:15 AM Sunday morning, before boarding a Delta flight. He was attempting to go through a regular security checkpoint when police say they found the handgun and ammunition. Cops say the rapper told them he didn't know the weapon was there. Oops!
He was arrested without incident, is now free on $50,000 bail and will be arraigned Wednesday.
His attorney told the AP, "Yung Joc maintains his innocence. He would appreciate privacy as he addresses these allegations."
Link
Jewish Defense League calls on Obama to repudiate Will Smith's comments on Hitler
On the day before Christmas, a leading Jewish group is kvetching loudly about Will Smith's recent suggestion that Adolf Hitler wasn't all bad, calling it "ignorant, detestable, and offensive." Oy.
And it doesn't end there ...
The Jewish Defense League is calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Smith's comments, and wants theaters to pull Smith's new flick "I Am Legend" from their screens. Smith told a Scottish paper that Hitler "didn't wake up going, 'Let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' ... I think he woke up the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'" What kind of meshuggeneh talk is that?!
Smith's words, say the JDL, "spit on the memory of every person murdered by the Nazis. His disgusting words stick a knife in the backs of every veteran who fought (and sometimes died) to save the world from the intentions of Adolf Hitler." Smith's rep could not be reached for comment.
Link
******
WTF! What does Obama have to do what Will Smith says? So is Obama responsible for every thing a black person says for now on? The JDL has lost their damn mind.
And it doesn't end there ...
The Jewish Defense League is calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Smith's comments, and wants theaters to pull Smith's new flick "I Am Legend" from their screens. Smith told a Scottish paper that Hitler "didn't wake up going, 'Let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' ... I think he woke up the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'" What kind of meshuggeneh talk is that?!
Smith's words, say the JDL, "spit on the memory of every person murdered by the Nazis. His disgusting words stick a knife in the backs of every veteran who fought (and sometimes died) to save the world from the intentions of Adolf Hitler." Smith's rep could not be reached for comment.
Link
******
WTF! What does Obama have to do what Will Smith says? So is Obama responsible for every thing a black person says for now on? The JDL has lost their damn mind.
Giuliani Snuck 2,000 Boxes of Records Out of New York's City Hall
If you thought Darth Cheney was secretive...you'll love Rudy
Let's see how his campaign responds to this. The AP reports that, while NY government only allows a former mayor to keep a few token gifts when they clean out their desks, Rudy Giuliani would have needed several U-Hauls to remove all the paperwork he whisked out of City Hall, Gracie Mansion and other offices. That doesn't square with his claim that he believes in "open government." Or maybe it depends on the meaning of the word "open."
This is a scathing article and a must-read. It documents a man so controlling and paranoid that requests for benign public data having nothing to do with security (such as number of working water fountains in the city's parks), required a formal request to the mayor's office.
And he repeatedly battled other city agencies over access to information that ended up in court, with the city losing almost every case.
Link
********
What are you trying to hide Mr. Giuliani?
Let's see how his campaign responds to this. The AP reports that, while NY government only allows a former mayor to keep a few token gifts when they clean out their desks, Rudy Giuliani would have needed several U-Hauls to remove all the paperwork he whisked out of City Hall, Gracie Mansion and other offices. That doesn't square with his claim that he believes in "open government." Or maybe it depends on the meaning of the word "open."
This is a scathing article and a must-read. It documents a man so controlling and paranoid that requests for benign public data having nothing to do with security (such as number of working water fountains in the city's parks), required a formal request to the mayor's office.
And he repeatedly battled other city agencies over access to information that ended up in court, with the city losing almost every case.
Link
********
What are you trying to hide Mr. Giuliani?
Russia to equip Iran defense system
Russian experts are in Tehran to install the Tor M1 Air Defense System and train Iranian forces on operating and maintaining the equipment.
Head of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev said the Defense System is a surface-to-air short range missile.
Under a US $700 million Iran-Russia contract, Moscow has provided Tehran with the Tor M1 Air Defense System and now sent technicians to supervise the training process, said the Russian official.
Both sides reached an agreement on the issue following the fourth Iran-Russia Joint Defense Cooperation Commission on Dec. 19, 2007.
Source
Head of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev said the Defense System is a surface-to-air short range missile.
Under a US $700 million Iran-Russia contract, Moscow has provided Tehran with the Tor M1 Air Defense System and now sent technicians to supervise the training process, said the Russian official.
Both sides reached an agreement on the issue following the fourth Iran-Russia Joint Defense Cooperation Commission on Dec. 19, 2007.
Source
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Tent city in suburbs is cost of home crisis
Between railroad tracks and beneath the roar of departing planes sits "tent city," a terminus for homeless people. It is not, as might be expected, in a blighted city center, but in the once-booming suburbia of Southern California.
The noisy, dusty camp sprang up in July with 20 residents and now numbers 200 people, including several children, growing as this region east of Los Angeles has been hit by the U.S. housing crisis.
***
As more families throw in the towel and head to foreclosure here and across the nation, the social costs of collapse are adding up in the form of higher rates of homelessness, crime and even disease.
While no current residents claim to be victims of foreclosure, all agree that tent city is a symptom of the wider economic downturn. And it's just a matter of time before foreclosed families end up at tent city, local housing experts say.
"They don't hit the streets immediately," said activist Jane Mercer. Most families can find transitional housing in a motel or with friends before turning to charity or the streets. "They only hit tent city when they really bottom out."
Read More
The noisy, dusty camp sprang up in July with 20 residents and now numbers 200 people, including several children, growing as this region east of Los Angeles has been hit by the U.S. housing crisis.
***
As more families throw in the towel and head to foreclosure here and across the nation, the social costs of collapse are adding up in the form of higher rates of homelessness, crime and even disease.
While no current residents claim to be victims of foreclosure, all agree that tent city is a symptom of the wider economic downturn. And it's just a matter of time before foreclosed families end up at tent city, local housing experts say.
"They don't hit the streets immediately," said activist Jane Mercer. Most families can find transitional housing in a motel or with friends before turning to charity or the streets. "They only hit tent city when they really bottom out."
Read More
CIA chief to drag White House into torture cover-up storm
THE CIA chief who ordered the destruction of secret videotapes recording the harsh interrogation of two top Al-Qaeda suspects has indicated he may seek immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying before the House intelligence committee.
Jose Rodriguez, former head of the CIA’s clandestine service, is determined not to become the fall guy in the controversy over the CIA’s use of torture, according to intelligence sources.
It has emerged that at least four White House staff were approached for advice about the tapes, including David Addington, a senior aide to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, but none has admitted to recommending their destruction.
Vincent Cannistraro, former head of counterterrorism at the CIA, said it was impossible for Rodriguez to have acted on his own: “If everybody was against the decision, why in the world would Jose Rodriguez – one of the most cautious men I have ever met – have gone ahead and destroyed them?”
The tapes recorded the interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, two suspected Al-Qaeda leaders, over hundreds of hours while they were held in secret “ghost” prisons. According to testimony from a former CIA officer, Zubaydah was subjected to waterboarding, a form of torture that simulates drowning, and “broke” after 35 seconds. He is believed to have been interrogated in Thailand. The tapes were destroyed in 2005. Both men are now held in Guantanamo Bay....
Read More
**********
After all the shit that this White House has been allowed to get away with could this be the final straw? Could this be what finally brings the criminal Bush Admin. down? Stay tuned this could get interesting.
Jose Rodriguez, former head of the CIA’s clandestine service, is determined not to become the fall guy in the controversy over the CIA’s use of torture, according to intelligence sources.
It has emerged that at least four White House staff were approached for advice about the tapes, including David Addington, a senior aide to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, but none has admitted to recommending their destruction.
Vincent Cannistraro, former head of counterterrorism at the CIA, said it was impossible for Rodriguez to have acted on his own: “If everybody was against the decision, why in the world would Jose Rodriguez – one of the most cautious men I have ever met – have gone ahead and destroyed them?”
The tapes recorded the interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, two suspected Al-Qaeda leaders, over hundreds of hours while they were held in secret “ghost” prisons. According to testimony from a former CIA officer, Zubaydah was subjected to waterboarding, a form of torture that simulates drowning, and “broke” after 35 seconds. He is believed to have been interrogated in Thailand. The tapes were destroyed in 2005. Both men are now held in Guantanamo Bay....
Read More
**********
After all the shit that this White House has been allowed to get away with could this be the final straw? Could this be what finally brings the criminal Bush Admin. down? Stay tuned this could get interesting.
The real American gangster by Louis Farrakhan
Excerpt
How many of you have seen the movie American Gangster? How many of you have seen the BET program “American Gangster”? Do you think this is an accident? This is no accident, Brother. Do you know some of these satanic Jews have taken over BET? They took it away from Bob Johnson and gave him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. They have Essence; they have our hair product people; they have Motown. Everything that we built, they have. The mind of Satan now is running the record industry, movie industry and television.
And they make us look like we’re the murders; we look like we’re the gangsters, but we’re punk stuff. If you can come out of seeing that movie, saying, “Damn, Frank Lucas was bad,” then this inspires you to try to be like him. Let me show you what Frank Lucas really was: If the lure of this is true, he brought in heroine in the 1960s—I want young people to pay attention!
In the 1960s, your grandparents were on picket lines. Your grandparents were marching against White Supremacy and Jim Crow. They were being beaten down with fire hoses and dogs and they were put in prison just so you could go to a toilet! We paid a hell of a price to get something so damn cheap as a voting right that the enemy finds a way to take from you.
The moment the riots began and Black folks rose up, because all Black people weren’t following Dr. King—though the enemy would like to make you think that everybody had that same kind of dream—there were Black people who didn’t want anything to do with going to school with White people. There were Black people that didn’t want anything to do with integrating with them. There were Black people that would never turn the other cheek and be non-violent. There were the Deacons for Defense!
There was the Black Panther Party; there were Black men willing to take up arms against this enemy, and the moment that kind of spirit was in the people, a purer form of heroine was introduced in the Black community.
Therefore, Frank Lucas was a pawn of the powers that wanted to drug those who weren’t drugged by religion; drugged by the enemy’s education. They were drugged with a purer form of heroine, so in the movie, you see them shooting up and dying. Frank Lucas was killing his people for money.
In the movie, they said he had planes flying in with a purer form of heroine, and that he even punked the Mafia. You can believe that bull if you want to.
What are they telling you? Do you think you can out-criminalize the real criminals? Is that why your behind is filling up all the jails in America and they’re working your raggedy behind like a slaves, like they did your great grandfathers? Is that why you think you can outdo the White man in criminal behavior? He is the number one criminal. He just doesn’t rob you—he robs countries. He doesn’t just kill you—he kills whole populations. You’re a cheap killer and a cheap thief compared to him.
That movie was designed to inspire you to a gangster life. The whole series on BET, is designed to inspire young, Black men to more criminal conduct as though there are no White gangsters. But this is a focus on Black gangsters and they are now calling you “The American Gangster.” How did you get to be an American gangster when you are not an American at all? If you doubt what I am saying, go back and get the early dictionaries and see what the term “American” means—they name the European countries that are the real Americans, and no American could be an aboriginal. This is why you don’t have real citizenship now; they tell you that you are a citizen, but they treat you like a slave. Either you are or you are not a citizen.
****
How many of you have seen the movie American Gangster? How many of you have seen the BET program “American Gangster”? Do you think this is an accident? This is no accident, Brother. Do you know some of these satanic Jews have taken over BET? They took it away from Bob Johnson and gave him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. They have Essence; they have our hair product people; they have Motown. Everything that we built, they have. The mind of Satan now is running the record industry, movie industry and television.
And they make us look like we’re the murders; we look like we’re the gangsters, but we’re punk stuff. If you can come out of seeing that movie, saying, “Damn, Frank Lucas was bad,” then this inspires you to try to be like him. Let me show you what Frank Lucas really was: If the lure of this is true, he brought in heroine in the 1960s—I want young people to pay attention!
In the 1960s, your grandparents were on picket lines. Your grandparents were marching against White Supremacy and Jim Crow. They were being beaten down with fire hoses and dogs and they were put in prison just so you could go to a toilet! We paid a hell of a price to get something so damn cheap as a voting right that the enemy finds a way to take from you.
The moment the riots began and Black folks rose up, because all Black people weren’t following Dr. King—though the enemy would like to make you think that everybody had that same kind of dream—there were Black people who didn’t want anything to do with going to school with White people. There were Black people that didn’t want anything to do with integrating with them. There were Black people that would never turn the other cheek and be non-violent. There were the Deacons for Defense!
There was the Black Panther Party; there were Black men willing to take up arms against this enemy, and the moment that kind of spirit was in the people, a purer form of heroine was introduced in the Black community.
Therefore, Frank Lucas was a pawn of the powers that wanted to drug those who weren’t drugged by religion; drugged by the enemy’s education. They were drugged with a purer form of heroine, so in the movie, you see them shooting up and dying. Frank Lucas was killing his people for money.
In the movie, they said he had planes flying in with a purer form of heroine, and that he even punked the Mafia. You can believe that bull if you want to.
What are they telling you? Do you think you can out-criminalize the real criminals? Is that why your behind is filling up all the jails in America and they’re working your raggedy behind like a slaves, like they did your great grandfathers? Is that why you think you can outdo the White man in criminal behavior? He is the number one criminal. He just doesn’t rob you—he robs countries. He doesn’t just kill you—he kills whole populations. You’re a cheap killer and a cheap thief compared to him.
That movie was designed to inspire you to a gangster life. The whole series on BET, is designed to inspire young, Black men to more criminal conduct as though there are no White gangsters. But this is a focus on Black gangsters and they are now calling you “The American Gangster.” How did you get to be an American gangster when you are not an American at all? If you doubt what I am saying, go back and get the early dictionaries and see what the term “American” means—they name the European countries that are the real Americans, and no American could be an aboriginal. This is why you don’t have real citizenship now; they tell you that you are a citizen, but they treat you like a slave. Either you are or you are not a citizen.
****
Top 25 Censored news stories of 2007
#1 Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media
#2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran
#3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger
#4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US
#5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo
#6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy
# 7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq
#8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act
#9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall
#10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians
#11 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed
#12 Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines
#13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
#14 Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US
#15 Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner
#16 Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court
#17 Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda
#18 Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story
#19 Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever
#20 Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem
#21 Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers
#22 $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed
#23 US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe
#24 Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year
#25 US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region
Source
#2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran
#3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger
#4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US
#5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo
#6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy
# 7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq
#8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act
#9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall
#10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians
#11 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed
#12 Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines
#13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup
#14 Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US
#15 Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner
#16 Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court
#17 Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda
#18 Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story
#19 Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever
#20 Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem
#21 Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers
#22 $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed
#23 US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe
#24 Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year
#25 US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region
Source
Democrats cave again
The Democrats' capitulation Wednesday on the total domestic spending level is the latest instance of Bush prevailing on a major policy showdown. Bush and his Senate Republican allies have repeatedly beat back efforts by Democrats to place restrictions on funding for the war in Iraq as well as Democratic attempts to expand funding of children's health insurance by $35 billion.
Now Huckabee is going down
One almost pities them. Every time Republicans start narrowing their choice of presidential candidates, they get the head handed to them by the vulturous press or some antagonistic, oppo-research operation. So they move on to the next Great White Savior, only to witness another beheading.
And it's starting to look like when all is said and done, they'll be left, through a savage attrition process and by sheer default, with the one candidate they largely like the least: John McCain.
The latest victim of easily scooped-up scrutiny is the Most Right Reverend Michael Dale Huckabee, the one-time Southern governor who now appears to have been but another Huey Long, without the demagogic charm.
And that's no exaggeration. Reading this morning's New York Times piece on Huckabee's executive tenure is like strolling through the Louisiana statehouse, circa 1930s. "Against the political advice of his party and his aides," reports the Times, "[Huckabee] pardoned or commuted the sentences of hundreds of convicts, including murderers, sometimes over the heated objections of prosecutors and victims’ families" ... just like Huey ... "He was cited five times by the state ethics commission for financial improprieties" ... just like Huey ... and he "unapologetically accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothes and other gifts while he was governor" ... just like Huey.
In 1999 alone, for instance, Rev. Mike "reported getting $112,366 in gifts," damn near twice the amount of his salary. But my favorite? He also used "a state fund meant to operate the governor’s mansion for personal family expenses like pantyhose and meals at Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken." The story does not specify for whom the pantyhose were, but at least we now know how the governor came to be the bloated hunk of trans fat he once was.
Also like Huey, he actually did some good for his state, albeit through a brutal arrogance that vastly annoyed his own political camp. For example he pushed through "a major expansion of health insurance for children of the working poor whose families did not qualify for Medicaid," which left ultraconservative neanderthals like Peggy Jeffries, "then a Republican state senator and now executive director of the Arkansas affiliate of the Eagle Forum," wouldn't you know, sputtering "None of us understood what he was trying to do." About that, Peg, I have no doubt....
********
Read More
And it's starting to look like when all is said and done, they'll be left, through a savage attrition process and by sheer default, with the one candidate they largely like the least: John McCain.
The latest victim of easily scooped-up scrutiny is the Most Right Reverend Michael Dale Huckabee, the one-time Southern governor who now appears to have been but another Huey Long, without the demagogic charm.
And that's no exaggeration. Reading this morning's New York Times piece on Huckabee's executive tenure is like strolling through the Louisiana statehouse, circa 1930s. "Against the political advice of his party and his aides," reports the Times, "[Huckabee] pardoned or commuted the sentences of hundreds of convicts, including murderers, sometimes over the heated objections of prosecutors and victims’ families" ... just like Huey ... "He was cited five times by the state ethics commission for financial improprieties" ... just like Huey ... and he "unapologetically accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothes and other gifts while he was governor" ... just like Huey.
In 1999 alone, for instance, Rev. Mike "reported getting $112,366 in gifts," damn near twice the amount of his salary. But my favorite? He also used "a state fund meant to operate the governor’s mansion for personal family expenses like pantyhose and meals at Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken." The story does not specify for whom the pantyhose were, but at least we now know how the governor came to be the bloated hunk of trans fat he once was.
Also like Huey, he actually did some good for his state, albeit through a brutal arrogance that vastly annoyed his own political camp. For example he pushed through "a major expansion of health insurance for children of the working poor whose families did not qualify for Medicaid," which left ultraconservative neanderthals like Peggy Jeffries, "then a Republican state senator and now executive director of the Arkansas affiliate of the Eagle Forum," wouldn't you know, sputtering "None of us understood what he was trying to do." About that, Peg, I have no doubt....
********
Read More
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Beanie Sigel, Bill Cosby March For Peace
By Chris Richburg
Rap star Beanie Sigel generated talk of a different kind during Philadelphia’s Peace Week 2007, when he walked hand-in-hand with actor/comedian Bill Cosby, during an anti-crime march.
The pair, who marched alongside each other on Thursday (December 20), spoke earlier that day to 30 at risk youths at William Penn High School in Philadelphia.
The event allowed Sigel the opportunity to help direct youth towards positive options that he was not able to fully utilize.
"I come from these things, the streets," said Sigel. "I'm at a time in my life where I'm trying to make the transition from something negative to something positive."
Sigel, Cosby and men’s outreach group Men United for a Better Philadelphia are working to help keep Philadelphia’s murder rate below 400.
The rapper will continue to raise awareness by embarking on an ongoing tour of local high schools, juvenile facilities and jails.
Additionally, Sigel will encourage youths to exercise their minds and stop the violence through local public service announcements.
The effort comes on the heels of the recent release of the rapper’s new album The Solution.
The project, which finds Sigel addressing the issues of crime, teen pregnancy and personal struggles, is in stores now.
Source
Rap star Beanie Sigel generated talk of a different kind during Philadelphia’s Peace Week 2007, when he walked hand-in-hand with actor/comedian Bill Cosby, during an anti-crime march.
The pair, who marched alongside each other on Thursday (December 20), spoke earlier that day to 30 at risk youths at William Penn High School in Philadelphia.
The event allowed Sigel the opportunity to help direct youth towards positive options that he was not able to fully utilize.
"I come from these things, the streets," said Sigel. "I'm at a time in my life where I'm trying to make the transition from something negative to something positive."
Sigel, Cosby and men’s outreach group Men United for a Better Philadelphia are working to help keep Philadelphia’s murder rate below 400.
The rapper will continue to raise awareness by embarking on an ongoing tour of local high schools, juvenile facilities and jails.
Additionally, Sigel will encourage youths to exercise their minds and stop the violence through local public service announcements.
The effort comes on the heels of the recent release of the rapper’s new album The Solution.
The project, which finds Sigel addressing the issues of crime, teen pregnancy and personal struggles, is in stores now.
Source
Mit Romney caught lying again
Mitt Romney backtracked yesterday from claims that he saw his father march with Martin Luther King in the 1960s, saying he used "saw" as “a figure of speech." The Boston Globe dissects the partial mea culpa, noting that the candidate couldn't have "seen" it even figuratively because Romney père never walked an inch with the civil-rights leader. Worse, Mitt “went a step further” in 1978, the piece notes, declaring, “My father and I marched with” King. • The New York Times' Michael Luo senses a pattern, alleging that Romney is “prone to exaggeration, taking what is essentially a kernel of truth and stretching it to bolster his case.” The evidence: Romney claimed a nonexistent 2002 NRA endorsement, professed to being a lifelong hunter when he’d only hunted twice, and said he “got tough on” methamphetamines when his bill in fact died in legislature.
Source
Source
The Cost of War
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In U.S. War On Iraq 1,139,602
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 3,896
Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq $478,951,779,066
Source
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In U.S. War And Occupation Of Iraq 3,896
Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq $478,951,779,066
Source
Music Producer Dame Dash being Sued
Another day, another lawsuit. An Atlanta woman, Jamie Roberts, 24, claims that she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder after a random encounter with Damon Dash back in 2004. She is suing Dash for $30,000 and claims that he made her crazy after meeting him in Miami:
The bizarre suit, which Roberts, 24, wrote up herself, says she met Dash at a Miami club that March, where he inexplicably used the name “Jeremy McIntyre” and took her to a nearby marina. There he showed her “his genital area” in an “offensive manner” and tried to force her into performing oral sex, the suit claims. Nine months later, Roberts said she “began to hear defendant’s voice in her ear, giving her certain directions to follow.” The suit says she discovered McIntyre’s true identity in early 2005 “while watching a taping of the “Dave Chapelle Show.”
This sounds like pure comedy. Broads going crazy over some “D” and writing up their own lawsuits. What’s even funnier is that she discovered who he was after watching the “Roca Pads” episode of Chappelle’s Show.
Damon Dash made a statement on the situation: “We know nothing about it. It’s quite obvious this is a false allegation.”
Source
The bizarre suit, which Roberts, 24, wrote up herself, says she met Dash at a Miami club that March, where he inexplicably used the name “Jeremy McIntyre” and took her to a nearby marina. There he showed her “his genital area” in an “offensive manner” and tried to force her into performing oral sex, the suit claims. Nine months later, Roberts said she “began to hear defendant’s voice in her ear, giving her certain directions to follow.” The suit says she discovered McIntyre’s true identity in early 2005 “while watching a taping of the “Dave Chapelle Show.”
This sounds like pure comedy. Broads going crazy over some “D” and writing up their own lawsuits. What’s even funnier is that she discovered who he was after watching the “Roca Pads” episode of Chappelle’s Show.
Damon Dash made a statement on the situation: “We know nothing about it. It’s quite obvious this is a false allegation.”
Source
Is the current Anti-Immigration Movement Racist?
by Lee Cokorinos
It is true that growing immigrant populations are transforming the United States, but one ancient aspect of Americana remains intact: racial supremacist dreams of a "white" nation. The notion that the United States was and should forever be a White Man's Country - once the accepted creed and rationale of the Republic - resurfaces in hysterical form and very prominent places in the national discourse. In academia, electoral politics, mass media, and revived racist movements on the ground, corporate-funded anti-immigrant forces combine with age-old anti-Black formations to rally against diversity as "a dire threat to ‘the core culture.'" White "nativist movements" are once again called forth to confront the "mortal danger" posed by The Other.
Prominent leaders of the anti-immigration movement would have us believe that not an ounce of racism lies behind their efforts. The most media-visible figures in this camp, such as Lou Dobbs, Pat Buchanan, Tom Tancredo and Victor Davis Hanson may argue the case for restricting, deporting, rounding up and cutting off public services to those "illegals" stigmatized as culturally backward, unhealthy potential terrorists. But they protest that their motives for doing so are as pure as the driven snow.
In their writings and media appearances, the leaders of the anti-immigration movement claim their politics are based not on a hatred of the racial Other but on their commitment to the rule of law, the integrity of "our culture," the objective findings of social science, or better employment prospects for American workers.
On page after page of In Mortal Danger, Tom Tancredo's diatribe against non-European immigrants and multiculturalism, the presidential candidate and congressman repeatedly complains that he and his colleagues have been unfairly painted as racist or had their arguments misconstrued as racist.
But alongside these complaints Tancredo's book drips with cultural condescension toward Mexican-Americans, Muslims and African-Americans. While he claims that illegality is the problem, Tancredo soon moves past this and calls for revoking the legal citizenship of what he terms Mexican-American "anchor babies." Conjuring up racist and sexist imagery, he declares that "gravid wombs should not guarantee free medical care." One wonders whether Tancredo, both of whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, would apply such terminology to his parents, and thus forfeit his own citizenship.
Read more
It is true that growing immigrant populations are transforming the United States, but one ancient aspect of Americana remains intact: racial supremacist dreams of a "white" nation. The notion that the United States was and should forever be a White Man's Country - once the accepted creed and rationale of the Republic - resurfaces in hysterical form and very prominent places in the national discourse. In academia, electoral politics, mass media, and revived racist movements on the ground, corporate-funded anti-immigrant forces combine with age-old anti-Black formations to rally against diversity as "a dire threat to ‘the core culture.'" White "nativist movements" are once again called forth to confront the "mortal danger" posed by The Other.
Prominent leaders of the anti-immigration movement would have us believe that not an ounce of racism lies behind their efforts. The most media-visible figures in this camp, such as Lou Dobbs, Pat Buchanan, Tom Tancredo and Victor Davis Hanson may argue the case for restricting, deporting, rounding up and cutting off public services to those "illegals" stigmatized as culturally backward, unhealthy potential terrorists. But they protest that their motives for doing so are as pure as the driven snow.
In their writings and media appearances, the leaders of the anti-immigration movement claim their politics are based not on a hatred of the racial Other but on their commitment to the rule of law, the integrity of "our culture," the objective findings of social science, or better employment prospects for American workers.
On page after page of In Mortal Danger, Tom Tancredo's diatribe against non-European immigrants and multiculturalism, the presidential candidate and congressman repeatedly complains that he and his colleagues have been unfairly painted as racist or had their arguments misconstrued as racist.
But alongside these complaints Tancredo's book drips with cultural condescension toward Mexican-Americans, Muslims and African-Americans. While he claims that illegality is the problem, Tancredo soon moves past this and calls for revoking the legal citizenship of what he terms Mexican-American "anchor babies." Conjuring up racist and sexist imagery, he declares that "gravid wombs should not guarantee free medical care." One wonders whether Tancredo, both of whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, would apply such terminology to his parents, and thus forfeit his own citizenship.
Read more
Could Obama be considering Republican Chuck Hagel as a running mate?
Omaha, NE.- Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel's name has surfaced once again in the race for the White House.
But this time it's with the Democrats.
For months the speculation has been that Hagel would run as an independent with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Bloomberg at the top of the ticket, Hagel his vice-president.
But now its Hagel and Democrat Barack Obama; Obama of course has campaigned as the candidate for change.
So now there's speculation that if Obama wins the Democrat nomination, real change would find him naming a Republican as his running mate.
A Republican, like Hagel, who has been constantly critical of the Bush administration's handling of the War in Iraq.
National political columnist Roger Simon says Obama could pick Hagel as his number two, and Hagel would "reach out to anti-war Republicans."
Senator Hagel isn't commenting on any of this, and if it sounds far fetched that Hagel could go to the Democratic convention next year as the Vice-Presidential candidate, keep this in mind.
In the last few days Hagel joined a Washington think tank known as the American Security Project.
It was started earlier this year by Senator John Kerrey and former Senator Gary Hart, two Democrats.
http://action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7499820
But this time it's with the Democrats.
For months the speculation has been that Hagel would run as an independent with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Bloomberg at the top of the ticket, Hagel his vice-president.
But now its Hagel and Democrat Barack Obama; Obama of course has campaigned as the candidate for change.
So now there's speculation that if Obama wins the Democrat nomination, real change would find him naming a Republican as his running mate.
A Republican, like Hagel, who has been constantly critical of the Bush administration's handling of the War in Iraq.
National political columnist Roger Simon says Obama could pick Hagel as his number two, and Hagel would "reach out to anti-war Republicans."
Senator Hagel isn't commenting on any of this, and if it sounds far fetched that Hagel could go to the Democratic convention next year as the Vice-Presidential candidate, keep this in mind.
In the last few days Hagel joined a Washington think tank known as the American Security Project.
It was started earlier this year by Senator John Kerrey and former Senator Gary Hart, two Democrats.
http://action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7499820
Rudy Giuliani a true Facist
The latest issue of American Conservative issue features a cover story titled "Declaring Forever War: Giuliani has surrounded himself with advisors who think the Bush Doctrine didn't go nearly far enough."The cover image depicts Rudy Giuliani in fascist garb:
I personally think Rudi Giuliani would be one dangerous president, he would be like Bush on steroids, IMO.
Hopelessness in America
by Leon Fisher
There is little to be hopeful about. The money pouring into Washington from the powerful lobbies and special interest groups has trumped any real representation which may still exist for the common man in America. The Washington politicians and their corporate benefactors hold the citizens of this country in contempt and are working to remove any influence which they still have left.
The elections have become frauds, with only candidates running who are acceptable to the power elite in Washington and Wall St. No, and there is not much to look forward to. The economy is tanking, the wars continuing, and Bush and his rubber stamp Congress passing ever more legislation stripping Americans of their Constitutional rights.
As for candidates like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, who hold out the promise of a return to Constitutional government, forget about it. The major news media is all but ignoring both candidates and even if Paul or Kucinich get the lions share of the vote, the result will be manipulated to give us a Clinton or a Giuliani.
We can only wait and see what happens. Hopefully the whole rotten system will collapse upon itself, and only then will we have an opportunity to restore to America a legitimate government beholden to the people.
There is little to be hopeful about. The money pouring into Washington from the powerful lobbies and special interest groups has trumped any real representation which may still exist for the common man in America. The Washington politicians and their corporate benefactors hold the citizens of this country in contempt and are working to remove any influence which they still have left.
The elections have become frauds, with only candidates running who are acceptable to the power elite in Washington and Wall St. No, and there is not much to look forward to. The economy is tanking, the wars continuing, and Bush and his rubber stamp Congress passing ever more legislation stripping Americans of their Constitutional rights.
As for candidates like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, who hold out the promise of a return to Constitutional government, forget about it. The major news media is all but ignoring both candidates and even if Paul or Kucinich get the lions share of the vote, the result will be manipulated to give us a Clinton or a Giuliani.
We can only wait and see what happens. Hopefully the whole rotten system will collapse upon itself, and only then will we have an opportunity to restore to America a legitimate government beholden to the people.
The Vote for Endless War
On Tuesday, December 18, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate combined to give President Bush $70 billion to carry the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into next summer. Only 23 Democrats and one independent supported an amendment by Senator Feingold that would have required the safe redeployment of troops from Iraq. Here are the senators who voted to end the war:
Akaka (D-HI) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Harkin (D-IA) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Menendez (D-NJ) Murray (D-WA) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Stabenow (D-MI) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)
Next summer, when the money runs out, a cutoff of funds will be unimaginable. The election will be too close. So our troops are committed till the end of the president's term; after all the talk, the Democrats have ended by obeying him. This capitulation marks the climax of one of the most extraordinary displays in history of a complex phenomenon: power wielded in the face of popular rejection, and power surrendered in spite of overwhelming public support. A president whose policy was disapproved by more than half of the American people chose to defy a majority whose midterm victory he himself had called "a rout." And the majority, saying they wished things were different, pleading the necessity of 60 rather than 50 votes, but never exacting reprisals or driving a hard bargain against defectors from their own ranks--the majority, again and again, backed down.
This definitive result of the 110th Congress will confirm the popular feeling that George W. Bush believes in his disaster more than the Democrats believe in anything.
Link
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This Iraq debacle has got to be one of the biggest waste of money since the Vietnam War. It's a damn shame Americans never learn.
Akaka (D-HI) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Harkin (D-IA) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Menendez (D-NJ) Murray (D-WA) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Stabenow (D-MI) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)
Next summer, when the money runs out, a cutoff of funds will be unimaginable. The election will be too close. So our troops are committed till the end of the president's term; after all the talk, the Democrats have ended by obeying him. This capitulation marks the climax of one of the most extraordinary displays in history of a complex phenomenon: power wielded in the face of popular rejection, and power surrendered in spite of overwhelming public support. A president whose policy was disapproved by more than half of the American people chose to defy a majority whose midterm victory he himself had called "a rout." And the majority, saying they wished things were different, pleading the necessity of 60 rather than 50 votes, but never exacting reprisals or driving a hard bargain against defectors from their own ranks--the majority, again and again, backed down.
This definitive result of the 110th Congress will confirm the popular feeling that George W. Bush believes in his disaster more than the Democrats believe in anything.
Link
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This Iraq debacle has got to be one of the biggest waste of money since the Vietnam War. It's a damn shame Americans never learn.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
UK has left behind murder and chaos, says Basra police chief
Blunt assessment delivered as British hand over security to Iraqis
The full scale of the chaos left behind by British forces in Basra was revealed yesterday as the city's police chief described a province in the grip of well-armed militias strong enough to overpower security forces and brutal enough to behead women considered not sufficiently Islamic.
As British forces finally handed over security in Basra province, marking the end of 4½ years of control in southern Iraq, Major General Jalil Khalaf, the new police commander, said the occupation had left him with a situation close to mayhem. "They left me militia, they left me gangsters, and they left me all the troubles in the world," he said in an in an interview for Guardian Films and ITV.
Khalaf painted a very different picture from that of British officials who, while acknowledging problems in southern Iraq, said yesterday's handover at Basra airbase was timely and appropriate.
Major General Graham Binns, who led British troops into the city in 2003, said the province had "begun to regain its strength". He added: "I came to rid Basra of its enemies and I now formally hand Basra back to its friends."
But in the film, to be broadcast on the Guardian Unlimited website and ITV News, Khalaf lists a catalogue of failings, saying:
Basra has become so lawless that in the last three months 45 women have been killed for being "immoral" because they were not fully covered or because they may have given birth outside wedlock;
The British unintentionally rearmed Shia militias by failing to recognise that Iraqi troops were loyal to more than one authority;
Shia militia are better armed than his men and control Iraq's main port.
-----Snip-----------
Source
Looks like America has a hell of challenge on their hand, if we don't get run out there we will be there for decades trying to fix this.
The full scale of the chaos left behind by British forces in Basra was revealed yesterday as the city's police chief described a province in the grip of well-armed militias strong enough to overpower security forces and brutal enough to behead women considered not sufficiently Islamic.
As British forces finally handed over security in Basra province, marking the end of 4½ years of control in southern Iraq, Major General Jalil Khalaf, the new police commander, said the occupation had left him with a situation close to mayhem. "They left me militia, they left me gangsters, and they left me all the troubles in the world," he said in an in an interview for Guardian Films and ITV.
Khalaf painted a very different picture from that of British officials who, while acknowledging problems in southern Iraq, said yesterday's handover at Basra airbase was timely and appropriate.
Major General Graham Binns, who led British troops into the city in 2003, said the province had "begun to regain its strength". He added: "I came to rid Basra of its enemies and I now formally hand Basra back to its friends."
But in the film, to be broadcast on the Guardian Unlimited website and ITV News, Khalaf lists a catalogue of failings, saying:
Basra has become so lawless that in the last three months 45 women have been killed for being "immoral" because they were not fully covered or because they may have given birth outside wedlock;
The British unintentionally rearmed Shia militias by failing to recognise that Iraqi troops were loyal to more than one authority;
Shia militia are better armed than his men and control Iraq's main port.
-----Snip-----------
Source
Looks like America has a hell of challenge on their hand, if we don't get run out there we will be there for decades trying to fix this.
The Rich Are Getting Richer Faster, Much Faster
The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans, data in a new report by the Congressional Budget Office shows.
The poorest fifth of households had total income of $383.4 billion in 2005, while just the increase in income for the top 1 percent came to $524.8 billion, a figure 37 percent higher.
The total income of the top 1.1 million households was $1.8 trillion, or 18.1 percent of the total income of all Americans, up from 14.3 percent of all income in 2003. The total 2005 income of the three million individual Americans at the top was roughly equal to that of the bottom 166 million Americans, analysis of the report showed.
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Link
Gee, I wonder how that happened, who's responsible for this trend. It's seems the Reagan Legacy lives on unchallenged. Welcome to the New World order folks.
The poorest fifth of households had total income of $383.4 billion in 2005, while just the increase in income for the top 1 percent came to $524.8 billion, a figure 37 percent higher.
The total income of the top 1.1 million households was $1.8 trillion, or 18.1 percent of the total income of all Americans, up from 14.3 percent of all income in 2003. The total 2005 income of the three million individual Americans at the top was roughly equal to that of the bottom 166 million Americans, analysis of the report showed.
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Link
Gee, I wonder how that happened, who's responsible for this trend. It's seems the Reagan Legacy lives on unchallenged. Welcome to the New World order folks.
Mitt's Romneys' Racist Religion
Mitt Romney on "Meet the Press" today turned emotional as he recalled the day in 1978 he learned over his car radio that his Mormon church had finally dropped its full membership barriers to blacks. He may have even shed a tear on camera, or as Drudge has it in a headline at the top of his site: MITT TEARS ON MTP. He had cried that day in 1978, too, allegedly so happy the black ban had finally collapsed.
You'd hardly know that, fact is, Romney had done absolutely nothing about fighting this racist barrier before his epiphany in his car.The Mormon Church considered blacks spiritually unfit as results of a biblical curse on the descendants of Noah’s son Ham. Some prominent Mormons — including Morris and Stewart Udall -- had publicly called for an end to the doctrine, the same kind of pressure that had earlier led to the end of approved polygamy. Mitt Romney, a former missionary -- and in an influential position as son of former Gov. George Romney -- said absolutely nothing.
You'd hardly know that, fact is, Romney had done absolutely nothing about fighting this racist barrier before his epiphany in his car.The Mormon Church considered blacks spiritually unfit as results of a biblical curse on the descendants of Noah’s son Ham. Some prominent Mormons — including Morris and Stewart Udall -- had publicly called for an end to the doctrine, the same kind of pressure that had earlier led to the end of approved polygamy. Mitt Romney, a former missionary -- and in an influential position as son of former Gov. George Romney -- said absolutely nothing.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Acquittal, mistrial end bomb plot case
http://Source
One of seven men charged with plotting to blow up the Sears Tower as part of an Islamic jihad was acquitted Thursday, and a mistrial was declared in the prosecution of the six others after the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked.
The outcome was a significant defeat for the Bush administration, which had described the case as a major crackdown on homegrown terrorists.Officials had acknowledged that the defendants, known as the Liberty City Seven for the depressed section of Miami where they frequently gathered in a run-down warehouse, had never acquired weapons or equipment and had posed no immediate threat. But, the officials said, the case underscored a need for pre-emptive terrorism prosecutions.
In acquitting Lyglenson Lemorin, 32, a Haitian immigrant who was cast by the prosecution as a junior foot soldier in the group, the jurors were compelled by evidence that suggested he had tried "to distance himself" from the others, Jeffrey Agron, the jury foreman, said outside the courthouse. Lemorin had split with the group's leader, Narseal Batiste, 33, and moved to Atlanta months before the seven were arrested last year, according to The Associated Press.
As for the six defendants on whom the jury deadlocked, the U.S. attorney's office here said Thursday that it would retry them. The judge, Joan Lenard, ordered jury selection for the retrial to begin Jan. 7 and barred prosecution and defense lawyers from discussing Thursday's outcome with reporters.
The defendants -- five Americans and two Haitians -- worked in a small construction business owned by Batiste and were members of the Moorish Science Temple, a sect that blends Islam, Christianity and Judaism and does not recognize the authority of the U.S. government. They were charged with planning to join forces with Al Qaeda to blow up Sears Tower and several federal buildings.
Agron, the jury foreman, who described himself as an educator at a synagogue, said the case's complexity, with seven defendants each facing four conspiracy counts, had made for "tough" deliberations.
One of seven men charged with plotting to blow up the Sears Tower as part of an Islamic jihad was acquitted Thursday, and a mistrial was declared in the prosecution of the six others after the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked.
The outcome was a significant defeat for the Bush administration, which had described the case as a major crackdown on homegrown terrorists.Officials had acknowledged that the defendants, known as the Liberty City Seven for the depressed section of Miami where they frequently gathered in a run-down warehouse, had never acquired weapons or equipment and had posed no immediate threat. But, the officials said, the case underscored a need for pre-emptive terrorism prosecutions.
In acquitting Lyglenson Lemorin, 32, a Haitian immigrant who was cast by the prosecution as a junior foot soldier in the group, the jurors were compelled by evidence that suggested he had tried "to distance himself" from the others, Jeffrey Agron, the jury foreman, said outside the courthouse. Lemorin had split with the group's leader, Narseal Batiste, 33, and moved to Atlanta months before the seven were arrested last year, according to The Associated Press.
As for the six defendants on whom the jury deadlocked, the U.S. attorney's office here said Thursday that it would retry them. The judge, Joan Lenard, ordered jury selection for the retrial to begin Jan. 7 and barred prosecution and defense lawyers from discussing Thursday's outcome with reporters.
The defendants -- five Americans and two Haitians -- worked in a small construction business owned by Batiste and were members of the Moorish Science Temple, a sect that blends Islam, Christianity and Judaism and does not recognize the authority of the U.S. government. They were charged with planning to join forces with Al Qaeda to blow up Sears Tower and several federal buildings.
Agron, the jury foreman, who described himself as an educator at a synagogue, said the case's complexity, with seven defendants each facing four conspiracy counts, had made for "tough" deliberations.
Bill Clinton Suggests Obama Not Ready -- Obama Responds
By Greg Mitchell Published:
December 14, 2007 11:55 PM ET updated 8:AM am, 2:00 PM
NEW YORK In a surprisingly frank interview with Charlie Rose on his PBS show late Friday night, former President Bill Clinton declared that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not close" -- but that voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the latter.
Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even "a gifted television commentator" who would have just "one year less" experience in national service than Obama. He had earlier pointed out that Obama had started to run for president just one year into his first term in the U.S. Senate.
Clinton also said, surprisingly, with a laugh, "It's a miracle she even has a chance" to win in Iowa, adding he was not just "low-balling it." He said John Edwards might well win -- which would certainly be preferable, from the Clintons' perspective, to an Obama win there. (See llink to video below.)
He praised Obama's intelligence and "sensational political skills" but repeatedly suggested that, unlike his wife and some of the other candidates, he might not be ready for the job. Asked directly about that, Clinton refused to state it bluntly, but did point out that when he was elected president in 1992 at about the same age as Obama, he was the "senior governor" in the U.S. and had worked for years on international business issues. Viewers could draw their own conclusions.
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Obama responded on Saturday in Iowa by pointing out that Clinton himself had said in 1992 when he ran for president that a candidate can “have the right kind of experience or the wrong kind of experience.” He also noted that he had been "involved in government for over a decade," mainly in Illinois, and had the right kind of experience to “bring people together.” He decried "slash and burn" politics and said Americans are "not interested in politics as a blood sport.”]
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Link
December 14, 2007 11:55 PM ET updated 8:AM am, 2:00 PM
NEW YORK In a surprisingly frank interview with Charlie Rose on his PBS show late Friday night, former President Bill Clinton declared that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not close" -- but that voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the latter.
Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even "a gifted television commentator" who would have just "one year less" experience in national service than Obama. He had earlier pointed out that Obama had started to run for president just one year into his first term in the U.S. Senate.
Clinton also said, surprisingly, with a laugh, "It's a miracle she even has a chance" to win in Iowa, adding he was not just "low-balling it." He said John Edwards might well win -- which would certainly be preferable, from the Clintons' perspective, to an Obama win there. (See llink to video below.)
He praised Obama's intelligence and "sensational political skills" but repeatedly suggested that, unlike his wife and some of the other candidates, he might not be ready for the job. Asked directly about that, Clinton refused to state it bluntly, but did point out that when he was elected president in 1992 at about the same age as Obama, he was the "senior governor" in the U.S. and had worked for years on international business issues. Viewers could draw their own conclusions.
****
Obama responded on Saturday in Iowa by pointing out that Clinton himself had said in 1992 when he ran for president that a candidate can “have the right kind of experience or the wrong kind of experience.” He also noted that he had been "involved in government for over a decade," mainly in Illinois, and had the right kind of experience to “bring people together.” He decried "slash and burn" politics and said Americans are "not interested in politics as a blood sport.”]
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Link
New Jersey Abolishes the Death Penalty
This past week, the New Jersey legislature joined the civilized world and voted to abolish the death penalty in that state. With this move, New Jersey becomes the first state to abolish the death penalty since the Supreme Court reinstated it as a sentencing option back in 1976.
Governor Corzine plans to sign this legislation within the next few days.
Kudos to the New Jersey lawmakers for recognizing that revenge isn't justice, and that it makes no sense to kill someone who killed someone in order to show that killing is wrong.
Enough killing. Some pro-execution folks believe that New Jersey is being soft on crime. They're afraid that New Jersey will now allow killers to run free. This is not a valid argument. Instead of executing those found guilty of such serious crimes, New Jersey will now lock them up and throw away the key.
Life in prison without parole. Let them live in those horrible conditions and spend each day thinking about why they're there. That's a much harsher penalty than a quick death, in my opinion. And now New Jersey will also no longer run the real risk of executing the wrong person. And it gets even better:
In a tradition dating back to 1999, the Colosseum in Rome is dramatically lit up every time a death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world or a country abolishes capital punishment. And now Rome says it will be lighting up the Colosseum in honor of New Jersey's abolition of the death penalty.What a fitting tribute to the fact that New Jersey has finally seen the light!Today, 38 other states in this nation still retain a perceived right to kill people. Hopefully, one-by-one, they will join New Jersey and the rest of the civilized world and choose justice over revenge. Let's keep the Colosseum shining brightly.
Governor Corzine plans to sign this legislation within the next few days.
Kudos to the New Jersey lawmakers for recognizing that revenge isn't justice, and that it makes no sense to kill someone who killed someone in order to show that killing is wrong.
Enough killing. Some pro-execution folks believe that New Jersey is being soft on crime. They're afraid that New Jersey will now allow killers to run free. This is not a valid argument. Instead of executing those found guilty of such serious crimes, New Jersey will now lock them up and throw away the key.
Life in prison without parole. Let them live in those horrible conditions and spend each day thinking about why they're there. That's a much harsher penalty than a quick death, in my opinion. And now New Jersey will also no longer run the real risk of executing the wrong person. And it gets even better:
In a tradition dating back to 1999, the Colosseum in Rome is dramatically lit up every time a death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world or a country abolishes capital punishment. And now Rome says it will be lighting up the Colosseum in honor of New Jersey's abolition of the death penalty.What a fitting tribute to the fact that New Jersey has finally seen the light!Today, 38 other states in this nation still retain a perceived right to kill people. Hopefully, one-by-one, they will join New Jersey and the rest of the civilized world and choose justice over revenge. Let's keep the Colosseum shining brightly.
Stop paying for Bush's Wars
How much of your tax payment this year would you like to allocate for waterboarding in Iraq or an invasion of Iran? Around the world, people are puzzled as to why the U.S. public allows the Bush administration to wage illegal wars and usurp our power. Why do we tolerate it and continue to pay for it?
Over the past year, millions of U.S. citizens have voted, lobbied, marched, and taken direct action to end the war in Iraq. Courageous soldiers, such as members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, have taken the risk to speak out. Yet Congress continues to appropriate billions of dollars for the war.
How do we up the ante of resistance? It is time for taxpayers who oppose this war to join together in nonviolent civil disobedience and show Congress how to cut off the funds for this war and redirect resources to the pressing needs of people. Chris Hedges wrote in The Nation, “I will not pay my income tax if we go to war with Iran… I will go to court to challenge the legality of the war.”
Over the past year, millions of U.S. citizens have voted, lobbied, marched, and taken direct action to end the war in Iraq. Courageous soldiers, such as members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, have taken the risk to speak out. Yet Congress continues to appropriate billions of dollars for the war.
How do we up the ante of resistance? It is time for taxpayers who oppose this war to join together in nonviolent civil disobedience and show Congress how to cut off the funds for this war and redirect resources to the pressing needs of people. Chris Hedges wrote in The Nation, “I will not pay my income tax if we go to war with Iran… I will go to court to challenge the legality of the war.”
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Through the looking glass in Iraq
by Hazel Burke, Unknown News November 9, 2007
I happened to catch a few minutes of "Lou Dobbs Tonight", which featured as (repeat) guest, Lt. David Grainger. The big "news" is that just as public opposition to the Iraq War has reached a new low of 68%, the U.S. is starting to do remarkably well. Wow! Good news, eh?Not. The only metric provided was that U.S. troop deaths have fallen sharply in recent months. That is how our success is being measured. And according to the Lt. Grainger, if we were to withdraw our troops the situation would deteriorate."We must reinforce success," he asserted. So that means that because our troops are not dying as fast as they were, they have to stay in Iraq! Wow! That's not good -- especially because this debacle is costing $200 billion a year and the U.S. public national debt just hit $9 trillion, up from $5.6 trillion at the start of the Bush "presidency" (presiding over a series of failures is the actuality).
We have seen casualty reductions before. They resulted from a shift in tactics from offense to defense ("force protection missions".) In fact, there have been reports that some troops are writing fake action reports, just going out to a safe place and waiting for the end of their shift to roll around. Those troops are probably in the tiny majority, but undoubtedly U.S. commanders have been ordered to reduce troop deaths for political reasons.There have also been reports of a major escalation in the air war, something which receives little coverage in Der Homeland. So, a shift from ground offensives to aerial bombardment can easily account for a temporary reduction in ground-combat troop deaths.The (near) completion of ethnic cleansing may account for some reduction in violence. As may the reports of armloads of cash handed out to former "insurgents" in an attempt to buy loyalty from those who previously fought against and killed American soldiers.All in all, not even counting Abu Ghraib, there is not a bit of glory in this war, and there is no victory in sight. We cannot leave because we are succeeding they say, and our success is measured by how few American soldiers are dying each month.According to the pro-war crowd we must continue to spend $200 billion a year to support what can at best be deemed a long term stalemate. In fact, a long term U.S. presence in Iraq amounts to a defeat for America. That is the truth about guerrilla war. The invaders are bled dry and eventually they leave. The guerrillas have nowhere to go and are motivated for reasons other than money. Strategically too, a long term occupation of Iraq is a total disaster because it destabilizes the Middle East and encourages people to hate America and all that it stands for.
Right now what America stands for is threatening and invading countries with oil, the use of internationally banned torture techniques and secret prisons where people disappear permanently, and an inability to manage its economy and finances (America has earned a reputation for gigantic financial frauds, and for rarely prosecuting rich white executives.)In the end the Iraqis don't need to defeat our soldiers, they just need to wait for the oil sheiks and the Asian exporters to cut off our financing. When the U.S. is no longer deemed creditworthy (any minute now), our global military empire will disband and disappear.Even worse for BushCo, did you hear about the Nazi war criminal that is still being sought? Sixty years after
the end of WWII and the people of Israel are still rounding these guys up and trying them! That ought to give the leaders of any soon-to-be ex-superpowers something to think about!I have long advocated turning over the American leadership to the International Criminal Court for trial as part of the Middle East peace process. We don't have enough money to pay reparations, but we could put on a helluva show with these blowhards on TV in orange jumpsuits and manacles!
I happened to catch a few minutes of "Lou Dobbs Tonight", which featured as (repeat) guest, Lt. David Grainger. The big "news" is that just as public opposition to the Iraq War has reached a new low of 68%, the U.S. is starting to do remarkably well. Wow! Good news, eh?Not. The only metric provided was that U.S. troop deaths have fallen sharply in recent months. That is how our success is being measured. And according to the Lt. Grainger, if we were to withdraw our troops the situation would deteriorate."We must reinforce success," he asserted. So that means that because our troops are not dying as fast as they were, they have to stay in Iraq! Wow! That's not good -- especially because this debacle is costing $200 billion a year and the U.S. public national debt just hit $9 trillion, up from $5.6 trillion at the start of the Bush "presidency" (presiding over a series of failures is the actuality).
We have seen casualty reductions before. They resulted from a shift in tactics from offense to defense ("force protection missions".) In fact, there have been reports that some troops are writing fake action reports, just going out to a safe place and waiting for the end of their shift to roll around. Those troops are probably in the tiny majority, but undoubtedly U.S. commanders have been ordered to reduce troop deaths for political reasons.There have also been reports of a major escalation in the air war, something which receives little coverage in Der Homeland. So, a shift from ground offensives to aerial bombardment can easily account for a temporary reduction in ground-combat troop deaths.The (near) completion of ethnic cleansing may account for some reduction in violence. As may the reports of armloads of cash handed out to former "insurgents" in an attempt to buy loyalty from those who previously fought against and killed American soldiers.All in all, not even counting Abu Ghraib, there is not a bit of glory in this war, and there is no victory in sight. We cannot leave because we are succeeding they say, and our success is measured by how few American soldiers are dying each month.According to the pro-war crowd we must continue to spend $200 billion a year to support what can at best be deemed a long term stalemate. In fact, a long term U.S. presence in Iraq amounts to a defeat for America. That is the truth about guerrilla war. The invaders are bled dry and eventually they leave. The guerrillas have nowhere to go and are motivated for reasons other than money. Strategically too, a long term occupation of Iraq is a total disaster because it destabilizes the Middle East and encourages people to hate America and all that it stands for.
Right now what America stands for is threatening and invading countries with oil, the use of internationally banned torture techniques and secret prisons where people disappear permanently, and an inability to manage its economy and finances (America has earned a reputation for gigantic financial frauds, and for rarely prosecuting rich white executives.)In the end the Iraqis don't need to defeat our soldiers, they just need to wait for the oil sheiks and the Asian exporters to cut off our financing. When the U.S. is no longer deemed creditworthy (any minute now), our global military empire will disband and disappear.Even worse for BushCo, did you hear about the Nazi war criminal that is still being sought? Sixty years after
the end of WWII and the people of Israel are still rounding these guys up and trying them! That ought to give the leaders of any soon-to-be ex-superpowers something to think about!I have long advocated turning over the American leadership to the International Criminal Court for trial as part of the Middle East peace process. We don't have enough money to pay reparations, but we could put on a helluva show with these blowhards on TV in orange jumpsuits and manacles!
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