The Fog of War
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJypLspQgVU
"The Fog of War" performed by Matt Turk with Pete Seeger and Rob Morsberger, Director/Cameraman-W.L. Jackson,
Editor-E. James Smith.
Living With War Today
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Welcome to Kosovo! The World's Newest Narco State
Welcome to Kosovo! The World's Newest Narco State
Last Sunday's unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, former warlord/commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), heralds the birth of a new European narco state.
The illegal dismemberment of Serbia, completing the U.S./EU/NATO destruction of Yugoslavia, is proclaimed by ruling elites and their sycophants as an exemplary means to bring "peace and stability" to the region. This provocative move, outside the framework of international law, threatens any sovereign state with similar treatment should they deviate from the "Washington consensus."
Far from bringing "peace" let alone "stability," an "independent" Kosovo will serve as a militarized outpost for Western capitalist powers intent on spreading their tentacles East, further encircling Russia by penetrating the former spheres of influence of the Soviet Union.
Led by dodgy characters and war criminals such as Hashim Thaci and Agim Ceku, "independent" Kosovo is a gangster state governed by thugs with ties to Albanian drug trafficking syndicates and al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda, the KLA and Western Intelligence
Al-Qaeda's service to the CIA and other Western intelligence services is well-documented. Beginning in 1998 and perhaps earlier, the London-based cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, the "emir" of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group al-Muhajiroun began a recruitment drive for aspiring mujahideen for the "holy war" in Kosovo at London's notorious Finsbury Park Mosque.
On Friday, March 13, 1998 a London rally for the jihad was backed by some 50 local Islamist organizations. According to Christopher Deliso,
...the Albanian Islamic Society of London, headed by Kosovar Sheik Muhammed Stubla, was lobbying and raising money for the KLA's campaign. ... In contradiction to the KLA leadership's claims about secularism, the Kosovar sheik specifically defined the militant group as "an Albanian Islamic organisation which is determined to defend itself, its people, its homeland, and its religion with all its capabilities and by all means." ... The chief bank account for fundraising was in the London branch of terrorist-linked Habibsons Bank of Pakistan. (The Coming Balkan Caliphate, Westport: Praeger Security International, 2007, p. 43)
In 2005, in the wake of the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks in London, it was revealed that Bakri, a probable asset of Britain's MI6, was the "spiritual" force behind the deadly attacks.
Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed reports that,
The reluctance to take decisive action against the leadership of the extremist network in the UK has a long history. According to John Loftus, a former Justice Department prosecutor, Omar Bakri and Abu Hamza, as well as the suspected mastermind of the London bombings Haroon Aswat, were all recruited by MI6 in the mid-1990s to draft up British Muslims to fight in Kosovo. American and French security sources corroborate the revelation. The MI6 connection raises questions about Bakri's relationship with British authorities today. Exiled to Lebanon and outside British jurisdiction, he is effectively immune to prosecution. ("Sources: August terror plot is a 'fiction' underscoring police failures," The Raw Story, Monday, September 18, 2006)
Before fleeing, Bakri defended the actions of his young dupes by proclaiming, "We don't make a distinction between civilians and non-civilians, innocents and non-innocents. Only between Muslims and unbelievers. And the life of an unbeliever has no value. It has no sanctity."
The current "secular" Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, when he served as KLA warlord was identified in media reports as having operational links to the al-Qaeda network. Such reports are not surprising when one considers that for earlier U.S./NATO "service" in Bosnia, bin Laden himself was rewarded a Bosnian passport by the "democratic" government of former Nazi and Islamist ideologue, Alija Izetbegovic.
As the Afghan-Arab database of disposable intelligence assets streamed into Kosovo, often from Albania with the active assistance of narcotrafficking gangsters under NATO supervision, they replenished the ranks of Thaci's terrorist army.
Michel Chossudovsky writes,
Mercenaries financed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had been fighting in Bosnia. And the Bosnian pattern was replicated in Kosovo: Mujahadeen mercenaries from various Islamic countries are reported to be fighting alongside the KLA in Kosovo. German, Turkish and Afghan instructors were reported to be training the KLA in guerrilla and diversion tactics. ... According to a Deutsche Press-Agentur report, financial support from Islamic countries to the KLA had been channelled through the former Albanian chief of the National Information Service (NIS), Bashkim Gazidede. "Gazidede, reportedly a devout Moslem who fled Albania in March of last year [1997], is presently [1998] being investigated for his contacts with Islamic terrorist organizations." ("Kosovo 'freedom fighters' financed by organised crime," World Socialist Web Site, 10 April 1999)
These links are hardly casual. On the contrary, as Peter Dale Scott avers,
The closeness of the KLA to al-Qaeda was acknowledged again in the Western press, after Afghan-connected KLA guerrillas proceeded in 2001 to conduct guerrilla warfare in Macedonia. Press accounts included an Interpol report containing the allegation that one of bin Laden's senior lieutenants was the commander of an elite KLA unit operating in Kosovo in 1999. This was probably Mohammed al-Zawahiri. (The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007, p. 169)
Agim Ceku another "Prime Minister," committed massive war crimes in the Croatian region of Krajina when employed by the Croatian army as a brigadier general. As a key planner of Operation Storm, Ceku's forces massacred Serbs and presided over the largest ethnic cleansing during NATO's Yugoslavian destabilization campaign. Some 250,000 Serbs fled for their lives as Ceku's black-uniformed shock troops, many adorned with symbols of the Nazi Ustasha puppet regime during World War II were driven from Croatia.
According to Gregory Elich,
The invasion of Krajina was preceded by a thorough CIA and DIA analysis of the region. According to Balkan specialist Ivo Banac, this "tactical and intelligence support" was furnished to the Croatian Army at the beginning of its offensive. ... Two months earlier, the Pentagon contracted Military Professional Resources, Inc (MPRI) to train the Croatian military. According to a Croatian officer, MPRI advisors "lecture us on tactics and big war operations on the level of brigades, which is why we needed them for Operation Storm when we took the Krajina." Croatian sources claim that U.S. satellite intelligence was furnished to the Croatian military. Following the invasion of Krajina, the U.S. rewarded Croatia with an agreement "broadening existing cooperation" between MPRI and the Croatian military. U.S. advisors assisted in the reorganization of the Croatian Army. Referring to this reorganization in an interview with the newspaper Vecernji List, Croatian General Tihomir Blaskic said, "We are building the foundations of our organization on the traditions of the Croatian home guard" -- pro-Nazi troops in World War II. ("The Invasion of Serbian Krajina," Emperors Clothes, no date)
Following on the heels of this sterling "victory," Ceku became KLA commander in 1999 and "Prime Minister" in 2006. There is an outstanding Interpol warrant for his arrest according to Michel Chossudovsky.
The KLA: "Trained-up fierce" by Germany's KSK
As in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia, the Kosovo Liberation Army was secretly armed by America and Germany and remains what it has always been, a creature of Western intelligence services.
Christopher Deliso observes,
In 1996, Germany's BND established a major station in Tirana...and another in Rome to select and train future KLA fighters. According to Le Monde Diplomatique, "special forces in Berlin provided the operational training and supplied arms and transmission equipment from ex-East German Stasi stocks as well as Black uniforms." The Italian headquarters recruited Albanian immigrants passing through ports such as Brindisi and Trieste, while German military intelligence, the Militaramschirmdienst, and the Kommando Spezialkräfte Special Forces (KSK), offered military training and provisions to the KLA in the remote Mirdita Mountains of northern Albania controlled by the deposed president, Sali Berisha.
In 1996, BND Chief Geiger's deputy, Rainer Kesselring, the son of the Nazi Luftwaffe general responsible for the bombing of Belgrade in 1941 that left 17,000 dead, oversaw KSK training of Albanian recruits at a Turkish military base near Izmir. (The Coming Balkan Caliphate, Westport: Praeger Security International, 2007, pp. 37-38)
Hypocritically, while Washington had officially designated the KLA a "terrorist organization" funded by the heroin trade, the Clinton administration was complicit with their German allies in the division of the Serb province along ethnic and religious lines.
By 1998, the KLA took control of between 25 to 40 percent of the province before Serb forces wrested the KLA-held areas back. Facing imminent defeat, the Kosovo Liberation Army and allied mujahideen fighters appealed to Washington, citing the imminent danger of "ethnic cleansing" by the Serbs. Laughable on the face of it, Albanians constitute fully 90 percent of Kosovo's population, and in fact, it was the Serbs, Roma and Jews who were being brutalized by KLA hit squads, their homes torched, their churches and synagogues sacked. It was the dismantling of the KLA's terrorist infrastructure by the Yugoslav People's Army that was the trigger that prompted direct military intervention by NATO in 1999.
As in Iraq, the 78 day U.S. bombing campaign targeted critical civilian infrastructure in Serbia: bridges, factories, power plants, electrical transmission hubs, communications centers. Throughout Serbia and Kosovo itself, the U.S. scattered tons of radioactive depleted uranium munitions and tens of thousands of cluster bombs. The U.S. attack, ostensibly to "protect" Kosovo's population from Serb depredations caused some 800,000 civilians to flee NATO's devastating raids.
For Washington, drunk on the illusion that its policies had hastened the collapse of a bureaucratized and rotten Soviet system, the dismemberment of Yugoslavia would again represent the triumph of the so-called "free market" and "democracy" under the umbrella of a new international order administered by World Bank/IMF "reforms": Francis Fukuyama's short-lived "end of history." While on the opposite pole of the same ideological dead end, political Islam's tactical alliance with the West was a means to establish a bridgehead for penetration into Europe via dodgy Saudi, Kuwaiti and Gulf "charities" in pursuit of their quixotic quest of establishing a "divine" (Islamicized) capitalist order rising from the ashes of a decadent West.
Two heads, same poisonous snake.
The KLA's Links to the International Heroin Trade
In Kosovo, Hashim Thaci's KLA served as the militarized vanguard for the Albanian mafia whose "15 Families" control virtually every facet of the Balkan heroin trade. Kosovar traffickers ship heroin originating exclusively from Asia's Golden Crescent. At one end lies Afghanistan where poppy is harvested for transshipment through Iran and Turkey; as morphine base it is then refined into "product" for worldwide consumption. From there it passes into the hands of the Albanian syndicates who control the Balkan Route.
As the San Francisco Chronicle reported,
Until the war intervened, Kosovars were the acknowledged masters of the trade, credited with shoving aside the Turkish gangs that had long dominated narcotics trafficking along the Balkan Route, and effectively directing the ethnic Albanian network.
Kosovar bosses "orchestrated the traffic, regulated the rate and set the prices," according to journalist Leonardo Coen, who covers racketeering and organized crime in the Balkans for the Italian daily La Repubblica.
"The Kosovars had a 10-year head start on their cousins across the border, simply because their Yugoslav passports allowed them to travel earlier and much more widely than someone from communist Albania," said Michel Koutouzis, a senior researcher at Geopolitical Drug Watch who is regarded as Europe's leading expert on the Balkan Route.
"That allowed them to establish very efficient overseas networks through the worldwide Albanian diaspora -- and in the process, to forge ties with other underworld groups involved in the heroin trade, such as Chinese triads in Vancouver and Vietnamese in Australia," Koutouzis told The Chronicle. (Frank Viviano, "KLA Linked to Enormous Heroin Trade," Wednesday, May 5, 1999, Page A-1)
It is hardly an accident that the meteoric rise of the Kosovar families to the top of the narcotrafficking hierarchy coincided with the KLA's sudden appearance in the area in 1997.
As Peter Klebnikov observed,
As the war in Kosovo heated up, the drug traffickers began supplying the KLA with weapons procured from Eastern European and Italian crime groups in exchange for heroin. The 15 Families also lent their private armies to fight alongside the KLA. Clad in new Swiss uniforms and equipped with modern weaponry, these troops stood out among the ragtag irregulars of the KLA. In all, this was a formidable aid package. It's therefore not surprising, say European law enforcement officials, that the faction that ultimately seized power in Kosovo -- the KLA under Hashim Thaci -- was the group that maintained the closest links to traffickers. "As the biggest contributors, the drug traffickers may have gotten the most influence in running the country," says Koutouzis. ("Heroin Heroes," Mother Jones, January/February 2000)
As is well-known, U.S. destabilization programs and covert operations rely on far-right provocateurs and drug lords (often interchangeable players) to facilitate the dirty work. Throughout its Balkan operations the CIA made liberal use of these preexisting narcotics networks to arm the KLA and provide them with targets.
The rest is history, as they say.
Kosovo Today
Has anything changed in the intervening years? Hardly. In fact, the vise-like grip of the Albanian mafia over narcotics, human trafficking and arms smuggling has cemented the "15 Families" place atop Europe's hierarchy of crime, an essential arm of the capitalist deep state.
Considering NATO and the UN's lofty mandate to bring "peace and stability" to the region through "democracy promotion" and "institution building," what does the balance sheet reveal?
According to regional experts the outlook for Kosovo is grim. The economy is in shambles, unemployment hovers near 50 percent, a population of young people with "criminality as the sole career choice" populate a society tottering on the brink of collapse where the state is dominated by organized crime.
According to former New York Times reporter David Binder, citing a 124-page investigation by the Institute for European Policy commissioned by the German Bundeswehr,
"It is a Mafia society" based on "capture of the state" by criminal elements. ("State capture" is a term coined in 2000 by a group of World Bank analysts to describe countries where government structures have been seized by corrupt financial oligarchies. This study applied the term to Montenegro's Milo Djukanovic, by way of his cigarette smuggling and to Slovenia, with the arms smuggling conducted by Janez Jansa). In Kosovo, it says, "There is a need for thorough change of the elite."
Fat chance that happening anytime soon! Binder reports:
In the authors' definition, Kosovan organized crime "consists of multimillion-Euro organizations with guerrilla experience and espionage expertise." They quote a German intelligence service report of "closest ties between leading political decision makers and the dominant criminal class" and name Ramush Haradinaj, Hashim Thaci and Xhavit Haliti as compromised leaders who are "internally protected by parliamentary immunity and abroad by international law." They scornfully quote the UNMIK chief from 2004-2006, Soeren Jessen Petersen, calling Haradinaj "a close and personal friend." UNMIK, they add "is in many respects an element of the local problem scene."
The study sharply criticizes the United States for "abetting the escape of criminals" in Kosovo as well as "preventing European investigators from working." This has made Americans "vulnerable to blackmail." It notes "secret CIA detention centers" at Camp Bondsteel and assails American military training for Kosovo (Albanian) police by Dyncorp, authorized by the Pentagon. ("Kosovo Auf Deutsch," Balkan Analysis, November 18, 2007)
As we can readily observe in other climes, the interpenetration of the state by criminal elites serve as the preferred mechanism to cement a "public-private partnership" founded on corruption, maintained by brute force solely for purposes of resource extraction, pipeline politics, military bases and the geopolitical advantage gained over "market" rivals.
As the U.S. Embassy burns in Belgrade, all in all, its another "Mission Accomplished" moment for the United States.
Israeli Savages Shoot American Protester & Christian Zionists are Damn Stupid
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Israeli Savages Shoot American Protester From San Francisco In What Was A Peaceful Protest in West Bank
Israeli storm troopers in the occupied West Bank of the Liberal Democracy Of Apartheid Israel, shot 20 peaceful protesters during a gathering in Bil'in. The gathering of over 1,000 protesters last Friday was to protest the separation barrier that imposes hardship on Palestinians living in the West Bank. It is a weekly protest. Every once in a while however just for fun, the Israeli war criminals fire rubber bullets and tear gas at the protesters. The man pictured here is an American named Shanbo Heinemann. I don't know about you, but when these racist scumbags shoot Americans, I think it's time to stop sending welfare checks. There was of course no news coverage of this event in America by our treasonous ethnocentric press.
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Why God Doth Thou Make Christian Zionists So God Damn Stupid?
Pastor John "Pork Chop" Hagee
I don't often criticize people for their religious beliefs. Some of the people I have loved most in this life have had them. I must make an exception however for Christian Zionists. These mostly Evangelical nut cases are just a hop, skip and a lobotomy away from their charming Klansman predecessors.
In the past several years the Evangelic
als have allied themselves politically with the supporters of those currently inhabiting Israel. It is not that they love Israel, or those calling themselves Jews, it's that they are doing their best to bring about Armageddon. And Armageddon, will be triggered when the Jews return to Israel, according to Biblical Gibberish. But it can't come quick enough for the delusional Republican cultists. The great rapture that this event will cause will require their new pals, the Jews, either convert or be exterminated. I am sure the leadership in Tel Aviv is happy to accept the moral or more importantly the material support these delusional nut cases have to offer. I am also sure that they are not the least bit indignant over the choices that the second coming will require. In fact, I bet they are laughing their asses off at the Evangelicals as they contemplate their choices.
But here is the problem for the Evangelicals. If of course they ever read anything other than the Bible or those "left behind" novels by Tim LaHaye, they would know this. I forsee the following scenario.
The cock has crowed for the second time. The Master is on his way. The sun is dark. The powers shaken. And they have come to see. Jesus rides among the Four Horsemen. And Jesus stops. Hey, what the fuck? What is with all of these Eastern European descendants of penis worshipers here in Palestine? And why are my Palestinian brothers being ethnically cleansed from their home land? This is bull shit. Hagee, rest assured your pork butt will fry in Hell for all eternity for this outrage. My horsemen, Death, War, Famine and Pestilence, lets get the hell out of here. Someone has attempted to perpetuate a fraud.
Survive Martial Law.com - A Critique And Second-Opinion
February 26, 2008 at 10:26:53
Headlined on 2/26/08:
Survive Martial Law.com - A Critique And Second-Opinion
In a recent article, Justanothercoverup committed to:
Within the next two to three weeks, Justanothercoverup will be expanding the category “# S 1959, Endgame, Martial Law, DHS, NSA, Fascism” by adding articles from all over the Internet that present varying thoughts on these subjects as well as the best way to survive a declaration of Martial Law. We also plan to offer specific materials, available from this site, which will be a compilation of facts and hypothesis from the leading authorities who have had the courage to speak-up on this issue. LINK
At first glance, the above statement may seem innocuous, however, it’s actually a daunting task and fraught with liability. If an author or individual builds-up enough credibility to have his “advice” or thoughts on how to react to a declaration of Martial Law taken seriously, whatever remarks, assumptions and or/or suggestions that are made by that individual could affect life or death situations that will occur thousands, if not hundred of thousands of times across the country if such an event happens. The variables and factors that will be in play are enormous, and strategies and questions will have to be answered and planned for, many of which are basic but essential to your survival and ultimately, whatever amount of peace-of-mind you can muster knowing you’ve attempted to exercise your best judgment to make the most realistic plans for your family. Above all, we believe it’s essential to try and separate the facts, which we can substantiate, from the speculation and conspiracy theories that abound on the Internet. Unfortunately, one of those “conspiracy theories” is apt to be correct, but when you note the numerous theories that permeate the Internet, which one do you ultimately believe and what exactly should you prepare for?
It’s my belief that combining what we do know and can prove, coupled with sound logic and preparation, are the essentials to surviving Martial Law. We need to speculate far less and need to study the rise of other fascist nations and examine their tactics and proven methods for success. If you haven’t read Naomi Klein, Google her name and read some of the many enlightening articles and books she’s written, most notably “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” and don’t miss the many interviews, videos and other information that is freely accessible on the Internet. We know that liberty and freedom are hanging-on by the finest thread which could snap at any time, but it’s a situation that we need to respond to with reason and logic rather than hysteria and fear - elevated to the point that we lose the very essence of what makes us Americans. Above all, we must retain our identity and spirit and attempt to educate, not belittle those that believe “it couldn’t possible happen to them.” Knowledge is power, and in just the last couple of weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans have become aware and S 1959 and Martial Law are among the hottest topics being discussed and researched on the Internet. It’s essential that this subject be made an issue in the final round of Presidential debates between the chosen GOP and Democratic candidates that will be fighting for the Presidency.
We can thank the courage of The San Francisco Chronicle and their publication of “Rule by fear or rule by law?” for being the catalyst of this “awakening” which is rapidly developing in our colleges and homes across the United States. Americans are now far more aware of S 1959 and the real prospect that Martial Law could be declared within the continental United States in our near future. Since the SF Chronicle published their expose’ on S 1959 and EndGame, the Internet has been awash with links, videos, and information that is resounding throughout this nation and throughout the world; people from almost every walk of life are expressing their outrage and fear via the countless Blogs, News aggregators and discussion forums that constitute the new media that is taking America by storm - the “alternative news media”, brought to you by concerned citizens and politicians who have now become aware that EndGame and the subsequent declaration of Martial Law are not “conspiracy theories”, but a reality in the New Amerika the Bush administration has been attempting to usher-in since they were first installed in office.
Now that we know EndGame is a reality, the question arises of what we as a nation are to do in the event that our worst nightmare should come true and through hook or crook, our government maneuvers or create events that will ultimately lead to martial law and suspension of the 2008 Presidential elections, or in the alternative, a quick decent into chaos because the GOP lost the election and hastily attempt to subvert whatever is left of our democratic (sic) process in order to stay in power and avoid prosecution for their treasonous and felonious actions. President Bush, as he stubbornly insists that Congress grant the telecoms immunity has essentially threatened America that if we don’t grant his “request”, Americans “could” suffer a devastating terrorist attack because Congress has effectively tied the hands of the intelligence gathering community, therefore allowing the “evil doers” free reign to attack America.
Those of us who have not been cowed into fear by the President’s incessant fear-mongering are aware this is propaganda and blackmail of the highest degree and understand that Bush and Cheney, along with their cabal of co-conspirators need Congress to grant the telecoms immunity because once the telecoms are granted a “get out of jail free card”, the immunity will trickle-down (or up) to include immunity for the criminals that first implemented this unconstitutional and illegal program; immunity for the telecoms means immunity for those who coerced them into violating our rights, and in the final analysis, the President understands that if Congress fails to honor his demands, the weight of the illegal wiretapping will eventually fall upon the shoulders of those who initially perpetrated the crime. Perhaps Congress will consider immunity for the telecoms at a later date, maybe in exchange for their testimony against those who dared to violate our constitution as a vengeful America seek to prosecute those who have trampled upon our rule of law and willfully destroyed our economy as well as jeopardizing the lives and security of the inhabitants of The United States!
None of us know exactly how this will play-out, but what we do know is that when dealing with Bush and Cheney, we can hope for the best and always expect the worst - a lesson well-learned by evaluating Bush’s tenure at the White House this past seven years. One possibility that must be factored-in is how we will communicate with other family members, how and where family members are to congregate after such a declaration, as a declaration of Martial Law could result in a temporary information black-out.
Executive Order 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
This order was executed by President John F. Kennedy on February 16, 1962. Some of the language is vague, however, with this administration that’s proven to be an open-license to interpret the order any way they feel it serves “the national interest”, so the general population faces the real possibility of attempting to cope with Martial Law with only “official news” to guide their thoughts and opinions, as Bloggers and alternative news sites can and likely will disappear almost instantly through a well coordinated media blackout. If that includes cell phones and other lines of communication, it’s essential to have a well thought-out plan for family members to follow so they will know where to meet and/or congregate and what perishable and emergency items for them to procure, or attempt to, on their journey home.
So, there we are, back to the question of what should the public do if our government declares martial law? During the course of our research, we found one website entitled Survive Martial law.com and carefully read and evaluated what was contained on the site. Survive Martial law.com is the brainchild of Harold Williams, and much of what he states is true as it pertains to the impact of a martial law declaration, however there are statements and contentions that are somewhat contradictory, and in fact, raise many questions which need to be addressed. It’s obvious that Harold Williams has done his homework, and while we don’t agree with everything that is stated on his site, the predictions of store’s shelves emptying in a matter of a couple of hours after a martial law declaration is certainly valid as is his prediction that food and medicine supplies may be disrupted on a national basis for a long period of time - possibly months. This possibility does pose a genuine threat to the survival factor of your family and those who remain unprepared will face horrific times if Martial Law is ever declared; Mr. Williams’ recommendations to stock-up on essential food stuffs and water are spot-on, as is the necessity for secrecy. We’re definitely playing on the same side but with some significant differences.
Mr. Williams offers a publication on his site entitled “Survive Martial Law” for twenty dollars ($20.00). We purchased the ebook and found it was comprised of forty-four pages, at least 80% of which were commentary and an excellent history of “how” we may have wound-up in this situation. The substantiation he offers are a list of websites, many of which host excellent facts and information, some that I quote myself, especially as it pertains to S 1959 and Martial Law.
Mr. Williams believes that Martial Law will be declared in the early spring of 2008, and in fact declares that he received a tip to that effect. On the second page of “Survive Martial Law”, he states:
A Secret Service Operative called me and said he’d heard the government was going to allow a city to be vaporized very soon to trigger Martial Law. He walked away, took his family, and caught a freighter to the South Seas.There are many people, professional and otherwise who have expressed their concerns about a false-flag attack on American soil perpetrated by the Bush administration, and many worry that his refusal to secure our porous southern border has already allowed terrorists to infiltrate our country and possibly smuggle-in weapons of mass destruction. At any rate, so far it’s been a matter of raw speculation, and unfortunately, it appears that our only verifiable “source” that an attack is imminent is somewhere in the south seas with his family on a freighter… Perhaps the author is attempting to cover-up the real location of his informant, but even for me, a freighter in the south seas being used as an escape route for an experienced Secret Service Agent and his family seems a little “cloak-and-daggerish.”
There is another interesting set of “facts” presented in “Survive Martial Law”, and in all honesty, I’m confused at the implications these thoughts present to the reader. Mr. Williams states that he was with “Special Forces” during the Vietnam War for three (3) years; “I averaged 18 days a month combat during my 3 years in Special Forces in Vietnam, and it was up North, around Hanoi” and describes his combat skills as thus:
One thing I will mention, and many will disagree, but you and your buddies are no match for 50 Special Forces. I was one, and even today would take on 20 guys with hunting rifles (even good shots!), killing them all in 20 minutes!
Wow! With that kind of ability, this isn’t an individual I’d want gunning for me, and he does base his expertise on addressing this issue on his extensive study and military experience - but from there, the waters get a bit murkier! In August of 2007, I wrote Homeland Security Enlists Clergy to Quell Public If Martial Law Declared!, an article that described Homeland Security’s enlistment of the clergy to help quell discontent if Martial Law is declared and will likely aid the feds in requesting that people surrender their firearms to local/governmental officials “until everything gets worked out (sic).” Mr. Williams also states that he is a Christian, and as such, cannot “support any violence.”
He is also an advocate of “hiding your guns” or turning them in to local authorities, and the manner in which he describes turning your weapons in doesn’t sit right with me, and everyone that has read this passage has reacted with the same sense of indignation that I did - but maybe that’s the caliber of people I associate with, who knows?
If you want, wait until martial law is declared and call the police and take their advice on how to turn them in unless you think you can win over thousands of armed troops.
I can’t recommend anything to you on this subject other than that people who readily complied with orders did curry favor - which you may need.
Even though Mr. Williams professes to be a Christian and cannot “support any violence”, in lieu of a firearm he goes on to suggest:
Lastly, I recommend a Ka-Bar combat style knife (about $50) - razor sharp! If confronted, push it hard into the upper belly, twist it and pull it out. With a knife, the target points are the front of the neck and the upper belly – use it and then run like hell! The Ka-bar has a special handle that won’t get slippery with blood. When society breaks down, people get mean, so be prepared!
So, based on the above statement, it’s not necessarily violence that Mr. Williams doesn’t condone, but only if that violence doesn’t require the use of a firearm. In fairness to Mr. Williams, he does state that his abhorrence to firearms is for the safety of the individual attempting to survive, and to make his point even further, he goes on to make this statement:
In Central America we shot everyone we caught with a gun, even if it was in a drawer unloaded!! (Emphasis added.) Do what you wish, but listen to the history of violence. It could cause your household immediate execution.
Huh??? …. “we shot everyone we caught with a gun, even if it was in a drawer unloaded!!“ Um, if I’m interpreting that statement correctly, it sounds like “we” were guilty of murder and crimes against humanity in South America, which none of us doubt that remember the Iran/Contra Affair, but who is the “we” Mr. Williams is speaking of? I initially assumed that the author was speaking of reports that he had read, or first-hand stories he had heard from fellow veterans turned mercenary who had served in the many covert US Operations of those times in Central America, but a thorough read of “Survive Martial Law” indicated otherwise; Mr. Williams states:
Please try to do as I suggest. I’ve spent years in combat and Martial Law zones, often as a combatant.
I have been a military advisor who taught occupying troops, so I know why some people die while others live for a better day.
In another passage, he states:
So be peaceable, mind your own business, smile, don’t look into a combatant’s eyes, look at their belt, do not even suggest being confrontational, and realize that the world is changing and you can do nothing about it.(Emphasis added)
It may be possible that we “can do nothing about it”, however, cooperating with an illegal Martial Law declaration and voluntarily disarming ourselves “to curry favor” smacks of capitulation and defeatism - traits that I wouldn’t expect to see on a massive scale in a country that is governed by a President with the worst approval ratings in the history of our nation! Further, in one section of the publication, Mr. Williams refers to “Martial Law rapes” and correctly identifies an issue that occurs in any society that has fallen into anarchy and social standards disappear as people panic and attempt to feed their families when even the basics for survival have been stripped off the store shelves - which may take months to replenish!
A lot (Questions he answers via email.) are from women who are afraid of the typical Martial Law rapes. I understand that issue and have seen the backlash of it, but I ask them to think it through. What about the vicious young thugs who are out to hurt and rape anyone and don’t care one bit about your pleas? It goes on and on and is a legitimate concern.
Yes, it is a “legitimate concern”, and while I agree that firearms should remain hidden while “occupying forces” are conducting house to house searches, disarming ourselves is a guarantee that rape, murder, and the loss of a family’s hard earned food and supplies - and possibly their lives, will be a certainty rather than a possibility! Ask yourselves whether a family will have a better chance of surviving an assault from thugs and/or people marauding for food and essentials armed with firearms or attempt to defend themselves with a “Ka-Bar combat style knife?” (Or even Bear-strength Pepper Spray as the author also suggests.)
In the argument for giving up your arms, Mr. Williams describes it as thus:
So, you say, “I have a handgun”. Well, what do you intend to do with it? The guy down the street who wants your cans of beans might be intimated, but if you pointed it at me, I’d take it away from you in 2 seconds and then what would you do? Really - think about it… what would you do? One important fact about shooting is that even a stationary target is hard to hit with any accuracy by a beginner. What if it’s moving?
What about the “pause” nearly every inexperienced person has where there is a second or so while you get your mind fixed. An
experienced combatant will use those split seconds to kill you quite dead. What if you actually fire your weapon during Martial Law and the report is heard by roaming troops who come running? There you will be, a civilian with a recently fired gun…when it will be illegal to even possess the gun at all! What will you do then?In this author’s opinion, the argument against firearms doesn’t pass the smell test, especially in consideration that Mr. Williams was a member of our “special Forces” and served in the Vietnam War. Many people are wary of firearms, and they do have a slight recoil, however, with three to four hours of professional training at any local firing range, familiarizing the adult and teenage members of your family in the proper use and maintenance of weapons is fairly simple and doesn’t require a lot of cost or training. Add a few hours of “Quick Kill” technique to the training, and the necessity to “take aim” is unnecessary. During the Vietnam War, the military developed the Quick Kill technique for soldiers that were fighting in close quarters, i.e., the jungles and heavy foliage that were common in Vietnam Nam. Our military found that troops didn’t have the time to take aim as they would in open-area combat and came up with a highly effective method of shooting the enemy without taking traditional aim that relied on instinctive shooting - and it’s a technique that can be learned within a matter of a few hours and is extremely effective!
The Quick Kill technique that we were taught in the Army only encompassed a couple of hours, however, after mastering the technique, which anyone can easily do - the results were more than remarkable, and in close-combat situations, which is exactly the situation a family would encounter if thugs attempt to enter your home, mastering “Quick Kill” won’t bring your family up to the par of combat troops but will easily convince potential intruders that their best bet for stealing or raping people as they forage for food will best be accomplished by choosing those homes who have decided to “curry favor” and turn their firearms into the local authorities. Thugs and criminals usually choose the path of least resistance, so with those words as your guide, it’s up to each family to decide the course of action they will take in attempting to insure the survival of their individual family units.
There is much more that I could reveal and critique, but my purpose isn’t to bash Survive Martial Law.com, but to draw attention to what I believe are major discrepancies that are written by his own hand. Much to his credit, I received a refund within 48 hours after I requested it, and I also mentioned that I would be writing a review of his material. I don’t believe it’s fair to blind-side anyone, and I would hope that his intentions are certainly what he believes are in the best interests of the public. I disagree with his stance and now that I have read his plan to “Survive Martial Law”, I feel it’s morally imperative to state my objections and draw attention to what I believe is a flawed plan.
Normally, when I find a site I disagree with, I simply go somewhere else and forget about it. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion, however, on a matter as serious as surviving martial law; it’s imperative that the public receive reasoned and logical advice. S 1959 and the prospect of martial law are serious issues which demand well thought-out and objective thinking. If you reversed positions with the government and wanted to implement martial law, the tactics and beliefs that Mr. Williams expresses in his pamphlet “Survive Martial Law” are unquestionably those that the government would prefer - subservience to the troops, handing in your weapons, and having the belief that “you can do nothing about it.”
Some may argue that subservience and to “curry favor” is the only way to survive martial law, and those people would be those that still support President Bush - less than 20% of the population. I would remind Mr. Williams that Freedom is not free, and it was best stated by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson when they made these words immortal:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson
William Cormier
http://justanothercoverup.com/
I am nothing more than a patriotic American that is doing whatever I can to further the cause of democracy, the rule of law, and am absolutely outraged on how the Bush administration is defying our Congress, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights! Footnote: I write in a style that I believe is appropriate in today’s world where we can’t trust the Mainstream News Media, and rather than concentrating on one article alone, which may or may not receive the exposure and emphasis it should, I prefer to meld several relevant stories together, that each taken alone may not expose the entire situation, but when taken-in as a whole, tend to give the reader a better understanding of the subject. One article or story alone does not represent the “Big Picture” - but when several are effectively tied-together it often reveals a trend or broader view of the subject matter that is important to completely understand any given situation. http://justanothercoverup.com/
http://www.opednews.com/articles/3/opedne_william__080225_survive_martial_law_.htm
American and Alone
American and Alone
send your email to JMiller@bestcyrano.org
Steve Kazmierczak, who shot 17 individuals at Northern Illinois University on 2/14/08, was characterized by other students as “inquisitive, smart and nice….”
By Michael Goodspeed
2/26/08
The word is “atomized.” It describes a thing that has been fragmented, it exists in disconnected parts, like a family ripped apart by divorce or a building that’s been bombed. Whereas once the cohesive organization of individual units formed a mighty structure, the atomized thing ceases to be a thing at all. It’s liquidated. Obliterated. At best an idea.
For atomized human beings, deprived of the vital experiences of community, fellowship, and shared purpose, the feeling is one of alienation. Since one does not seem connected to anyone or anything else, one’s focus inevitably becomes brute self-interest. Narcissism, competitiveness, mistrust, and defensiveness reign among atomized individuals. Like threatened bullfrogs, we puff ourselves up into formidable things. We build massive egos, a bunch of useless hot air, to try and fill the gaping void caused by love’s absence.
“Atomized” is the best term to describe the collective socio-psychic state of 21st century Americans. Contracted individuals exist separate and alone, only occasionally “coming together” to butt heads and give each other the finger. Author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Survivor) perfectly characterized the present state of our culture, describing the new American Dream as the desire “to get so rich you can rise above the rabble, all those people on the freeway or, worse, the bus. No, the dream is a big house, off alone somewhere….Some lovely isolated nest where you can invite only the rabble you like. An environment you can control, free from conflict and pain. Where you rule….Whether it’s a ranch in Montana or basement apartment with ten thousand DVDs and high-speed Internet access, it never fails. We get there, and we’re alone. And we’re lonely.”
Recent studies confirm Chuck’s observations. In 2006, a study in the American Sociological Review claimed that the average American only has two close friends in whom to confide, while almost 25 percent claim to have no friends at all (1). Another recent study found a marked increase in the suicide rate of middle-age American men (2). In 2004, a similar bump — 8 percent — was found among American children and young adults aged 10 to 24, the largest rise in fifteen years (3). And of course, there is the seemingly endless string of “berserker” shootings perpetrated by disaffected, friendless young men.
Far from the spotlight of popular media — who remain obsessed with more sophisticated matters such as Britney Spears, steroids in baseball, and yet another stultifyingly irrelevant Presidential election — this is the reality of life in 21st century America. Despite the total pervasiveness of electronic “communications,” more and more of us are alone and lonely. Across the full socioeconomic, racial, and gender spectrum, for Americans young and old, rich and poor, fat and thin, married and single, loneliness has become the rule rather than the exception.
If you live in a big city like Seattle or Chicago, you’re probably lonely even though you’re surrounded by an endless sea of anonymous faces. The most human contact you get is when you “interact” with sales clerks at shopping outlets, or when some enraged driver who nearly ran you over at a pedestrian crossing tells you to fuck off. None of the places of social congregation intentionally cater to “socialization”; they are designed for one purpose, to take your money. Bars, restaurants, night clubs, movie theaters. You may find some less mercenary jaunts such as book stores and cafes, friendly little places run by ex-hippies and young vegans who might not even call the police if you don’t buy something within five minutes. But even in the most benevolent locales, you will most likely be restricted to politely inane conversations with “strangers.” America’s big cities are packed with many attractive, well-dressed, pseudo-hip young professionals, cell phones and iPods plugged into their ears, hordes of mostly polite zombies whose faces stretch in smiles that never quite reach their eyes. For “fun” they go clubbing and drinking and they drop caps of ecstasy and have joyless anonymous sex with each other. They probably imagine themselves popular and cool immersed in the movies of their lives. And they’re alone, and they’re lonely.
In the suburbs, it’s far worse. Mostly Caucasian families exist atomized and oblivious to their neighbors, insulated in their private, media-focused fantasy lives. What do you do for “fun” in the suburbs? You watch TV. You go to the movies. You surf the Net. If you have the dough, you go to NBA games so you can feel cool and important for a couple of hours. If you’re young, you go to the mall to see and be seen by the opposite sex. Maybe you have a family to keep you company. Maybe you even love them. But for more and more Americans, even this bare comfort has become quite tenuous. Nearly 30 million Americans live in single-person households, with the number increasing every year (4).
Why are we alone? Why are we lonely? A number of converging factors conspire to keep us separate and “atomized.” It is unavoidable that, despite the brutal, relentless taxation of Americans, a high cost of living, and the sparsity of job security, our populace remains relatively affluent. When people have enough money to get by (and more), they tend to believe they don’t “need” their neighbors and will contract from community. Severely compounding the problem is the addictive, mind-controlling influence of media so pervasive as to be unavoidable. TV, movie, and now Internet obsession has seized the minds of countless millions of Americans — CGI-generated surround-sound fantasy worlds provide more risk-free stimulation than real-world activities and friendships. Throw into the mix the apocalypse that is public education — a sizable chunk, perhaps majority, of U.S. citizens can now barely read, write, or speak coherently — and you have a populace incapable of interacting with one another in a healthy manner.
A 2006 study claims that young people in the U.S. today are more narcissistic than their predecessors (5). According to this study, narcissistic personalities are “more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty and over-controlling and violent behaviors.” In other words, American youngsters are increasingly too emotionally, mentally, and perhaps neurologically damaged to form healthy human relationships. It’s easy to ascribe words like spoiled, egocentric, lazy, or even “soulless” to today’s youths, but this is a denial of the frightful reality into which children in the U.S. are born. For decades now, Mass Media, the public school system, and the food, beverage, and drug industries have addled, shocked, and/or manipulated the minds of children into states of helpless stupor. Kids who were never taught to read, write, or form cogent thoughts, who were abused and dehumanized by their peers, who are deprived of one or more parent(s), who belong to no community, and whose brains have been irreparably damaged by a relentless chemical assault are obviously high-risk for personality disorders. The tendency toward narcissism is not surprising, given the vicious, mercenary promotion of egocentric values by corporate Mass Media and the culture at large.
Of course, atomization, contraction, and loneliness are not endemic to the United States. A recent study revealed that in Australia, the greatest percentage of depressed and lonely people live in posh Sydney, the nation’s most affluent city (6). Ironically (or perhaps predictably), the happiest people surveyed live in a poor coastal town called Wide Bay, where everyone knows one another, and meaningful personal connections are commonplace. In fact, according to the Australian Unity Well-being Index survey of 23,000 Australians, eight of the top nine happiest electorates in Australia are poor and isolated rural communities.
“The people in country towns seem to have a high level of connection with one another, they have good relationships, the neighbours know their kids and look out for them,” said survey author Bob Cummins from Deakin University.
The benefit of close-knit communities is more tangible than the emotional and spiritual. In California, not far from the L.A./Ontario International Airport, has recently emerged “Tent City,” a haven for a rapidly growing “suburban homeless” population (7). These are not the stereotypical homeless, addicted to drugs and alcohol or ravaged by mental illness. The national economic downturn and the rise in foreclosures has made homelessness a very real possibility for all but the wealthiest of Americans. Knowing and communicating with one’s neighbors is not only healthy for one’s mind and soul, it is becoming increasingly necessary for one’s safety and very survival.
What brings people together? Aside from physical interdependence, the one thing that reliably creates unity in human beings is a shared sense of purpose and meaning. Unfortunately, thanks to the relentless dumbing down of Americans by Media, Big Pharma, and the public school system, the collective attention of our nation remains focused on the ephemeral, inane, grotesque, and meaningless. Vacuous obsessions like professional sports and celebrity gossip may indeed provide a shared interest for some people, but not satisfaction nor a sense of meaning. To find real unity, human beings must live in a state of mental and physical health and wholeness. This means being educated, vibrant, awake and joyous. In today’s America, the only way to achieve this is to willfully react against the collective (programmed) impulse toward the inane and destructive.
Media, Industry and Government surely don’t mind if Americans sit alone and lonely, constructing monuments to our egos and watching TV. It cannot be our destiny to live like this — atomized, contracted, damaged, and suffering. We must fortify our minds and bodies and seek out meaningful connections with other human beings. We must celebrate our cultural endeavors that thrive on human creativity and ingenuity, and we must shun the collective obsession with the trivial and stupid. We must recognize our dependence on our neighbors, open the door to him or her as a brother or sister, and reinforce the meaningful and life-affirming in one another. Our nation is broken, fragmented, and teetering on the verge of collapse. We have very little time left.
We’re Americans, and we need each other.
Sources:
(1) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14126192/
(2) http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/19/america/19suicide.php
(3) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20620477/
(4) http://www.usatoday.com/community/utils/idmap/13081523.story
(5) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/27/health/main2519593.shtml
(6) www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1568612.htm
(7) www.dailybulletin.com/ci_8277825
(c) Sergei ChepikJewish Hypocrisy on the Issue of Intermarriage - Patrick Grimm
Jewish Hypocrisy on the Issue of Intermarriage
Posted by zionistwatch on February 25, 2008
By Patrick Grimm
Judaism and Zionism are both based on extreme ethnic supremacism. For those people not familiar with the tenets of Judaism and its political wing named Zionism, this is a reality that will become clearer once one starts reading the statements, books, articles and transcripts of lectures put out by mostly Zionist Jews, whether they be religious or non-religious. What makes the ethnocentrism of Jews so unique is how adamant it has proven to be when compared to the attitudes of other ethnicities. Jews, at least the politically and religiously aware ones, oppose the marriage of a Jew with a non-Jew (Gentile or Goy) in the most strident language possible. In fact, the religion of Judaism contains powerful prohibitions in its texts (the Torah and Talmud) against Jews mingling their blood with those who don’t share their Jewish heritage.
What makes these attitudes on the part of Jews odd is the fact that Jews have been the main supporters of and provided much of the funding for the civil rights movement in the United States. They were the prime movers in both the marches and the eventual legislation which saw the integration of white neighborhoods, restaurants and businesses. Those of European descent were forced by the weight of law and government power to allow blacks into all spheres of white America. By the 1960s, Hollywood films, all of them written and directed by Jews, were extolling the virtues of interracial relationships and even intermarriage between blacks and whites. By the 1970s, Jewish and liberal activists, with the help of a compliant media and court system had succeeded in getting miscegenation laws (laws prohibiting interracial unions) overturned in nearly every state.
Even an individual who is only marginally politically observant cannot help but notice that the media daily lauds the virtues of a multicultural, multiracial, integrated and diverse society. This media is overwhelmingly run by those of Jewish descent. Yet this same media also gives almost uniformly favorable press coverage to Israel, the only Jewish state in the entire world. Jews run the Israeli government and its schools and push legislation and educational curriculum that promotes Jewish solidarity, teaches Jewish history and pride in Jewish accomplishments. Israel is also a country that is strictly segregated, with Jews-only apartment buildings, settlements and businesses. In fact, there are laws on the books in Israel specifically prohibiting non-Jews from owning any media outlets.
While the Jewish-owned press in the United States continually lectures whites on the necessity of bringing more blacks into their neighborhoods, on the “immorality” of not renting to black tenets, while also telling our people that we should encourage our daughters to mate with and wed African-American men, they are silent about the realities of Jewish life in Israel. They are silent about the fact that Israel is the most rigidly segregated country on earth. While the media is promoting miscegenation in America, few people are aware that the world’s only Jewish state does not allow the marriage of a Jew and a non-Jew. It is not just frowned upon. It is actually illegal in Israel for a Jew and non-Jew (Gentile) to unite in marriage. Yet there is not a word of criticism in the American media. There are no editorials in American newspapers decrying Israel’s laws against intermarriage which are stricter even than the Nuremburg laws once touted by Nazi Germany. Yet white people are instructed by the very same Jewish Zionists who are silent about Israel’s discriminatory policies, to assimilate themselves with other races and to intermarry with them, thus losing their genetic heritage forever. Those who disagree with miscegenation are often called racists, bigots and potential closet KKK members, even if their reasoning is not based on hatred, but only on preserving their European lineage.
Every major Jewish organization in the United States including the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish National Fund and many others all have programs and position papers discouraging Jews from intermarrying with the non-Jewish populace. During George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, the media roundly condemned him for speaking at Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian school that discourages interracial dating. After much negative coverage, Bush was finally forced to publicly condemn BJU’s “racism”. Strangely, the media had no criticism for the fact that both Bush and Al Gore gave numerous speeches to Jewish groups who had been denouncing all marriages between Jews and non-Jews for decades.
Lest you still think I exaggerate about Jewish attitudes regarding intermarriage or think them an anomaly amongst organized Jews, here is a rather lengthy excerpt from a prominent Jewish columnist named Esther Jungreis, who is a Rebetzin, or wife of a rabbi. Jungreis is often called “the Jewish Billy Graham” and speaks on Jewish issues around the globe. Jungreis is not a marginal Jew by any means. She is a long-time supporter of George W. Bush and even spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of his candidacy. She has an online column called Dear Rebetzen Jungreis, which is sort of a Dear Abby-style question and answer forum. Here is one letter she received on the issue of Jewish intermarriage:
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis
I am in my second year of college and recently met a wonderful, intelligent, compassionate young man. I am very much in love with him. He is not Jewish, however, and this seems to be a “tragedy” to my parents. Rebbetzin, I just cannot understand it. My parents are not religious people. Their entire Judaism consists of buying High Holiday tickets once a year. They do not keep a kosher home, they do not observe any of the customs and traditions, and they never gave me a Jewish education. So how on earth can they censor me for wanting to marry this boy?
Believe me, Rebbetzin, my parents are no more Jewish than my boyfriend. He is a good hearted, kind individual, with all the characteristics of what my parents consider a “nice Jewish boy”. The real reason that my parents are opposed to him is because they are worried what people will say. They don’t really care about my happiness, but what others will say and how this will reflect on them.
I cannot see any difference between being Jewish or gentile, we are all created by God, and therefore we are all brothers. My parents never gave me a Jewish upbringing so why should I care?
I have reached the point where we are about to announce our engagement–unless you can show me a reason not to.
I have no respect for the hypocrisy around me.
Yours Sincerely,
Jewish in Name Only
Boston
Here is Mrs. Jungreis’ reply to this young Jewish woman who is conflicted about the love she feels for a non-Jewish man:
Dear Jewish in Name Only,
While it is true that your parents have failed to give you a Jewish education, their negligence does not exonerate you from YOUR responsibility, nor does it permit you to walk away from your people. There is no justification for abandoning your faith, your people or your God. Understand that by opting for intermarriage you are bringing your family’s Jewish existence to a close after thousands of years.
Nevertheless, I can comprehend your feelings of resentment at having been deprived of a Jewish education. Judaism has never been made meaningful to you….you have never been challenged by its majestic call. Therefore, it is understandable that you feel apathetic, if not hostile, to your faith. And so, under the circumstances it would not seem realistic to demand that you sacrifice the man you love for a religion which is unrelated to your life.
We must, however, confront the truth: you belong to a generation of American Jews who have been short-changed. Although you have been given every educational and material opportunity, you have been Jewishly deprived. You were raised in a spiritual wasteland….in a vacuum. Your contacts with Judaism have at best turned you off, and at worst, provoked you to disdain.
Whenever I visit a high school or college campus I am confronted by young Jews who are articulate in every subject but their own….Young Jews who are experts in investment banking, computers and the sciences….who are senstive to the nuances of music and who are at home in the arts and culture. Yet if confronted with the most elementary questions about spirituality, Jewish thought, the Bible or the Talmud–they remain totally inarticulate. We have become a people who suffer from amnesia; a people without a past, without a memory.
In order for you to comprehend the magnitude of your loss you must first gain some awareness of that which you once possessed. But you sadly lack this awareness. Therefore as I see it, the problem at hand is not so much to persuade you to give up this relationship, as it is to open your mind and your heart to your own glorious history and destiny. Once you comprehend this then forgoing intermarriage will be a natural byproduct of your newly gained insight, for it is impossible to be knowledgeable of Torah and at the same time remain impervious to its mystical call.
And so, my friend, while I can empathize with your apathetic state of mind, I cannot condone it, for YOU ARE A JEW, and you have a responsibility. Before you relinquish your heritage, before you give up the faith of your fathers and mothers, you owe it to yourself to discover your roots: to probe your history so that the decision you ultimately make will be one that is informed and intelligent rather than one based on ignorance and default.
Yours,
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
And so we see with this letter and the concomitant reply from this Jewish Rebbetzin the traditional historical attitude of most Jews to intermarriage, the same sort of intimate integration that their media outlets tell us will benefit our people. The hypocrisy rings out from the Zionist Jewish community, clear as a bell, revealing to us the many double standards that still exist. If any white person dared to publicly express the sentiments of Esther Jungreis he would be completely slandered by the Jewish-controlled media and the entire Zionist political machine would bring opprobrium and ridicule upon his head until a tearful apology and a recantation was the end result.
But that’s the way things work in America. The hypocrisy of political Jewry when it comes to intermarriage will not be exposed. In fact, it has never been discussed openly and candidly in any American media forum. Why is this the case? Why are the Esther Jungreises of this nation never called on the carpet for their hypocritical stances? The main reason is very elementary. He who controls information, controls all. He who controls information, eventually controls the thoughts and the focus of the multitude. Jewish media power and the domination of ethnocentric extremist Jews upon our press and publications is the only thing permitting this dichotomy, this blatant double standard to go unspoken and unnoted by the general public. It is also the reason why so many European-Americans have such a hard time understanding the elementary realities of the Jewish ethnic supremacist problem we currently face.
SOURCE FOR REBBETZIN ESTHER JUNGREIS’ EXCHANGE:
http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/intermarriage-rebbetzen.htm
UK to force kids into Holocaust school. To really understand genocide, here's a better idea. Send them to Gaza.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
UK to force kids into Holocaust school. To really understand genocide, here's a better idea. Send them to Gaza.
Send Them To Gaza: Gimmicks and Education
Gilad Atzmon
The Tory leader David Cameron seems to be struggling these days. After calling government funding for school visits to the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz a 'gimmick’, he’s facing demands for an apology.
In a speech on Friday, Cameron accused Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government of being "obsessed with short-term gimmicks", including a recommendation for schools to make "trips to Poland".
The British government announced this month it would give 4.65 million pounds to the Holocaust Educational Trust set up in 1988 to educate young people about the Holocaust. It wouldn't take a genius to guess that the Jewish political institutions in Britain were very quick to tear Cameron apart for his comment.
Henry Grunwald, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: "The Board of Deputies does not get involved in party politics, but we are surprised and disappointed that David Cameron should in any way have used the word 'gimmick’ in connection with visits to Auschwitz."
Karen Pollock, the Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said, "We do not want to be involved in party politics. But you should not use visits to Auschwitz to score political points."
Seemingly, both Pollock and Grunwald do not like to get involved in 'party politics'. For that purpose they have some very dedicated agents such as Lord Levy, David Abrahams, the Tory Friends of Israel and the Labour Friends of Israel.
The Conservative party was very quick to understand the message. It immediately surrendered to the 'non-political' pressure. Within hours, the Tory spokesman said: "School trips to Auschwitz are a brilliant idea."
Trying to quell the storm, the Conservative spokesman said, "Cameron was not criticising the visits, but rather the fact that the government funding did not cover their entire cost."
Very much like Grunwald and Pollock, I would refrain from interfering with British politics, yet I may suggest that Cameron was absolutely correct. The trips to Auschwitz are indeed a gimmick. As far as I can see, the educational value of these trips is counter-effective.
Unlike Karen Pollock from the Holocaust Educational Trust, who said, "Students use their experience to raise awareness of the lessons of the Holocaust in their schools and local communities, challenging prejudice and racism today," I am convinced that trips to Auschwitz are there to divert the attention from crimes that are committed on a daily basis in before our very eyes and in our names. The trips to Auschwitz are there to silence ethical awareness. They are there to shutter the possibility of self-reflection.
It is indeed rather easy for the British government to spend some money trying to teach young students how bad the Nazis were 63 years ago. Yet, it is far more challenging for the British government and British educational institutes to confront British wrongdoing in the past and in the present.
Instead of sending British youngsters to Auschwitz, I would suggest spending governmental funds on student trips to Gaza concentration camp. This would have a far greater educational value in so as far as challenging 'racism and prejudice'. Clearly it is in Gaza where millions of Palestinians are starved by the Jewish state while the West keeps silent.
Britain bears some direct responsibility for the Palestinian tragedy. Firstly, the Palestinian disaster was set by the British Empire. It may have started with the Balfour Declaration, but it matured into devastating ethnic cleansing in 1948, three years after the liberation of Auschwitz. Secondly, whichever way we decide to look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinians are the last victims of Hitler and the genocide in Gaza is a Shoah in the making.
If Karen Pollock is truly concerned with 'racism and prejudice', Gaza is the place to send the British kids to, so they can come home and ask their grandparents: 'Grandpa, what did you do when it all happened 60 years ago?' We have to send our kids to Gaza so they can come home and ask their parents: 'Mum, what can we do to help the Palestinians?'
If Karen Pollock still wants to increase our kids' ethical awareness, yet she might not be convinced that Gaza is the place to do so, she may also want to consider sending our youth to Basra or Baghdad. At the end of the day, the genocide of the Iraqi people, in which one and a half million Iraqis have died so far, is a war crime committed also by the current British Government.
But on second thought, there is no point in sending young British students to Baghdad; they can go there as soon they finish school. They can then participate and contribute to this very contemporary Holocaust that is being committed by Britain and America in the name of democracy and neo-conservative ideology, all they have to do is just join the British armed forces.
911 Explosive laden van 2-3 arrests - The Mossad Connection
911 Explosive laden van 2-3 arrests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CHq6JocvDM
What Really Happened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CHq6JocvDM
| On the day of the 9-11 attacks, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what the attacks would mean for US-Israeli relations. His quick reply was: "It's very good…….Well, it's not good, but it will generate immediate sympathy (for Israel)" |
|
The Five Dancing Israelis
Arrested On 9-11
| A Mossad surveillance team made quite a public spectacle of themselves on 9-11.
Police received several calls from angry New Jersey residents claiming "middle-eastern" men with a white van were videotaping the disaster with shouts of joy and mockery. (2) "They were like happy, you know … They didn't look shocked to me" said a witness. (3)
Witnesses saw them jumping for joy in Liberty State Park after the initial impact (5). Later on, other witnesses saw them celebrating on a roof in Weehawken, and still more witnesses later saw them celebrating with high fives in a Jersey City parking lot. (6) | |||
| ||||
One anonymous phone call to the authorities actually led them to close down all of New York's bridges and tunnels. The mystery caller told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that a group of Palestinians were mixing a bomb inside of a white van headed for the Holland Tunnel. Here's the transcript from NBC News:
(*Writer's note: Why would this mystery caller specifically say that these "Arabs" were Palestinians? How would he know that? Palestinians usually dress in western style clothes, not "sheikh uniforms") |
 | Based on that phone call, police then issued a "Be-on-the-Lookout" alert for a white mini-van heading for the city's bridges and tunnels from New Jersey.
| |
| When a van fitting that exact description was stopped just before crossing into New York, the suspicious "middle-easterners" were apprehended. Imagine the surprise of the police officers when these terror suspects turned out to be Israelis! According to ABC’s 20/20, when the van belonging to the cheering Israelis was stopped by the police, the driver of the van, Sivan Kurzberg, told the officers: | ||
Why did he feel that Palestinians were a problem for the NYPD? The police and FBI field agents became very suspicious when they found maps of the city with certain places highlighted, box cutters (the same items that the hijackers supposedly used), $4700 cash stuffed in a sock, and foreign passports. Police also told the Bergen Record that bomb sniffing dogs were brought to the van and that they reacted as if they had smelled explosives. (11)
|
The Jerusalem Post later reported that a white van with a bomb was stopped as it approached the George Washington Bridge, but the ethnicity of the suspects was not revealed. Here's what the Jerusalem Post reported on September 12, 2001:
It was reported the van contained tonnes of explosives (14). What's really intriguing is that ABC's 20/20 (15), the New York Post (16), and the New Jersey Bergen Record (17) all clearly and unambiguously reported that a white van with Israelis was intercepted on a ramp near Route 3, which leads directly to the Lincoln Tunnel. But the Jerusalem Post, Israeli National News (Arutz Sheva) (18), and Yediot America, (19) all reported, just as clearly and unambiguously, that a white van with Israelis was stopped on a ramp leading to the George Washington Bridge, which is several miles north of the Lincoln Tunnel. It appears as if there may actually have been two white vans involved, one stopped on each crossing. This would not only explain the conflicting reports as to the actual location of the arrests, but would also explain how so many credible eye-witnesses all saw celebrating "middle-easterners" in a white van in so many different locations. It also explains why the New York Post and Steve Gordon (lawyer for the 5 Israelis) originally described how three Israelis were arrested but later increased the total to five. Perhaps one van was meant to drop off a bomb while the other was meant to pick up the first set of drivers while re-crossing back into New Jersey? If a van was to be used as a parked time-bomb on the GW Bridge, then certainly the drivers would need to have a "get-away van" to pick them up and escape. And notice how the van (or vans) stayed away from the third major crossing -the Holland Tunnel- which was where the police had originally been directed to by that anti-Palestinian 9-1-1 "mystery caller". A classic misdirection play. From there, the story gets becomes even more suspicious. The Israelis worked for a Weehawken moving company known as Urban Moving Systems. An American employee of Urban Moving Systems told the The Record of New Jersey that a majority of his co-workers were Israelis and they were joking about the attacks.
A few days after the attacks, Urban Moving System's Israeli owner, Dominick Suter, dropped his business and fled the country for Israel. He was in such a hurry to flee America that some of Urban Moving System's customers were left with their furniture stranded in storage facilities (21).
The Jewish weekly The Forward reported that the FBI finally concluded that at least two of the detained Israelis were agents working for the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, and that Urban Moving Systems, the ostensible employer of the five Israelis, was a front operation. This was confirmed by two former CIA officers, and they noted that movers' vans are a common intelligence cover. (23). The Israelis were held in custody for 71 days before being quietly released. (24)
|
| Several of the detainees discussed their experience in America on an Israeli talk show after their return home. Said one of the men, denying that they were laughing or happy on the morning of Sept. 11, "The fact of the matter is we are coming from a country that experiences terror daily. Our purpose was to document the event." (26) |
| How did they know there would be an event to document on 9/11? It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to connect the dots of the dancing Israeli Mossad agents - here's the most logical scenario:
Osama bin Laden was immediately blamed for the 9/11 attacks even though he had no previous record of doing anything on this scale. Immediately after the Flight 11 hit World Trade Center 1 The compliant mainstream media completely ignored the Israeli connection. Immediately following the 9-11 attacks the media was filled with stories linking the attacks to bin Laden. TV talking-heads, "experts", and scribblers of every stripe spoon-fed a gullible American public a steady diet of the most outrageous propaganda imaginable. We were told that the reason bin Laden attacked the USA was because he hates our "freedom" and "democracy". The Muslims were "medieval" and they wanted to destroy us because they envied our wealth, were still bitter about the Crusades, and were offended by Britney Spears shaking her tits and ass all over the place! But bin Laden strongly denied any role in the attacks and suggested that Zionists orchestrated the
You never heard that quote on your nightly newscast did you?
Bin Laden is not named as the perpetrator of 9/11 by the FBI:
To date, the only shred of “evidence” to be uncovered against bin Laden is a barely audible fuzzy amateur video that the Pentagon just happened to find "lying around" in Afghanistan. How very convenient, and how very fake. (32) There is no evidence, be it hard or circumstantial, to link the Al Qaeda "terrorist network" to these acts of terror, but there is a mountain of evidence, both hard and circumstantial, which suggests that Zionists have been very busy framing Arabs for terror plots against America.
If the sovereign foreign government mentioned by Senator Graham was an enemy of the United States the "compelling evidence" would not be kept secret for 20+ years. One final point; at 09:40 on 9-11 it was reported that the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attacks (31). This claim was immediately denied by the DFLP leader Qais abu Leila who said it had always opposed "terror attacks on civilian targets, especially outside the occupied territories." (34) Why would a Palestinian organisation comprising of less than 500 people (35) make the suicidal move of immediately claiming responsibility for the attacks?
The implication of Palestinians in the 9/11 attacks would have handed Zionists a golden opportunity to achieve the above because all Palestinians would have been labelled terrorists. |
| "Evidence linking these Israelis to 9/11 is classified. I cannot tell you about evidence that has been gathered. It's classified information." US official quoted in Carl Cameron's Fox News report on the Israeli spy ring. |
|
See also:
Israel and 9/11 - Index of What Really Happened
Zionist Circles Benefit From WTC Collapse
2002: Police Seize Rental Truck With TNT Traces Driven By Israelis
What Really Happened
The Clinton Years Revisited
|
| February 26, 2008 |
| The Clinton Years Revisited |
| Philip Giraldi |
| As bad as the past eight years have been, it may be fruitful to remember what U.S. national security policy was like under Bill Clinton, as it is very possible that Washington will soon be returning to that gold standard for underachievement. Under Bill, Serbia was bombed in 1999, killing more than 500 civilians in support of no identifiable U.S. national interest. The result of that bombing and its aftermath has been the forceful and quite likely illegal creation of Kosovo, a predominantly Muslim state in the heart of Europe that harbors more than its share of terrorists, drug dealers, and weapons smugglers. Clinton also arranged for a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant to be attacked to turn the public's attention away from the stains on a blue dress. He vetoed several plans to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and instead pulverized a number of Afghan mud huts with cruise missiles at a half million dollars a pop after two U.S. embassies and the Khobar Towers were blown up by terrorists. If Hillary Clinton is campaigning on Bill Clinton's record, and she is, there is not a whole lot to celebrate except for the fact that Bill did not invade Iraq (though he did think about it, according to his secretary of state). A number of Clinton relics continue to appear on talk shows and write op-eds for leading newspapers, which suggests that they are still dangerous. Richard Holbrooke, a hawkish Democrat who was heavily involved in the Balkan misadventure, is Hillary's principal foreign policy adviser, and it is widely believed that he will be secretary of state if she is elected. Several others have gravitated toward their natural home at pro-Israel think tanks. Dennis Ross, for example, is counselor and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), which was founded in 1985 by Martin Indyk when he was the director of research for AIPAC. WINEP claims to be impartial on the subject of the Middle East, but it rarely deviates from pro-Israel advocacy. In an astonishing testament to the resiliency of the Clinton era neocon-lites, several of the better-known examples have recently surfaced in Doha. Qatar hosts an annual conference called the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, which was just concluded, running from Feb. 16-18. This year, for the first time, there was a co-sponsor, the Saban Center of Washington's Brookings Institute. The Saban Center, far from an objective observer of the Middle East, is funded by Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, who said in a 2004 interview, "I'm a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel." Saban is extremely close to the Clintons and is also reported to be the largest contributor to the Democratic National Committee. When Bill was in office, Saban and his wife slept in the Lincoln bedroom on a number of occasions. Like its founder, the Saban Center is Israel-centric in its policy analysis, sponsoring bilateral meetings in Jerusalem to discuss issues of common concern. Saban is headed by Martin Indyk, who opened the U.S.-Islamic World conference. Other Doha speakers included Clinton alumni Madeleine Albright and Sandy Berger. It should be recalled that Indyk was born in England, became an Australian citizen, and eventually wound up in Washington as a full-time advocate for Israel, first as research director of AIPAC and then as the founder and first executive director of WINEP. In spite of his tenuous claim to American citizenship and possible concerns that his actual loyalty might not be to the United States, Indyk was naturalized by Congress in 1995 so that Bill Clinton could name him U.S. ambassador to Israel. Former Secretary of State Albright is famous for her judgment that the deaths of half a million Iraqi children due to U.S. enforced sanctions were "worth it." But the presence of Sandy Berger in Doha is even more astonishing than that of Albright or Indyk. Berger, an international trade attorney who was a principal lobbyist for China, was named deputy national security adviser by Clinton in 1993 and national security adviser in 1997. While deputy national security adviser in 1996, Berger was informed that China had acquired designs for a number of U.S. nuclear warheads, considerably enhancing its military capabilities. The information was presumably obtained through successful espionage, with serious security implications, but Berger inexplicably failed to tell the president about the discovery until more than a year later.  In November 1997, Berger was fined $23,000 for his failure to divest himself of stocks that would have caused a potential conflict of interest due to his position in the government. He claimed that he "forgot." In 2003, after he left office, he was observed at the United States National Archives stuffing official documents into his trousers. He was convicted of stealing classified material and fined $50,000, and his security clearance was suspended for three years. Many felt that the sentence was little more than a slap on the wrist, as Berger could well afford the fine, and the remainder of the punishment only amounted to a misdemeanor. Berger may have been deliberately destroying and altering documents because the records in question detailed Clinton administration mistakes in dealing with terrorism prior to 9/11. In one instance, he took all five copies of a single report, suggesting that he was interested in altering the official record permanently. He reportedly smuggled the reports out of the Archives in his trousers and then hid them under equipment at a construction site, picking them up later. Several documents were destroyed by cutting them up with scissors. Berger's incredible behavior has been sometimes viewed as symptomatic of the culture of personal irresponsibility that was part and parcel of the Clinton regime. In May 2007, Berger gave up his law license, reportedly under pressure, claiming that he hadn't used it in 15 years. Berger lives in Georgetown and is the chairman and owner of a company called Stonebridge International that works as an advisory service for investors seeking opportunities in a number of countries overseas. He also sits on several boards and is reportedly doing quite well financially. In light of his conviction for theft and destruction of classified documents relating to the historical record, Berger would appear to be a particularly poor choice to be selected to speak in Doha, or anywhere else. To be fair, the organizers of the conference included many diverse voices on the panels and as speakers, including the University of Maryland's Shibley Telhami, but one must wonder about having Saban as a partner for any kind of dialogue on U.S.-Islamic relations. Indyk provided opening remarks, Albright spoke on "The Conflicts That Divide Us," and Berger spoke twice, on the "Presidential Candidates' Foreign Policy Agendas" and "Managing Global Insecurity." http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=12418 |
Engineer Sees Evidence of Extreme Temperatures in WTC Steel
Engineer Sees Evidence of Extreme Temperatures in WTC Steel
Submitted by Shoestring on Mon, 02/25/2008 - 3:31pm.
http://bocadigital.smugmug.com/gallery/270398/17/10697258/Large
A structural engineer who was a member of the team assembled by the American Society of Civil Engineers to investigate the World Trade Center site after 9/11 has described numerous phenomena indicating extremely high temperatures suffered by the WTC structural steel. This appears to be further evidence that high-temperature explosives, such as thermate, were used to bring down the towers.
Dr. Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, who specializes in studying structural damage done by earthquakes and terrorist bombings. He flew to New York on September 19, 2001 to conduct a two-week reconnaissance of the collapsed towers, hoping to gain an understanding of how they'd come down. He was able to examine numerous pieces of steel taken from Ground Zero. [1]
He said the towers were exceptionally well designed and built, describing the WTC as "the best-designed building I have ever seen." [2] Yet the structural steel had suffered unusual warping and other major damage:
- Astaneh-Asl said that steel flanges "had been reduced from an inch thick to paper thin." [3]
- At a recycling center in New Jersey, he saw 10-ton steel beams from the towers that "looked like giant sticks of twisted licorice." [4] He showed the San Francisco Chronicle a "banana-shaped, rust-colored piece of steel" that had somehow "twisted like toffee during the terrorist attack." [5]
- He noted the way steel from the WTC had bent at several connection points that had joined the floors to the vertical columns. He described the connections as being smoothly warped, saying, "If you remember the Salvador Dali paintings with the clocks that are kind of melted--it's kind of like that." He added, "That could only happen if you get steel yellow hot or white hot--perhaps around 2,000 degrees." [6]
- In an interview in 2007, Astaneh-Asl recalled, "I saw melting of girders in [the] World Trade Center." [7]
- He found a foot-long twisted shard of steel that was "like a piece of bread, but it was high-strength steel." He commented, "I haven't seen anything like this [before]." [8]
- He came across "severely scorched [steel] members from 40 or so floors below the points of impact [by the planes]." [9]
- The fireproofing that had been used to protect the WTC steel also showed evidence of extreme conditions. In some places it had "melted into a glassy residue." [10]
- Astaneh-Asl saw a charred I-beam from WTC Building 7--a 47-story skyscraper that collapsed late in the afternoon of 9/11, even though no plane hit it. "The beam, so named because its cross-section looks like a capital I, had clearly endured searing temperatures. Parts of the flat top of the I, once five-eighths of an inch thick, had vaporized." [11]
These observations indicate that the World Trade Center steel was subjected to very high temperatures. Yet, while postulating that the towers collapsed due to fire (and without the use of explosives), even Thomas Eagar--an engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology--admitted, "The temperature of the fire at the WTC was not unusual, and it was most definitely not capable of melting steel." [12] One must conclude that the phenomena observed by Astaneh-Asl are therefore highly suspicious.
It may well have been because it offered such revealing clues that the remaining structural steel from the World Trade Center was so rapidly destroyed, being shipped abroad as scrap to be melted down and recycled. CBS News described: "The [cleanup] operation--which began days after the collapse, okayed by then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani--goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, Astaneh has almost certainly missed seeing crucial pieces before they were cut up and sent overseas." [13] As the New York Times reported, the steel scrap was worth "only a few million dollars, a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars the cleanup" was going to cost. Yet the knowledge that could have been gained from it "could save lives in a future disaster." [14]
NOTES
[1] Kenneth Chang, "Scarred Steel Holds Clues, and Remedies." New York Times, October 2, 2001; Robert Sanders, "Report from Ground Zero." Berkeleyan, October 3, 2001; Jeffrey R. Young, "Scholars Work to Rebuild the World Trade Center Virtually." Chronicle of Higher Education, December 7, 2001.
[2] Keay Davidson, "Berkeley Professor Seeks the Safer Skyscraper." San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2001.
[3] Robert Sanders, "Report from Ground Zero."
[4] Jeffrey R. Young, "Scholars Work to Rebuild the World Trade Center Virtually."
[5] Keay Davidson, "Berkeley Professor Seeks the Safer Skyscraper."
[6] Jeffrey R. Young, "Scholars Work to Rebuild the World Trade Center Virtually."
[7] "Collapse of Overpass in California Becomes Lesson in Construction." NewsHour, PBS, May 10, 2007.
[8] Pamitha Reynolds, "Berkeley Prof Analyzes Structural Damage of the WTC." Berkeley Daily Planet, October 20, 2001.
[9] David Kohn, "Culling Through Mangled Steel." CBS News, March 12, 2002.
[10] Kenneth Chang, "Scarred Steel Holds Clues, and Remedies."
[11] Ibid.
[12] Thomas W. Eagar and Christopher Musso, "Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? Science, Engineering, and Speculation." Journal of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society 53 (12) 2001: 8-11.
[13] David Kohn, "Culling Through Mangled Steel."
[14] Kenneth Chang, "Scarred Steel Holds Clues, and Remedies."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LRDDHzc2bg
The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Dr. Sigmund Freud
The Arab-Israeli Conflict Vienna: 26 February 1930: Letter to the Keren Hajessod (Dr. Chaim Koffler) by Dr. Sigmund Freud | |
 | |
Global Research, February 25, 2008 | |
Freud would not have been surprised at the continuing conflict in the Middle East. He predicted as much 70 years ago. We can predict Freud's response because of a letter he wrote to Dr. Chaim Koffler in 1930. Letter to the Keren Hajessod (Dr. Chaim Koffler) Vienna: 26 February 1930 Dear Sir, I cannot do as you wish. I am unable to overcome my aversion to burdening the public with my name, and even the present critical time does not seem to me to warrant it. Whoever wants to influence the masses must give them something rousing and inflammatory and my sober judgement of Zionism does not permit this. I certainly sympathise with its goals, am proud of our University in Jerusalem and am delighted with our settlement's prosperity. But, on the other hand, I do not think that Palestine could ever become a Jewish state, nor that the Christian and Islamic worlds would ever be prepared to have their holy places under Jewish care. It would have seemed more sensible to me to establish a Jewish homeland on a less historically-burdened land. But I know that such a rational viewpoint would never have gained the enthusiasm of the masses and the financial support of the wealthy. I concede with sorrow that the baseless fanaticism of our people is in part to be blamed for the awakening of Arab distrust. I can raise no sympathy at all for the misdirected piety which transforms a piece of a Herodian wall into a national relic, thereby offending the feelings of the natives. Now judge for yourself whether I, with such a critical point of view, am the right person to come forward as the solace of a people deluded by unjustified hope. Your obediant servant, Freud | |
| Global Research Articles by Sigmund Freud http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8204 | |
New evidence challenges official picture of Robert Kennedy shooting
New evidence challenges official picture of Kennedy shooting
- guardian.co.uk,
- Friday February 22 2008
About this article
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Friday February 22 2008. It was last updated at 18:37 on February 22 2008.The official record states that senator Robert F Kennedy, like his brother before him, was killed by a crazed lone gunman. But the assassination of a man who seemed to embody so much hope for a bitterly divided country embroiled in an unpopular war still troubles this nation.
Little about the official explanation of the events at the Ambassador Hotel on June 5 1968 makes sense. Now a new forensic analysis of the only audio recording of the fatal shots has given new weight to a controversial theory that there were in fact two shooters, and that the man convicted of Kennedy's killing — Sirhan Sirhan - did not fire the fatal shots.
Following his victory speech to supporters after clinching a tight democratic primary victory in California, Kennedy left the podium in the Embassy ballroom to address a press conference.
But the shortcut he and his entourage took through the hotel's pantry quickly descended into bloody mayhem. As Kennedy turned from shaking hands with two of the kitchen staff, a gunman stepped forward and began firing. Kennedy was hit by four shots including one which lodged in the vertebrae in his neck and another which entered his brain from below his right ear. He died in hospital the following day. Five other people were injured but survived.
Sirhan - a Palestinian refugee who said he wanted to "sacrifice" Kennedy "for the cause of the poor exploited people" - was quickly apprehended. He was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment.
"Sirhan was apprehended at the scene with literally a smoking gun," said acoustic forensic expert Philip Van Praag of PVP Designs, who has carried out the new analysis. "At the beginning many people looked upon this as an open-and-shut case. It was one man, Sirhan Sirhan, who was observed by a number of people, who aimed and fired a gun in the direction of Kennedy's entourage."
But the lone gunman explanation has always looked shaky. The autopsy of Kennedy's body suggested that all four shots that hit him came from behind, and powder marks on his skin showed they must have been from close range.
But Sirhan was in front of Kennedy when he fired, and after shooting two shots was overcome by hotel staff, who pinned him to a table. Also, Sirhan fired eight shots in total, yet 14 were found lodged around the room and in the victims.
"There is no doubt in our minds that no fewer than 14 shots were fired in the pantry on that evening and that Sirhan did not in fact kill Senator Kennedy," said Robert Joling, a forensic scientist who has been involved with the Kennedy case for nearly 40 years. He and Van Praag have published a book on the killing this week entitled "An Open and Shut Case".
The inconsistencies in the case have bred numerous conspiracy theories, including the involvement of the CIA and the idea that Sirhan - who claims not to remember the shooting and pleaded insanity at his trial - was a "Manchurian Candidate" assassin who was hypnotically programmed to kill the senator.
Now Van Praag has added new weight to the 'two shooters' theory. He reanalysed the only audio recording of the shooting, which was made by an independent journalist, Stanislaw Pruszynski. "At the time Pruszynski was not even aware that his recorder was still on," said Van Praag.
The recording quality is poor, but it is possible to make out 13 shots over the course of just over 5 seconds, before what Van Praag describes as "blood-curdling screams" obscure the sound. That is more than the eight rounds that Sirhan's cheap Iver Johnson Cadet 55 revolver carried.
Also, there are two pairs of double shots that occurred so close together it is inconceivable that Sirhan could have fired them all. The third and fourth shots and the seventh and eighth were separated by 122 and 149 milliseconds respectively. In tests, a trained firearms expert firing under ideal conditions could only manage 366 milliseconds between shots using the same weapon. And he was not being pinned to a table at the time.
Lastly, five of the shots - 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 in the sequence - were found to have odd acoustic characteristics when specific frequencies were analysed separately. Van Praag thinks this is because they came from a different gun pointing away from Pruszynski's microphone.
To recreate this he recorded the sounds made by firing the Iver Johnson and another revolver, a Harrison and Richardson 922. At least one member of Kennedy's entourage was carrying this weapon when the killing happened. In the acoustic tests it produced the same frequency anomalies Van Praag had seen in the original recording but only when fired away from the microphone.
He presented his results on Thursday at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting in Washington DC.
Paul Schrade, a close associate of Kennedy's who was director of the United Auto Workers union, was at the senator's side in the pantry and was shot in the head. He told the meeting that America lost an outstanding leader and potentially great president that day.
"I think we were in a position of really changing this country," he said. "What we lost was a real hope and possibility of having a better country and having better relations around the world."
He wants to see the case reopened and properly investigated. "We're going to go ahead and do our best to find out who the second gunman was and that's going to take a lot of work," he said.
Van Praag also wants the case reexamined. "We would hope that the evidence that we have uncovered ... would make a strong enough case to get serious consideration once again by the authorities," he said.
John McCain's 10,000 Years War
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
John McCain's 10,000 Years War
Typically, the GOP will muck things up and leave it someone else to clean up a horrible mess. Nevertheless, McCain wants to keep US troops in permanent bases in Iraq for ”hundreds of years”, possibly 10,000 years and concedes that an Iraqi insurgency will likely continue for “go on for years and years and years.”
...the war will be over soon, the war for all intents and purposes although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years. But it will be handled by the Iraqis, not by us.It's doubtful, therefore that the Iraqi people --left the pile of dung dumped on their country by Bush and his gang of GOP fascists --will be grateful for the US leaving them a war which McCain says may go on for hundreds of years after the US packs up and gets out. It is doubtful that the Iraqi people will be grateful to the US for attacking Iraq upon a pack of proven, malicious lies.
A cadre of idiots around Bush had envisioned US troops being greeted as liberators. Just as that did not happen, you can bet Iraqis will not bid teary-eyed farewells to the likes of Blackwater, the perverts of Abu Ghraib, the mass murderers of Countless My Lai Massacres in Iraq
American Atrocities in Iraq
The BBC has uncovered new video evidence that US forces may have been responsible for the deliberate killing of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians.The video appears to challenge the US military's account of events that took place in the town of Ishaqi in March.The US said at the time four people died during a military operation, but Iraqi police claimed that US troops had deliberately shot the 11 people.A spokesman for US forces in Iraq told the BBC an inquiry was under way.The new evidence comes in the wake of the alleged massacre in Haditha, where US marines are suspected of killing up to 24 Iraqi civilians in November 2005 and covering up the deaths.And more:
Mourning Iraqis Blame U.S. Troops for Massacre of Children
by Sameer N. Yacoub
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Families of the 35 children who died in a string of bombings in Baghdad blamed American troops for the tragedy, accusing them of attracting insurgents to a ceremony where the attacks occurred.By Friday, tents had sprung up in the el-Amel neighborhood in Baghdad to accommodate mourners who gathered to share their grief from the Thursday attack. In the carnage, several explosions ripped into a crowd gathered to celebrate the inauguration of a new, much needed sewage plant. ...
- ABC News: New Village Massacre Reported in Iraq
- U.S. Massacre in Fallujah, Iraq: Death Toll for Week More Than 600
- Additional U.S. Massacres Emerging In Iraq
- Haditha Massacre Concentrates the Nature of the US War on Iraq
- New allegations of U.S. massacre in Iraq
- Another US atrocity in Iraq: Eleven civilians massacred in Ishaqi
- U.S. massacres in Iraq reveal reality of occupation
- Fallujah - The Hidden Massacre
John McCain recently admitted that because of the war, he just might lose the election. Are we to interpret that to mean that the GOP has abandoned plans to steal it? Stealing elections is bad enough but what the GOP did with stolen power is reason enough to deny them power. Clearly --McCain's comments are proof that among the GOP rank and file there is no remorse for Bush's official crimes, nothing has been learned. This party has been overtaken by events and public consciousness and just as surely: the GOP just does not get it! It is ironic that while the GOP has learned nothing, it has taught us that those who desire power most must surely be denied it. Forever after, this power mad party will be denied the public's trust. The survival of the US as a nation may depend upon showing the GOP the door and barring it securely upon their ignominious exit.
http://existentialistcowboy.blogspot.com/
Vulgar Anti-Corporatism
Vulgar Anti-Corporatism
by Hogeye Bill
Exclusive to STR
February 26, 2008
Kevin Carson coined the useful term "vulgar libertarianism" to mean the fallacy of equivocating actually existing capitalism with the ideal of stateless laissez faire capitalism. Carson uses the term mainly to castigate libertarians who assume, just because a economic outcome exists, that it came about through free market mechanisms. He argues that various existing patterns, e.g. Third World "sweat-shops" of multinational corporations, came about through massive governmental intervention. Although the term is used mainly by the libertarian left to describe "right" libertarians making the assumption that situation X came about through free markets, the fallacy is equally applicable to socialists who assume that situation Y, arising in actually existing capitalism, implies some flaw in stateless capitalism. One prominent example is Naomi Klein's book The Shock Doctrine, which claims that the Pinochet regime demonstrates the failure of laissez faire capitalism. I will assume that readers here know the difference between statist capitalism (AKA corporatism or fascism) and stateless capitalism.
I'd like to introduce a similar term--one that describes a similar fallacy of equivocation. I've noticed that many, perhaps even most, anti-capitalist types seem unable to tell the difference between market corporations/firms and political corporations/firms. (I'll use "corporations" from here on, with the understanding that the points apply to firms in general, regardless of particular ownership arrangements.)
Let "vulgar anti-corporatism" refer to the error of lumping all corporations into the political corporatist pot--in other words, assuming that all corporations receive significant benefit from collusion with state. In fact, most corporations do not enjoy significant special favors, suffer net harm from the state, and are put at a disadvantage compared to competitors receiving state privilege. One would think it obvious an Apple is not a Halliburton, a Wal-Mart is not a Bechtel, and that Ben & Jerry's is not Blackwater. Yet a surprising amount of literature, and an amazing number of people fail to make the distinction. Typically among anti-capitalists, all corporations are painted as in cahoots with the state, and benefiting from the state.
Logically, since the state's plunder and redistribution is a zero (or rather negative) sum game, everyone can't benefit. In reality, only a relatively small number of individuals and firms can benefit from such spoliation. For every corporation that benefits from government privilege, there are hundreds if not thousands which get screwed. Some can be seen, such as the oil companies and security firms who don't get the lucrative government contracts or special favors. But we shouldn't forget what is not seen--the firms that would have existed had capital not been diverted to the homeland security industrial complex or the drug prohibition industrial complex, or for occupying foreign lands and killing people.
Practically, we can distinguish between these firms by calculating what part of their income is due to government favors and contracts. (1) If a large percent of a corporation's income comes from government payments or contracts (e.g. Blackwater and Halliburton), then that corporation is almost certainly a political corporation. (2) If a corporation would likely not exist without state directives or decreed law, then again that corporation is almost certainly a political corporation. (3) On the other hand, if a corporation gets the bulk of its income from producing or distributing things that people voluntarily buy, then it is almost certainly a market corporation.
Of course the line between political and market corporations is fuzzy. While we can tally up government contracts, it can be difficult to gauge indirect state-generated benefits such as de facto transportation subsidies resulting from wars for oil. It is also true that many corporations get some benefits from the state - but generally not a net benefit.
The inspiration for this new term--vulgar anti-corporatism--was a video called The Story of Stuff. The narrator,
Annie Leonard, puts all corporations into the corporatist-political class without a second thought. But I don't really want to pick on her--as I noted, many anti-capitalist types seem to make the same mistake.
Are you a vulgar anti-corporatist? Here's an acid test: Do you think Wal-Mart is a "bad" corporation like Northrop Grumman or KBR? If so, you are probably a vulgar anti-corporatist. You might criticize Wal-Mart for some of its policies. You may like to see it unionized, or use better environmental practices, or stop underselling small local firms. But to put Wal-Mart is the same class as Halliburton is a gross mistake. By our three criteria, Wal-Mart is clearly a market enterprise. (1) It receives little or no income from government contracts--it receives only incidental government benefits, mainly the usual local tax abatement or TIF subsidies that all businesses attempt to win. (2) Retailing consumer goods would exist without the state, and (3) people voluntarily buy stuff from Wal-Mart at their "always low prices."
To avoid the vulgar anti-corporatist fallacy, we must learn to use adjectives such as "political" and "market" before "corporations" as appropriate. E.g. Instead of "Corporations are in cahoots with the state," say, "Some corporations are in cahoots with the state" or "Political corporations are in cahoots with the state." Explicitly acknowledge the difference between producers and parasites--between market entrepreneurs and political entrepreneurs. Otherwise, you throw the baby out with the bath water.
Hogeye Bill is a chess master, songwriter, and freelance anarchist. He is author of the popular Anarcho-capitalist FAQ and an online history of anarchist thought entitled Against Authority. He currently resides in Ozarkia (northern Arkansas in statist-speak) unless he is on the lam again.
THE ASSASSINATION OF MALCOM X
THE ASSASSINATION OF MALCOM X
send your email to JMiller@bestcyrano.org
By Roland Sheppard
2/26/08
[Roland Sheppard, is a retired Business Representative of Painters Local # 4 in San Francisco. He has been a lifelong social activist and socialist. Prior to his being elected as a union official in 1994, He worked for 31 years as a house painter. He has led a unique life. He is one of the few people remaining who were at the Audubon Ballroom when Malcolm X was assassinated. In his retirement, he iswriting about his life experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social movements. His essays are based upon his involvement in and the struggle for workers democracy and freedom for all humanity.]
I regularly attended Malcolm X’s meetings in Harlem and was present at the meeting when Malcolm X was assassinated. I was in charge of defense whenever Malcolm X spoke at the Militant Labor Forum in New York City from 1964 to 1965. I have written several articles, spoken to various groups, and been interviewed about Malcolm X. This essay is an update of a paper that was accepted by City College of New York’s (CCNY) Black Studies Program for The Third Symposium of Institution Building in Harlem: The Malcolm X Legacy: A Global Perspective, held on Friday, May 20, 2005 at CCNY. It was first written as the February, 2001 Monthly Feature for the Holt Labor Library website. www.holtlaborlibrary.orgIt is based on my presentation at a forum in Boston in 2000, on the same subject. The other speaker at the forum was Minister Don Muhammad of the Boston Nation of Islam.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Over thirty years ago, Malcolm X (1965) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968) were assassinated. In the case of Malcolm X, several members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) were convicted of the assassination. In the case of Martin Luther King, one assassin, James Earl Ray, was convicted of the assassination and sentenced to life in prison. However, there have always been many unanswered questions about both of these murders. Despite the convictions, and the ongoing campaign by the government, police agencies, and various authors and pundits to put the assassinations to rest, there have always been many unanswered questions about these murders.
According to a Memphis jury’s verdict on December 8,1999, in the wrongful death lawsuit of the King family versus Loyd Jowers and other unknown coconspirators, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a conspiracy that included agencies of the United States government. Almost 32 years after King’s murder at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis….
Click HERE to read the article in its entirety
http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/Catch of the day: The Town Cocaine Built
Catch of the day: Cocaine
The Town Cocaine Built 5:00AM Saturday February 09, 2008
By Jonathan Franklin
A Nicaraguan town owes its existence to cocaine tossed overboard by traffickers fleeing US Coast Guard patrols. Photo / Richard Robinson
At first glance, Bluefields in Nicaragua looks like any other rum-soaked, Rastafarian-packed, hammock-infested Caribbean paradise. But Bluefields has a secret.
People here don't have to work. Every week, sometimes every day, 35kg sacks of cocaine drift in from the sea. The economy of this entire town of 50,000 tranquil souls is addicted to cocaine.
Bluefields is a creation of the gods of geography. Located halfway between the cocaine labs of Colombia and the 300 million noses of the United States, Bluefields is ground zero for cocaine transportation. Nicaraguan waters are near Colombian territorial limits, making the area extremely popular with cocaine smugglers using very small, very fast fishing boats.
The US military calls them "go fast boats", which is a bureaucratic way of describing these mini-water-rockets. Typically these 12m boats have 800 horsepower of outboard motors bolted to the stern. A Porsche 911 Turbo, by comparison, has 485 horsepower.
While they are very fast, they are also very visible to the array of radars set up by roaming US spy planes, Coastguard cutters and helicopters which regularly monitor the speeding cocaine traffickers.
"With night vision equipment, I have seen a lit cigarette from two miles," a US Navy pilot said. "Or the back light from their GPS screen? It looks like a billboard."
When the Americans get close, the traffickers toss the cocaine overboard, both to eliminate evidence and lighten their load in an escape attempt.
"They throw most of it off," says a Lt Commander in the US Coastguard. "I have been on four interdictions and we have confiscated about 6000 pounds [2720kg] of cocaine, and I'd say equal that much was dumped into the ocean."
Those bales of cocaine float, and the currents bring them west right into the chain of islands, beaches and cays which make up the huge lagoons that surround Bluefields on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast.
"There are no jobs here, unemployment is 85 per cent," says Moises Arana, who was mayor of Bluefields from 2001 to 2005.
"It is sad to say, but the drugs have made contributions. Look at the beautiful houses, those mansions come from drugs. We had a women come into the local electronics store with a milk bucket stuffed full of cash. She was this little Miskito [native] woman and she had $80,000."
Hujo Sugo, a historian of Bluefields, says the floating coke has created a new local hobby.
"People here now go beachcombing for miles, they walk until they find packets. Even the lobster fisherman now go out with the pretence of fishing but really they are looking for la langosta blanca - the white lobster."
Given the remote setting and lack of infrastructure, there are few roads, few cars and the biggest shop in Bluefields sells nothing more sophisticated than a washing machine or TV set.
So what do the locals do with all this cocaine? They sell it to travelling buyers who cruise the coast, disguised as used clothes vendors.
"We know there are small shop owners who do this," says Yorlene Orozco, the local judge. "We are talking about people without a profession, no home, no job. One day later they have a new car, go to the casino and are building a home that costs I don't know how many thousands of dollars."
Law enforcement in Bluefields is practically invisible "I just had a Swiss tourist tell me that when she went to the supermarket they tried to sell her cocaine," says Orozco.
The police and Navy have few resources and less trust from the local public. Bluefields is effectively an anarchist nation - no Government, no organised institutions and the rules are made by community groups.
Given the massive amount of cocaine in town, violence is surprisingly rare. Gunfights are nearly unheard of and most of the town seems to lounge around or play baseball all day and then erupt into a frenzy of energy by late afternoon, fuelled by Flor de Cana, a Nicaraguan rum, fresh fish, an endless supply of native oysters, and "the white lobster".
"Down by Monkey Point, a family found an entire boat ... they stashed it and bought up houses all over town. It was 57 sacks [about 1995kg]," says Jah Boon, a local Rasta man. "Those people have money and still have coke buried in them hills. It is another way of having money in the bank."
At a local price of $3500 per kg, the typical 35kg sack nets a cash sale price of $122,500, which by all accounts is spent immediately.
"Last time bags and bags washed up, everyone [felt like] a millionaire, but that money does not last." explains Helen, who runs a university research institute in Bluefields. Asked how the locals unload their cash, she said: "Beer, beer, beer. You should see the amount they drink here. Go to the pier and see how much alcohol goes out to the islands."
"When the drugs come in, everyone is happy, the banks, the stores, everyone has cash."
Arana, the former mayor, recalled one month when the village bought 28,000 cases of beer.
With literally tonnes of cocaine buried in the hills, stashed in yards and piled up around town, why doesn't the Colombian mafia storm into these remote communities and repossess their coke bales by coercion or brute force?
"Hell no," says Peter, a local businessman. "The Miskito [local Indians] are guerrillas. They have been through war. They have AK-47s and up."
The US Drug Enforcement Agency, in a report to Congress, noted: "A unique historical situation and civil conflicts have left Nicaragua with a tradition of armed rural groups and institutionalised violence that greatly complicates counter-drug enforcement."
For hundreds of years, the local Miskito Indians have fished this stretch of the Caribbean. They are master sailors, capable and brave. They endured hurricanes and storms back when GPS still meant "God Please Save me".
Many of their 4000 small fishing boats are still wooden canoes with sails made of coloured plastic, hand-sewn and fragile. But the pros have gone Japanese and switched to the 200-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor, a six-cylinder beast that is the region's connection to the world.
Because the Miskito often live in isolated communities, they maintain their own rules, independence and traditions, including the belief that whatever treasures arrive in a river or from the sea are gifts, blessed by God and to be enjoyed and shared. That includes the Caribbean lobster and the white Colombian variety.
The cocaine business is reshaping the face of these Indian communities. Tasbapauni Beach is now nicknamed "Little Miami", because so much cocaine washes up on its long shoreline that it has fuelled a construction boom. Luxurious oceanfront condos protected by security guards now sit side by side with wooden fishing shacks.
"If shit washes up on your shore it belongs to that family. Every family owns their turf," said a Miskito fisherman.
But when a fisherman finds white lobster the entire village shares the treasure, with a percentage going to the community, a smaller percentage to the church and the majority split among the crew of the small boat that found the loot.
"It is like a municipal tax," says Sergio Leon, a local reporter who has been writing about the drug situation in Bluefields for many years. "The schools and churches are not built by the Government, that money comes from the fishermen and their finds."
Drug money has been used to build a school and replace the church roof. "The pastors here get mad when they don't get their cut from the find," says Francisco a court official. "If a member of the congregation has found 15kg, the church calculates 15 times $3500, that's $52,500, and at 10 per cent they are saying: where's the $5250?"
At night, Bluefields wakes up. The locals wander down to Midnight Dream, a reggae bar that locals have nicknamed Baghdad Ranch because of the surreal nature of its party scene. Young black men wear baseball hats, NBA sleeveless shirts and Nike Air sneakers. They are bedecked in gold chains.
My new drinking buddy says: "I got protection," and lifts his Houston Rockets NBA shirt to show off the butt of a pistol. "You won't get thieved here."
Tribal music echoes from across the bay while darkened skiffs navigate the shallow waters. Half-sunken boats dot the horizon. Blown in by Hurricane Joan in 1988, these rusty wrecks are now used as guide buoys for captains entering the pier and as mini-apartments by locals.
The waiter offers carne de tortuga - a grilled slice of endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle. While locals insist they only slaughter the older specimens, that did little to ease my sensation that here in Bluefields pleasure trumps morality.
When the lyrics scream out "I feel so high, I can touch the sky", practically on cue the three girls at the next table pile coke on the back of their ebony hands and snort openly, laughing. Then they start the maypole dance the traditional fertility festival for this month, May, which has evolved into a wickedly sexy dirty-dancing routine. A stunning line of 1.8m black women swirl on the dance floor. A Rasta man stumbles by, his nose white, clumps of coke stuck in his beard.
This party is all paid for by the white lobster, which sells for $5 a gram. "Those guys over at that table, they are Miskito, they found seven bags," explains the waiter with the hint of jealousy usually reserved for lottery winners. "He will buy a couple of ranches, two boats and have someone else fish for him."
As the night progresses, the winners slowly disappear behind a wall of Tona beer bottles. No one ever seems to get tired.
* For the well-being of individuals, some names and locations have been changed in this report.
Humble town living in the slow lane
Bluefields is a humble town. Electricity is sporadic: the main generator has been under repair for nine months.
Residents remain so isolated from Central America they speak English and feel closer to Kingston than the Nicaraguan capital of Managua. To get here the traveller must fly a 25-year-old plane that looks like a fat pigeon and doesn't fly much faster. The outside of the fuselage is tagged with instructions on how to rescue victims after a crash "Cut Here for Easy Entry".
Even today, the Nicaraguan central government classifies Bluefields as an "Autonomous Area", meaning the government pretty much ignores the region.
At the local casino the payoffs are far less if the bet is placed in Nicaraguan currency, the cordoba. A roulette win, for example, pays 30-1 if the bet is in cordoba and 36-1 if the original bet was made in dollars.
"We don't even use the Nicaraguan currency here, to the South we use the colon (from Costa Rica), in the North we use the lempira (Honduran) and everywhere else it is the dollar," said Eugenio, a local fisherman.
"We only see politicians when there is an election - or a hurricane."
The daily schedule rarely changes in Bluefields. The light comes up at 5am though there aren't a whole lot of people who notice the town is in slow motion. Streams of children in pressed blue and white uniforms amble off to the Moravian school, their mothers and grandmothers spreading the scent of fresh coconut bread through the village.
The shops sell rum, bananas, sneakers and baseball hats. A man sits by his store, cuts the calluses off his feet with a small knife, then immediately slices into a fresh coconut. The loudest noise is the shriek of a magpie or the yap of a dog.
Snagging shrimp and trapping lobster are the principal - maybe the only form - of legitimate work in Bluefields. But by all reasonable observations, work itself is barely considered legitimate.
Why not just enjoy nature's bounty? With so much fresh fish, coconut, bananas and mangoes, the idea of sweating or long-term planning seems foreign. Especially when the daily heat shoots into the upper 90s, and a two-block walk leaves you drenched in sweat. About the only work tool needed in Bluefields is a Yamaha outboard motor. Everyone who wants to search for white lobster has a V6 Yamaha 200 horsepower engine. Often these machines are racked up side by side on the back of a 25-foot fishing canoe so the lightweight wooden or fibreglass craft can practically fly.
By noon, the streets are filled with men playing cards, laying their bets on a card table, and sitting on stools made out of used Yamaha or Johnson outboard motors. On the streets, one man walks around with a bag of white powder the size of a golf ball, dipping his fingers in like he was snacking on popcorn or chips. Casual to an extreme, he strolls up to his friends who dip in for a snack.
Outside the Bluefields prison, two maximum security prisoners have been brought out to the street - no handcuffs - and told to cut the grass with huge machetes. These prisoners are each serving a 30-year term for murder, but they hardly work and instead idly chat with pedestrians, occasionally whack the grass but usually just watch the girls and life go by.
Most of the guards are inside a classroom studying Nicaraguan history with their classmates, the inmates. For the more hands-on prisoners, a workshop churns out jewellery, crafted chairs and green and yellow Rasta-style beanies.
Your World and Colony Collapse Disorder - Smoking Mirrors
Tuesday, February 26
Your World and Colony Collapse Disorder.
Last year nearly a third of the American bees left their hives and went… somewhere. It’s being said even more will disappear this year. A third of your food supply depends on these bees. Fruits, vegetables and nuts are all at risk. Slipping into the news we see that much higher food prices are on their way all over the world.
You can wonder at the sub prime disaster and the wars abroad. You can speculate on 9/11 and the tentacle reach of the neo-cons. You can tremble at the prospect of Global Warming or Global Cooling; whichever it happens to be. You might think it’s a lot of bunk and there is a good argument that it might be. But the bees… people… the bees are very important. The bees and the rainforests are a serious issue.
Some people are saying it is because of genetically engineered seeds. The bees can’t integrate with them. People are saying a lot of different things but no one knows for sure. There is one thing that I know. You do not mess with Mother Nature.
I’m not going to discuss the theories here. I’m not an analyst or a scientist. I’m not an expert on anything. My biggest strength is that I know when I’m being lied to. I try to paint a wide picture and hope it adds to the voices… the voices that grow by the hour; the chorus of voices that seek to counter the lies. It’s not all lies… some of it is hard, unfortunate truth.
It’s not just the bees who are experiencing Colony Collapse Disorder. It’s happening on many levels and there is no telling where we will be left once critical mass occurs. We are in a very uncertain state.
The Turkish army is in
This collection of criminals at the top of the food chain does not care about your condition or what may happen to you. You are less than nothing to them. In many cases you are in the way and you are… too many. Though they are rich beyond the possibility of spending it, they want more. They are a virulent cancer that threatens to create war and holocaust beyond anything ever experienced before. They see pages with numbers and you are one of them. You are added and subtracted as if you had no real existence.
These men and women all have food stores and safe houses to sit out whatever catastrophe they can imagine. They are not sane. They may be rich and intelligent and powerful but they are not sane and as much as they think they know about the world and the direction they intend for it to go they do not know where it will go. It is their sense of personal power and titanic hubris that causes them to believe they know what is going on but they do not know and they are not sane. They are not sane. They are as close to monsters as any monsters we shall ever see. What are we to do?
On the surface nothing seems all that critical. We are fed a daily dose of celebrity lives and meaningless awards for meaningless productions. We are regaled by comedians who no doubt make jokes about the bees and the rainforests and the wars. They don’t see any of this from the windows of their limousines. They see themselves and their own celebrity and they feast and honor one another in their exclusive lives. Meanwhile time and circumstance march on.
The bees work under the radar. They are a critical link in a system that is linked at every point. The bees will not leave alone, other things will follow. The natural system is one of interdependent reliance. It has a balance to it. Once that balance is toyed with the entire system is at risk. Strange maladies begin to appear and sweep across the land. But meanwhile, on the surface everything is OK.
That a third of the food supply is in danger seems to be no big deal. Nude, drunken bimbos are there to occupy our attention. Genocide is a cartoon before the main feature. All the political games and international hotspots are like dumpster diving homeless outside the window of a black limousine. They are just images without content. They are an abstraction. They are not real.
Does any reasonable person think that those who are orchestrating all of this chaos will stop in midstream and say to themselves; “Oops, we’re going the wrong way, let’s back off and find another route”? Does a madman suddenly become sane? Does a selfish opportunist get religion on some serendipitous morning? No… they persist in their drive until they are stopped. They do not find epiphany unless it is in the moment they go over the cliff.
There are a few possibilities that may contain the juggernaut of madness before the world itself falls off a cliff. Wise aliens from outer space, with powers unguessed at, might appear in the sky. Jesus might appear in the sky or… the people of the Earth will come together and resist. I leave it to you to contemplate which of these is most likely. Things really are falling apart. Let us say they look like they are falling apart but we are told not to worry about it. We aren’t even told about it at all most of the time.
There’s always been the one power that we collectively possess. We step away. We stop participating. We stand down. Perhaps you think it’s all going to work out on its own and you may be right. You are trusting to some as yet unseen cavalry to ride in. You think it’s just a phase. You can’t risk losing what you have while you are losing what you have incrementally.
You know that corruption is the order of the day at the highest levels. You know that these leaders of the blind are criminals of the very worst sort. You know this and you know that you are helpless except in this one way. You can become like the bees in your own way and nothing will get done or made on that day.
I’ve been mentioning this for a long time and now some organizations have come together and made a day when no one should go to work or buy anything. That day is March 19th. One day is not going to do any more than to show you what you can accomplish. That’s a big deal though. That’s a very big deal. One day can become one week and one week can become one month. You can shut it down and I am afraid that you have to shut it down before it shuts you down. Your very survival is at stake.
For the sake of those in Palestine and Iraq and every oppressed theater of life; for the sake of the homeless and dispossessed, for the sake of the hungry and the tormented and imprisoned, for the sake of entire legitimate governments rotting in jail, for the sake of what remains of your own honor and integrity you must act. You must act before you become like them by merely letting this continue. You must act or you will be acted upon. If it has not become clear to you by now then perhaps it is your destiny to go down under the hobnailed boot of history. Only you can know how important it is to you. Use your power or lose the opportunity. Sooner or later they come for everyone.
art by Jim Kirwan
Monday, February 25, 2008
Obama photo in turban, robe causes stir - Others get free ride
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
AP Photo: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, is dressed as a Somali Elder by Sheikh Mahmed Hassan,...
WASHINGTON - A photograph circulating on the Internet of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama dressed in traditional local garments during a visit to Kenya in 2006 is causing a dustup in the presidential campaign over what constitutes a smear.
WASHINGTON - A photograph circulating on the Internet of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama dressed in traditional local garments during a visit to Kenya in 2006 is causing a dustup in the presidential campaign over what constitutes a smear.
The Associated Press photograph portrays Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya. Obama's estranged late father was Kenyan and Obama visited the country in 2006, attracting thousands of well-wishers.
The gossip and news Web site The Drudge Report posted the photograph Monday and said it was being circulated by "Clinton staffers" and quoted an e-mail from an unidentified campaign aide. Drudge did not include proof of the e-mail in the report.
Nobody seemed to get upset by THESE photos!
Of this one...
Or ...
Or ...
And here is Dick Cheney...
Where is the stir?
http://whatreallyhappened.com/Or how about these:
I don't even like Obama and would never vote for him but let's be fair here folks. Find something real to smear the guy on.
K
Fairview TN Tornado Damage from Feb. 5, 2008
The pictures below are from the property of Bill and Paula Carpenter near Fairview, TN. I always said their place was like a state park. The tornado damage from Feb. 5, 2008 was tragic but luckily no one was hurt.
Paula is a writer using the name Paula Wall.
see http://www.paulawall.com/
Best wishes to both of these fine people.
K
Below is a video taken in Jan. 2007 after a rework of the over 1 mile road on the property leading up to a cell tower.
The $100,000 Road Ride-Eminent Domain Blues Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-TuF27Gio
Paula is a writer using the name Paula Wall.
see http://www.paulawall.com/
Best wishes to both of these fine people.
K
Below is a video taken in Jan. 2007 after a rework of the over 1 mile road on the property leading up to a cell tower.
The $100,000 Road Ride-Eminent Domain Blues Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-TuF27Gio
The Revolution is starting! - Cryptic Notes Left At Vandalized Bremerton Banks
The Revolution is starting!
UPDATED: 4:11 pm PST February 21, 2008
BREMERTON, Wash. -- Bremerton police said four banks were vandalized early Thursday, with each incident involving windows broken with pieces of concrete that had notes taped to them, reported KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.The banks involved were a US Bank at 2020 Sixth St., a Key Bank at 3750 Wheaton Way, a Bank of America at 1000 Sixth St. and a Kitsap Bank at 3425 Wheaton Way.According to police, the vandals did not go in any of the banks.“No entry was gained and nothing was taken, so it appears this was the delivery of some kind of message by the perpetrators,” Andy Oakley with Bremerton police said.Police said the content of the notes were all the same and read as follows:“Directions: Attach to brick and throw through window”“Here is your brick back." "Recognize it? You should.”“It is part of the wall that you, as one of the elite upper class, have helped to build between the minority ruling class, and the majority working class throughout history. By flaunting your decadence, you have made yourself a target.”“Get used to it!”“Social youth chaos-f___ s___ up!”The pieces of concrete and notes will be forensically examined, and bank surveillance tapes will be reviewed, police said.“We’ve also contacted the FBI because of the apparent political nature of the note to see if we can get some information there. We have not seen this activity prior in the city,” Oakley said.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Robert Davis at 360-473-5361 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-CRIME-13.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15367749/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=southsoundnews#
by way of: http://whatreallyhappened.com/
Cryptic Notes Left At Vandalized Bremerton Banks
UPDATED: 4:11 pm PST February 21, 2008
BREMERTON, Wash. -- Bremerton police said four banks were vandalized early Thursday, with each incident involving windows broken with pieces of concrete that had notes taped to them, reported KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.The banks involved were a US Bank at 2020 Sixth St., a Key Bank at 3750 Wheaton Way, a Bank of America at 1000 Sixth St. and a Kitsap Bank at 3425 Wheaton Way.According to police, the vandals did not go in any of the banks.“No entry was gained and nothing was taken, so it appears this was the delivery of some kind of message by the perpetrators,” Andy Oakley with Bremerton police said.Police said the content of the notes were all the same and read as follows:“Directions: Attach to brick and throw through window”“Here is your brick back." "Recognize it? You should.”“It is part of the wall that you, as one of the elite upper class, have helped to build between the minority ruling class, and the majority working class throughout history. By flaunting your decadence, you have made yourself a target.”“Get used to it!”“Social youth chaos-f___ s___ up!”The pieces of concrete and notes will be forensically examined, and bank surveillance tapes will be reviewed, police said.“We’ve also contacted the FBI because of the apparent political nature of the note to see if we can get some information there. We have not seen this activity prior in the city,” Oakley said.Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Robert Davis at 360-473-5361 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-CRIME-13.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15367749/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=southsoundnews#
by way of: http://whatreallyhappened.com/
Drug War Rant - How to Make Pot Legal
 | Sunday, February 24, 2008 |
| How to Make Pot Legal  A while back, I linked to Paul Armentano's piece: Making Pot Legal: We Can Do It -- Here's How. At the time, I merely linked without commenting, promising to do so later. That post ended up with an incredible extended discussion in comments. These are important discussions. But they're also tricky. In my theatre management life, I have often cautioned people against having a committee decide what to do to market shows. The reason is that everyone has excellent marketing ideas and there are infinite options, but the staff time and resources for implementation are finite. So a committee finds it very hard to create an effective targeted strategy. The drug policy reform movement has it even harder, since we are like a loose conglomeration of committees, each with different goals, and each with the infinite options of approach. And unless we can somehow create a centralized world dictatorship of drug policy reform, we're probably going to have to live with fragmentation of appraoch and ideas. That doesn't mean it's hopeless. Just means we have to do a good job of building cases for effective strategy, while at the same time understanding the strongly-held beliefs of others in the movement. And I've seen significant things in the past few years that lead me to believe that it's possible. So I thank Paul for his contribution to the discussion. There's much within that I support. There are also areas where I have a different idea. That's natural. We're all at slightly different places. My focus is on overall drug policy reform, with recreational marijuana legalization as one significant part of the equation. What's even more critical is that I realize that my views are not going to be held by the majority of the people in this country. I have to remind myself that I have had years of intensive education about the drug war -- something they have not. Things that seem obvious to me may not be to them. (And everyone who reads this site is in the same boat to at least some degree.) So, to end the long-winded intro and get on with it... Paul starts by identifying four suggestions as to why political leaders have failed to get on board with marijuana law reforms. 1. Media complacency
...To combat this media bias, pot reformers must do a better job providing consistent and resonant messages to reporters, as well as establishing long-lasting, personal relationships with key journalists and opinion makers. Advocates could consider dedicating resources for print and media advertising campaigns to offset the federal government's anti-drug advertising budget, which annually spends some hundred million dollars in taxpayers' dollars and matching funds to buy television and radio commercials warning about the alleged dangers of pot. I fully agree with this point. Particularly that every reform organization needs a strong media relations effort, and that personal relationships with journalists are incredibly important. If you have a strong relationship with and you're always straight with the journalist, It gives them a secure place to turn for comment when they get one-sided info from the government, and a source for reform-oriented stories. The media simply does not have the time and resources to fully investigate everything -- a typical journalist is reporting on a multitude of subjects of which they are ignorant. We have to be there for them.
...The drug law reform movement must engage in greater and more active outreach within the law enforcement community. While some groups are already engaging in such efforts, these actions too often rely on the recruitment of retired members of law enforcement and the criminal justice community. Only by recruiting active members of law enforcement can we begin to build necessary credibility and support among politicians, and provide a persuasive counter to the lobbying activities of various state and federal criminal justice associations. I like the idea, but I'm skeptical that we can have an active reform presence inside active law enforcement, as long as marijuana is illegal. I think that LEAP is one of the best things that has happened to the drug policy reform movement in recent years, and that they serve to counter the adamant prohibitionists within active law enforcement (with the added fact that in such comparisons, it is the prohibitionists that look like they have personal gain in their argument.) I think that engaging active outreach within the law enforcement community is good, but I think the ultimate goal of such efforts is not to gain support, but to reduce opposition.
Thousands of Americans suffer such sanctions every day -- at a rate of one person every 38 seconds. Our movement must do a better job of humanizing this issue to the public by emphasizing the personal stories and tragedies endured by the millions of individual Americans who have suffered unduly and egregiously under criminal prohibition. We must also do a better job of recruiting high-profile celebrities and human rights advocates to publicly speak out on these victims' behalf. Personally, I think the pot prohibition victim-population approach is a loser. Now this may be partly because I have so much invested in the more specific drug war victim issue. In my mind, you can never humanize thousands. You have to focus on the individual cases of drug war excess -- the Kathryn Johnstons and Tarika Wilsons, for example. Sure, it's important to bring up the loss of financial aid, opportunities for the future, etc. of groups of people, but when it comes to the thousands of pot prisoners, it's just too easy for people to glaze over and think "Well, they knew it was illegal..."
The marijuana law reform movement must do a better job of engaging with organizations working toward racial equality to properly convey to politicians and the public that this issue is about racial justice and fundamental fairness. Additionally, reformers must do a better job allying with organizations that speak on behalf of youth, particularly urban youth -- who are most at risk of suffering from the lifetime hardships associated with a marijuana conviction. Finally, reformers must reach out to the parents of young people and urge them to become active members of the cannabis law reform movement, which needs the majority of parents to join its ranks as both financial contributors and as political advocates in order to gain the political support necessary to bring about a change in the country's pot laws. This is an ongoing problem. It is always those with less political power who are targeted by drug prohibition. While I think that we've come a long way in spreading the word about the racial inequities of drug prohibition, we're going to have an extremely hard time getting targeted groups to join us (despite their logical self-interest in doing so). Marginalized groups are not going to lead in drug policy reform for fear of appearing to be encouraging irresponsible behavior among their own and thus seeming to be at fault for their hardships. (Note: we may be able to turn this around partially -- more on that later in this post, and in terms of the larger category of youth in general, it's important to note the incredible work of SSDP.)
A strong majority of Americans -- nearly 75 percent -- say that they oppose jailing pot offenders, yet fewer than 50 percent support regulating cannabis so that adults no longer face arrest or incarceration for engaging in the drug's use. Why this apparent paradox? In large part, this ambivalence may be a result of the shortcomings of the drug law reform movement.This is the absolute key to the problem, and our most important challenge. It is not the legislators who need to be convinced (although that's part of the job). It is the people who must be shaken out of this ambivalence. Let's take a look at the myths that Paul says we must counter (read his article for his specific comments):
Regarding cannabis-impaired driving: I understand where Paul is coming from regarding public opinion and am aware of the studies he's mentioned, but I agree with Jackl that I'm not thoroughly convinced of the significance of the danger. And I'm hesitant to agree to the contradiction of a solution that could further demonize marijuana use, just to improve public relations for legalization. While I am fully in favor of true impairment-based testing (as opposed to the mere presence of metabolites), I think we'll perversely face huge resistance in implementing such testing until after marijuana is legalized. Here's the problem: developing a test to determine the level of marijuana intoxication at which one is impaired will be seen to imply that there is a level of marijuana intoxication that is OK. Prohibitionists (the very ones we'd have to have on our side to implement such testing) will find that "message" anathema. My analysis Going back to the issue of paradox of public ambivalence, it boils down to the fact that the people simply don't consider legalization to be an important issue to them. All you have to do is spend some time on messageboards (yes, I know that can be painful), and you'll see the same reaction over and over: "I know someone who smokes pot and just isn't making anything of his life. We don't need this legalized."These are extremely weak arguments, yet they are pervasive -- clear evidence that people have not thought through actual ramifications of prohibition and legalization. The majority of people unfortunately see legalization as an unimportant issue. Here's what's going on in their heads: "People can smoke pot anyway or they can drink alcohol, so it isn't important to invest any effort in leglizing pot, and besides, there's that guy in his basement throwing away his future getting stoned, so I'm not going to support legalization. Telling people that pot isn't so bad isn't going to solve this problem. People generally know that. They just don't think that it's worth going to the effort of legalizing. Pot isn't very harmful. We can protect against drugged drivers. It's not a proper law. We should legalize marijuana. Right approach: Pot prohibition is causing criminals to prey on your children. We must legalize and regulate it NOW to cut back on damage to our cities and our families. The only way to motivate people enough so that they'll go past what the government tells them they should think is to make it personal.
[Please note that this doesn't mean that I advocate lying to people to get them to support us. It's about telling the truth about the things that matter to them.] A little plug for my own efforts... The work I've been doing with the so-called "Elevator Arguments" works well with this analysis. It's all about identifying those interests that specific groups of people have and targeting a drug policy reform message towards those interests. And since the drug war negatively impacts so many aspects of society, it's not hard to do.  | |
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| Saturday, February 23, 2008 |
| If God can't enforce prohibition... Delightful OpEd by Peter Christ in the New York Star Gazette: Don't Tax Drugs, Legalize Them Good all the way through. The conclusion nails it nicely. Some point to alcohol Prohibition as the prime example of how a prohibition fails. I choose instead to draw upon a far older example. When Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by paradise with all their needs met, there was only one thing prohibited to them. Yet, in spite of their perfect existence, they couldn't resist that one temptation. I ask you, if God can't enforce prohibition, what makes us think we can do better? 10:19:07 PM | drug policy | Links | permalink | comment [9] | |
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Drug Czar on rampage of stupidity
It's all political -- it's all a way to promote his drug war...
In this article, Walters blames U.S. marijuana users for "contributing" to the bloody wars in Mexico.
Here, he says that U.S. prosecutors need to go after more of the low and mid-level marijuana offenders, including those where the evidence isn't that strong.
However, here, he claims that the Mexico drug fight is success and is driving up prices (with the unfortunate side-effect of additional border violence).
Each of these articles was also an opportunity for Walters to ask for more money for the drug war.
I think it's fair to say that these bodies aren't a result of America pot-smokers, or prosecutors gone mild, or any kind of success. If they're going to haunt anyone, it'll be the drug warriors.
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/
Repaying the Puppet Masters - Peter Chamberlin
Repaying the Puppet Masters
By: Peter Chamberlin
A word of warning to the “Israel first” crowd in America, if you succeed in forcing us into a nuclear war to appease your fears about Iran, there will be hell to pay.
“There is no end of evidence that this kind of rage is bubbling to the surface all over America... The rage out there is not anti-Semitism. It may be anti-Zionism, it may be isolationism. It is a groundswell that needs to be addressed honestly... What should Jewish institutions do about it?
They should encourage that rage. They should begin an open discussion within the Jewish community of what Zionism has done to Jewish identity and American foreign policy.” - Philip Weiss http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/02/portrait-of-a-h.html
Philip Weiss, over at “Mondoweiss,” is a very wise man. He sees the truth that other progressive/liberal Jewish writers try to hide. The American people are looking for someone to blame, because the government that they elected answers to a foreign power, instead of to the people. It is becoming obvious that the “Israel lobby” would have no power over our government, if not for the bulk of Jewish Americans supporting them. Israeli Zionists would be powerless to wage war against Arabs and start new wars with Iran without America’s secret Zionists standing behind them.
The obvious power of the Israel lobby to use American government to fight Israel’s wars, over the objections of the American people, is giving new life to “old canards.” The driving force behind the war on Iran is the Jewish and Christian-Zionist friends of Israel. The daily charges against Iran, coming from the Olmert government, along with the ever-present calls on the US to strike Israel’s enemy, ensure that any American paying attention will know who is to blame when the real conflagration begins. Growing public awareness of this fact seems to be validating the old “anti-Semitic” charges from the Protocols of Elders of Zion, about “Jews starting wars,” controlling governments and the press. Every punitive step taken to render collective punishment upon the Palestinians, every move made to incite war in Lebanon, or Syria, or Iran, deadens Americans’ hearts to a rapidly failing friendship.
Blind support for violent Zionist plans by normally sane Jewish Americans is causing a very powerful negative reaction to build among the American people. The strategy chosen by Jewish leaders (to fight this building reaction by attempts to control the national debate and to brand every critic of Israeli violence as “anti-Semitic”) will change anti-Zionism into outright anti-Semitism, once Israel’s supporters get their war (and the draft restarted) against Iran. When America’s sons and daughters start getting drafted out of our collapsing economy, to fight Israel’s war, who do you think will be held responsible? We could easily see circumstances change so drastically, so quickly here, that American Jews might find themselves in a very dark place, where most of them surely do not want to be.
It could not be true that Jewish leaders want their people to be considered as co-conspirators for the crimes of the Israeli government and their American neocon stooges, instead of being respected for their past great achievements. But this is what is happening, because of the downward-spiral that we are now trapped in, fighting the war against Islam. The more we hear warnings about “Islamo-fascism,” the more we see its mirror image in “Israeli fascism.” The great economic and political power accumulated and wielded unashamedly by Zionist Jewish leaders is poisoning the waters for all Jews.
Attempts to stifle public debate about Israel and Zionism, by undermining public discourse through Internet censorship, have revealed the very undemocratic nature of them both. Total domination of the alternative media, unlike the tightly-controlled mainstream media, is proving impossible. Efforts to censor content on the web are succeeding in leaving large holes in the evidence trails which prove charges by their omission, of ethnic cleansing in Palestine and other claims of war-mongering in general. The gaping holes they are leaving add-up to a concerted campaign of state censorship by the government of Israel and its minions, directed at the citizens of the United States, in the primarily Jewish-owned media.
In case you haven’t been paying attention to the ongoing debate about American aid to Israel, you really should listen up. The American people are dead set against attacking Iran for Israel’s sake. Even so, Bush, the Congress and the presidential candidates have all expressed support for backing Israel’s escalation of the war against Iran’s allies, promising that America’s troops will back them up, at a time and place of Israel’s choosing, to wage a (nuclear) war that will very likely cause America’s downfall. Listening to the ongoing internal debate, hearing all the invective and dark racist charges being leveled at the Jewish people because of growing popular beliefs, what will be the reaction of the disenfranchised masses?
Despite their best efforts to subvert democracy on the Internet, mountains of evidence and mirrored stashes of disappeared documents remain, waiting for the right search. In which case, even evidence from questionable sites, which replace censored damning reports, gain credibility in the public’s eyes. Though rabbis constantly herald the religious heritage of the Jewish people as “the light of the world,” to be spread into every nation, Judaism remains a dark secret to those outside the faith.
For all we know, all of the following quotations from the Talmud, as well as those quotes attributed to past Zionist leaders, are true.
Baba Mezia 114a-114b. Only Jews are men ("Only ye are designated men"). Also see Kerithoth 6b under the sub-head, "Oil of Anointing" and Berakoth 58a in which Gentile women are designated animals ("she-asses").
Sepher ikkarim III c 25. "It is permitted to take the body and the life of a Gentile."
Soferim 15, Rule 10. “Even the best of the [Gentiles] should be killed.”
Schene luchoth haberith, p. 250b. Although the non-Jew has the same body structure as the Jew, they compare with the Jew like a monkey to a human.
Rabbi Mendel Schneerson also believed that Jews are a superior Master Race.
"We have a case of the Jew...a totally different species."
"The body of a Jewish person is of a totally different quality from the body of members of all other nations of the world. Bodies of the Gentiles are in vain. An even greater difference is in regard to the soul...A non-Jewish soul comes from three satanic spheres, while the Jewish soul stems from holiness."
These statements appear to confirm that the following statement, attributed to Menachem Begin, is an accurate expression of the idea of Jewish supremacy, whether it was indeed uttered by Begin, or not.
“Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves."
All of the above quotations confirm for many, that Ariel Sharon may have indeed barked-out the following words to Yitzhak Shamir:
"Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."
Americans have no way of knowing what Jewish leaders, or any leaders, say in secret chambers, but watching our leaders fight over who gets to pleasure Israel first makes it much easier to believe in such apparent evidence of sinister Zionist intentions and beliefs about our inferiority to them.
The fact remains that Jewish Americans have been instrumental in maintaining the two faces of Zionism – the violent deceptive face and the opposite PR image. It is only because of their unwavering support that America plays along with the false deceptions – that the “Holy Land” was “a land with no people for a people with no land,” that denying Israel the right to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from their land is the same as denying Israel the “right to exist,” or that the Palestinians were “transferred voluntarily.”
The American-Jewish community has a choice to make, before America wades into a nuclear war on Israel’s behalf. Will you continue to support a war for your former homeland which will very likely bring about the destruction of your current homeland, or will you separate yourselves from the menace that Israeli Zionism has proven to be? For your own sakes, and for the cause of human morality, it is time to talk about doing the right thing.
Peter Chamberlin's blog
http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/5843Appeal to U2's Bono
02/25/08
Appeal to U2's Bono
PACBI.org
PACBI.org
It's all About Justice: Don't Honor Israel!
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has learned that you have been invited by Israeli President Shimon Peres to take part in a conference designed to mark Israel's contributions to medicine, science, and conservation. We urge you, as a prominent activist on issues of global inequality and a campaigner for basic human rights, to say no to Israel, especially since the invitation coincides with celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state. With the creation of this state sixty years ago, “Palestine ceased to exist except in the hearts and mind of Palestinians,”[1] of whom three quarters of a million were dispossessed and uprooted from their homes and lands, condemned to a life of exile and destitution.
Israel at 60 is a state that is still denying Palestinian refugees their UN-sanctioned rights, simply because they are "non-Jews." It is still illegally occupying Palestinian and other Arab lands, in violation of numerous UN resolutions. In the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), Israel is continuing the construction of its colonies and massive Wall in direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of July 2004. It is still persistently and grossly breaching international law and infringing fundamental human rights with impunity afforded to it through munificent US and European economic, diplomatic and political support. It is still treating its own Palestinian citizens with institutionalized discrimination.
We urge you to reject the invitation from a man who has nothing to do with the lofty ideals of progress in science, medicine and the environment. His decades-long political career includes war crimes committed against the Lebanese and Palestinian people.
In 1996, when Israel still occupied southern Lebanon, Shimon Peres as Prime Minister launched "Operation Grapes of Wrath," causing 400,000 Lebanese to flee their homes, with almost 800 of them fleeing to a UN base in Qana, South Lebanon. On April 18 the Israeli army shelled the UN shelter in Qana, killing 102 civilians, mainly women, children and the elderly. Many more were injured. Human Rights Watch, the UN and Amnesty International subsequently disproved the myth that the Israeli army did not deliberately intend to shell the UN base. Shimon Peres said at the time, "In my opinion, everything was done according to clear logic and in a responsible way. I am at peace."
Peres is on record for being responsible for other war crimes, from building colonies on occupied Arab land to endorsing a policy of extra-judicial killings, by which Palestinians and other Arabs are murdered without the benefit of a trial or, in fact, any evidence other than that provided by Israeli intelligence. Peres also supports the siege of Gaza and the elaborate system of checkpoints all across the West Bank. He defends the demolition of Palestinian homes, and he justified the atrocities committed by the Israeli army in its recent war on Lebanon in 2006.
We, like all other Palestinians and international supporters of human rights and international law, expect you to uphold the highest standard of respect for the human rights of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, which has been under a hermetic siege imposed by Israel for almost two years. Poverty is rampant, and the lives of the ill, children, and the elderly are in danger. Difficult and brave decisions need to be taken in support of Palestinians exactly like South Africa was supported long before it became fashionable to do so. Instead of legitimizing Israeli war criminals by accepting their invitations, people of conscience who respect international law and justice should shun them.
In 2005, inspired by the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, Palestinian civil society called for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) [2] against Israel until it fully complies with international law and recognizes the fundamental human rights of the people of Palestine. A specific call for cultural boycott of Israel [3] was issued a year later, garnering wide support. Among the many groups and institutions that have heeded the Palestinian boycott calls and started to consider or apply diverse forms of effective pressure on Israel are Aosdana, the Irish state-sponsored academy of artists; the Irish Congress of Trade Unions; the British University and College Union (UCU); the two largest trade unions in the UK; the Church of England; the Presbyterian Church (USA); prominent British architects; the British National Union of Journalists (NUJ); the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU); the South African Council of Churches; the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in Ontario; celebrated authors, artists and intellectuals led by John Berger; and Palme d'Or winner director Ken Loach.
We strongly urge you to uphold the values of freedom, equality and just peace for all by rejecting the invitation to attend a conference in Israel celebrating that country's contribution to science and scholarship. Israel is not a member in good standing of the global community of scientists and scholars, and cannot be honored as such. After all, "it's not about charity, it's about justice."
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
www.PACBI.org
info@BoycottIsrael.ps
© 2008 PACBI.org
SOURCE: http://www.pacbi.org/press_releases_more.php?id=674_0_4_0_C
URL: http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2008/02/25/appeal_to_u2_s_bono
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Bono's Hypocrisy Betrays Third World Aid Scam
Keeping Africans in chains while herding Westerners into the same prison cell
Paul Joseph Watson & Steve Watson/Prison Planet.com | August 8 2006
Bono's latest efforts to dodge taxes and invest in the very capitalist franchises he supposedly rallies against prove that he is one of the leading characters in a puppet show that, far from helping emaciated kids in Ethiopia, serves only to keep the third world in chains while herding Westerners into the same debtor slavery prison.
It's commonly acknowledged that of the estimated $500 billion that has been poured into Africa over the last 40 years, the majority has gone no further than ruling dictators who keep the money and use it to bankroll their opulent lifestyles while their disease ridden subjects starve to death and are infected with AIDS from poisoned vaccines generously donated to them by billionaire philanthropists who advocate mass population reduction and genocide.
The only way to truly elevate the third world is to give them the tools to build the infrastructure necessary for modernization.
But the World Bank/IMF/Globalist doctrine is not about improving the status of third world countries, its about bleeding westerners dry in the name of fighting poverty and AIDS and then siphoning off the profits to their own dirty cronies. Bono is a figurehead for this policy and was even in contention for the World Bank crown before losing out to arch Neo-Fascist Wolfowitz..
World Bank and IMF documents betraying a focused agenda to deliberately foment economic turmoil, riots, and then enforced bondage to eternal debt in countries like Argentina have been leaked.
The plan is not to elevate the third world but to lower the living standards of Americans by guilt-tripping them into financial sacrifice in the name of humanitarian disasters created by the globalists themselves, in addition to a global tax at the fuel pump mandated by the imaginary specter of global warming.
Meanwhile, Bono shifts his assets to offshore tax havens to avoid paying the very taxes that he campaigns for - this is the height of hypocrisy and exposes the beast that the U2 singer fronts for.
He has also recently purchased a large minority stake in Forbes Media, which owns Forbes Magazine, a celebration wealth, consumption and elitism.
No doubt Bono would also embrace the virtues of the 'global warming' orthodoxy elite who zoom from each scripted press conference in their air-conditioned luxury jets while preaching that Americans must take their SUV's to the knacker's yard.
Notable therefore it is that Bono himself once ordered his favorite hat to be flown first class via British Airways to Italy at a cost of $1700.
The Wall Street Journal listed ten ways Bono could have put the money towards relief for the poor instead of ensuring he achieved just the right balance of urban cool for the gig that night.
Bono has always fitted the mold of the elitist yuppie icon, an image that is perfectly encapsulated in Bret Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho, a work set in the 1980s but written a decade later, that typifies the seedy underbelly of American yuppie culture.
The Chapter Title is "Concert". The Narrator, Patrick Bateman, is a designer-label-wearing, drug-taking, Wall Street broker, who happens to torture and kill women in his spare time. The names of the other characters are not important. They go to a U2 concert almost by default and end up in the front row. There he feels a "connection" with Bono - the connection is of course a hideous, shallow and superficial yuppie connection that reveals more about Bono and his place in culture than it does about Bateman, who we already know is a horrid human being.
The much vaunted Live 8 and 'Make Poverty History' campaigns last year, organized in part by Bono, were again co-opted by controlling corporate interests and did little if nothing to help worldwide suffering.
Smaller charities were banned from participating and after the event it emerged that establishment charities like American Red Cross, World Vision and Oxfam had secretly met and divvied up a huge slice of the booty between themselves and kept it - as happened after the OKC bombing and September 11.
Veteran journalist Jon Pilger summed it up better than I ever could during last year's G8 meeting in Scotland.
"Africa's imperial plunder and tragedy have been turned into a circus for the benefit of the so-called G8 leaders due in Scotland next month and those of us willing to be distracted by the barkers of the circus: the establishment media and their 'celebrities.' The illusion of an anti-establishment crusade led by pop stars—a cultivated, controlling image of rebellion—serves to dilute a great political movement of anger. In summit after summit, not one significant 'promise' of the G8 has been kept, and the 'victory for millions' is no different. It is a fraud—actually a setback to reducing poverty in Africa. Entirely conditional on vicious, discredited economic programmes imposed by the World Bank and the IMF, the 'package' will ensure that the 'chosen' countries slip deeper into poverty."
In his many meetings with the British Prime Minister, Bono has failed to mention the fact that Blair's £15 million ID database system, used to monitor and control the lives of the British public with no discernable benefit to anyone but government snoops and mega corporations, would cover the cost of anti-retroviral drugs in Africa for the next three years.
Bono and Blair were playing bosom buddies for the cameras once again last weekend as they hob-knobbed with Rupert Murdoch, while informed speculation postulated a visit to the creme de la creme of old boy networks, Bohemian Grove.
Whilst Bono hangs around doing business with his elite pals then occasionally sounding off at them for the media, rock stars such as Thom Yorke of Radiohead take a more modest approach at illuminating their wrong doings.
When Yorke's dissenting voice became more prominently public last year he declined an invitation to meet with Tony Blair because he knew it would be spun into a PR device by Blair's cronies.
"I came out of that whole period just thinking, I don't want to get involved directly, it's poison. I'll just shout my mouth off from the sidelines. It's a nasty business. It's up to people with pure integrity who know what they're talking about," said Yorke.
Whilst Yorke continues to use his rock status to berate Blair over his continued elitist and ignorant policies, Bono is using his to hob nob around with Blair in San Francisco on a personal business trip paid for by British taxes, a system that Bono clearly believes he is too good for.
http://propagandamatrix.com/articles/august2006/080806bono.htmArctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Filled With World’s Seeds Comes to Life
Published on Sunday, February 24, 2008 by Agence France Presse
Arctic ‘Doomsday Vault’ Filled With World’s Seeds Comes to Life
by Pierre-Henry Deshayes in Longyearbyen, Norway
AN Arctic “doomsday vault” filled with samples of the world’s most important seeds will be inaugurated in Norway today.
The vault aims to provide humankind with a Noah’s Ark of food in the event of a global catastrophe.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Nobel Peace Prize winning environmentalist Wangari Matai will be among the personalities present at the inauguration of the vault, which has been carved into the permafrost of a remote Arctic mountain, just 1000km from the North Pole.
The vault, made up of three spacious cold chambers each measuring 27m by 10m, creates a long trident-shaped tunnel bored into the sandstone and limestone.
It has the capacity to hold up to 4.5 million batches of seeds from all known varieties of the planet’s main food crops, making it possible to re-establish plants if they disappear from their natural environment or are obliterated by major disasters.
“The facility is built to hold twice as many varieties of agricultural crops as we think exist,” explained Cary Fowler, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and project mastermind.
“It will not be filled up in my lifetime, nor in my grandchildren’s lifetime,” he predicted.
Norway has assumed the €6 million ($9.6m) charge for building the vault in its Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, where ironically no crops grow.
Secured behind an airlock door, the three airtight chambers have the capacity to house duplicates of samples from all the world’s more than 1400 existing seed banks.
Many of the more vulnerable seed banks have begun contributing to the “doomsday vault” collection, but some of the world’s biodiversity has already disappeared, with gene vaults in both Iraq and Afghanistan destroyed by war and a seed bank in the Philippines annihilated by a typhoon.
By the time of the inauguration, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault should hold some 250,000 samples, which will remain the property of their countries of origin.
Pakistan and Kenya, both undergoing periods of serious unrest, have sent seed collections, while samples sent from Colombia have been closely scrutinised by police to avoid the project becoming a vehicle for drug trafficking.
“I’ve been working in this field for 30 years and I thought I knew at least all the crops,” Mr Fowler said.
After receiving a list of all the different seeds in the vault, however, “I must admit there are a number of crops I’ve never heard of before”, he said.
That’s a spectacular amount of diversity for Svalbard, where no trees can grow due to the permafrost and where the mercury plummets to an average 14C below zero in winter.
The Norwegian archipelago, which is home to some 2300 people, was selected not despite but because of its inhospitable climate, as well as its remote location far from civil strife.
The seeds of wheat, maize, oats and other crops will be stored at a constant temperature of minus 18C Celsius, and even if the freezer system fails the permafrost will ensure that temperatures never rise above 3.5C below freezing.
“Svalbard really met all the criteria,” Mr Fowler said.
Protected by high walls of fortified concrete, an armoured door, a sensor alarm and the native polar bears that roam the region, the “doomsday vault” has been built 130m above current sea level - high enough that it would not flood if the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melt entirely due to global warming.
The concrete cocoon has also been built to withstand nuclear missile attacks or a plunging plane, something that could come in handy in light of the 6.4-scale tremor - the biggest earthquake in Norway’s history - registered near the archipelago on Thursday.
© 2008 Agence France-Presse
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/24/7264/**********************************************************
No project is more interesting at the moment than a curious project in one of the world’s most remote spots, Svalbard. Bill Gates is investing millions in a seed bank on the Barents Sea near the Arctic Ocean, some 1,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Svalbard is a barren piece of rock claimed by Norway and ceded in 1925 by international treaty (see map).
On this God-forsaken island Bill Gates is investing tens of his millions along with the Rockefeller Foundation, Monsanto Corporation, Syngenta Foundation and the Government of Norway, among others, in what is called the ‘doomsday seed bank.’ Officially the project is named the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard island group.
Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don’t
Center for Research on Globalization posted by Le Patriote
http://itrownot.blogspot.com/2008/02/doomsday-seed-vault-in-arctic.html
"Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic
No project is more interesting at the moment than a curious project in one of the world’s most remote spots, Svalbard. Bill Gates is investing millions in a seed bank on the Barents Sea near the Arctic Ocean, some 1,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Svalbard is a barren piece of rock claimed by Norway and ceded in 1925 by international treaty (see map).
On this God-forsaken island Bill Gates is investing tens of his millions along with the Rockefeller Foundation, Monsanto Corporation, Syngenta Foundation and the Government of Norway, among others, in what is called the ‘doomsday seed bank.’ Officially the project is named the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard island group.
Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don’t
Center for Research on Globalization
http://itrownot.blogspot.com/2008/02/doomsday-seed-vault-in-arctic.html
Ten of the World's Most Magnificent Trees
The Ten Most Magnificent Trees in the World
♥ "A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food,
warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to
those who wield an axe to cut it down"
- Buddha ♥
10. Lone Cypress in Monterey
Buffeted by the cold Pacific Ocean wind, the scraggly Lone Cypress [wiki] (Cupressus macrocarpa) in Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula, California, isn't a particularly large tree. It makes up for its small size, however, with its iconic status as a stunningly beautiful tree in splendid isolation, framed by an even more beautiful background of the Pacific Ocean.
9. Circus Trees
As a hobby, bean farmer Axel Erlandson [wiki] shaped trees - he pruned, bent, and grafted trees into fantastic shapes and called them "Circus Trees." For example, to make this "Basket Tree" arborsculpture, Erlandson planted six sycamore trees in a circle and then grafted them together to form the diamond patterns.
Basket Tree
The Two-Legged Tree
Ladder Tree
Axel Erlandson underneath one of his arborsculpture
Erlandson was very secretive and refused to reveal his methods on how to grow the Circus Trees (he even carried out his graftings behind screens to protect against spies!) and carried the secrets to his grave.
The trees were later bought by millionaire Michael Bonfante, who transplanted them to his amusement park Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy in 1985.
8. Giant Sequoias: General Sherman
Giant Sequoias [wiki] (Sequoiadendron giganteum), which only grow in Sierra Nevada, California, are the world's biggest trees (in terms of volume). The biggest is General Sherman [wiki] in the Sequoia National Park - one behemoth of a tree at 275 feet (83.8 m), over 52,500 cubic feet of volume (1,486 m³), and over 6000 tons in weight.
General Sherman is approximately 2,200 years old - and each year, the tree adds enough wood to make a regular 60-foot tall tree. It's no wonder that naturalist John Muir said "The Big Tree is Nature's forest masterpiece, and so far as I know, the greatest of living things."
For over a century there was a fierce competition for the title of the largest tree: besides General Sherman, there is General Grant [wiki] at King's Canyon National Park, which actually has a
larger circumference (107.5 feet / 32.77 m vs. Sherman's 102.6 feet / 31.27 m).
In 1921, a team of surveyors carefully measured the two
giants - with their data, and according to the complex American Forestry Association system of judging a tree, General Grant should have been award the title of largest tree - however, to simplify the matter, it was later determined that in this case, volume, not point system, should be the determining factor.
7. Coast Redwood: Hyperion and Drive-Thru Trees
There is another sequoia species (not to be confused with Giant Sequoia) that is quite remarkable: the Coast Redwood [wiki] (Sequoia sempervirens), the tallest trees in the world. The reigning champion is a tree called Hyperion in the Redwood National Park, identified by researcher Chris Atkins and amateur naturalist Michael Taylor in 2006. Measuring over 379 feet (..155.6.. 115 m) tall, Hyperion beat out the previous record holder Stratosphere Giant [wiki] in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park (at 370 feet / 112.8 m).
The scientists aren't talking about the exact location of Hyperion: the terrain is difficult, and they don't want a rush of visitors to come and trample the tree's root system.
[Image: The Stratosphere Giant - still an impressive specimen, previously the world's tallest tree until dethroned by Hyperion in 2006.]
That's not all that's amazing about the Coast Redwood: there are four giant California redwoods big enough that you can drive your car through them!
The most famous of the drive-through trees is the Chandelier Tree [wiki] in Leggett, California. It's a 315 foot tall redwood tree, with a 6 foot wide by 9 foot tall hole cut through its base in the 1930s.
Chandelier Tree
6. Chapel-Oak of Allouville-Bellefosse
he Chêne-Chapelle (Chapel-Oak) of Allouville-Bellefosse is the most famous tree in France - actually, it's more than just a tree: it's a building and a religious monument all in one.
In 1669, l'Abbe du Detroit and du Cerceau decided to build a chapel in (at that time) a 500 years old or so oak (Quercus robur) tree made hollow by a lightning bolt. The priests built a small altar to the Virgin Mary. Later on, a second chapel and a staircase were added.
Now, parts of the tree are dead, the crown keeps becoming smaller and smaller every year, and parts of the tree's bark, which fell off due to old age, are covered by protective oak shingles. Poles and cables support the aging tree, which in fact, may not live much longer. As a symbol, however, it seems that the Chapel-Oak of Allouville-Bellefosse may live on forever.
5. Quaking Aspen: Pando (The Trembling Giant)
Aspen grove
Quaking Aspen in winter
Pando [wiki] or the Trembling Giant in Utah is actually a colony of a single Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) tree. All of the trees (technically, "stems") in this colony are genetically identical (meaning, they're exact clones of one another). In fact, they are all a part of a single living organism with an enormous underground root system.
Pando, which is Latin for "I Spread," is composed of about 47,000 stems spread throughout 107 acres of land. It estimated to weigh 6,600 tons, making it the heaviest known organism. Although the average age of the individual stems are 130 years, the entire organism is estimated to be about 80,000 years old!
4. Montezuma Cypress: The Tule Tree
The Tule Tree Towers over a church next to it
Full width of the Tule Tree
Close-up of the tree's gnarled trunk. Local legends say that you can make out animals like jaguars and elephants in the trunk, giving the tree the nickname of "the Tree of Life"
El Árbol del Tule [wiki] ("The Tule Tree") is an especially large Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) near the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. This tree has the largest trunk girth at 190 feet (58 m) and trunk diameter at 37 feet (11.3 m). The Tule tree is so thick that people say you don't hug this tree, it hugs you instead!
For a while, detractors argued that it was actually three trees masquerading as one - however, careful DNA analysis confirmed that it is indeed one magnificent tree.
In 1994, the tree (and Mexican pride) were in jeopardy: the leaves were sickly yellow and there were dead branches everywhere- the tree appeared to be dying. When tree "doctors" were called in, they diagnosed the problem as dying of thirst. The prescription? Give it water. Sure enough, the tree soon recovered after a careful watering program was followed.
3. Banyan Tree: Sri Maha Bodhi Tree
The Banyan tree is named after "banians" or Hindu traders who carry out their business under the tree. Even if you have never heard of a Banyan tree (it was the tree used by Robinson Crusoe for his treehouse), you'd still recognize it. The shape of the giant tree is unmistakable: it has a majestic canopy with aerial roots running from the branches to the ground.
If you were thinking that the Banyan tree looks like the trees whose roots snake through the ruins of the Ta Prohm temple like tentacles of the jungle (Lara Croft, anyone?) at Ankor, Cambodia , you'd be right!
One of the most famous species of Banyan, called the Sacred Fig [wiki] or Bo tree, is the Sri Maha Bodhi [wiki] tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said that the tree was grown from a cutting from the original tree under which Buddha became enlightened in the 6th century BC.
Planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world, with a definitive planting date!
2. Bristlecone Pine: Methuselah and Prometheus, the Oldest Trees in the World.
Methuselah Grove
Bristlecone pine grove in which Prometheus grew
The oldest living tree in the world is a White Mountains, California, bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) named Methuselah [wiki], after the Biblical figure who lived to 969 years old. The Methuselah tree, found at 11,000 feet above sea level, is 4,838 years old - it is not only the oldest tree but also the oldest living non-clonal organism in the world.
Before Methuselah was identified as the world's oldest tree by Edmund Schulman in 1957, people thought that the Giant Sequoias were the world's oldest trees at about 2,000 years old. Schulman used a borer to obtain a core sample to count the growth rings of various bristlecone pines, and found over a dozen trees over 4,000 years old.
The story of Prometheus [wiki] is even more interesting: in 1964, Donald R. Currey [wiki], then a graduate student, was taking core samples from a tree named Prometheus. His boring tool broke inside the tree, so he asked for permission from the US Forest Service to cut it down and examine the full cross section of the wood. Surprisingly the Forest Service agreed! When they examined the tree, Prometheus turned out to be about 5,000 years old, which would have made it the world's oldest tree when the scientist unwittingly killed it!
Stump of the Prometheus Tree
Today, to protect the trees from the inquisitive traveler, the authorities are keeping their location secret (indeed, there are no photos identifying Methuselah for fear of vandalism).
1. Baobab
The amazing baobab [wiki] (Adansonia) or monkey bread tree can grow up to nearly 100 feet (30 m) tall and 35 feet (11 m) wide. Their defining characteristic: their swollen trunk are actually water storage - the baobab tree can store as much as 31,700 gallon (120,000 l) of water to endure harsh drought conditions.
Baobab trees are native to Madagascar (it's the country's national tree!), mainland Africa, and Australia. A cluster of "the grandest of all" baobab trees (Adansonia grandidieri) can be found in the Baobab Avenue, near Morondava, in Madagascar:
In Ifaty, southwestern Madagascar, other baobabs take the form of bottles, skulls, and even teapots:
Teapot baobab
The baobab trees in Africa are amazing as well:
Baobab in Tanzania
Baobab near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
There are many practical uses of baobab trees, like for a toilet:
… and even for a prison:
Son of the Tree That Owns Itself
Legend has it that the Tree That Owns Itself [wiki], a white oak in Athens, Georgia was given ownership of itself and the surrounding land by Dr. William Henry Jackson in 1820! The original tree had died long ago, but a new tree (Son of The Tree That Owns Itself) was planted at the same location from one of its acorns.
Bonus 2: The Lonely Tree of Ténéré
The Tree of Ténéré in the 1970s, before a truck crashed into it
The Tree of Ténéré or L'Abre du Ténéré was the world's most isolated tree - the solitary acacia, which grew in the Sahara desert in Niger, Africa, was the only tree within more than 250 miles (400 km) around.
The tree was the last surviving member of a group of acacias that grew when the desert wasn't as dry. When scientists dug a hole near the tree, they found its roots went down as deep as 120 feet (36 m) below to the water table!
Apparently, being the only tree in that part of the wide-open desert (remember: there wasn't another tree for 250 miles around), wasn't enough to stop a drunk Libyan truck driver from driving his truck into it, knocking it down and killing it!
Now, a metal sculpture was placed in its spot to commemorate the Lonely Tree of Ténéré:
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that this list is far from complete: there are many more magnificent trees in the world (for instance, see the List of Famous Trees [wiki]).
If you have any addition of noteworthy tree (and stories about trees), please leave it in the comment section.
source
(http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/21/10-most-magnificent-trees-in-the-world)
Light & Love
My Serenity
♥
Keep your freedom with learning about guns.
Keep your freedom with learning about guns.
You guys that want to learn more about guns, need to check out a special issue by handgunner magazine on your news stands, for sale $10.00. Buy it and learn from it, or just plain read it, its got alot of info for those of you who need to inform yourselves on protection. Guns will be going up in value, maybe quadriple in the near future. Buy now or pay later. This is not in anyway a advertisement for any gun mag. Just looking out for my fellow truthers and children of light.
From: Tuffshnickels
Date: Feb 23, 2008 11:48 PM
The talk of gun ownership has always been a sensitive issue. You have just enough propaganda about guns as you do about hiding truth. One thing for sure is, once you get experienced, you lose all the fear and the misinformation most people debate about guns. You have those that understand that it is just a tool to defend yourself from those who would hurt you or your loved ones, usually for some personal desire to inflict fear or control. We don’t hunt as much as we use too, so people have forgotten the proper uses of firearms.
The media often focuses on drama and taints the ownership of guns as evil and destructive. People are often shown wars as the causes of weapons instead of blaming oppressive governments and greedy politicians. Most wars have been started by people with political power who wish to further an agenda for profit. People by nature do not start wars, as recorded in false American history.
It takes a lot of responsibility to be a gun owner, and it should be owned only by the good and wise at heart. If you want to share the responsibility of having firearms in the house, make sure there is always someone around who is very stable and level headed. You must provide a good safe storage area. Guns are for potential threats or to evade violence, and should only be used as a last resort.
In this post, you will learn the basics of buying a potential firearm. You will learn a little about bullet size, range, and what type of gun to consider. Some weapons are used for different purposes, depending on your environment whether urban or rural. Be open minded and always do research, its better to know for sure than live in fear of things not going well.
Also listed are rough estimates of firearms to consider depending on your budget. Good luck and stop being afraid of guns, they are your equalizers for defending yourself from those who would rob, or violate you and someday oppress your freedoms and hurt your friends and family. Remember to stock up on the ammo, its getting very expensive.
Five types of guns to consider owning:
1) Revolvers are dependable but have less capacity and should be used only by experienced shooters (most do not have a safety). Semi-auto Handguns are for personal defense for close range and should be used to get to your shotgun. They require practice, so you can learn to deal with possible jams and reloading. They should be used in small places for ranges up to 50 yards. If you are afraid of recoil than rifles are best.
Cost: $250. - $1200. (Calibers, 22., 380., 9mm, 40., 45., 38., 357., 44 mag., 50.).
Do not buy a gun you can not hold properly, or one that you think looks cool but the recoil is to powerful for you, its better to be able to hit your target with a small gun than miss your target with a large one. 9mm. is around the best average.
2) Shotguns are used for home defense or for short range, these are great to use when there is foliage and potential hiding places. Ranges should be no more than 100 yards. There are very many versatile loads depending on the condition, or what type of situation you intend to encounter. There are less lethal loads. This type of weapon can help you get to the next if needed.
Cost: $200. - $950. (410. 12 gage, auto or pump).
3) Assault rifles. Use for ranges 150-200 yards. This is having extreme fire power. They will work for people hiding in cars and small structures. They can assist you in fighting groups. They are used to overwhelm the enemy. Choose bullet size for heavy hitting or accuracy. Gives you the opportunity to get further away. Not as long as most hunting rifles, some come compact. This is the weapon of the enduring fighter, these weapons are usually made to last. Some of these require optic devices or scopes.
Cost: $250. - $1200. (Calibers 223., 7x62x39, 308.).
This SKS is just as good as an AK-47, and can be purchased around the $150 price range, if you're on a budget.
4) Sniper rifle/high powered rifle. Use for hunting and for ranges 200+ yards. Learn what size of bullet capacity you have. Helps to keep people at a distance, or reaching out to hit something in particular. Some of these require scopes or practice with open sites.
Cost: $300. - $2000. (Calibers 270., 308., 300. Win., 3006.).
5) BMG 50 cal. Used against small armored vehicles or a counter-sniper rifle. Range up to 1000 yards. They can also be used at small low flying aircraft. Ammo can be expensive. Very big recoil.
Cost: $2000. - $6000. (Caliber 50. Browning).
Some Bullet Hints to Remember
Small bullets hit softer but travel faster and penetrate deeper (less recoil), whereas bigger bullets hit harder but travel slower. They are sometimes less accurate because of recoil.
(L-R)
a.) 22. cal. / b.) 380. / c.) 38. sp / d.) 9mm / e.) 357. / f.) 40. / g.) 45acp. / h.) 50. a&e / i.) 7x62x39 / j.) 50. Browning
(L-R)
A.) 50. Browning / B.) 300. Win. / C.) 308. rem / D.) 7x62x39 / E.) 5.56 nato / F.) 22.
High-Powered Rifle Bullet Hints
Lighter bullets are more accurate because they travel in a flat, straight line. They are easier to manage recoil. Bigger bullets cause heavier damage but sometimes can travel on descending lines as they drop towards the target. They are hard to manage because of recoil.
For those of you who think that the whole world is a little fluffy kitten then buy yourself an ounce of protection in this---
Please REPOST. We must all be prepared.
You guys that want to learn more about guns, need to check out a special issue by handgunner magazine on your news stands, for sale $10.00. Buy it and learn from it, or just plain read it, its got alot of info for those of you who need to inform yourselves on protection. Guns will be going up in value, maybe quadriple in the near future. Buy now or pay later. This is not in anyway a advertisement for any gun mag. Just looking out for my fellow truthers and children of light.
From: Tuffshnickels
Date: Feb 23, 2008 11:48 PM
The talk of gun ownership has always been a sensitive issue. You have just enough propaganda about guns as you do about hiding truth. One thing for sure is, once you get experienced, you lose all the fear and the misinformation most people debate about guns. You have those that understand that it is just a tool to defend yourself from those who would hurt you or your loved ones, usually for some personal desire to inflict fear or control. We don’t hunt as much as we use too, so people have forgotten the proper uses of firearms.
The media often focuses on drama and taints the ownership of guns as evil and destructive. People are often shown wars as the causes of weapons instead of blaming oppressive governments and greedy politicians. Most wars have been started by people with political power who wish to further an agenda for profit. People by nature do not start wars, as recorded in false American history.
It takes a lot of responsibility to be a gun owner, and it should be owned only by the good and wise at heart. If you want to share the responsibility of having firearms in the house, make sure there is always someone around who is very stable and level headed. You must provide a good safe storage area. Guns are for potential threats or to evade violence, and should only be used as a last resort.
In this post, you will learn the basics of buying a potential firearm. You will learn a little about bullet size, range, and what type of gun to consider. Some weapons are used for different purposes, depending on your environment whether urban or rural. Be open minded and always do research, its better to know for sure than live in fear of things not going well.
Also listed are rough estimates of firearms to consider depending on your budget. Good luck and stop being afraid of guns, they are your equalizers for defending yourself from those who would rob, or violate you and someday oppress your freedoms and hurt your friends and family. Remember to stock up on the ammo, its getting very expensive.
Five types of guns to consider owning:
1) Revolvers are dependable but have less capacity and should be used only by experienced shooters (most do not have a safety). Semi-auto Handguns are for personal defense for close range and should be used to get to your shotgun. They require practice, so you can learn to deal with possible jams and reloading. They should be used in small places for ranges up to 50 yards. If you are afraid of recoil than rifles are best.
Cost: $250. - $1200. (Calibers, 22., 380., 9mm, 40., 45., 38., 357., 44 mag., 50.).
Do not buy a gun you can not hold properly, or one that you think looks cool but the recoil is to powerful for you, its better to be able to hit your target with a small gun than miss your target with a large one. 9mm. is around the best average.
2) Shotguns are used for home defense or for short range, these are great to use when there is foliage and potential hiding places. Ranges should be no more than 100 yards. There are very many versatile loads depending on the condition, or what type of situation you intend to encounter. There are less lethal loads. This type of weapon can help you get to the next if needed.
Cost: $200. - $950. (410. 12 gage, auto or pump).
3) Assault rifles. Use for ranges 150-200 yards. This is having extreme fire power. They will work for people hiding in cars and small structures. They can assist you in fighting groups. They are used to overwhelm the enemy. Choose bullet size for heavy hitting or accuracy. Gives you the opportunity to get further away. Not as long as most hunting rifles, some come compact. This is the weapon of the enduring fighter, these weapons are usually made to last. Some of these require optic devices or scopes.
Cost: $250. - $1200. (Calibers 223., 7x62x39, 308.).
This SKS is just as good as an AK-47, and can be purchased around the $150 price range, if you're on a budget.
4) Sniper rifle/high powered rifle. Use for hunting and for ranges 200+ yards. Learn what size of bullet capacity you have. Helps to keep people at a distance, or reaching out to hit something in particular. Some of these require scopes or practice with open sites.
Cost: $300. - $2000. (Calibers 270., 308., 300. Win., 3006.).
5) BMG 50 cal. Used against small armored vehicles or a counter-sniper rifle. Range up to 1000 yards. They can also be used at small low flying aircraft. Ammo can be expensive. Very big recoil.
Cost: $2000. - $6000. (Caliber 50. Browning).
Some Bullet Hints to Remember
Small bullets hit softer but travel faster and penetrate deeper (less recoil), whereas bigger bullets hit harder but travel slower. They are sometimes less accurate because of recoil.
(L-R)
a.) 22. cal. / b.) 380. / c.) 38. sp / d.) 9mm / e.) 357. / f.) 40. / g.) 45acp. / h.) 50. a&e / i.) 7x62x39 / j.) 50. Browning
(L-R)
A.) 50. Browning / B.) 300. Win. / C.) 308. rem / D.) 7x62x39 / E.) 5.56 nato / F.) 22.
High-Powered Rifle Bullet Hints
Lighter bullets are more accurate because they travel in a flat, straight line. They are easier to manage recoil. Bigger bullets cause heavier damage but sometimes can travel on descending lines as they drop towards the target. They are hard to manage because of recoil.
For those of you who think that the whole world is a little fluffy kitten then buy yourself an ounce of protection in this---
Please REPOST. We must all be prepared.
Mayor Willie Brown Confronted by Philly 9/11 Truth about Pre-9/11 Warning
Accomplice to Murder
Accomplice to Murder
Is there any reason a Christian who was opposed to the war in Iraq could in good conscience still join the military? I have previously explained why Christians have no business joining the military, even to serve as a military chaplain. I have also expressed my opposition to the National Guard. But what about a Christian joining the military to be a witness for Christ or to serve his fellow soldiers? What could possibly be wrong with that? My short answer is that one would be an accomplice to murder, that’s what wrong with it. My long answer follows below.
Because I often write about the incompatibility of Christianity and military service, I receive many e-mails from servicemen who wish to get out and young men who wish to get in. (For the record, I also get e-mails from super-patriots calling me a traitor or a communist because I dare question the activities of the military.) For those desiring to separate from the military or become a conscientious objector, I refer them to James Glaser, a Marine Corp Vietnam veteran, or to Mike Reith, a retired Air Force major. Because they recognize that war is the health of the state, both of these veterans discourage young men from following in their footsteps. For those thinking about joining the military, I try to answer myself because of how strongly I am opposed to not just Christians, but anyone enlisting in the military.
Here is a note I received recently from a sincere young man who is thinking about joining the military. He opposes the war in Iraq, and is concerned about having to take human life. I have omitted his name from his letter, which is reprinted below in its entirety with his permission:
Hello, I am a self-professed Christian (to better define my Christianity: I am a firm believer in Christ, and my faith dictates my actions, and I strive to better myself in my walk, and live a Christ-centered life). I am also looking towards the military to become a navy corpsman (a field medic attached to a marine unit). As a medic, I would not be fighting for my country (because I cannot fully agree with the reasons we are at war), but rather I would be there for my fellow soldiers who do in fact believe in the cause. I would view my job as serving the troops, and applying my skills of medical aide to help the troops. I also am very missions minded, and would view my deployment as a mission field, and a way to share the gospel with troops and/or whoever I come in contact with as a witness of God’s love. Anyway, I have not joined yet, but am seriously considering it. I am a high school grad, almost 18 years old from California, just trying to seek the opinions from intelligent and respectable people before I make my decisions. I would appreciate a response with any information, verses, or insight you may have. Thank you so much for your time. God Bless.
P.S. I know that I would be in a defensive position as a medic, and would only shoot to defend myself or others, but what if I was given a direct order to kill (or cause death), I still am thinking about things like this. Again, thank you.
Dear ____:
I am not sure if you have read my book, Christianity and War and Other Essays Against the Warfare State, or any of my articles on this subject archived at LewRockwell.com. If so, then you probably have some idea of the negative things that I am going to say about Christians joining the military. Either way, I would encourage you to read the fourteen articles I have written specifically about Christianity and the Military.
You have expressed a desire to be a medic to take care of your fellow soldiers. On the surface that seems like a noble thing to do. There are, however, some things you ought to consider.
First of all, there is no guarantee that by joining the military you would be assigned to care for wounded soldiers in Iraq (or Afghanistan). Don’t listen to what the recruiters tell you. You can’t trust them. They have been caught lying too many times. There is no way they can guarantee that you will wind up a medic in a war zone.
Second, even if you did wind up in Iraq, there is no guarantee that you would stay there. Military personnel are constantly moved from place to place. You may be placed in a situation where you will be doing anything but helping wounded soldiers.
Third, although you have acknowledged that the troops in Iraq have no good reason for being there, there is more too it than that. The troops are not merely neutral observers caught in a crossfire. The troops in Iraq are responsible for death, destruction, and genocide against the Iraqi people. If you think that genocide is too strong a word to describe what is happening in Iraq, see Lew Rockwell’s "None Dare Call It Genocide." To serve as a medic so you can help your fellow soldiers means that you would be an accomplice to murder. What would you think of a physician who was willingly employed by a criminal gang to patch up the gang members after they were injured in the course of committing crimes? What is the war in Iraq if it is not a crime against the Iraqi people? Although he was not a Christian, Mahatma Gandhi did make a scriptural statement when he said: "Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good."
Fourth, if you didn’t serve as a medic in Iraq then someone else would. Over 181,000 people joined the U.S. military last year. It’s not as though U.S. troops would be going without medical care just because you didn’t enlist.
And fifth, if you really want to attend to people that need medical care, then you should consider helping Iraqis wounded by American bombs and bullets. After all, the United States invaded Iraq, not the other way around. Now, don’t get me wrong. Even though I don’t support what the troops are doing in Iraq, I don’t want to see any U.S. soldier injured or killed. But I also don’t want to see any Iraqis injured or killed either. It would not, of course, be wise for you to actually attempt to treat wounded Iraqis. The U.S. government would label you as an enemy combatant and ship you off to Guantanamo Bay. And right or wrong, the Iraqis would try to kill you because you are an American.
You have also expressed a desire to share the gospel. Your attitude of viewing your deployment as a mission field is one that all Christians should have. You sound like a clean young man who is committed to serving our Lord. Joining the military will corrupt you. Yes, some Christians emerge unscathed and remain faithful to Christ, but many more do not. You should not enlist because "no man can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). Joining the military means that you will be expected to unconditionally follow orders. You will be pressured to practically make a god out of the military. Because the purpose of the U.S. military has shifted from defending the country to intervening in other countries, the role that the U.S. military plays in the world is an evil one. To enlist would violate the admonition to "abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Remember the words of Bob Jones Sr.: "It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right."
You mentioned in closing that you would only shoot in self-defense. Joining the military means that you may be put into a position where you will have to kill or be killed. But is it really self-defense if you kill an Iraqi who is trying to kill you? How can it be considered self-defense when American soldiers travel thousands of miles from their homeland to invade a country that not only never attacked their country, but was never even a credible threat to their country? Is it self-defense if a thief kills you because you catch him with a gun in your house in the middle of the night and you fire your gun at him? You indicate that you are hesitant about following an order that might result in the death of someone. Since U.S. troops are the invaders, you should be just as cautious about justifying the shooting of someone in Iraq with the self-defense excuse. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for the people you kill, not the president and the secretary of defense. Not only will you have to live the rest of your life with the memories of the people you killed (or think you killed), you will also have to give an account of yourself to God at the judgment (Romans 14:12).
Don’t enlist; don’t be an accomplice to murder.
February 25, 2008
Laurence M. Vance [send him mail] writes from Pensacola, FL. His latest book is a new and greatly expanded edition of Christianity and War and Other Essays Against the Warfare State. Visit his website.
Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com
http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance135.htmlKosovo, the Kremlin, and the Kurds
| February 25, 2008 |
| Kosovo, the Kremlin, and the Kurds |
by Justin Raimondo The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade burns after masked attackers broke into the building and set an office on fire.(Associated Press) |
| The violent reaction from the Serbian "street" to Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is "blowback" – as the writer Chalmers Johnson terms it – with a vengeance, and we have not yet experienced the worst of it. The U.S. attack on Kosovo has come back to haunt Washington, and not just with the burning of the American embassy in Belgrade. A chain reaction is setting in, and its effects cannot be confined to the Balkans. The unrest is already spreading to Austria – and beyond. For if the Kosovars can have their own "nation," then why not the South Ossetians? Why not the Abkhazians? Why not the Transdniester Republic? And why not the Kurds? The rule the U.S. has set up is as follows: restive peoples who find themselves transferred from one great "prison house of peoples" to newer, U.S.-supported prisons named Georgia – and Iraq – have no right to self-determination. The Kosovars have a special status: they enjoy the protection of the EU and the U.S. armed forces, and the West recognizes their national aspirations. The others, however, must endure being ruled by a central authority that has the support of the U.S. government. Why? Because Washington says so. This is the new essence of "international law" – an edict from Washington. The UN, the EU, and other international bodies all must rubber-stamp decisions made essentially by the American president and his advisers. Yet peoples yearning for freedom and self-determination are not about to cave in the face of this arbitrary power. The Serbs of northern Kosovo, who have been all but pushed out of their ancient land, are in open rebellion. They, too, want the right of self-determination. Will the U.S. and its allies use force to keep them in the newly independent state of Kosovo? If the American president sends troops to the Balkans – again – to enforce his will, Americans will begin to ask questions, and they are not going to like the answers. As 8,000 Turkish soldiers pour into Iraq's Kurdish region, hunting down guerrilla fighters of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), the consequences of American support for Kosovo's declaration of independence are clear. America's alliance with Turkey is threatened, as is the tenuous stability of the Iraqi government – and U.S. occupation forces have made new enemies out of their only reliable Iraqi friends. The Christian Science Monitor reported that "Peshmerga Gen. Muhammad Mohsen took down his American flag, folded it up, and placed it in his office corner Sunday, reflecting the growing anger in Iraq's Kurdish north with U.S. support for Turkey's campaign against separatist rebels operating in the region." One hopes symbolic actions such as these are sufficient to express the full extent of his anger at his erstwhile American allies, but somehow I doubt it. The Kurds have every reason to expect support from the U.S. After all, they have been our most enthusiastic allies in the "liberation" of Iraq, and we have supported them with billions in tax dollars, as well as the lives of American soldiers fallen in battle. While it's true that the Kurds claim a lot more territory than the current "Kurdish Regional Government" now commands, the same is true of the Kosovars, whose "Greater Albania" encompasses parts of Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia. As the U.S. and its EU allies do everything to encourage this ultra-nationalist expansionism by recognizing Kosovo, why shouldn't the Kurds join in the fun and put "Greater Kurdistan" on the agenda?  http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=12415 |
Bars Turning To Theatre To Beat Smoking Ban
Bars Turning To Theatre To Beat Smoking Ban
DALBO, Minn. (WCCO) ― A growing number of bars are turning into temporary theaters to take advantage of a loophole in the smoking ban law.
The Dusty Eagle is the only bar in Dalbo. Since the smoking ban, business has gone down there 30 to 40 percent. The owners are trying something new to attract business. They're taking a cue from an old TV show to bring back some familiar faces. Last Saturday night, an actual local mail carrier was playing "Cliff Claven" from "Cheers".
Though there is some performance, no one there at "theater night" is a professional actor. For last Saturday night, the entire bar was being considered a stage and pretend "actors" were smoking as part of the "show". The Dusty Eagle is just one of the bars using "theater night" to get around the smoking ban.
Judy Cassman, the bar's owner, is quick to clarify her position.
"We're not trying to be vindictive, we're not trying to be sneaky. We're trying to draw some business and keep a family business going," said Cassman.
Earlier this month, a Northern Minnesota bar staged a "theater night" after discovering the Guthtrie Theatre's actors were allowed to smoke on stage.
Since then, other bars like The Rock Nightclub in Maplewood have gotten into the act. Smokers like Cathryn Lindgren jumped at the chance to smoke in a bar again.
"I really feel discriminated against. I really makes you feel like you're gum under somebody's shoe," she said.
"Private business is private business. America is free enterprise. I just think if they want to have smoking they should have smoking. If they don't, you know it should be up to each individual bar owner," added Gary Pischke, another smoker.
Smokers at the Dusty Eagle are hoping for a repeat performance.
Depending on how successful theater night is tonight, the Dusty Eagle may try it again. It may be just a matter of time before this act is shut down, along with the loophole in the law.
An attorney has launched the theater night campaign. He's been helping bar owners figure out the law, so they can organize their own smoking theater nights.
http://wcco.com/local/smoking.ban.theatre.2.661443.html
GEO-POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND GLOBALIZATION
GEO-POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND GLOBALIZATION
By Dennis L. Cuddy, Ph.D.
February 25, 2008
NewsWithViews.com
[Note: Whenever someone mentions a TransAmerica superhighway across the U.S. from Mexico to Canada, they are labeled conspiracy know-nothings by politicians and the media. Well, THE ECONOMIST is one of the most respected periodical published, and in the January 17, 2008 edition in the article "The Great Plains Drain" one reads the following about economic problems in Cheyenne county, Colorado and how to solve them: "A more ambitious proposal involves building a 'super-highway' between Mexico and Canada which would pass through eastern Colorado. Backers says it would almost double traffic through Cheyenne county, leading to an increase in jobs and perhaps even in people...."]
In a note at the beginning of my last column, I referred to a distinguished political economist in 1908 predicting the First World War followed by world peace. Geopolitics and economics are tools used by the power elite to achieve world government via globalization. In 1908, THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY devoted Volume 2, Number 4 "To the United Nations of the World" (UNW). It included the "First Draft of the Constitution of the United Nations of the World," written by William Osborne McDowell, who had assembled a group of political economists toward the effort.
McDowell had made his fortune in railroads and silver mining. He was a "free thinker" with the International Red Cross (refer to my previous article about the Red Cross and the Russian Communist Revolution of 1917). He also became president of the League of Peace, a term coined by Immanuel Kant in his 1795 essay "Project for a Perpetual Peace." On October 18, 1905 THE NEW YORK TIMES published "Mr. Carnegie appeals for a League of Peace," and President Theodore Roosevelt advocated the establishment of the League of Peace in a 1910 speech (see THE NEW YORK TIMES, May 6, 1910). On October 5, 1912 League of Peace president McDowell delivered a tribute to Alfred Lord Tennyson who dreamed of "the Parliament of man, the Federation of world." Internationally, McDowell led in organizing parliamentary governments in Russia, China, and Persia (Iran).
Following in the efforts of power elitists Cecil Rhodes and his friend Andrew Carnegie, as well as John D. Rockefeller, McDowell's Constitution of the United Nations of the World (CUNW) had a Cabinet that included the executive head of Rockefeller's General Education Board, or an International Educational Association as the Secretary of Education of the UNW. In the UNW, the Secretary of the Department of Original Research "shall be the executive head of an International Association dedicated to this work of the Carnegie Institute." Similarly, the Secretary of Endowments, Annuities and Pensions "shall be... devoted to this work of the Carnegie Foundation." And the Secretary of International Education "will for the present be the ranking trustee of the Cecil Rhodes Oxford Educational Endowment Fund." The CUNW also provides that all armies and navies of the world "shall be placed under the control of the United Nations of the World."
Rhodes, Carnegie, Rockefeller and other members of the power elite have been and are proponents of the control of mankind by an elite like that proposed by Plato in his REPUBLIC. The foremost intellectual advocate of this philosophy from the 1930s until his death in 1973 was Leo Strauss, who wrote to Karl Lowith on August 18, 1946, "I really believe... that the perfect political order, as Plato and Aristotle have sketched it, is the perfect political order" (Cecil Rhodes' mentor John Ruskin read Plato every day). Strauss also wrote in NATURAL RIGHT AND HISTORY (1953) that "the best regime is that in which the best men habitually rule for aristocracy."
In the last half of the 20th century, students of the Strauss philosophy, especially "neo-conservatives," have risen in political influence, coming to power at the beginning of the 21st century with their dominance in the presidency of George W. Bush. These individuals, like the Rhodes scholars who dominated the Clinton presidency, are proponents of "globalization."
On September 26, 2000 World Bank President James Wolfensohn addressed the bank's board of governors in Prague, Czech Republic. His speech was titled "Building an Equitable World" (distributed as Occasional Paper No. 2 by World Goodwill, founded by Luciferian occultist Alice Bailey), and he emphasized that "Globalization is about an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.... We cannot turn back globalization." He concluded his speech by speaking of the "opportunities and promise of a global economy," and the "obligation to the next generation to leave them... a world of equity..." (remember that "equity" does not mean equal opportunity, but rather equality of results, such as equality of income, which would mean redistribution of wealth away from Americans). Wolfensohn is a CFR and Bilderberg member who is on the board of Rockefeller's Population Council (which advocates population control), and who hosted Bill Clinton's 49th birthday party at his home.
Globalization also includes political consensus and health issues as on May 15, 2002 the Vatican's representative, Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, at the 55th Assembly of the World Health Organization spoke about globalization in terms of "the need for a more effective global governance that can guarantee the creation of political consensus" regarding health needs. Note the implication that there will be some type of world governing mechanism that will actually guarantee political consensus. The Archbishop also spoke of "the global plan of life and health that aims at bringing everything into an overall unity," calling it "the spirituality of health."
The power elite, of course, feel they have a right and obligation to rule the masses. As I have written before, David Rockefeller informed Congressman William Dannemeyer that few men are born to rule while most men are born to be ruled. The power elite and its puppets also feel they don't have to explain or justify their actions, and President George W. Bush is a perfect example of this. In a November 17, 2002 interview with Bob Woodward on CBS's "60 Minutes," Bush is quoted as saying "I'm the Commander-in-Chief, see.... I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President.... I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
The fact that a clear majority of the people of the world do not support globalization doesn't matter in the least to the power elite. On February 6, 2008, the BBC World Service released poll results showing that while 84% of Chinese respondents and 63% of Russian respondents see globalization as a positive local economic influence, in 21 of 34 countries surveyed, most respondents (74% in the U.S.) blamed globalization for worsening conditions.
Often the power elite funds certain foundations, think tanks, and scholars who support their worldview and who conduct studies designed to persuade the public to accept the global geopolitical and economic system planned by the power elite. In 2004, Anne-Marie Slaughter (Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University) authored A NEW WORLD ORDER, a shorter version of which was published as "The Real World Order" in the 75th anniversary issue of the CFR's FOREIGN AFFAIRS. In her book, she wrote about "a world order... (that) could create a genuine global rule of law." She also used terms such as "institutions of interdependence," and regarding "disaggregated sovereignty" she wrote that "the sovereignty of 'single states' (nations) must become a more flexible and practical attribute.... Over time, national government officials would come to recognize responsibilities not only to their national constituents, but broader global constituencies."
As I have written many times before, the power elite wants to unite regions of the world into a World Socialist Government. Relevant to this, one of their agents is Henry Kissinger, who in a SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE column September 10, 2006 opined: "We now know that we face the imperative of building a new world order or potential catastrophe. It cannot be done alone by either side of the Atlantic. Is that realization sufficient to regenerate a sense of common purpose?" In other words, because the world is facing catastrophe due to military conflicts, the U.S. and Europe should unite in purpose to build a new world order. Once united in purpose, the next step will be to unite federally as proposed by Congressman George H.W. Bush on December 2, 1969 in House Concurrent Resolution 460.
The power elite is able to accomplish its objectives by controlling people's choice of leaders. For example, in the U.S. in 2008 Henry Kissinger supports John McCain for president. Fellow power elite agent Zbigniew Brzezinski supports Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton is part of the Rhodes Scholar network via her husband. And Mike Huckabee's foreign policy advisor is CFR president and Rhodes Scholar Richard Haas.
One of the key forums for the power elite is the Bilderberg annual conference. In a recent Alex Jones video titled ENDGAME, a commentator outside a Bilderberg meeting says the elite are in there planning what's going to happen over the next year. The last Bilderberg meeting was May 31-June 3, 2007 in Istanbul. It was probably shortly thereafter that the various intelligence agencies of the U.S. began preparing the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report released in November 2007, which surprised most people by finding that Iran was not the threat it was previously thought to be. This put the brakes on all the rhetoric by the Bush administration hinting there might be a pre-emptive strike on Iran.
What's probably happened is that the power elite at the Bilderberg meeting in Istanbul considered the fragility of U.S. and other economies and directed a pullback (at least temporarily) of an attack on Iran. Why? Before the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, most nations had bilateral contracts with oil producing nations. To avoid specific countries embargoing of oil, the U.S. and others created a "pool" from which anyone could buy using the dollar as the medium of exchange. However, in the last decade or so, according to W. Joseph Stroupe (editor of GLOBAL EVENTS magazine), Russia, China, and India have returned to bilateral contracts which do not require the dollar as the medium of exchange. And U.S. Senator Richard Lugar has pointed out that 70 percent of oil reserves are possessed by regimes closer to Russia and China than to the U.S.
Thus, the U.S. today is in a vulnerable position of being subjected to a drastic dollar devaluation which would cause a recession if China (which is heavily dependent on Iranian oil) took economic reprisal actions if the U.S. attacked Iran. This scenario is one result of globalization because of the great trade imbalance between the U.S. and China, resulting in the latter's possession of almost 1 trillion dollars which it could "dump" on the market causing the dollar to plummet in value.
The U.S. has been deliberately placed in this position of vulnerability because we now import over 60% of our oil compared to only 36% at the time of the earlier Arab oil embargo. You don't think this situation was unforeseen, or happened by accident, do you?
So why have the American people allowed this to happen? It is because they have been dumbed down to the level of cognitively dissonant stupidity. If you think is an overstatement, let me give you an example of its validity. The public elects school boards, which across this nation (and with public approval) have banned public displays of affection at schools. Because of this, in November 2007 a female junior high school student in Alabama had to serve detention for hugging a male student whose parent just died. At the same time time across the nation, there are school-based clinics to which students can go to get contraceptives, sometimes without their parents' knowledge. Do you see how stupid this is? Girls can be disciplined with detention for hugging a male friend who lost his parent, but the schools can facilitate the same girls having sexual intercourse with the male friend by providing them with contraceptives!
Obviously, there is a massive mental health problem of cognitive dissonance here. But don't worry, there are mental health professionals such as psychiatrists to help. Right? Don't count on it. On February 15 on NBC's "Today Show" one of their guests was a prominent psychiatrist who discussed the Northern Illinois University shootings that just occurred. The psychiatrist said to focus on the victims rather than their assailant who was in death receiving the desired television fame that may have helped cause his attack. The "Today Show" focusing on the victims immediately showed bleeding and crying students. I couldn't believe they did this and thought to myself, "What if there's some student angry at others who have hurt him, and he'd like to see them bleed and cry?" This "focusing on the victims" and their pain at Northern Illinois University could prompt that person to become a copycat mass murderer!What they should do in such cases is briefly report the incident and then move on to other news, rather than have some reporter typically sticking a microphone in an obviously suffering victim's face and inanely asking, "How does it feel?" No wonder our nation and world are in trouble! Once again, God please help us!
© 2008 Dennis Cuddy - All Rights Reserved
[Order Dennis Cuddy's new book "Cover-Up: Government Spin or Truth?" out of print, supply limited]
60 Minutes Coverage Of Don Siegelman Story Blacked Out In Alabama
60 Minutes Coverage Of Don Siegelman Story Blacked Out In Alabama
Sunday, February 24, 2008 
Larisa Alexandrovna is sizzling at Huffington Post, and rightfully so, in my view. She's been reporting about the political persecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman [photo], who is currently serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison, for nothing more -- apparently -- than having been a successful Democratic politician in a "Republican state".As I mentioned in an earlier post, CBS aired a segment on this story on 60 Minutes earlier this evening. Well, guess what?
Larisa:
As 60 Minutes was putting its show together, the White House put pressure on CBS -- the parent company -- to kill the show. Over the last few days, as word got out that the 60 Minutes show would air tonight, Karl Rove's associates began planting defamatory stories about journalists working on this story (see example here) and attacking the whistle-blower who came forward, Dana Jill Simpson. If you recall, Ms. Simpson testified, under oath, to Congress about Karl Rove's involvement in politicizing the DOJ. What you may not know, however, is that her house mysteriously caught fire and she was run off the road in the weeks leading up to her testimony.Agreed. If we will sit still for this we will sit still for anything.
What you may also not know is that Governor Siegelman's house was broken into twice during his trial as was his attorney's office.
Yesterday, the attacks on Simpson and journalists increased with a series of emails from the Alabama GOP. See Here.
Tonight was something truly unseen in US history. During the 60 Minutes broadcast and ONLY during the Don Siegelman portion -- the screen went black for Huntsville residents and Mobile residents. There are other reports of other locations, but I have not yet confirmed those. In Florida, a series of strange ads were running about the FISA bill and how Democrats are not tough on terrorism, apparently during the 60 Minutes hour and also right before 60 Minutes, but not after (still trying to confirm when the ads stopped running).
In other words, in the United States of America, a man is imprisoned for being a Democrat. When reporters attempt to get this story out, they are threatened and smeared. When all else fails, the public is not allowed to see the news. This is not acceptable and I -- as a US citizen -- demand that Congress investigate this series of blackouts immediately. Any company involved in this must have their FCC license pulled too. Karl Rove may be gone from office, but he clearly is not gone from power. So long as his buddy, George W. Bush, continues to occupy the White House -- what used to be a symbol of how a nation could both be governed and be free -- we will continue toward abuse after imperial, no Soviet, abuse against us. That too is unacceptable.
Patriots? Anyone? Have we become too numb to care?
Please read more of the background from Larisa Alexandrovna at Raw Story The Permanent Republican Majority Part I | Part II | Part III
Excellent coverage from Scott Horton at Harper's
More excellent coverage at Larisa's blog, At-Largely
This evening's 60 Minutes broadcast
Larisa's piece at HuffPo: Parts of 60 Minutes Broadcast Blocked in Alabama...
And finally [!?], an update at Larisa's blog says CBS is blaming a technical problem in New York.
Yeah, sure!
http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/
MY WORLD IS DARK AND SILENT
MY WORLD IS DARK AND SILENT
February 25, 2008 at 7:27 am (Complicity, Palestine)
The following is another comment from a regular reader, Skulz Fontaine, on THIS post… it too warrants full exposure… so, here it is.
Palestine is screaming….. no one hears them, no one sees them….
My little corner of our planet went dark for about, ummm, sixty years. No unbiased reports about the REAL situation in Palestine. No news. No truth. Nothing but that interminable silence.
You know how like when one is sitting in a library and all that one can hear is the tick-tock of some ridiculously large library clock? Yeah, kind of like that. EXCEPT, there’s all that knowledge and thought and really deep thinking about extraordinarily difficult stuff sitting on shelves and NO ONE BOTHERS with the profoundly deep thinking stuff and it just sits there. Gathering dust and neglect. Yeah, kind of like that.
Then someone makes some kind of silence breaking noise and the librarian sort of gets all miffed like and looks up with those librarian glasses pushed mostly half way down her nose and says…shhh! Yeah, kind of like that! And then and then, this bomb goes off see, and no one can figure out why in hell some bomb would go off and disturb the silence, see? Yeah, kind of like that.
Then there’s all this annoyance see, because this bomb went off and no was paying any attention anyway see, and then this one really powerful guy gets all manners of pissed off because his silent meditation or whatever, gets disturbed and such. So and then, here comes the community disturbing the peace Gestapo and hauls off the icky disturbing the peace sort of irritant type, and then, silence is restored and ALL IS WELL IN OUR WONDERFULLY DELUSIONAL SORT OF WORLD. See? All’s well that ends in silent ignorance. Thus endeth the sermon on the Mount of Darkness.
Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Spoiler Nader Enters CFR Dominated Decider-Commander Race - Kurt Nimmo
Spoiler Nader Enters CFR Dominated Decider-Commander Race
Kurt Nimmo
Truth News
February 24, 2008
Again? Jeez, you'd think Ralph Nader would get tired of this business. But no. There he was, on his favorite talking heads hot air fest, NBC's "Meet the (Corporate) Press," telling us he will run again. The election process is beginning to look like an old rerun of Saturday Night Live.
Oh, wait a minute… Nader appeared on that show back in 1977, so we are in familiar territory. And if you think about it, little has changed since that show aired more than thirty years ago.
But seriously. Nader has absolutely no reason to run. But he tells us otherwise. "He said that he was running to draw attention to issues ignored by the major candidates in both parties: corporate crime, worker rights, military spending and foreign policy," reports the CIA's favorite newspaper, the Washington Post. "You take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized and disrespected," he said. "You go from Iraq, to Palestine to Israel, from Enron to Wall Street, from Katrina to the bumbling of the Bush administration, to the complicity of the Democrats in not stopping him on the war, stopping him on the tax cuts."
Same old Nader message going on more than a decade. Is anybody listening? How can they with the march to madness behind the Obama Sensation? Ron Paul attempted to inject real issues into the race and he was ignored, laughed at, interrupted, cut short, chided and derided, and the Manchurian candidate adjusted his collar and made a face while Paul offered salient points about the Constitution.
Naturally, we don't need no stinkin' Constitution — we need "change" a la Obama. It is sincerely amazing how many people are falling in lockstep behind Obama. Maybe Ralph will address that one?
Said the inveterate Raider:
Nader credited Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), who leads the Democratic nomination race, with being "the first liberal evangelist in a long time." But Nader said Obama's "better instincts and knowledge have been censored" by the demands of the campaign.
"He's leaned, if anything, toward the pro-corporate side of policy-making," Nader said. The question is, he added, "Do you have the fortitude to stand up against the corporate powers … and get things done for the American people?" Obama, he said, has also erred on foreign policy. "He was pro-Palestinian when he was in Illinois," Nader said. "Now he's supporting" the Israeli government's policies, he added.
Better instincts?
You know, like his wife's association with the Council on Foreign Relations. But never mind that. Gather around the renowned CFR members: Caroline Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, John "Skull and Bones" Kerry, and of course Zbigniew Brzezinski, serving as Obama's foreign affairs advisor. Ziggy is a CFR member and co-founder of The Trilateral Commission, serving as Director from 1973-1976. Obama's economic advisor is Austan Goolsbee who is a member of Skull & Bones, Class of 1991. Sprinkle in a few other New World Order types and you have a fetid soufflé: Ivo Daalder, Philip Gordon, Susan Rice and Bruce Reidel, all senior fellows at the Brookings Institute. And you thought the Olin Foundation only funded the rabid American Enterprise Institute, stomping ground for serial murdering neocons. Nope, they're in there with Obama, too.
So much for Ralph's "liberal evangelist" slant. But then, as we know, such descriptions no longer apply. It's all New World Order, no matter how you spin it.
Over on the "Republican" side of the equation, we have more CFR folks. John McCain is CFR, as is his foreign policy guru, Max Boot. Not only is Boot a stark raving neocon, he also spends time with CFR editing duties. "Robert Kagan is an informal foreign policy advisor and a member of CFR who co-founded the Project For the New American Century," notes the On Freedom's Wings blog. "Henry Kissinger is an informal McCain advisor and CFR member who has said some horrendously scary things in the past. Other informal advisors and CFR members are Colin Powell, James Schlesinger, George Shultz and R. James Woolsey." Same old bunch, different selectee process.
Ralph mentioned none of this. But then Ralph does not exactly hate the Council, as he has on occasion delivered speeches for gathered one-worlders convened by the organization, as he did in 2004. Last December, Nader threw his support behind CFR fun guy John Edwards, all for naught of course, as it will be Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama… turn 'em upside down and… oh, never mind.
Nader's entry may be "a non-event," as Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano remarked, adding that the Obama Thing has a life of its own now and the "primaries and caucuses that have excited the national interest, brought thousands and thousands of new voters in…. They're not looking for a third party candidate." No, they're looking for the same old song and dance, dressed up in new sparkled garb, as the masses, plugged into the corporate Borg Hive box, are easily fooled again and forever, ad nauseam and amen.
Oh, did I forget to mention that "Real ID" Napolitano is a "notable" CFR member? Excuse my oversight.
Finally, the CFR — er, excuse me, Barack — is not terribly concerned about Ralph's run.
"I think the job of the Democratic Party is to be so compelling that a few percentage [points] of the vote going to another candidate is not going to make any difference," said Obama, reports the War Street Journal.
Ack… "compelling"? Sure, if you consider the CFR and Wall Street bankers compelling, if you don't mind a corporatocracy dominated by Halliburton of Dubai, British Petroleum, Dutch Royal Shell, JP Morgan-Chase Manhattan, Faux News, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Merck Pharmaceuticals, etc., the list is far too long for this modest space.
It's all NAU from here on out, even with the "progressive" Ralph in there dropping the same old tired shibboleths around left and right, mostly left, that is if you buy into the right-left paradigm, as Ralph does.
http://www.truthnews.us/?p=2007BARRENCE WHITFIELD Stop Twistin My Arm
BARRENCE WHITFIELD Stop Twistin My Arm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SpNpkhGY-Q
BARRENCE WHITFIELD Boston Music Awards 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We saw Barrence and the Savages at the Cannery in Nashville somewhere around 1988. Incredible performer and band. They never got the just due I always thought they deserved. Ow!!
K
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SpNpkhGY-Q
BARRENCE WHITFIELD Boston Music Awards 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We saw Barrence and the Savages at the Cannery in Nashville somewhere around 1988. Incredible performer and band. They never got the just due I always thought they deserved. Ow!!
K
War by Way of Deception Trailor
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And to all the idiots translating "Israel" as Jews in General, that is like saying "North Korea" is Asians in general. Stop trying to cover for the Zionist.
The Prince of Pot Makes a Pitch to Conservatives
The Prince of Pot Makes a Pitch to Conservatives
Libertarian activist Marc Emery, who faces extradition to the United States for selling marijuana seeds to Americans, makes his case to Canadian conservatives in a three-part video posted on the Western Standard's blog. Emery explains how, inspired by Ayn Rand and Ludwig von Mises, he embarked on campaigns of civil disobedience against unjust laws, including bans on Sunday retailing, "obscene" recordings such as 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be, and drug-oriented publications. His most conspicuous effort was his marijuana seed business, aimed at "overgrowing the government" and raising money for the worldwide marijuana legalization movement. It proved a little too conspicuous.
Emery's operation, which shipped seeds to the U.S. and other countries, was one of hundreds such vendors in Canada, and he operated openly for more than a decade with little trouble from the government, which happily accepted the taxes generated by his business. But his financial support for drug policy reform groups, his political activism as founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party, and his advocacy of legalization in forums such as his Pot TV website and his magazine Cannabis Culture irritated both Vancouver police and American drug warriors, who conspired to arrest him and ship him to the U.S. for trial on drug trafficking, conspiracy, and money laundering charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. In Canada, by contrast, the worst penalty he was apt to face for selling marijuana seeds to growers was a fine, and in practice the government not only turned a blind eye but referred medical marijuana patients to him.
By Emery's account, the effort to arrest and extradite him began after he heckled John Walters during the U.S. drug czar's visit to Vancouver in November 2002. "That's really what this is all about," he says. "Three days later, his friends at the Vancouver Police Department opened an investigation of me." This is not as far-fetched as it might sound, since the day of Emery's arrest in July 2005 DEA head Karen Tandy admitted it was politically motivated, implying that Emery was being punished for his activism and philanthropy:
Today's arrest of Mark [sic] Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine and the founder of a marijuana legalization group, is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on.
As I noted last month, Emery has tentatively accepted a Justice Department deal under which he would serve five years and his two co-defendants (one of whom uses marijuana to relieve the symptoms of Crohn's disease) would be released. Emery, who wants to serve all or at least most of his sentence in Canada, says he is still negotiating the details of that arrangement. He proposes another way out: If the Canadian authorities charged him with illegally selling marijuana seeds, he says, there would be no reason to extradite him; he could instead be tried in a Canadian court under Canadian laws and face the penalties Canadians consider appropriate.
Part of Emery's pitch to conservatives is that the U.S. government's prosecution of him impinges on Canadian sovereignty. He likens his situation to that of a Canadian charged with sending Falun Gong literature to China, selling alcohol to Saudis, or running a gambling website used by Americans, and asks whether the Canadian government would agree to extradition in those cases. "I've always defended peaceful, honest lifestyle choices," he concludes. "I paid all my taxes, never hurt anybody, only violated unjust laws transparently and openly, and that is something every conservative and libertarian should be able to get behind."
http://reason.com/blog/show/125129.html*********************************************************
No Extradition for Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, or Greg Williams
by Jodie Emery (05 Mar, 2008)
No Extradition for Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, or Greg Williams
by Jodie Emery (05 Mar, 2008)
| Three Canadians face extradition to, and life imprisonment in, the United States - but they've never been there!
Please phone (613) 957-4222 to tell the Canadian Minister of Justice it would be "cruel and unjust", and an insult to Canada's sovereignty, to extradite Canadians Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams to the United States to face life in US prison. If Canadians have broken the law in Canada, they should be given a fair jury trial in Canada. If they wouldn't face any imprisonment in Canada for the charges laid, they should not be extradited to another country to face life imprisonment. In Canada, a $200 fine -- not jail time -- is the BC Supreme Court appeals precedent for selling cannabis seeds (R. v. Hunter, 2000), and 58% of Canadians oppose extradition in this case (Strategic Counsel/Angus Reid polls). Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, and Greg Williams are Canadian citizens who were heavily involved in anti-prohibition activitism for over ten years. The United States Justice Department and DEA want Canada's government to extradite these three political activists to face 10 years up to life in US prison! Canadians and Americans MUST do their part to help prevent the extradition from happening -- even a phone call makes a difference!http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4639.html |
Tax Resistance -- The Moral and Legal Defense
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tax Resistance -- The Moral and Legal Defense
Our country, founded on the principles of liberty and independence, is no longer our country, but instead has been hijacked by a group of businessmen and businessmen who play politicians who trample over our civil liberties and sell our independence to the highest bidder, both foreign or domestic. Today, corporations, not the people, write our laws and leave the needs of the nation to waste while money is spent for bombs and bullets and concentration camps. Under the last two administrations, which were stolen wantonly and openly by the hijackers, Americans have seen their retirements funds stolen, the nation's treasure pillaged, their jobs outsourced, their infrustructure dismantled, and their country plunged into a never-ending war crafted by Machiavellian Neocon minds controlling the White House. Congress, beholden to these interests, have shirked their duties to represent the people and have colluded with the hijackers by passing unconstitutional laws like the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, the John Warren Defense Appropriation, and countless others laws that will further erode our liberties and freedoms.
Isn't tax resistance the least we could do in light of all these injustices? When do we start expressing outrage (as well as freedom and bravery) by stopping the blood money spigot which is financing this rogue state? Just when do we decide to pull the plug on this illegal war that we were lied into and that has already killed over a million people? Just when do we stop paying our legislators who are actively working to destroy the U.S. Constitution? Just when do we stop funneling our tax dollars to be used to build concentration camps here in the United States for our own enslavement? Just when do we stop aiding and abetting torture?
At what point do we say enough is enough!?
These are the moral arguments to not pay federal taxes, but, for those of you who are worried that you are breaking the law by not paying the feds, rest assured that the very law itself says that you have no legal obligation to pay if you know that these money will be spent in the commission of a crime.
For instance, if you know that the government is breaking domestic and international law, and we have ample proof that they are, see: "Summary of International and U.S. Law Prohibiting Torture and Other Ill-treatment of Persons in Custody"; "US War Crimes During the Gulf War," by Francis Boyle ; "A Chronology of US War Crimes & Torture, 1975-2005" it is incumbent upon you to resist these crimes by refusing to finance them because, according to U.S. law, if you don't, you will be considered criminal liability and subject to prosecution.
According to our legal system when a person kills someone in the process of committing a crime, his accomplice (who wasn't directly involved in the killing) would be just as guilty as his partner who pulled the trigger. It doesn't matter that the accomplice didn't actually do the killing or that he might have objected to the use of such violence, to the U.S. legal system he is just as liable for murder as his partner and would be charged with 1st or 2nd degree murder.
Here is the definition of an "accomplice" in the legal dictionary:
"One who knowingly, voluntarily, and with common intent unites with the principal offender in the commission of a crime. One who is in some way concerned or associated in commission of crime; partaker of guilt; one who aids or assists, or is an Accessory. One who is guilty of complicity in crime charged, either by being present and aiding or abetting in it, or having advised and encouraged it, though absent from place when it was committed, though mere presence, Acquiescence, or silence, in the absence of a duty to act, is not enough, no matter how reprehensible it may be, to constitute one an accomplice. One is liable as an accomplice to the crime of another if he or she gave assistance or encouragement or failed to perform a legal duty to prevent it with the intent thereby to promote or facilitate commission of the crime."I don't think it gets anymore explicit than that. The law is unambiguous: If you knowingly give assistance or encouragement or failed to perform a legal duty to prevent the commission of a crime you are liable as an accomplice to that crime. So, when we send Federal taxes off to the state and and we know the money will be used on an illegal war and to pay torturers, and to destroy our Constitution, we are breaking the law and can be held accountable.
The Legal Dictionary
Once again, the law is unambiguous, you would be breaking the law by being an accomplice to a crime by paying your federal taxes.
Now, many tax resisters are using various constituional arguments to not pay taxes. Some use the excuse to say that the 16th Amendment was never ratified, therefore, it is null and void; others say that the tax laws only stipulate paying taxes made on certain profits, but not on income derived from physical labor. There may be some validity to these argument, but I believe that we need to take a moral stance similar to what Henry David Thoreau would have advocated in "Civil Disobedience." It's one thing to say that taxes are wrong because it wasn't codified or was misused in a legal document, and another to say that taxes are wrong because they are being used to commit morally reprehensible and illegal acts.
The added bonus to this moral/legal argument is that it is unimpeachable in its logic: One doesn't have to be a tax law/Constitution scholar to argue the "accomplice to a crime" defense.
Please obey the law and refuse to be an accomplice to a crime. Stop paying your federal taxes.
Also see: National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee and WAR TAX RESISTANCE GROWS
http://redpill8.blogspot.com/
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Boycott
Boycott
News
Articles on war tax resistance and the 2008 war tax boycott:
http://wartaxboycott.org/news.htmlDelusional Hope: The Obama Rapture & “GENTLEMAN JOHNNY MCCAIN, PART 1”
Delusional Hope: The Obama Rapture
By Joel Hirschhorn
2/24/08
Never have so many hoped for so much because of rollicking rhetoric and pulsating platitudes. A tsunami of hope has plunged America into electoral euphoria. In its path is the wreckage of critical thinking about what ails the US and what bold, revolutionary actions are needed. Barry Obama has accomplished semantic alchemy, turning justified but grim distrust and outrage with government and politics into hallelujah hope. But most hope never materializes and is a terrible predictor of reality.
Think about the prevalence of hope: sports teams heading into a championship game, research scientists envisioning a Nobel Prize, people in the criminal justice system awaiting trial, entrepreneurs starting a new business, people starting off on a long-awaited vacation, American Idol contestants, college seniors dreaming of becoming superrich, and all those supporters of Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and other presidential candidates that will not reach the White House.
Hope produces far more losers than winners. Hope is enjoyable until failure hits. But most people do not give up on hope, just move on to the next hope.
Obama hoped that he could tap into the national desire for change from the awful conditions produced by the Bush administration by selling hope to voters rather than his experience and accomplishments. Like a political medicine-man he has succeeded as a compelling seller of hope, better than the best infomercial charlatan.
Like a self-fulfilling prophesy, his proof that hope works is his life story and political campaign. This resembles a con man selling a real estate scheme by showing pictures of his yacht, estate and Rolls Royce. Millions of consumers succumb because of their hope that riches can be obtained by following the quack’s advice and formula. Such false hope succeeds because people buy into wrong or deceitful information. False hope can be revealed through objective examination of the facts, assumptions or promises used by the hope purveyor.
Delusional hope is much more insidious. The trick behind delusional hope is that recipients of the hope message supply their own justifications and rationalizations for taking ownership of the hope. As much as delusional hope comes from the hope messenger, it is also self-inflicted to a large degree. In fact, the hope messenger may be honest and authentic, like Obama, truly believing in his hope message. Those who embrace the hope message have many possible reasons and motivations for doing so.
It may be therapeutic by offsetting depression, stress or anger. It makes people happier, feel good and have something positive to look forward to in an otherwise dismal world. It provides comfort and some sense of security. Delusional hope is exactly like a placebo medicine, producing an apparent positive result without any valid reason for doing so, except satisfying the desire for a positive result.
Obama has produced an epidemic of contagious delusional hope for a population rightfully disgusted with ordinary politics and politicians. Like an excellent magician, people are mesmerized by the trick of promising to turn YOUR hope into HIS success.
What happens if president Obama does not actually deliver any real, substantive changes and reforms in government and public policy? Who will be blamed? Hope-happy Obama or a nation of hope-losers for electing him?
This mass delusional hope befits our delusional democracy with its delusional prosperity. Rather than the usual lies, Obama offers hope for change, as if the ruling plutocracy will fade away and stop using their considerable influence over government to funnel an obscene fraction of the nation’s income and wealth to the richest Americans and corporations.
Money is key to seeing Obama for what he really is - an insider politician. He has backed away from his clear promise to use public financing for the general election, as John McCain also promised to do. His broken commitment results from his ability to raise enormous sums from hope addicts. Besides many small contributors, he has received enormous financial support from a number of business sectors. He provided about $700,000 to other politicians in the past year to get their support. When it comes to money, Obama seems much too much like an ordinary politician.
What is the audacity of hope? The confidence that most Americans will eat the political narcotic - hook, line and sinker. Welcome to the Obama rapture.
http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=608#more-608*********************************************
“GENTLEMAN JOHNNY MCCAIN, PART 1”
By Steven Jonas, MD, MPH
2/24/08
With this column I begin a three part series on “Gentleman Johnny McCain,” the likely Republican Party nominee. Why the moniker “Gentleman Johnny” when Senate colleagues have been anonymously quoted that he is anything but? Well, ever since I saw the movie of the George Bernard Shaw play “The Devil’s Disciple” (1959, starring Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and the incomparable Lawrence Olivier as the British Revolutionary War General, “Gentlemanly Johnny” Burgoyne) I have been fascinated by the latter personage. Having recently seen the play on stage for the first time, performed by the very fine Irish Repertory Company in New York City, he came very much to mind. So, you might ask, what are the comparisons between McCain and Burgoyne? Actually I can’t think of any.
Burgoyne was a gentleman indeed (even though he attained that status in the first instance by marrying well). McCain is hardly one (although after having divorced the wife who stood by him while he was imprisoned in North Vietnam for five years, he did marry a woman who, by conventional American Standards, is very attractive and of regal bearing). Burgoyne acknowledged his military mistakes. McCain has not. Burgoyne, at least according to the Irish nationalist Shaw, thought that his bosses in the British military were a bunch of incompetents who knew nothing about fighting wars against insurgencies and that the political leaders who were pursuing it were both incompetent and fighting an unwinnable enterprise. McCain — well I don’t have to detail his (public) positions on those questions.
Finally, Burgoyne was an intellectual, a successful playwright in fact, who wrote both serious plays and comedies. One of the latter, a satire on the British occupation of Boston, was being played before a much-amused group of British officers in Boston when a messenger broke into the hall to proclaim that the rebels were attacking British positions on Breeds Hill. The officer audience thought that the announcement was part of the play until General Howe, their commander, came into the hall to order them all to their posts to fight what the next day, April 19, 1775, became the first recognized battle of the American Revolutionary War, known as the Battle of Bunker Hill. As for McCain, there is hardly any apt comparison with Burgoyne’s intellectual capacities. So why do I use the moniker for McCain since there are no viable comparisons between the two men? Oh just that to my ears, it has a nice ring to it.
There are a number of issues to raise about McCain. Let us first consider his now very well-known, and now often repeated projection (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080215/pl_afp/usvoteiraqmccain_080215145036) that the United States will have to remain in Iraq for 50, 100, perhaps even 1,000,000 years (http://www.americanprogressaction.org/progressreport/2008/01/pr20080107). There has been much comment both pro and con about the position he has taken. McCain has built his political reputation and indeed his career on being a “Straight-talker.” Indeed his campaign bus is called the “Straight-Talk Express.” Of course, an American enterprise in Iraq of that length, with objectives not yet specified by the Senator, would have major consequences for the United States in terms of manpower, money, and a variety of other considerations. Since McCain is nothing if not a straight-talker, I know that you know that we can soon expect to see a report of a major speech by him on Iraq and the consequences of his policy for our country. Such a report of such a speech just might read as follows. (Just for the record, as of this writing, Feb. 17, 2008, I had not seen anything like a report nor have I heard anything like the reported “speech” coming from the lips of Gentleman Johnny McCain.)
“In a speech yesterday on Iraq policy and its connection to both U.S. domestic and foreign policy, after noting that the ‘million years’ was just put in for rhetorical emphasis (and since he has just converted to Creationism it is impossible to think of men being around for that many years), Sen. John McCain told the American people just what would have to be done in order to carry out the mission as he had stated it. He proclaimed that it is a mission that he feels is vital to the security of the United States and its people, to say nothing of being vital to fulfilling the mission that George Bush set forth so clearly when he originally ordered the Iraq invasion: to bring peace, stability and Democracy to the Middle East as a whole.
“First, being a military man he knows better than anyone how the current War on Iraq and the subsequent occupation has essentially destroyed the best of the American military’s ability to fight land wars and then run policing operations such as we have ongoing in Iraq. The U.S. is very quickly running out of military manpower, he noted. Thus his first act as President would be to send Congress a bill to reauthorize the draft, which is absolutely essential for the new 100-year mission.
“Second, he has put meat on the bones of his determination both to cut unnecessary government spending and to find the funds to continue the Iraq operation for the next century. Putting heft behind his verbiage on ‘cutting pork barrel spending,’ with the determination to show that his Party, not those spend-thrift Democrats, will lead the way, he will send to Congress a bill rescinding every single piece of pork-barrel spending that was passed during the first six years of the Bush Presidency, when the Republicans dominated the Congress. He will also challenge the Democrats to do the same for the 2006-2008 period.
“Third, he recognizes that for the 100 Years War he says is essential for peace and U.S. security, the U.S. cannot continue to carry it out on borrowed money the way it has been under Bush. Thus, regretfully, he will propose a rescission of all the tax cuts awarded to those who can most afford to pay for the effort and who appear to want it the most, that is the rich. Finally, recognizing the continuing burden that the War will be on all U.S. taxpayers, he will ask Congress to immediately cancel all contracts given to the military industry for ‘exotic, high-tech’ warfare, since they are absolutely unnecessary for the kind of war/policing action that the U.S. will be carrying out in Iraq and elsewhere. The country not only doesn’t need them any longer; but also it simply cannot afford them.
“Asked if he didn’t think that he was putting his candidacy at risk by making such a speech, he said that he knows that above all, the American people value honesty and integrity, and that it was time that somebody from his Party gave it to them.”
More on John McCain and the “Straight Talk Express” next week.
This column is based in part on “Dr. J.’s ‘He Really Said That’: McCain and The Hundred Years War,” which originally appeared on BuzzFlash on Fri, 01/18/2008, (http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/jonas/096).
http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=607#more-607Global Cooling: Amazing pictures of countries joining Britain in the big freeze
A waterfall frozen mid-air in China
But it really is remarkable how little attention has been paid to the extraordinary weather events which in recent weeks have been affecting other parts of the world.
Across much of the northern hemisphere, from Greece and Iran to China and Japan, they have been suffering their worst snowfalls for decades.
Similarly freakish amounts of snow have been falling over much of the northern United States, from Ohio to the Pacific coast, where in parts of the state of Washington up to 200in of snow have fallen in the past fortnight.
In country after country, these abnormal snowfalls have provoked a crisis.
In China - the only example to have attracted major coverage in Britain - the worst snow for 50years triggered an unprecedented state of emergency.
Large parts of the country have been paralysed, as rail and road transport ground to a standstill.
More than 25,000 miles of power lines collapsed under a weight of snow and ice they were never designed to cope with.
Snow has devastated thousands of square miles of farmland, threatening severe food shortages.
The total cost of the disaster to the Chinese economy may be more than £10billion.
In Afghanistan, freezing weather and the worst snow for 30 years have killed more than 900 people.
In neighbouring Tajikistan, according to aid agencies, the coldest winter for 50 years, along with soaring food prices and a massive energy crisis, threatens a "humanitarian catastrophe".
A cafe in northern Greece were left decked in a thick coating of ice as temperatures plummeted and heavy snowfalls cut off villages
In Greece and Turkey, where temperatures dropped as low as minus 31 degrees Celsius, hundreds of villages have been cut off by blizzards and drifting snow.
In Iran, following heavy snowfalls last month, its eastern desert regions - normally still hot at this time of year - have seen their first snow in living memory.
In Saudi Arabia last month, people were amazed by the first snow most had ever seen.
On the Pacific coast of Japan last week, heavy falls of snow injured more than 50.
Meanwhile in the U.S., similarly abnormal snowfalls have hit more than a dozen states. One Massachusetts town reported 12ft drifts after its heaviest snows in 30 years.
In Wisconsin, the state governor declared a state of emergency as schools and airports were forced to close by up to 20in of snow - and even this was dwarfed by the blizzards which dropped as much as 16ft of the white stuff on parts of Washington state.
In light of such similar news from so many places round the world, it may not seem surprising that U.S. satellite data for January shows the extent of snow cover in the northern hemisphere as reaching its highest level since 1966, 42 years ago - and that temperatures were lower than their average for the whole of the 20th century.
Furthermore, it is not only in the northern hemisphere that records are being broken.
A row of benches at a lake in Greece glisten after temperatures dropped to minus 15C
Following last year's freak snowfalls in such southern cities as Buenos Aires and Sydney, satellite observations from the other end of the world have this winter shown ice cover round the Antarctic at easily its greatest extent for this time of year since data began in 1979, 30per cent above average.
Yet so far in our corner of the world, we have been remarkably slow to notice what was going on elsewhere, and to put the different elements of the story together.
Doubtless much of the reason for this has been that, in Western Europe, we have (until the recent cold spell) enjoyed yet another comparatively warm winter - probably thanks to changes in warming sea currents which scientists find hard to explain. (Although Alpine ski resorts have seen their best snow conditions for many years.)
This is why we saw reports of balmy, prematurely spring-like weather, with primroses and blossom coming out earlier than usual and the curator of Kew Gardens suggesting "there is no winter any more" - just when much of the rest of the world was shivering through the coldest January and February since The Beatles were still together.
But one of the oddest features of this great freeze is how little it was predicted.
We are so used to hearing that the world is inexorably warming up thanks to rising CO2 emissions, and that recent years have been the hottest since records were kept, that no one prepared us for the possibility that there might suddenly be such a dramatic exception to t