Here are several different ways that people view society. Which fits you best?
1. The world is made up of corporations and people. People are distinct from corporations. The government is the entity responsible for protecting people from corporations.
2. People vrs. Government. Government has always tried to control people. People must constantly struggle to keep the government in check.
3. People vrs government vrs. corporations. Corporations and government are both concentrations of power that work against the interests of the people.
4. Society is a struggle between two groups of people. The two current groups are those with little power and those who have control in society by ownership of the means of production. The latter group spreads their influence accross government and culture. Their interests are an contrast with the interests of working people.
5. There are people and God. Governments are justly created by God (and history). Everything happens for a reason and that reason will be revealed if one studies into it and looks hard enough.
6. There are good people and bad people. While there may be some good and some bad in all people, life is fundamentally a struggle for the good forces in society to conquer the evil ones.
7. Businesses simply consist of people. Government constantly interferes with business, therefore government is at contrast with the progress people are trying to make.
June 28, 2004
June 23, 2004
Republican Lies on Ahmad Hikmat Shakir al-Azzawi
So here's how it works. Cheney lies to us about Sadam and Al-Qaeda, the rest of the gang back him up. The 9-11 commission, after Bush attempted to underfund and block it, concludes there is no link. Then a doofus Republican on the commission, John Lehman, says that "at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen," an elite army unit, "was a very prominent member of al-Qaida." Well, this idea seems to have come from the Wall Street Journal Editorial page on May 27. Then this lie was continued by the Weekly Standard on June 7. The link between the Iraqi officer and Al-Qaeda was discovered by the controversial Pentagon intelligence unit under Douglas Feith (I.E. the same lying neo-con propaganda organization that had fed us so much worthless information already). Worse of all, the congressman probably believed what he was saying, and the people believed him, after all he is on the 9-11 commission, he must know more than we do.
Apparently, they got Ahmad Hikmat Shakir confused with a different man, Ahmad Hikmat Shakir al-Azzawi. Way to go neo-cons!!! Score one for the warmongers!
"The CIA concluded "a long time ago" that an al-Qaida associate who met with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers in Malaysia was not an officer in Saddam Hussein's army, as alleged Sunday by a Republican member of the 9/11 commission."
By Knut Royce
Washington Bureau
June 22, 2004
But the truth doesn't matter, the damage has been done and tens of millions of Republicans will not read the truth or explore outside their ideology and the lies fed to them by the right-wing untruth machine. This false link between the Iradi officer and Al-Qaeda is just one example of how the truth for the American right-wing is raped and tortured everyday.
Apparently, they got Ahmad Hikmat Shakir confused with a different man, Ahmad Hikmat Shakir al-Azzawi. Way to go neo-cons!!! Score one for the warmongers!
"The CIA concluded "a long time ago" that an al-Qaida associate who met with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers in Malaysia was not an officer in Saddam Hussein's army, as alleged Sunday by a Republican member of the 9/11 commission."
By Knut Royce
Washington Bureau
June 22, 2004
But the truth doesn't matter, the damage has been done and tens of millions of Republicans will not read the truth or explore outside their ideology and the lies fed to them by the right-wing untruth machine. This false link between the Iradi officer and Al-Qaeda is just one example of how the truth for the American right-wing is raped and tortured everyday.
Sean Hannity vrs. Ted Rall
Here is Hannity's remarks to Ted Rall as Rall sits right in front of him (these comments were non-consecutive): "You are mean. You are cruel. You are thoughtless, and you are a hateful human being. You don't have a soul. And you don't care about anybody but yourself. And you do this for shock value so that your name could be noticed. You're a slob. You're an absolutely -- you're a hateful human being to do this to families that are suffering. There's no excuse for it. There's no rationale for what you're doing. You're mean, cruel and thoughtless. You are thoughtless, mean, hateful liberal."
Ted Rall just sat there and took it from Hannity. To see the cartoon that got Hannity so pissed go to http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/uclickcomics/20040610/cx_tr_uc/tr20040610&e=6
And to see the accompanying article, go here http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=127&e=2&u=/ucru/20040610/cm_ucru/reagansshamefullegacy
After Hannity's belligerent rant to Rall's face, Rall did what smart liberals who never get their own show like angry pseudo-witty reactionaries like Hannity do, use wit and satire. Which Rall did here http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/uclickcomics/20040612/cx_tr_uc/tr20040612&e=5
Ted Rall just sat there and took it from Hannity. To see the cartoon that got Hannity so pissed go to http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/uclickcomics/20040610/cx_tr_uc/tr20040610&e=6
And to see the accompanying article, go here http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=127&e=2&u=/ucru/20040610/cm_ucru/reagansshamefullegacy
After Hannity's belligerent rant to Rall's face, Rall did what smart liberals who never get their own show like angry pseudo-witty reactionaries like Hannity do, use wit and satire. Which Rall did here http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/uclickcomics/20040612/cx_tr_uc/tr20040612&e=5
June 22, 2004
Torture, Abu Ghraib, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Bush
Well looky what we now know:
"Among the techniques that Rumsfeld approved on Dec. 2, 2002, in addition to the grabbing, the yelling and the stress positions:
Use of 20-hour interrogations.
Removal of all comfort items, including religious items.
Removal of clothing.
Using detainees' ``individual phobias such as fear of dogs to induce stress.''
Do these "individual phobias" include the fear of having another man rape you?
No, really folks. As sad as that is, that IS the question we now have to ask.
"Among the techniques that Rumsfeld approved on Dec. 2, 2002, in addition to the grabbing, the yelling and the stress positions:
Use of 20-hour interrogations.
Removal of all comfort items, including religious items.
Removal of clothing.
Using detainees' ``individual phobias such as fear of dogs to induce stress.''
Do these "individual phobias" include the fear of having another man rape you?
No, really folks. As sad as that is, that IS the question we now have to ask.
June 20, 2004
9-11 commission: Iraq and Al-Qaeda??
Iraqi Officer Tied to Al Qaeda - 9/11 Commissioner
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=3&u=/nm/20040620/pl_nm/iraq_intelligence_dc
Sun Jun 20, 4:17 PM ET
By Peter Kaplan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has been told "a very prominent member" of al Qaeda served as an officer in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s militia, a panel member said on Sunday.
Republican commissioner John Lehman told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the new intelligence, if proven true, buttresses claims by the Bush administration of ties between Iraq (news - web sites) and the militant network believed responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Things we can learn from this article:
1. Gosh, the Republicans are still lying to us. And they are doing it very well. All they have to do is say Iraq and 9-11 in the same sentence as many times as possible and we fall into a war-hungry hypnosis. "ties between Iraq and the militant network believed responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America."
That last sentence is all that a lot of people will take away from the article.
2. We also can see from the words "believed responsible" in this article that neither Al-Qa'eda nor Osama Bin Laden have claimed responsibility for 9-11 attacks. In press articles Osama is often referred to as the "alleged" leader of the attackers. There are many explanations of this, but the one I believe in is that this terminoloy is used by the press because the administration has incorrently classified what Al-Qa'eda is. In order to make the enemy seem bigger and scarier than they are, Al-Qa'eda has become a elaborate terrorist network in which people are members of and there is a clear chain of command. This is for the most part is not true. The word Al-Qa'eda means 'pattern' 'formula' 'base' or it is also used as 'foundation' 'pedastal' or a 'precept' 'rule' 'pattern' 'principle' 'maxim' 'formula' 'model' 'pattern'. the word Al-Qa'eda was first used when groups in Afghanistan (funded and trained by the US) were fighting the Soviets. Al-Qa'eda was used to describe either a 'manual' or a way of fighting. By late 1996, when Osama bin Laden went from Sudan to Afghanistan, the word started to evolve to describe isolated cells of violent radical muslims. Although these cells would become more united, they were still very different in each country. To describe Osama at the top of the chain of command, I beleive, would be incorrect. Osama has been more like a major financier.
The principle idea held by followers of the Al-Qa'eda movement is that the muslim world should be at war with the West. Hmm... sounds like their goal was accomplished with our 'War on Terror'. This required the Muslim world to be united, which of course required the fall of the 'Republic' of Iraq, which was created by Britain, and whose leader was put in place by America in the 1980s. Sadam and Osama hated each other. For all we know this Iraqi Lt. Colonel with unconfirmed ties to Al-Qa'eda could have been working to undermine Sadam Hussein. Sadam was a megalomaniac secular dictator who wouldn't share power with Osama, or any other
3. Moreover, the President and Co-President Cheney hate the American people. They despise you. They are rich robber barons who have never had to respect lesser humans in their life. They run America like they run their companies, putting the organization under with their lying and cheating, while they make money for themselves. Their contempt for us can be seen in these two lies:
a. Bush sent out an e-mail to his close supporters saying that the 9-11 commission's report confirmed what Bush had been saying about Al-Qa'eda and Iraq. The report said the exact opposite of Bush's lies, but this administration has no problem personally lying to people who support them.
b. Cheney's big evidence that he had repeated since several weeks after 9-11: "peddling an uncorroborated assertion by one Czech intelligence official that lead hijacker Mohamed Atta had been seen five months before meeting with an Iraqi agent in Prague. The 9/11 Commission, citing physical and documentary evidence, said the facts indicate Atta was already here by then and had never left." That's right, the administration is still using completely uncorroborated evidence because they have such a contempt for the truth and for the American people. The assertion of the Iraqi lt. colonel with ties to Al-Qa'eda also "still has to be confirmed". Furthermore, was this Iraqi agent an agent of Iraq, or maybe an simply agent who had Iraqi ethnicity?
So the idea of these ties between Iraq and Al-Qa'eda is based on lies told by a known liar whom Richard Pearle was paying $340,000-$422,000 a month to feed us (create) evidence who still couldn't come up with a link, an unconirmed claim that at least one member of Iraq's army had ties to Al-Qa'eda, an unconfirmed claim that Mohamed Atta met with an "Iraqi agent" in 2001, and the claim that an Al-Qa'eda agent received medical care in Baghdad.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=3&u=/nm/20040620/pl_nm/iraq_intelligence_dc
Sun Jun 20, 4:17 PM ET
By Peter Kaplan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has been told "a very prominent member" of al Qaeda served as an officer in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s militia, a panel member said on Sunday.
Republican commissioner John Lehman told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the new intelligence, if proven true, buttresses claims by the Bush administration of ties between Iraq (news - web sites) and the militant network believed responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Things we can learn from this article:
1. Gosh, the Republicans are still lying to us. And they are doing it very well. All they have to do is say Iraq and 9-11 in the same sentence as many times as possible and we fall into a war-hungry hypnosis. "ties between Iraq and the militant network believed responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America."
That last sentence is all that a lot of people will take away from the article.
2. We also can see from the words "believed responsible" in this article that neither Al-Qa'eda nor Osama Bin Laden have claimed responsibility for 9-11 attacks. In press articles Osama is often referred to as the "alleged" leader of the attackers. There are many explanations of this, but the one I believe in is that this terminoloy is used by the press because the administration has incorrently classified what Al-Qa'eda is. In order to make the enemy seem bigger and scarier than they are, Al-Qa'eda has become a elaborate terrorist network in which people are members of and there is a clear chain of command. This is for the most part is not true. The word Al-Qa'eda means 'pattern' 'formula' 'base' or it is also used as 'foundation' 'pedastal' or a 'precept' 'rule' 'pattern' 'principle' 'maxim' 'formula' 'model' 'pattern'. the word Al-Qa'eda was first used when groups in Afghanistan (funded and trained by the US) were fighting the Soviets. Al-Qa'eda was used to describe either a 'manual' or a way of fighting. By late 1996, when Osama bin Laden went from Sudan to Afghanistan, the word started to evolve to describe isolated cells of violent radical muslims. Although these cells would become more united, they were still very different in each country. To describe Osama at the top of the chain of command, I beleive, would be incorrect. Osama has been more like a major financier.
The principle idea held by followers of the Al-Qa'eda movement is that the muslim world should be at war with the West. Hmm... sounds like their goal was accomplished with our 'War on Terror'. This required the Muslim world to be united, which of course required the fall of the 'Republic' of Iraq, which was created by Britain, and whose leader was put in place by America in the 1980s. Sadam and Osama hated each other. For all we know this Iraqi Lt. Colonel with unconfirmed ties to Al-Qa'eda could have been working to undermine Sadam Hussein. Sadam was a megalomaniac secular dictator who wouldn't share power with Osama, or any other
3. Moreover, the President and Co-President Cheney hate the American people. They despise you. They are rich robber barons who have never had to respect lesser humans in their life. They run America like they run their companies, putting the organization under with their lying and cheating, while they make money for themselves. Their contempt for us can be seen in these two lies:
a. Bush sent out an e-mail to his close supporters saying that the 9-11 commission's report confirmed what Bush had been saying about Al-Qa'eda and Iraq. The report said the exact opposite of Bush's lies, but this administration has no problem personally lying to people who support them.
b. Cheney's big evidence that he had repeated since several weeks after 9-11: "peddling an uncorroborated assertion by one Czech intelligence official that lead hijacker Mohamed Atta had been seen five months before meeting with an Iraqi agent in Prague. The 9/11 Commission, citing physical and documentary evidence, said the facts indicate Atta was already here by then and had never left." That's right, the administration is still using completely uncorroborated evidence because they have such a contempt for the truth and for the American people. The assertion of the Iraqi lt. colonel with ties to Al-Qa'eda also "still has to be confirmed". Furthermore, was this Iraqi agent an agent of Iraq, or maybe an simply agent who had Iraqi ethnicity?
So the idea of these ties between Iraq and Al-Qa'eda is based on lies told by a known liar whom Richard Pearle was paying $340,000-$422,000 a month to feed us (create) evidence who still couldn't come up with a link, an unconirmed claim that at least one member of Iraq's army had ties to Al-Qa'eda, an unconfirmed claim that Mohamed Atta met with an "Iraqi agent" in 2001, and the claim that an Al-Qa'eda agent received medical care in Baghdad.
June 17, 2004
More on Health Care
I'm now 19 and I've been working since I was 14 years old. My dad has a doctorate and has always worked fulltime. My mom has a masters, has stayed at home, worked full time, worked two jobs and now works 36 hours a week. For the vast majority of my life my brother my sister and I have had no health insurance. There was a period when my mother was able to get insurance from the state, which covered me and looked like a good plan.
With state insurance I went to my doctor that I had gone to since I was little and my parents had paid cash with. My long-time doctor's clinic didn't accept the state insurance. So I decided to pay cash like we always had. But after they knew I was insured, even though they couldn't accept my card, they couldn't see me as a cash patient.
So there I was sick, with plenty of cash in my pocket since I've always worked hard, and a medical card, but unable to see my long-time doctor. Something is seriously, seriously wrong in America when both medical insurance and cash are no good, and sick people aren't able to get treatment.
Most politicians and media elites don't address or repond to this issue, they can't understand the issue unless they feel this issue as I have felt it. To me, Howard Dean is the truest of heros for standing up and fighting for quality preventative health care in America.
Here is Dean's most recent address at democracyforamerica.com
A Moral Crisis
by Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
In the richest, most advanced country in the world in the 21st century, it's simply wrong for sick children to go without seeing a doctor because their parents can't afford it. It's wrong for a woman to find out she has late-stage breast cancer, because she couldn't afford a mammogram. It's wrong for seniors to have to choose between prescriptions they need and putting food on the table. The time has come to make healthcare for all Americans a reality.
It is more important that we do this in 2004 than perhaps ever before. In this election year, the crisis of health care costs is front and center as perhaps never before. Health care costs for workers have gone up by 50% since George Bush took office. In fact, costs are up four times the rate of inflation. Middle class families are paying more than they can bear and it's no surprise that nearly four million more Americans have become uninsured while George Bush has been in the White House.
President Bush hasn't lifted a finger to hold down soaring health care costs to help more families afford health insurance and help the families that already have health insurance but are struggling to pay the bills. Instead, he's done the bidding of the big prescription drug companies and HMOs that benefit from rising costs. The cost of the top 10 most used prescription drugs have gone up about nine percent over the last year alone.
I'm supporting John Kerry for President because he has a real and realistic plan to hold down costs and cover the uninsured without raising taxes on the middle class or putting in place a big government bureaucracy. He would let everyday Americans buy into the same great health care plan that the President and Members of Congress get - and he'd help working families and small business owners afford the costs. And his plan has been praised for using carrots and sticks to really hold down runaway health care costs.
How can we, the richest country on this earth, continue to do nothing while 44 million Americans live without health coverage? In this election, we have a chance to fix that. The millions of families without health insurance - the millions more that have coverage but are killing themselves to pay the bills - are looking for new leadership that will make that happen. Those are the stakes.
I believe John Kerry's plan is sensible and that it can pass Congress -- but most importantly, I believe that it is the right thing to do. When I graduated from medical school, I took an oath in which I pledged to practice my profession with conscience and dignity and to always make the health of our patients my first consideration. I still believe in that oath. And that's why I believe John Kerry is the clear choice to be our next President.
With state insurance I went to my doctor that I had gone to since I was little and my parents had paid cash with. My long-time doctor's clinic didn't accept the state insurance. So I decided to pay cash like we always had. But after they knew I was insured, even though they couldn't accept my card, they couldn't see me as a cash patient.
So there I was sick, with plenty of cash in my pocket since I've always worked hard, and a medical card, but unable to see my long-time doctor. Something is seriously, seriously wrong in America when both medical insurance and cash are no good, and sick people aren't able to get treatment.
Most politicians and media elites don't address or repond to this issue, they can't understand the issue unless they feel this issue as I have felt it. To me, Howard Dean is the truest of heros for standing up and fighting for quality preventative health care in America.
Here is Dean's most recent address at democracyforamerica.com
A Moral Crisis
by Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
In the richest, most advanced country in the world in the 21st century, it's simply wrong for sick children to go without seeing a doctor because their parents can't afford it. It's wrong for a woman to find out she has late-stage breast cancer, because she couldn't afford a mammogram. It's wrong for seniors to have to choose between prescriptions they need and putting food on the table. The time has come to make healthcare for all Americans a reality.
It is more important that we do this in 2004 than perhaps ever before. In this election year, the crisis of health care costs is front and center as perhaps never before. Health care costs for workers have gone up by 50% since George Bush took office. In fact, costs are up four times the rate of inflation. Middle class families are paying more than they can bear and it's no surprise that nearly four million more Americans have become uninsured while George Bush has been in the White House.
President Bush hasn't lifted a finger to hold down soaring health care costs to help more families afford health insurance and help the families that already have health insurance but are struggling to pay the bills. Instead, he's done the bidding of the big prescription drug companies and HMOs that benefit from rising costs. The cost of the top 10 most used prescription drugs have gone up about nine percent over the last year alone.
I'm supporting John Kerry for President because he has a real and realistic plan to hold down costs and cover the uninsured without raising taxes on the middle class or putting in place a big government bureaucracy. He would let everyday Americans buy into the same great health care plan that the President and Members of Congress get - and he'd help working families and small business owners afford the costs. And his plan has been praised for using carrots and sticks to really hold down runaway health care costs.
How can we, the richest country on this earth, continue to do nothing while 44 million Americans live without health coverage? In this election, we have a chance to fix that. The millions of families without health insurance - the millions more that have coverage but are killing themselves to pay the bills - are looking for new leadership that will make that happen. Those are the stakes.
I believe John Kerry's plan is sensible and that it can pass Congress -- but most importantly, I believe that it is the right thing to do. When I graduated from medical school, I took an oath in which I pledged to practice my profession with conscience and dignity and to always make the health of our patients my first consideration. I still believe in that oath. And that's why I believe John Kerry is the clear choice to be our next President.
War for business interests?
I read a review for Farenheit 9/11 from USAtoday by Walter Shapiro entitled "Moore's movie loses its point in a barrage of cheap shots"
Excerpt from this review:
"Does anyone seriously believe, as Moore suggests, that the United States invaded Afghanistan primarily to pave the way for a natural-gas pipeline? Or that the war in Iraq was a single-minded effort to win new contracting business for Halliburton?"
My response:
Uh, yeah. Business leaders do, and people who know whats going on beleive that. It's rather well established for better or worse the war in Afghanistan was to build our pipeline. We tried working with the Taliban and at one point we got the go ahead, but two months before 9-11 we realized that he Taliban was untable. We had war plans for Afghanistan before 9-11, that's how we were able to mobilize so quickly. And remember Bush said twice he was no longer concerned with Osama Bin Laden. The pipeline was the key objective.
Read the Brzezinski's 'The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostratic Imperatives' from 1997 that very logically informs us that 60% of the world's GNP, 75% of it's population, and 75% of the world's known energy sources is in Eurasia. Hence, our focus needs to be there. This plan was followed by Clinton and Bush.
This isn't exactly complicated stuff that people in power aren't well aware of. Nobody wants to pay $7.93 a gallon like Britian is paying right now.
Well, I'm guessing none of you ran and researched The Grand Chessboard Yet, so I'll give you an excerpt. Since Russia, Turkey, Iran and China all want a peice of these resources, Brzezinski informs us that "America's primary interests is to help ensure that no single [other] power comes to control this geopolitical space [Central Asia, I.E. the "Stans"] and that the gobal community has unhindered financial and economic access to it."
Union Oil of California proposed a pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, to Pakistan and the Indian port of Karachi. We tried to work this out with the Taliban, but they were obviously too chaotic. Now, with Unocal employees as the American envoy and the president of the newly born democracy.
The Guardian on Sept 26th, 2001 tells us that in July of 2001 a group of interested parties met to listen to former US State Department official, Lee Coldren, as he passed on the message that "the US was so disgusted with the Taliban that they might be considering some military action". On Sept 22, 2001 The Guardian tells us that "Osama bin Laden received threats of possible American militray strikes against them two months before the terrorist assaults on New York and Washington."
On Sept 9, 2001 Bush was presented with a National Security Presidential Directive outlining a global campaign of militray, diplomatic and intelligence action targetting al-Qa'eda. According to NBC news, President Bush was scheduled so sign this directive but "did not have the chance before the terrorist attacks." NBC news gos on to explain that "The administration most likely was able to respond so quickly... because it simply had to pull the plans 'off the shelf'"
Brzezinski foretold "a truly massive and widely perceived direct external threat" would be needed to set in front of the American people in order for the standard maufacturing of domestic consent. PNAC also foretold that a "massive Pearl Harbor like attack" would be needed to carry out our strategy in the Middle East.
Faithfully,
Rob
Excerpt from this review:
"Does anyone seriously believe, as Moore suggests, that the United States invaded Afghanistan primarily to pave the way for a natural-gas pipeline? Or that the war in Iraq was a single-minded effort to win new contracting business for Halliburton?"
My response:
Uh, yeah. Business leaders do, and people who know whats going on beleive that. It's rather well established for better or worse the war in Afghanistan was to build our pipeline. We tried working with the Taliban and at one point we got the go ahead, but two months before 9-11 we realized that he Taliban was untable. We had war plans for Afghanistan before 9-11, that's how we were able to mobilize so quickly. And remember Bush said twice he was no longer concerned with Osama Bin Laden. The pipeline was the key objective.
Read the Brzezinski's 'The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostratic Imperatives' from 1997 that very logically informs us that 60% of the world's GNP, 75% of it's population, and 75% of the world's known energy sources is in Eurasia. Hence, our focus needs to be there. This plan was followed by Clinton and Bush.
This isn't exactly complicated stuff that people in power aren't well aware of. Nobody wants to pay $7.93 a gallon like Britian is paying right now.
Well, I'm guessing none of you ran and researched The Grand Chessboard Yet, so I'll give you an excerpt. Since Russia, Turkey, Iran and China all want a peice of these resources, Brzezinski informs us that "America's primary interests is to help ensure that no single [other] power comes to control this geopolitical space [Central Asia, I.E. the "Stans"] and that the gobal community has unhindered financial and economic access to it."
Union Oil of California proposed a pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, to Pakistan and the Indian port of Karachi. We tried to work this out with the Taliban, but they were obviously too chaotic. Now, with Unocal employees as the American envoy and the president of the newly born democracy.
The Guardian on Sept 26th, 2001 tells us that in July of 2001 a group of interested parties met to listen to former US State Department official, Lee Coldren, as he passed on the message that "the US was so disgusted with the Taliban that they might be considering some military action". On Sept 22, 2001 The Guardian tells us that "Osama bin Laden received threats of possible American militray strikes against them two months before the terrorist assaults on New York and Washington."
On Sept 9, 2001 Bush was presented with a National Security Presidential Directive outlining a global campaign of militray, diplomatic and intelligence action targetting al-Qa'eda. According to NBC news, President Bush was scheduled so sign this directive but "did not have the chance before the terrorist attacks." NBC news gos on to explain that "The administration most likely was able to respond so quickly... because it simply had to pull the plans 'off the shelf'"
Brzezinski foretold "a truly massive and widely perceived direct external threat" would be needed to set in front of the American people in order for the standard maufacturing of domestic consent. PNAC also foretold that a "massive Pearl Harbor like attack" would be needed to carry out our strategy in the Middle East.
Faithfully,
Rob
Liberty
Since enlightenment thinkers opened their minds to new ideas for how to organize society, and great philosophers like Emmanuel Kant called for the a society the allows for the most freedom possible, many enlightenment thinking (also known as "liberal" in theri time) have spoke on Liberty and Freedom. Here are a few worthy quotes on the subject:
"Americans used to roar like lions for liberty. Now we bleat like sheep for security."
- Norman Vincent Peale
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liverby nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable." - Theodore Roosevelt
"America will never be destroyes from the ouside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we desrtoyes ourselves." - Abrahan Lincoln
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
"Americans used to roar like lions for liberty. Now we bleat like sheep for security."
- Norman Vincent Peale
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liverby nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable." - Theodore Roosevelt
"America will never be destroyes from the ouside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we desrtoyes ourselves." - Abrahan Lincoln
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
Would the real Alpha Male please stand up?
Kerry Stategy: be the manliest candidate we've ever seen. In a media world that casts aggressive males in powerful, righteous positions, Kerry is trying to be and will continue to try to be the manliest mofo around. As seen from his agggressive rhetoric and his goal to make America "safer, stronger and more secure". Gee, strength a security, posing with vets, emphasis of his heroic war record, he sure is no Dukakis. According to the Washington Post even in the primaries Kerry's strategy had been to tout his alpha male status, and it worked.
The lead article in the January's The Nation, discussed Dean's strategy of "butching up for victory" with his puffed out chest and aggressive rhetoric as the correct strategy for the democrats.
Kerry has been snowbaording, riding a Harley and best of all hunting doves. Kerry's stature of 6'4" has also helped him establish his alpha male status. But Kerry may not be able to compete with Bush's alpha male status. Bush has spent the last for years beefing up his image. Bush has been sure to include constant media injection of testoseroine, and Bush has given most of his speeches and press conferences outside (such as his national forests proposal) in order to be the "one with the sun in his face," as Chirs Mathews would say. Bush Sr. and especially Jr. were smart to shed their northern Ivy-League boy image in exchange for a rugged Texas cowboy motif. Not to mention Bush's flight suit shots with his bulging (stuffed?) flight pants.
Unlike Gore's campaign, Bush and Kerry's teams have both been on top of the alpha male theme from the get-go. Watch their dress, mannerisms and rhetoric throughout the campiagn to see who wins the alpha male race.
We're left with the question, Will Kerry's alpha male status serve him best with an aggressive male VP or a female VP? I'm pulling for one of my absolute favorite politicians, Kathleen Sebelius as VP. But I predict a 30% chance of her getting picked.
The lead article in the January's The Nation, discussed Dean's strategy of "butching up for victory" with his puffed out chest and aggressive rhetoric as the correct strategy for the democrats.
Kerry has been snowbaording, riding a Harley and best of all hunting doves. Kerry's stature of 6'4" has also helped him establish his alpha male status. But Kerry may not be able to compete with Bush's alpha male status. Bush has spent the last for years beefing up his image. Bush has been sure to include constant media injection of testoseroine, and Bush has given most of his speeches and press conferences outside (such as his national forests proposal) in order to be the "one with the sun in his face," as Chirs Mathews would say. Bush Sr. and especially Jr. were smart to shed their northern Ivy-League boy image in exchange for a rugged Texas cowboy motif. Not to mention Bush's flight suit shots with his bulging (stuffed?) flight pants.
Unlike Gore's campaign, Bush and Kerry's teams have both been on top of the alpha male theme from the get-go. Watch their dress, mannerisms and rhetoric throughout the campiagn to see who wins the alpha male race.
We're left with the question, Will Kerry's alpha male status serve him best with an aggressive male VP or a female VP? I'm pulling for one of my absolute favorite politicians, Kathleen Sebelius as VP. But I predict a 30% chance of her getting picked.
June 16, 2004
Quote from primary race
This is something I wrote down when Dean was the front runner (Joe Trippi was his campaign manager).
"Jow Trippi may only be half the an that Karl Rove is, which says a lot, but Dean is twice the man that Bush is, which is not saying a lot." --Rob
"Jow Trippi may only be half the an that Karl Rove is, which says a lot, but Dean is twice the man that Bush is, which is not saying a lot." --Rob
Health Care
From the man, Mr. Dean,
As a doctor and a governor, there is no more important issue for me than ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. We did it in Vermont, and we must do it for our country. Your hard work and advocacy has made health care a top issue in this election -- but we cannot let up.
Our health care system is in crisis. Nationwide, 44 million people have no health insurance and 74 percent of those without coverage come from working families. We cannot allow this to continue.
So I am asking you to join tens of thousands of other Americans on June 19th for a national day of action to "Bridge the Gap in Health Care" between those who have coverage and those who don't. Americans for Health Care, Jobs With Justice, Rock the Vote and our friends at SEIU are sponsoring events from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge.
To find an event near you, or to start your own event, go to:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19
This crisis affects everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, or age. It is not just tragic -- it is immoral. At this moment, there are 8.5 million children in our country without health care.
Costs are rising uncontrollably and fewer people can afford to keep what coverage they do have. While you have been reading this letter three more people have lost their health care coverage. This is completely unacceptable. On June 19th we will demand action and tell our elected officials that we haven't forgotten about health care -- and neither should they:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19
If you can't attend an event, please tell your friends, family, and colleagues why you support this national day of action. You can also join me and more than 250,000 other Americans who have declared ourselves "Health Care Voters":
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter
When you become a Health Care Voter, you pledge to support candidates who propose detailed, feasible plans for ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. When we speak with one voice on this issue we can make change happen:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter
We ought not be the last industrialized country to guarantee health care to all its people. We can solve this problem, but only by working ogether. We must stand up and demand that our elected officials start orking for the 44 million Americans who are uninsured and the millions ore who are underinsured.
Please help ensure that all eyes remain focused on this crisis; the longer we wait to do something, the worse this problem gets. Please act now -- lives depend on it.
Thank you.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
P.S. -- We cannot win the fight on issues that matter if our votes aren't counted in November -- join more than 117,000 Americans who have signed the petition to ensure verifiable, accountable voting systems:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/counteveryvote
As a doctor and a governor, there is no more important issue for me than ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. We did it in Vermont, and we must do it for our country. Your hard work and advocacy has made health care a top issue in this election -- but we cannot let up.
Our health care system is in crisis. Nationwide, 44 million people have no health insurance and 74 percent of those without coverage come from working families. We cannot allow this to continue.
So I am asking you to join tens of thousands of other Americans on June 19th for a national day of action to "Bridge the Gap in Health Care" between those who have coverage and those who don't. Americans for Health Care, Jobs With Justice, Rock the Vote and our friends at SEIU are sponsoring events from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge.
To find an event near you, or to start your own event, go to:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19
This crisis affects everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, or age. It is not just tragic -- it is immoral. At this moment, there are 8.5 million children in our country without health care.
Costs are rising uncontrollably and fewer people can afford to keep what coverage they do have. While you have been reading this letter three more people have lost their health care coverage. This is completely unacceptable. On June 19th we will demand action and tell our elected officials that we haven't forgotten about health care -- and neither should they:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19
If you can't attend an event, please tell your friends, family, and colleagues why you support this national day of action. You can also join me and more than 250,000 other Americans who have declared ourselves "Health Care Voters":
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter
When you become a Health Care Voter, you pledge to support candidates who propose detailed, feasible plans for ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. When we speak with one voice on this issue we can make change happen:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/healthcarevoter
We ought not be the last industrialized country to guarantee health care to all its people. We can solve this problem, but only by working ogether. We must stand up and demand that our elected officials start orking for the 44 million Americans who are uninsured and the millions ore who are underinsured.
Please help ensure that all eyes remain focused on this crisis; the longer we wait to do something, the worse this problem gets. Please act now -- lives depend on it.
Thank you.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
P.S. -- We cannot win the fight on issues that matter if our votes aren't counted in November -- join more than 117,000 Americans who have signed the petition to ensure verifiable, accountable voting systems:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/counteveryvote
Bush Joke
While visiting England, George W. Bush is invited to tea with the Queen. He asks her what her leadership philosophy is. She says that it is to surround herself with intelligent people. He asks how she knows if they're intelligent.
"I do so by asking them the right questions," says the Queen. "Allow me to demonstrate."
She phones Tony Blair and says, "Mr. Prime Minister. Please answer this question: Your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?"
Tony Blair responds, "It's me, ma'am."
"Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir," says the Queen. She hangs up and says, "Did you get that, Mr. Bush?"
"Yes ma'am. Thanks a lot. I'll definitely be using that!"
Upon returning to Washington, he decides he'd better put the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the test. He summons Jesse Helms to the White House and says, "Senator Helms, I wonder if you can answer a question for me."
"Why, of course, sir. What's on your mind?"
"Uh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"
Helms hems and haws and finally asks, "Can I think about it and get back to you?" Bush agrees, and Helms leaves. He immediately calls a meeting of other senior senators, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Helms calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem.
"Now look here Colin Powell, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother, or your sister. Who is it?" Powell answers immediately, "It's me, of course, you dumb ass."
Much relieved, Helms rushes back to the White House and exclaims, "I know the answer, sir! I know who it is! It's Colin Powell!" And Bush replies in disgust, "Wrong, you dumb ass, It's Tony Blair!"
"I do so by asking them the right questions," says the Queen. "Allow me to demonstrate."
She phones Tony Blair and says, "Mr. Prime Minister. Please answer this question: Your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?"
Tony Blair responds, "It's me, ma'am."
"Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir," says the Queen. She hangs up and says, "Did you get that, Mr. Bush?"
"Yes ma'am. Thanks a lot. I'll definitely be using that!"
Upon returning to Washington, he decides he'd better put the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the test. He summons Jesse Helms to the White House and says, "Senator Helms, I wonder if you can answer a question for me."
"Why, of course, sir. What's on your mind?"
"Uh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"
Helms hems and haws and finally asks, "Can I think about it and get back to you?" Bush agrees, and Helms leaves. He immediately calls a meeting of other senior senators, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Helms calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem.
"Now look here Colin Powell, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother, or your sister. Who is it?" Powell answers immediately, "It's me, of course, you dumb ass."
Much relieved, Helms rushes back to the White House and exclaims, "I know the answer, sir! I know who it is! It's Colin Powell!" And Bush replies in disgust, "Wrong, you dumb ass, It's Tony Blair!"
June 11, 2004
Reagan
I'd like to pause and pray for Ronald Reagan, his family and his friends.
After seeing John McCain, my boss at work, and so many other figures comment about Reagan and communism I'd like to fill in the "details" that a time-constrained press hasn't yet touched upon. McCain said that a lot of historians might disagree with him, but his opinion, and it's only his opinion as he said twice, was that the wall wouldn't have fallen if not for Reagan. This views has been repeated countless times, although I have not seen one historian comment on any of this. Well, I should say I haven't seen one historian comment on this in the news, luckily for everyone reading this I happen to know a historian who in East Germany during the 1980s, he might tell a different story:
Figures that ended communism besides Reagan:
1. Vaclav Havel- Playwright who spent the 1980s in soviet prison for his views. Became the first Czech President when it gained independence from the USSR.
2. The protestors at Leipzig. Every monday, thousands of people gathered at the formerly state-owned prodestant to protest the Berlin Wall and other infringements on freedoms. In the final weeks of the church meetings the Soviet government ordered the meetings illegal, sent tanks and troops to stop the post-service protests. This was very soon after Tiananmen square massacre and the Soviet government planned similar brutally violent responses. Despite the ban, 50,000 people stared down the barrels of tanks and guns and attended the meeting and then did a peaceful march. To this day, historians are trying to discover whether the order to kill the protestors was not given, given and not obeyed, or given and lost in transmission.
3. Reformist politicians in the Duma (parliament). I don't think anyone can argue that somehow Reagan proposed and got Perestroika and Glasnost (openness, reforms, the movement for an honest society) passed or was able to get more moderate leaders into power.
4. The sytem itself. The system had been falling apart for years. If you could simply lie and say you did a great job and then slack off, why do a good job? Pretty simple idea here that points out what led to Perestroika and the internal falling apart of the communist system. Totalitarinism and militarism had also been taking it's toll (I.E. the expensive Afghan war).
Faithfully,
Rob
After seeing John McCain, my boss at work, and so many other figures comment about Reagan and communism I'd like to fill in the "details" that a time-constrained press hasn't yet touched upon. McCain said that a lot of historians might disagree with him, but his opinion, and it's only his opinion as he said twice, was that the wall wouldn't have fallen if not for Reagan. This views has been repeated countless times, although I have not seen one historian comment on any of this. Well, I should say I haven't seen one historian comment on this in the news, luckily for everyone reading this I happen to know a historian who in East Germany during the 1980s, he might tell a different story:
Figures that ended communism besides Reagan:
1. Vaclav Havel- Playwright who spent the 1980s in soviet prison for his views. Became the first Czech President when it gained independence from the USSR.
2. The protestors at Leipzig. Every monday, thousands of people gathered at the formerly state-owned prodestant to protest the Berlin Wall and other infringements on freedoms. In the final weeks of the church meetings the Soviet government ordered the meetings illegal, sent tanks and troops to stop the post-service protests. This was very soon after Tiananmen square massacre and the Soviet government planned similar brutally violent responses. Despite the ban, 50,000 people stared down the barrels of tanks and guns and attended the meeting and then did a peaceful march. To this day, historians are trying to discover whether the order to kill the protestors was not given, given and not obeyed, or given and lost in transmission.
3. Reformist politicians in the Duma (parliament). I don't think anyone can argue that somehow Reagan proposed and got Perestroika and Glasnost (openness, reforms, the movement for an honest society) passed or was able to get more moderate leaders into power.
4. The sytem itself. The system had been falling apart for years. If you could simply lie and say you did a great job and then slack off, why do a good job? Pretty simple idea here that points out what led to Perestroika and the internal falling apart of the communist system. Totalitarinism and militarism had also been taking it's toll (I.E. the expensive Afghan war).
Faithfully,
Rob
June 04, 2004
Who could have seen 9-11 coming?
Now, a lot of the people criticizing pre-9-11 failures have probably been a little unfair against the administration. But the media coverage of post-9-11 failures has been amazingly unfair in the administrations favor. I've seen countless guests and interviewers pass of the idea 'nobody could have seen it coming' as a fact. Their simply repeat what the administration has beeen saying to save their butts. National security adviser Condoleeza Rice said on May 16, 2002, "I don't think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile." This idea is just rediculous. It's the media folks trying to make sure people don't think their liberal, because there are plenty of books out there that will tell you that people like Richard Clarke and others who were trying to prepare for things like that. Let's look at people who thought that somebody might hijack a plane:
1. One of the Columbine kids had written in his log that he was thinking about hijacking a plane and flying it into a building, WTC was on the top of his list. Footage of a reporter discussing the details of the student's diary describing the idea can be seen in Bowling for Columbine.
2. Tom Clancy wrote about a scenario with terrorists hijacking a plane and flying it into a building one of his books.
3. There was a movie in production in 2001 about terrorists hijacking a plane and flying it into the Pentagon! The production of the movie was then postponed indefinitely. I heard about this the week after 9-11 on msnbc in a story about how the movie just mentioned was canceled and of course how Spiderman was delayed because a scene in which a helicopter crashes into the WTC needed to be taken out.
4. At the last G8 summit (meeting of the top 8 nuclear powers) there were fighter planes flying around the building in case someone hijacked a plane and flew it into the building. Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them discusses this.
5. A memo sent to the president (while we was on vacation in Texas (of course)) was titled "Bin Laden to Attack Within the United States". The memo mentioned New York TWICE!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4710772/
6. Bill Clinton. Clinton "personally warned President-elect George W. Bush in a meeting during the transition that Osama bin Laden would be his No. 1 national-security problem". http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,612324,00.html
7. Richard Clarke. Who devoted so much time to researching a building intelligence agaisnt Al Qaeda. But Bush was more interested in nation building from the get-go and ignored Clark's suggestings for continuing anti-terrorist efforts. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/19/60minutes/main607356.shtml
Or simply search google for Richard Clarke or read his book, Against All Enemies.
8. Jack Roche. A muslim convert from Australia knew the whereabouts of 9-11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others. "He had their phone numbers. He had their e-mail addresses. He knew where they lived. He knew how they worked." "But at the time — 14 months before the Sept. 11 attacks — no one was interested."
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20040607/ts_latimes/before911onewarningwentunheard
9. Gosh, I just keep adding stuff to this list. Here is another one. Mohammed Heikal is a highl repsected Egyptian journalist and foreign minister. He told the Guardian on October 10, 2001 "I know what is there. Bin Laden has been under surveillance for years: every telephone call was monitored and al Qa'eda has been penetrated by American Intelligence, Saudi Intelligence, Egyptian Intelligence. They could not have kept secret an operation that required such a degree of organization and sophistication."
10. Sibel Edmonds. Edmonds is a former FBI translator whose testimony before the 9-11 commission helped force Condalezza Rice to testify before Congress. "We had several specific information as early as April, 2001." "The FBI had information that an attack using airplanes was being planned before Sept. 11 and calls Condoleezza Rice's claim the White House had no specific information on a domestic threat or one involving planes an outrageous lie."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/04/1353259
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Sibel+Edmonds&btnG=Google+Search
11. Kenneth Williams. An FBI agents that wrote the famous 'Phoenix Memo' warning that supporters of Osama bin Laden were "attending civil aviation universities/colleges in Arizona." The memo apparently never reached the highest levels of the FBI, the CIA or the Justice Department until after September 11.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/21/phoenix.memo/
12. According to the NY Times Sept 9, 2002 as early as 1996, Pakistani terrorist Abdul Hakim Murad confessed to federal agents that he was "learning to fly an aircraft in order to crash a plane into CIA HG"
13. A briefing in July of 2001 warned of "a significant terrorist attack against the U.S. and/or Israeli interests in the coming weeks. The attacks with be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against US facilities and interests. Attacks will occur with little or no warning."
14. We also now know that at least 2 FBI agents warned their superiors that AlQa'eda was planning a "kamakazi strike against New York and Washington". They were told that if they were to come public with this information, they would be prosecuted under the National Security Act. (Dreaming War p.14)
In conclusion, I'll leave you with the conclusion that will be written in history which is the conclusion of the 9-11 commission which said "9/11 could have and should have been prevented."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/17/eveningnews/main589137.shtml
I don't want anybody to be unfair and blame it all on Bush, let's just be honest about the American Neo-conservative agenda: they love nation-building and ignored terrorism.
-Rob
1. One of the Columbine kids had written in his log that he was thinking about hijacking a plane and flying it into a building, WTC was on the top of his list. Footage of a reporter discussing the details of the student's diary describing the idea can be seen in Bowling for Columbine.
2. Tom Clancy wrote about a scenario with terrorists hijacking a plane and flying it into a building one of his books.
3. There was a movie in production in 2001 about terrorists hijacking a plane and flying it into the Pentagon! The production of the movie was then postponed indefinitely. I heard about this the week after 9-11 on msnbc in a story about how the movie just mentioned was canceled and of course how Spiderman was delayed because a scene in which a helicopter crashes into the WTC needed to be taken out.
4. At the last G8 summit (meeting of the top 8 nuclear powers) there were fighter planes flying around the building in case someone hijacked a plane and flew it into the building. Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them discusses this.
5. A memo sent to the president (while we was on vacation in Texas (of course)) was titled "Bin Laden to Attack Within the United States". The memo mentioned New York TWICE!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4710772/
6. Bill Clinton. Clinton "personally warned President-elect George W. Bush in a meeting during the transition that Osama bin Laden would be his No. 1 national-security problem". http://www.time.com/time/press_releases/article/0,8599,612324,00.html
7. Richard Clarke. Who devoted so much time to researching a building intelligence agaisnt Al Qaeda. But Bush was more interested in nation building from the get-go and ignored Clark's suggestings for continuing anti-terrorist efforts. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/19/60minutes/main607356.shtml
Or simply search google for Richard Clarke or read his book, Against All Enemies.
8. Jack Roche. A muslim convert from Australia knew the whereabouts of 9-11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others. "He had their phone numbers. He had their e-mail addresses. He knew where they lived. He knew how they worked." "But at the time — 14 months before the Sept. 11 attacks — no one was interested."
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20040607/ts_latimes/before911onewarningwentunheard
9. Gosh, I just keep adding stuff to this list. Here is another one. Mohammed Heikal is a highl repsected Egyptian journalist and foreign minister. He told the Guardian on October 10, 2001 "I know what is there. Bin Laden has been under surveillance for years: every telephone call was monitored and al Qa'eda has been penetrated by American Intelligence, Saudi Intelligence, Egyptian Intelligence. They could not have kept secret an operation that required such a degree of organization and sophistication."
10. Sibel Edmonds. Edmonds is a former FBI translator whose testimony before the 9-11 commission helped force Condalezza Rice to testify before Congress. "We had several specific information as early as April, 2001." "The FBI had information that an attack using airplanes was being planned before Sept. 11 and calls Condoleezza Rice's claim the White House had no specific information on a domestic threat or one involving planes an outrageous lie."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/04/1353259
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Sibel+Edmonds&btnG=Google+Search
11. Kenneth Williams. An FBI agents that wrote the famous 'Phoenix Memo' warning that supporters of Osama bin Laden were "attending civil aviation universities/colleges in Arizona." The memo apparently never reached the highest levels of the FBI, the CIA or the Justice Department until after September 11.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/21/phoenix.memo/
12. According to the NY Times Sept 9, 2002 as early as 1996, Pakistani terrorist Abdul Hakim Murad confessed to federal agents that he was "learning to fly an aircraft in order to crash a plane into CIA HG"
13. A briefing in July of 2001 warned of "a significant terrorist attack against the U.S. and/or Israeli interests in the coming weeks. The attacks with be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against US facilities and interests. Attacks will occur with little or no warning."
14. We also now know that at least 2 FBI agents warned their superiors that AlQa'eda was planning a "kamakazi strike against New York and Washington". They were told that if they were to come public with this information, they would be prosecuted under the National Security Act. (Dreaming War p.14)
In conclusion, I'll leave you with the conclusion that will be written in history which is the conclusion of the 9-11 commission which said "9/11 could have and should have been prevented."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/17/eveningnews/main589137.shtml
I don't want anybody to be unfair and blame it all on Bush, let's just be honest about the American Neo-conservative agenda: they love nation-building and ignored terrorism.
-Rob
June 02, 2004
G. Dubya Quotes
Yeah, it's time for some quotes from G. W. Bush.
"Tax relief is central to my plan to encourage economic growth and we can proceed with tax relief without fear of budget deficits, even if the economy softens." [Source: White House Web site] [American Progress.org]
"For lower-income families, my tax plan restores basic fairness." [Source: White House Web site] [American Progress.org]
"I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him
[Osama Bin Laden]." 3-13-2002 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
Then there's the whole messing up Abu Grahib pronunciation big time, and Bush asking, "Is our children learning?"
Accually, there are hundreds if not thousands. I give up because I'd rather spend my time reading them. There are a lot at http://www.dubyaspeak.com/
For some of Bush's flip-flops, you should visit here http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=42263
"Tax relief is central to my plan to encourage economic growth and we can proceed with tax relief without fear of budget deficits, even if the economy softens." [Source: White House Web site] [American Progress.org]
"For lower-income families, my tax plan restores basic fairness." [Source: White House Web site] [American Progress.org]
"I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him
[Osama Bin Laden]." 3-13-2002 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html
Then there's the whole messing up Abu Grahib pronunciation big time, and Bush asking, "Is our children learning?"
Accually, there are hundreds if not thousands. I give up because I'd rather spend my time reading them. There are a lot at http://www.dubyaspeak.com/
For some of Bush's flip-flops, you should visit here http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=42263
June 01, 2004
Definitions of Political Terms that get distorted in the media.
This is from WordWeb dictionary and Webster's New World. Roget's and others say the same things.
Fascism: 1. An adherent of fascism or other right-wing authoritarian views. 2. A political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism) Fascist: 1. An adherent of fascism or other right-wing authoritarian views.
Liberal: n 1. A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties 2. A person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets. adj: 1. Showing or characterized by broad-mindedness 2. Having political or social views favoring reform and progress, 3. Tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition.
Conservative: adj 1. Resistant to change, 2. Opposed to liberal reforms, 3. Avoiding excess, 4. Unimaginatively conventional, 5. Conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class.
Reactionary: 1. An extreme conservative; an opponent of progress or liberalism, 2. Extremely conservative.
Communism: 1. any theory or system of common ownership of property. 2, socialism as formulated by Marx, Lenin, etc. Communist: 1. A socialist who advocates communism.
Socialism: 1. a theory by which the means of production and distribution are owned by society rather than by individuals.
So what conclusions can we draw from this?
1. Liberals favor "an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets". Sound like Jefferson, thats right, he was one of the biggest Liberals of his time. Research the foundations of liberalism and you'll find thats what America was founded on. You'll also realize how much the word 'liberal' has been distorted to label and reject anyone who is working for progress on any issue.
2. I've heard people of Faux News and others claim that the Nazis were "Liberals". This is so laughable. This idea is based upon the idea that the Nazis persecuted Christians and the Nazi party has "socialist" in their name. Liberals at the time with their laissez-faire policies and so forth would have never been confused with 'socialists' as the words may be blurred together today. This idea that the Nazis were 'liberals' because they persecuted Christians is so laughable. There were blatent Christian themes in dozens of Hitler's speeches. If one reads the Nuremberg Laws or orders sent to troops one will find similar Christian themese. For example, under the Nuremberg laws you were "Jewish" and hence lost all citenzenship and rights if your spouse attended or was a member of a Synagogue. The Nurumberg laws were a religious standard at least as much as an ethnic standard. Another example of Christian themes in fascist ideology comes from an order sent out by German Field-Marshal Walter von Reichenau to the Nazi troops on the German-Soviet border which stressed "just atonement required of the Jewish subhumans." A teacher at my sister's conservative Christian school told her that the Nazis persecuted Hindus, Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals because the Nazis believed too strongly in evolution. This idea that the Nazi's persecuted Christians I believe comes solely from events in which Polish Priests were persecuted, but they were persecuted for opposing Hitler, not for simply being Christian.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Christians. Tonight, I spent the evening as a volunteer actor for Summer Bible School for kids from area churches as well as kids from my church that I'm very active in. I'll be helping with Summer Bible School all next week. I am a Christian and I go to a Christian school. From my grandparents down you will find Christians active in churches, so obviously I'm not attacking Christians here. I am attacking the fascists in history who have manipulated, lied, distorted, and killed under the guise of Christianity. I am attacking those who fail the recognize the effects of fusing nationalism and Christianity. It it time for us to truthfully recognize these things.
But then again, we can just all become reactionaries and blame everything we don't like on any people working for progess. After all, it worked for Hitler, whos first victims were political enemies in the worker's party (second largest) in Germany, which was purged from Parliament after Hitler was given power by the conservatives.
Faithfully,
--Rob
Fascism: 1. An adherent of fascism or other right-wing authoritarian views. 2. A political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism) Fascist: 1. An adherent of fascism or other right-wing authoritarian views.
Liberal: n 1. A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties 2. A person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets. adj: 1. Showing or characterized by broad-mindedness 2. Having political or social views favoring reform and progress, 3. Tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition.
Conservative: adj 1. Resistant to change, 2. Opposed to liberal reforms, 3. Avoiding excess, 4. Unimaginatively conventional, 5. Conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class.
Reactionary: 1. An extreme conservative; an opponent of progress or liberalism, 2. Extremely conservative.
Communism: 1. any theory or system of common ownership of property. 2, socialism as formulated by Marx, Lenin, etc. Communist: 1. A socialist who advocates communism.
Socialism: 1. a theory by which the means of production and distribution are owned by society rather than by individuals.
So what conclusions can we draw from this?
1. Liberals favor "an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets". Sound like Jefferson, thats right, he was one of the biggest Liberals of his time. Research the foundations of liberalism and you'll find thats what America was founded on. You'll also realize how much the word 'liberal' has been distorted to label and reject anyone who is working for progress on any issue.
2. I've heard people of Faux News and others claim that the Nazis were "Liberals". This is so laughable. This idea is based upon the idea that the Nazis persecuted Christians and the Nazi party has "socialist" in their name. Liberals at the time with their laissez-faire policies and so forth would have never been confused with 'socialists' as the words may be blurred together today. This idea that the Nazis were 'liberals' because they persecuted Christians is so laughable. There were blatent Christian themes in dozens of Hitler's speeches. If one reads the Nuremberg Laws or orders sent to troops one will find similar Christian themese. For example, under the Nuremberg laws you were "Jewish" and hence lost all citenzenship and rights if your spouse attended or was a member of a Synagogue. The Nurumberg laws were a religious standard at least as much as an ethnic standard. Another example of Christian themes in fascist ideology comes from an order sent out by German Field-Marshal Walter von Reichenau to the Nazi troops on the German-Soviet border which stressed "just atonement required of the Jewish subhumans." A teacher at my sister's conservative Christian school told her that the Nazis persecuted Hindus, Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals because the Nazis believed too strongly in evolution. This idea that the Nazi's persecuted Christians I believe comes solely from events in which Polish Priests were persecuted, but they were persecuted for opposing Hitler, not for simply being Christian.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Christians. Tonight, I spent the evening as a volunteer actor for Summer Bible School for kids from area churches as well as kids from my church that I'm very active in. I'll be helping with Summer Bible School all next week. I am a Christian and I go to a Christian school. From my grandparents down you will find Christians active in churches, so obviously I'm not attacking Christians here. I am attacking the fascists in history who have manipulated, lied, distorted, and killed under the guise of Christianity. I am attacking those who fail the recognize the effects of fusing nationalism and Christianity. It it time for us to truthfully recognize these things.
But then again, we can just all become reactionaries and blame everything we don't like on any people working for progess. After all, it worked for Hitler, whos first victims were political enemies in the worker's party (second largest) in Germany, which was purged from Parliament after Hitler was given power by the conservatives.
Faithfully,
--Rob
Reading List
Here is a list of books I've read recently or plan on reading this summer. Feel free to comment on any of them, or pick them up yourselves:
Chris Mathews' 'Hardball' and 'Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think'.
James W. Loewen's 'Lies My Teacher Told Me' or 'Lies Accross America'.
Marx's 'Communist Manifesto' or 'Early Writings'
Edmund Burke's 'Relfection on the Revolution in France' and any of the various collective writings of Burke.
Aristotle's 'The Art Rhetoric' and 'The Politics'
Immanuel Kant's 'Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals' and 'What is the Enlightenment?'
Plato's 'The Republic'
Thomas Hobbes' 'Leviaton'
After Leviathon read 'The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit' by Melvin Konner to learn about more recent ideas than Hobbes' on human nature.
Voltaire's 'Candide'!
Chaim Potok's 'My Name is Asher Lev' and 'The Chosen'
Eric Schlosser's 'Fast Food Nation'
Barry Glassner. I read 'The Culture of Fear', but his more academic stuff is much better.
Ferdinand Oyono's 'Houseboy'
Al Franken's 'Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'. I just finished this, and he has written 6 or 7 other books that I haven't read.
I'm about to finish Michael Moore's 'Downsize This,' but haven't read any of his other books. I beleive they are 'Stupid White Men' and 'Dude, Where's My Country'.
I've read 14 of the above books in the last 9 months, and the other few are what I plan to read this summer. Now you folks reading can see my influences. Any comments, criticism, or suggestions for further reading?
Chris Mathews' 'Hardball' and 'Now Let Me Tell You What I Really Think'.
James W. Loewen's 'Lies My Teacher Told Me' or 'Lies Accross America'.
Marx's 'Communist Manifesto' or 'Early Writings'
Edmund Burke's 'Relfection on the Revolution in France' and any of the various collective writings of Burke.
Aristotle's 'The Art Rhetoric' and 'The Politics'
Immanuel Kant's 'Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals' and 'What is the Enlightenment?'
Plato's 'The Republic'
Thomas Hobbes' 'Leviaton'
After Leviathon read 'The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit' by Melvin Konner to learn about more recent ideas than Hobbes' on human nature.
Voltaire's 'Candide'!
Chaim Potok's 'My Name is Asher Lev' and 'The Chosen'
Eric Schlosser's 'Fast Food Nation'
Barry Glassner. I read 'The Culture of Fear', but his more academic stuff is much better.
Ferdinand Oyono's 'Houseboy'
Al Franken's 'Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'. I just finished this, and he has written 6 or 7 other books that I haven't read.
I'm about to finish Michael Moore's 'Downsize This,' but haven't read any of his other books. I beleive they are 'Stupid White Men' and 'Dude, Where's My Country'.
I've read 14 of the above books in the last 9 months, and the other few are what I plan to read this summer. Now you folks reading can see my influences. Any comments, criticism, or suggestions for further reading?
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